Vixen blazes to Sweetest Chant victory
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The 3-year-old filly Vixen ran faster than the 3-year-old colt Charlie’s to Blame in a pair of sophomore turf stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Vixen, a popular winner of the $165,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes at $3.60, pressed the pace of longshot La Giaconda into the far turn, overwhelming the leader past the three-furlong marker and holding firm through the homestretch under John Velazquez to post a 2 1/4-length victory. Vixen clocked 1:40.32 for 1 1/16 miles over a firm course.
Ramsey Pond ran on mildly for second, three-quarters of a length better than third-place Correto. Sail Theseven Seas, a Larry Johnson homebred trained by Mike Trombetta, suffered a severe injury on the far turn and was euthanized.
Mark Casse trains Vixen for D J Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbreds, and Casse found a sweet spot for the filly’s first start since a creditable sixth of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, a race in which Vixen broke from post 13. A close second in the Grade 1 Natalma, Vixen, a daughter of Vekoma and Top Mission by Noble Mission, was bred in Kentucky by Jason Edward Howard. She won for the second time in five starts and figures to return sooner rather than later to graded-stakes competition.
It took Charlie’s to Blame 1:40.48 to cover his 1 1/16 miles on grass in the $150,000 Kitten’s Joy later Saturday, but regardless of time, the colt was very game winning by a head over Maui Strong.
Pushed hard on the lead by longshot Walking in Memphis, Charlie’s to Blame, after a half mile in 47.91 and six furlongs in 1:11.27, surged clear in upper stretch, taking a two-length lead to the stretch call. But Maui Strong burst into the clear, had aim on the leader, and appeared poised to pass before Luis Saez and Charlie’s to Blame dug deep for one final push. The top two proved considerably best, with 9-5 favorite Test Score two lengths back in third.
Charlie’s to Blame shipped from California for trainer Peter Eurton, who trains the son of Blame and the Medaglia d’Oro mare Silent Bond for BG Stables, Roadrunner Racing, SAF Racing, West Coast Stables, Barbara Evenson and Jeffery Lambert. Charlie’s to Blame, bred by Pope McLean, Marc McLean, and Pope McLean Jr., scored a last-out maiden win making his turf debut Dec. 1 at Del Mar.
Not quite as fast as Vixen, but just fast enough to win the Kitten’s Joy.
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