War Like Goddess passes first test against males in Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The 5-year-old mare War Like Goddess rebounded from her hard-luck loss in the Grade 2 Flower Bowl last month at Saratoga with a solid 2 3/4-length victory against males in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct, putting her squarely in the mix for next month’s $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland.
Under Jose Lezcano, War Like Goddess sat a comfortable third early on and was kept two paths off the rail through the lane the first time and down the backstretch. When Lezcano tipped her out in the stretch, she responded from a couple of cracks of his right-handed whip to get past the pacesetting Bye Bye Melvin, who finished second by three-quarters of a length over Astronaut.
Rockemperor and Soldier Rising dead-heated for fourth, followed by Adhamo and Gufo.
The win was the ninth from 12 starts for War Like Goddess, a 5-year-old daughter of English Channel owned by George Krikorian and trained by Bill Mott. A year ago, War Like Goddess finished third as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. This year, with the Filly and Mare Turf run at 1 3/16 miles – as opposed to 1 3/8 miles a year ago – she will face males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, run at 1 1/2 miles, on Nov. 5.
“I always thought she belongs,” Mott said. “There’s good horses and she could get outrun, but I think she deserves an opportunity for sure. I don’t think we’re out of line whatsoever. We’re a long ways from the winner’s circle, but I think she deserves the opportunity. She’s done nothing wrong.”
War Like Goddess has won seven of her last nine races. In last year’s Breeders’ Cup, Julien Leparoux made an early move and got beat a half-length while finishing third. In the Flower Bowl, Joel Rosario got trapped for too long on the inside behind a glacial pace and finished second, a neck behind Virginia Joy.
Saturday, with Bye Bye Melvin leading the way, the pace was legitimate as that one, under Feargal Lynch, set fractions of 24.25 seconds for the quarter, 48.96 for the half, and 1:13.68 for six furlongs. War Like Goddess was about six lengths back and in the clear.
When Lezcano got to the quarter pole, he asked War Like Goddess to run and she picked it up, moving past Bye Bye Melvin just outside the eighth pole.
“I keep waiting to the quarter pole maybe three-sixteenths pole, I know the horse to beat was behind me,” Lezcano said. “I didn’t see [Bye Bye Melvin] staying there that long.”
Mott, watching the replay, called the performance fine.
“Looks like after the second strap [of the whip], she said ‘Okay, I get it now,’ ” Mott said.
War Like Goddess covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:27.29 and returned $3.90 to win. She earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.
Lynch, on Bye Bye Melvin, said the race went pretty much as he expected.
“He was the only speed in the race, we let him go to the lead, he settled and relaxed nice,” Lynch said. “He was picking it up and doing everything right, we just got rundown by a nice horse.”
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