Youalmosthadme turns on engine late en route to Fern Creek victory

Youalmosthadme overcame a slow start with a game inside rally to wear down Halina's Forte by three-quarters of a length in the $225,000 Fern Creek Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

This was the third sprint stakes victory of her 2-year-old campaign for Youalmosthadme, an Oxbow filly trained by Brad Cox for Qatar Racing, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, and Black Type Thoroughbreds. The filly previously won the Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs, and the Myrtlewood Stakes last month at Keeneland. Her only blips have been a third when stumbling at the start of the Ellis Debutante, and a runner-up effort when attempting to stretch out in the Grade 3 Pocahontas.

Youalmosthadme ($3.56) was away cleanly Saturday under Tyler Gaffalione, but was outsprinted in the early going, with Irish Maxima catching a flyer and scrambling to the lead over Field Lass, Sharp Tune, and Halina's Forte.

Youalmosthadme was still eighth, with more than five lengths to make up, near the quarter pole, and risked being buried in the field of 11. Gaffalione found clear running room for the filly on the rail, and she was able to launch a rally in earnest, but still had plenty of work to do, as Halina's Forte cleared the others into the stretch.

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Youalmosthadme tenaciously ate into the margin of Halina's Forte, and as the two came into the final sixteenth Youalmosthadme finally asserted her class, edging clear by three-quarters of a length, as the top two finished 6 1/4 clear of Fibber, in third.

The time for the 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:17.67.

The Fern Creek was the fourth win on the card for Gaffalione, who is on his way to winning the riding title, and his second stakes score of the evening, after splitting horses in the stretch with Intricate for a win in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes.

Earlier on the card, Just Steel ($27.08), who had tangled with some of the division's best, continued to cut back in distance for an upset win in the $225,000 Ed Brown Stakes, the companion race to the Fern Creek.

Just Steel, by Triple Crown winner Justify, is trained by Wayne Lukas for BC Stables. The colt broke his maiden in his third career start. The runner-up, Be You, has since been Grade 1-placed, while third-place Locked went on to win the Breeders' Futurity and finish third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Despite that back class, however, Just Steel struggled against Grade 1 company later in the summer and fall. He set a torrid, pressured pace in the Hopeful Stakes at seven furlongs before fading to seventh, and again raced on the engine in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Futurity before finishing sixth.

Just Steel got some class relief when finishing third in a seven-furlong allowance-optional claiming race on Oct. 29 at Churchill Downs; the runner-up, Honor Marie, came back to win the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club on Saturday. He cut back slightly more for the Ed Brown, to 6 1/2 furlongs. Meanwhile, favored Booth was stretching out slightly in distance, from the six furlongs of his dominant Keeneland maiden win with a 96 Beyer Speed Figure - among the best this year.

To no surprise, Booth was away alertly from the outside in the field of nine, pressing Bowstreet, who broke from the rail, through the opening quarter of 22.31 seconds, with unbeaten Indiana-bred Molly's Town with them. Booth poked a head in front through the half of 45.67, but Just Steel, who had avoided that early duel, came with a wide sweep at the quarter pole under Joel Rosario. He wrested the lead from Booth and ground away through the final furlong to lengthen to a 2 1/2-length victory. The time was 1:16.91.

Agoo came on for second, a length ahead of Normandy Hero. The latter, in turn, was a length ahead of Molly's Town, who edged Booth by a head for fourth.

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