Yuugiri eyes Grade 1 stakes after Carousel victory
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Yuugiri is bound for Grade 1 company following her outstanding win Saturday in the $150,000 Carousel at Oaklawn Park.
She swept outside of pacesetter Pretty Birdie in the stretch and turned on the jets through the lane for a 3 1/2-length win in the six-furlong stakes for fillies and mares. Pretty Birdie finished second, 3 1/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher Hazy Command.
Yuugiri ($5) has now set herself up for a start in the Grade 1, $600,000 Madison on April 8 at Keeneland. Trainer Rodolphe Brisset said Keeneland is where the filly will soon head provided she emerges from Saturday’s race in good order. He said the Carousel had been her target because of its timing to the Madison.
“We picked the Carousel and everything’s worked out good so far,” Brisset said.
Yuugiri joined Pretty Birdie, who broke on top, on the lead through an opening quarter of 21.41 seconds that was run on a sloppy, sealed track. Yuugiri was then switched out around Pretty Birdie by jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. Pretty Birdie continued on through a half-mile in 44.97, as Yuugiri was angled out into the stretch and came rolling down the center of the track to catch the leader. Yuugiri then went on to cover the distance in 1:10.17, getting a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I told Ricardo before the race it was up to him if he wanted to sit back and give her breather or just keep going,” Brisset said. “It would be up to him and he did take her back a little bit, gave her a breather, moved outside, and she went away.”
Yuugiri is a 4-year-old daughter of Shackleford who races for her breeders, Tsunebumi and Sekie Yoshihara. She was winning her second stakes race behind last year’s Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn. Yuugiri is now 4 for 8 for earnings of $714,285.
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