Covfefe ran the GIII Miss Preakness S. field off their feet, quite literally, at Pimlico Friday, rocketing home in a new track record time. Quickest away from the stalls, the 9-5 chalk zipped through an opening quarter in :22.24 with Congrats Gal (Congrats) and Fighting Mad (New Year's Day) stacked alongside her. Please Flatter Me (Munnings) joined the fun as Fighting Mad called it quits through a half in :44.43, but she was no match for Covfefe, who powered clear of her foes like they were standing still to win for fun. The flashy bay completed the six-panel event in a posted time of 1:07.70, which is new track record. Congrats Gal collapsed on the track after fading to last and died of a heart attack.
“Javier [Castellano] did a great job,” said winning trainer Brad Cox, who indicated her would look at Saratoga's GI Test S. for Covfefe. “She did break the track record? It doesn't matter, but she's fast. We weren't hell-bent on getting to the lead today. We were going to let the speed go if there was a lot of it. Javier did a great job of letting her fall into the race. I'm super pleased with her. This filly, we've thought she was a superstar from the start. To ship her to a Grade I [Frizette S.] off breaking her maiden should tell you we like her. She put it together today.”
“She did it very easy. I didn't expect her to be on the lead. She has speed but the way I handicapped the race, in the back of my mind I didn't want to take the pace because I knew it was going to be really fast and I was looking to save something for the end. But it didn't work that way. She broke out of the gate and I had the best horse in the race. Let's put in a great performance today and that's exactly what she did today.
“I know she's a good filly and she's just a super -fast horse,” said Castellano, who was scoring his third straight win on the card in the Miss Preakness. “It didn't surprise me the way she performed today. I felt we were going fast but [going in 1:07.70] didn't go through my mind once.”
Graduating by 9 1/4 lengths on debut at Churchill Downs Sept. 16, Covfefe could only manage fourth as the favorite behind future champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) in Belmont's GI Frizette S. Oct. 7. The $250,000 KEESEP buy returned to winning ways last time in an Apr. 6 optional claimer at Keeneland Apr. 6.
Pedigree Notes:
Covfefe is the 22nd graded stakes winner and 50th black-type victress for her red hot sire Into Mischief. Her stakes-winning second dam Aurora produced Grade I-winning millionaire Acoma (Empire Maker), GISW and sire Arch (Kris S.) and UAE Horse of the Year Festival of Light (A.P. Indy). Covfefe is the second graded winner for her dam Antics, who is also responsible for Japanese MGSW and G1SP Albiano (Harlan's Holiday). The 21-year-old mare's recent produce includes a yearling filly by Nyquist and a Violence colt born Apr. 20 of this year.
Friday, Pimlico
ADENA SPRINGS MISS PREAKNESS S.-GIII, $150,000, Pimlico, 5-17, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:07.70 (NTR), ft.
1–COVFEFE, 120, f, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Antics, by Unbridled
2nd Dam: Aurora, by Danzig
3rd Dam: Althea, by Alydar
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($250,000
Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LNJ Foxwoods; B-Alexander-Groves
Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Javier Castellano.
$90,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $196,200. *1/2 to Albiano
(Harlan's Holiday), MGSW & MG1SP, $1,567,617. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Please Flatter Me, 120, f, 3, Munnings–She's Flattering, by
Flatter. ($12,000 Ylg '17 EASJAN). O-Heider Family Stables LLC,
Madaket Stables LLC & Doheny Racing Stable; B-Mary
Katherine Haire (PA); T-Mark J. Reid. $30,000.
3–Tomlin, 120, f, 3, Distorted Humor–Belle of Perintown, by
Dehere. ($200,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Fairview, LLC;
B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Michael
Stidham. $15,000.
Margins: 8HF, 3HF, 1HF. Odds: 1.80, 5.00, 9.70.
Also Ran: Midnight Fantasy, Never Enough Time, Bye Bye J, Fighting Mad, Brunette Princess, Congrats Gal. Scratched: Iva, Miss Imperial, Best Kept Secret, Sue's Fortune. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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