Up Hill Stable and Head of Plains Partners' Lightstream (Harlan's Holiday) proved her eye-catching debut score at Gulfstream Park Mar. 6 was no fluke with a professional rail-rallying triumph in the GIII Beaumont S. at Keeneland Sunday. With Head of Plains Partners acquiring a share of ownership from Leonard Zenith's Up Hill Stables following the debut victory, Lightstream capitalized on a swift early pace to remain unbeaten and earn trainer Brian Lynch his first win of the Keeneland meet.
“She's still learning what it's all about,” said Lynch. “There was a [Grade I] winner in there, multiple winners in there, so it was a nice step forward for her.”
Lightstream's debut at Gulfstream was nothing short of impressive. Racing well off an honest pace, the bay skimmed the rail and angled out to notch a decisive score, earning a jaw-dropping Beyer Speed Figure of 103. The strength of that event was further validated Saturday when runner-up Kareena (Medaglia d'Oro) returned to capture a maiden heat at Keeneland in 'TDN Rising Star' fashion.
The filly found herself in a similar position Sunday, breaking from the rail on Keeneland's Beard Course configuration and biding her time behind the pace in the early stages as R Girls a Charmer blazed through fractions of :22.22 and :44.64. Asked to quicken on the turn as the pack began to string out, she quickly shot through an opening on the rail and reached contention in midstretch. Confronting last year's GI Frizette S. heroine Nickname (Scat Daddy) inside the final furlong, she forged ahead of that more-experienced rival and reported home clearly in front. She covered the final quarter-mile in a strong :22.65.
“I'd rather have her on my team than be running against her,” Lynch continued. “Very gutsy. The pace was cracking early. [Jockey Julien Leparoux] was patient enough with her. It looked like at the three-eighths pole, she wasn't going anywhere but once he got after her…she gutted it out down the lane.”
When asked about his trip, Leparoux added, “They went pretty quick up front, but she was traveling very good. I saw the opening on the rail, so I just went for it. She finished nice. That was a pretty good bunch, even if there was only a five-horse field.”
Lightstream was originally scooped up by Zenith for $55,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. She is a daughter of stakes winner North Beach, a half-sister to GIII El Camino Real Derby victor Kilgowan (Smoke Glacken).
Sunday, Keeneland Race Course
ADENA SPRINGS BEAUMONT S.-GIII, $150,000, KEE, 4-17, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:26.27, ft.
1–#@LIGHTSTREAM, 118, f, 3, by Harlan's Holiday
1st Dam: North Beach (SW, $129,885), by Arch
2nd Dam: Port Roberto, by Dynaformer
3rd Dam: Portuguese, by Jacinto
($55,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Up Hill Stable & Head of Plains
Partners LLC; B-Ann Marie Farm (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch; J-Julien
R. Leparoux. $93,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $117,000.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: B+.
2–Nickname, 123, f, 3, Scat Daddy–Nina Fever, by Borrego.
($350,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-LNJ Foxwoods; B-Michael Hui
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $30,000.
3–Kinsley Kisses, 118, f, 3, Congrats–Winter Forest, by Forestry.
($200,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Cheyenne Stables LLC;
B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $15,000.
[bullet ad=”bradshaw-randy-shell”][bullet ad=”stonestreet-bredraised”][bullet ad=”elmtree-salesgrad”][bullet ad=”mulhollandsprings-dambredsold”]Margins: 3/4, 1HF, 4HF. Odds: 1.30, 2.60, 1.90.
Also Ran: R Girls a Charmer, American Doll.
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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