By Joe Bianca
Gary Broad's New York-bred mare Ratajkowski (Drosselmeyer), who has spent all six starts of her career thus far facing fellow Empire-breds, will take her first crack against open company in Thursday's GII Falls City H. at Churchill Downs.
Making her belated debut with a third in a Belmont sprint May 25, the 5-year-old graduated next out in the slop there June 20 before just getting run down when second stretching out to two turns July 25 at Saratoga. Narrowly prevailing at the same trip Aug. 16 at the Spa, the chestnut romped by 10 1/2-lengths in a state-bred allowance Sept. 11 at Belmont before repeating with a game score in the Empire Distaff H., her stakes bow, Oct. 19 at Big Sandy. The Brian Lynch trainee shipped into Louisville early to record a pair of local blowouts, including a best-of-36 bullet half-mile in :47 flat Nov. 9.
A pair of last-out graded stakes winners at this oval appear to offer the main challenges. CJ Thoroughbreds and Left Turn Racing's Sally's Curlin (Curlin) took five tries to break her maiden, but turned the corner once doing so, winning three of her next four, including a last-to-first conquest of the GIII Chilukki S. here Nov. 2. Jay Em Ess Stable's Go Google Yourself (Into Mischief), who just missed in the Dogwood S. here last fall, was also a close second in the GIII Hilliard Lyons-Baird Doubledogdare S. Apr. 19 at Keeneland and fourth in the GII Fleur de Lis H. before earning her first stakes success in the Groupie Doll S. Aug. 11 at Ellis. She then repeated against several re-opposing rivals in the GIII Locust Grove S. Sept. 14 at Churchill.
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