By Alan Carasso
'TDN Rising Star' Long Neck Paula (Uncle Mo) was pitched in against the boys by trainer Wesley Ward–as he is wont to do–in Saturday's $197,500 Bowman Mill Stakes at Keeneland and the calculated gamble paid off, as she held a late charge from Tough Magic to record the second black-type success of her young career.
Sent away the 11-4 second favorite exiting a 7 1/2-length victory in the Prairie Meadows Debutante Aug. 23, the $325,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $500,000 OBS March graduate hit the ground running and led early, but she was displaced on the front end by favored Macho Music (Maclean's Music), who zipped through an opening quarter in :21.59. Working hard to maintain the lead as they raced into the final three furlongs, Macho Music took his four rivals into the lane, but he began to feel the pinch, and Junior Alvarado sent Long Neck Paula to the front just inside the eighth pole. Tough Catch (Complexity) was pulled off the fence and into the clear to deliver his challenge, but the wire came first for Long Charge Paula. Terrapin Station (Unified) took a photo for third over Macho Music, who was steadied for a couple of strides after jumping a shadow and re-rally for the show spot.
“She broke very sharp, then I used her a little bit just to get my position going forward,” the winning jockey commented. “I saw that (jockey) Luis Saez (aboard Macho Music) was intending to get the lead. He had to rush a little more at that point, so I was very happy where I was sitting with my filly. She was very good. By the time we hit the five-sixteenths pole, I knew she was ready and we started picking it up little by little. I knew I had enough horse, and she held on all the way to the wire.”
Named a 'Rising Star' on Churchill debut May 2, Long Neck Paula was a well-beaten third in the July 11 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga ahead of her demolition job in Iowa. She was scratched from Friday's Myrtlewood Stakes in favor of this colts' equivalent.
Winner of the 2018 GIII Forward Gal Stakes and third in this track's GII Lexus Raven Run Stakes that season, Take Charge Paula was acquired by WinStar for $475,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale the following month. After selling the mare's first two foals for a combined $310,000, they struck gold with Long Neck Paula at Keeneland September last fall. Take Charge Paula is also responsible for a yearling Nyquist colt, a weanling colt by Cyberknife and was bred to Gunite for her 2025 produce.
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BOWMAN MILL S., $197,500, Keeneland, 10-26, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.92, ft.
1–LONG NECK PAULA, 117, f, 2, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Take Charge Paula (GSW, $451,700), by Take Charge Indy
2nd Dam: Perfect Paula, by Songandaprayer
3rd Dam: Ra Hydee, by Rahy
($325,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $500,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Will Stroud & Debra L O'Connor; B-WinStar Farm LLC (KY); T-Wesley A Ward; J-Junior Alvarado. $124,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $273,700.
2–Tough Catch, 118, c, 2, Complexity–Try to Catch Her, by Broken Vow. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. ($110,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $280,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-S.O.K. Racing, Gervais Racing LLC, On Our Own Stable LLC, Zak Stables & Dallas Stewart; B-Martin J Keogh, Justin & Gemma Wojczynski (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. $40,000.
3–Terrapin Station, 118, c, 2, Unified–Carefree Highway, by Creative Cause. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. O/B-Blue Devil Racing Stable (Holliday) (KY); T-Dale L Romans. $20,000.
Margins: HF, 3 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.75, 3.67, 6.27.
Also Ran: Macho Music, Politicallycorrect. Scratched: Mitty's Griddy, White Sands.
Long Neck Paula hangs on to get another stakes win in the Bowman Mill S. at Keeneland! 🏆@juniorandkellya piloted the 2YO filly for trainer Wesley Ward.
🎥 #TwinSpriesReplay pic.twitter.com/P8s1kUea3N
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) October 26, 2024
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