Looking to snag the first graded stakes score of her career, Mrs. Astor (Lookin At Lucky) kicked home strongest of all in the GIII Red Carpet Stakes at Del Mar Sunday afternoon.
The 4-year-old filly was last seen running fourth Oct. 20 in the GIII Dowager Stakes at Keeneland after closing from ninth. She'd mostly been contesting the allowance/optional claiming conditions in her career but had placed third in the 2023 running of the GIII Regret Stakes over the Churchill Downs grass along with a couple off-the-board finishes in Listed races. This was her third attempt at graded company.
Shipped west for trainer Jonathan Thomas, she was able to put in a couple of works over the local turf in preparation for this start. The move Nov. 17 over this course with the dogs up was a co-fastest bullet four furlongs in :49 flat in company with GSW Truly Quality (Quality Road).
Backed as a 9-2 third choice here, the George Strawbridge Jr. homebred settled near the rear of the field as Everything Bugs Me (Catalina Cruiser) stepped forward to dictate the tempo. In no hurry behind splits of :49.47 and 1:15.19 early in the race, the complexion changed as that early leader was eased out of the running on the backstretch and Ima Joker (Practical Joke) assumed command. Mrs. Astor came under a ride through the third and final turn and swung into the lane three off the fence. Closing relentlessly to take control passing the eighth pole, she had enough left to hold off the late charge from 3-5 favorite GISP Forever After All (Connect) by a length. Marksman Queen (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) held on for third.
After the race, there was a Stewards' Inquiry involving Forever After All and Marksman Queen regarding interference on the final turn. While they rule that Marksman Queen came over and caused Forever After All to take up, because the latter finished ahead of the instigator, there would be no need for a change. The final running time of 2:16.82 was hand-timed due to a timer malfunction.
“I was outside. It [the inquiry] was between Umberto Rispoli and the horse inside,” comment winning rider Vincent Cheminaud, who claimed his first ever stakes win at Del Mar. “Umberto's horse tried to come inside every time. I was looking at that. But I had a good trip. My filly was good; she likes the fast track [course].”
“There are times she ran pretty good at Keeneland, so I had a good chance today. She doesn't have much speed from the beginning. My filly has a really good turn of foot and today she tried hard. [This is] my first time at Del Mar. I run two good horses, yesterday and today, two good winners. When you win you are happy every time. I know small tracks; I travel a lot in the world. I have the experience to run everywhere.”
Trainer Jonathan Thomas, who also was winning his first stakes over the oval, thought the trouble for the favorite played in his filly's favor, ” I think we got a little lucky with Brendan's [Walsh] horse getting into a little bit of trouble but [Cheminaud] saw that and kicked on, which I think was the right thing to do. I thought Vincent gave her a fantastic ride.”
#5 MRS. ASTOR ($11.60) holds on to win the $100,000 Red Carpet Stakes (G3) at @DelMarRacing. This is the first graded victory for the four-year-old Lookin At Lucky filly. @VCheminaud was aboard for @ThomasStables. pic.twitter.com/flY0XA4DVV
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) November 24, 2024
Pedigree Notes:
Out of a placed half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year MGISP Biofuel (Stormin Fever) and Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Tu Endie Wei (Johar), Mrs. Astor is the first winner and the first to claim black-type in Casual (Creative Cause)'s broodmare career. Of the two to reach racing age, the 3-year-old younger half-brother Revelatory (Munnings) is unplaced. She has a 2-year-old filly named Megantheebattalion (Battalion Runner) in the wings as well as a yearling full-sister to that one named Toddles My Love. Casual went to Army Mule for 2025.
Another half-sister to the mare is SW & GSP Indian Pride (Proud Citizen) and the lone gelding to claim stakes placing in the family was SP Homer Matt (Majesticperfection). The second dam was unraced, but was herself a half-sister to [then so graded] GII Arkansas Derby hero Dansil (Silver Hawk), who went on to be a sire.
Sunday, Del Mar
RED CARPET S.-GIII, $101,000, Del Mar, 11-24, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 3/8mT, 2:16.82, fm.
1–MRS. ASTOR, 121, f, 4, by Lookin At Lucky
1st Dam: Causal, by Creative Cause
2nd Dam: Ms. Cornstalk, by Indian Charlie
3rd Dam: Upper Dancer, by Upper Nile
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Augustin Stables; B-George Strawbridge (KY); T-Jonathan Thomas; J-Vincent Cheminaud. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 15-3-4-3, $295,235. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Forever After All, 121, m, 5, Connect–Julia Tuttle, by Giant's Causeway. ($290,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Dixiana Farms LLC; B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $20,000.
3–Marksman Queen (GB), 121, f, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Sharp Susan, by Touch Gold. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Cayton Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-H. Graham Motion. $12,000.
Margins: 1, 3HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 4.80, 0.70, 3.50.
Also Ran: Mahina, Ima Joker, Moment's Pleasure, Everything Bugs Me. Scratched: Queens Command (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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