By Alan Carasso
Peter Brant's Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB} gave trainer Chad Brown his fourth consecutive victory in Keeneland's GI First Lady S., leading every step of the way to just stave off a final-furlong rally from the commonly owned 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) to punch her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar Nov. 6. Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} x Lillie Langtry {Ire}) ran with merit to be third.
Blowout was kicked straight into the lead by Flavien Prat from an outside alley and established a clear lead through the first two panels in a manageable :23.76 and a half in :47.75, chased most closely through the opening exchanges by La Signare (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Regal Glory, who traveled three wide the trip without the benefit of cover. Traveling nicely on the bridle nearing the stretch, Blowout was confidently ridden past the eighth pole and, although Regal Glory tried her very best, she could not press past and Blowout was home narrowly in front. Empress Josephine sat a ground-saving trip better than midfield, was pulled off the inside and rallied three wide into the stretch and ran on to be a highly creditable third. Favored Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), winner of the GI Just A Game S. and GI Diana S. in her two most recent starts, raced in the slipstream of Empress Josephine down the back, but endured a checkered passage through the final furlong and a half and did well to be fourth.
A Raving Beauty (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}, 2018); and Uni (GB) (More Than Ready, 2019 & 2020) were Brown's other recent winners. He won his first running of the First Lady with Dayatthespa (City Zip) in 2014, who followed up in the F/M Turf at Santa Anita.
“As usual she showed a lot of speed out of the gate, and I was able to get myself comfortable on the lead where I didn't have too much pressure,” said Prat of the winner. “She relaxed well down the backside. She fought really hard down the lane because she lost the lead for a little bit, but she dug in and fought back and really made a great stretch run.”
Blowout was one of the more luckless horses in training in 2020, losing a third-level Saratoga allowance by a neck last August, the GIII Noble Damsel S. to stable companion Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) by a similar margin the following month and missing by a nose to the latter in the GI Matriarch S. in November. The bay held on to win the GII Distaff Turf Mile May 1 at Churchill after opening up by as many as eight lengths and was a latest fourth to Got Stormy (Get Stormy) after cutting out a strong pace in the GI Fourstardave H. Aug. 14 at the Spa.
Pedigree Notes:
Blowout is the 23rd top-level scorer for her sire and is the second GISW out of a daughter of the late Deep Impact (Jpn). The other, the striking 7-year-old Kiseki (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), was to run in Sunday's G2 Kyoto Daishoten at Hanshin.
In the name of Whitebirch, Brant paid €450,000 for Blowout at the 2016 Goffs November Sale. She is the second foal from her dam, who carried the Wildenstein silks to a popular victory in the 2012 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) ahead of a close runner-up effort in that year's G1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks). Beauty Parlour, a daughter of SW & MGSP Bastet, is a full-sister to Barocci (Jpn), a stakes winner and Group 3-placed in France and placed in the GII City of Hope Mile and GII American H. in this country for Hronis Racing and John Sadler.
Beauty Parlour is the dam of the 2-year-old filly Bouffant (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and a yearling filly by the late Coolmore legend.
Saturday, Keeneland
FIRST LADY S. PRESENTED BY UK HEALTHCARE-GI, $400,000, Keeneland, 10-9, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:34.86, gd.
1–BLOWOUT (GB), 124, m, 5, by Dansili (GB)
1st Dam: Beauty Parlour (GB) (G1SW-Fr, $713,308), by Deep Impact (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Bastet (Ire), by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Benediction (Ire), by Day Is Done (Ire)
1ST GRADE I WIN. (€450,000 Wlg '16 GOFNOV). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Dayton Investments Ltd. (GB); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Flavien Prat. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 14-5-7-1,
$988,600. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Regal Glory, 124, m, 5, by Animal Kingdom
1st Dam: Mary's Follies (MGSW, $338,889), by More Than Ready
2nd Dam: Catch the Queen, by Miswaki
3rd Dam: Wave to the Queen, by Wavering Monarch
($925,000 5yo '21 KEEJAN). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Paul P
Pompa (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $80,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
3–Empress Josephine (Ire), 121, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Hwt. Filly at 3-Eng- at 7 – 9 1/2 f., G1SW-Ire, G1SW-Eng,
$1,361,940), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Hoity Toity (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Hiwaayati (GB), by Shadeed
O-Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor & Derrick Smith;
B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan P. O'Brien. $40,000.
Margins: HF, HF, 1HF. Odds: 5.30, 5.80, 11.50.
Also Ran: Althiqa (GB), Abscond, Viadera (GB), Harvey's Lil Goil, Daddy Is a Legend, Dalika (Ger), Hendy Woods, Star Command, La Signare (Fr). Scratched: Princess Grace.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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