OCEANPORT, NJ-On paper, it appeared that a single horse, Idiomatic (Curlin), couldn't be beaten. That was until they ran Monmouth Park's GIII Molly Pitcher Stakes. Sent off the searing 1-9 choice in the scratched reduced field of five, the 2023 champion older mare stumbled a hair coming out of stall 6 as Kathleen O (Upstart) faced a much more dramatic misstep exiting the gate. While the latter was rushed into contention along the inside, the champion cruised effortlessly to the lead, doling out an opening quarter in a poky :25.57. Carving out an equally laughable half in :50.27 with Miles of Smiles (Prospective) and Kathleen O in pursuit. As if caught by surprise as Soul of an Angel (Atreides) rushed up caught the champ and inched ahead to a short advantage approaching the quarter pole, the pair rounded the home turn in tandem, loaded for bear. Battling through the length of the lane, Soul of an Angel gave it her all but the champ refused to give up along the inside and managed to put her head down on the wire. Frosty OToole (Frosted) closed from the back to be third.
“A little bit too close for my liking, but champions know how to win races,” said Florent Geroux.
Explaining the narrow win despite the slow early fractions, he added, “I know exactly what happened. She was waiting on the other fillies and looking around a lot. I felt her underneath me going slower and slower. When the filly came up next to me I gave her a reminder and she pulled it off.”
Winning trainer Brad Cox added, “Her class prevailed late. She ran big. I'm not at all concerned she's not the same horse she was last year.
“With the lack of pace it was run like a turf race. That's the bottom line. You're going the half in :50 and then it was a race from the half-mile pole to the wire. They were on even terms at the half-mile pole for the most part and she prevailed. When the other horse got by her there was a little bit of a concern but she rallied. She took the pressure and she was in tight down the lane but she responded well.”
The winner of eight of nine starts during her championship season, including a trio of Grade I wins, the 5-year-old kicked off 2024 with a score in the GI La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs May 3 before tasting defeat for the first time in over a year in the nine-furlong GI Ogden Phipps at Saratoga June 8.
According to Cox, the mare will make her next start in Saratoga's Personal Ensign Stakes.
“That's still the plan. She'll leave for Saratoga tomorrow.”
Pedigree Note:
Idiomatic is bred for success top to bottom as a daughter of Curlin and out of a full-sister to champion older mare MGISW Close Hatches (First Defence), who herself went on to produce MGSW & MGISP Tacitus (Tapit) and his full-siblings MGSW Scylla and GSW Batten Down. That full-sister was herself champion older mare, an honor Idiomatic also claims.
Lockdown was a Listed winner and multiple Group I-placed, including a third place finish in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks and in the GI Cotillion Stakes. Idiomatic is her first to the races, while her next named Abditory (Medaglia d'Oro) never made it to the track, and who produced her first foal this season, a colt by Girvin. Her last registered offspring is 2-year-old Chasten (Into Mischief).
This is the extended female family of G1 Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas and G1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes hero Siskin (First Defence), who stands at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan and is expecting his first 2-year-olds to race this year, as well as European champion 2-year-old colt and multiple Highweighted multiple Group 1-winning Xaar (GB).
What an incredible race! The champion #6 IDIOMATIC had to show all her class coming back to win the $500,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) after #4 Soul Of An Angel took the lead. That is now 7 graded stakes wins for the daughter of Curlin. @flothejock was up for @bradcoxracing. pic.twitter.com/vpRurfRMCJ
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 20, 2024
Saturday, Monmouth
MOLLY PITCHER S.-GIII, $490,000, Monmouth, 7-20, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:44.53, ft.
1–IDIOMATIC, 124, m, 5, by Curlin
1st Dam: Lockdown (SW & MGISP, $445,900),
by First Defence
2nd Dam: Rising Tornado, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Silver Star (GB), by Zafonic
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent
Geroux. $300,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. Older Dirt Female,
MGISW, 15-11-2-2, $3,476,840. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
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2–Soul of an Angel, 124, m, 5, Atreides–Factor One,
by The Factor. ($3,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-C Two Racing
Stable and Agave Racing Stable; B-Westbrook Stables LLC (KY);
T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. $100,000.
3–Frosty O Toole, 118, f, 4, Frosted–O' Toole, by Distorted
Humor. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($35,000 Ylg '21 OBSOCT).
O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Helen Barbazon, Joseph
Barbazon & Godolphin (FL); T-Michael Dini. $50,000.
Margins: HD, 9 1/4, HF. Odds: 0.10, 5.30, 22.50.
Also Ran: Miles of Smiles, Kathleen O. Scratched: Just Katherine, Misty Veil.
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