'TDN Rising Star' Travel Column (Frosted) and the regally bred Clairiere (Curlin) have developed a competitive rivalry as they proceed down the GI Kentucky Oaks trail, with one apiece from their two prior meetings. Saturday's GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks was billed as another match race between the two and it was Travel Column who broke the tie with a decisive score over Clairiere.
Awarded 2-1 favoritism over her familiar foe, Travel Column came away running from her outside post in this eight-horse affair, but was out-footed to the lead by fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Souper Sensational (Curlin). The gray was content with pressing the pace from second through opening splits of :24.35 and :48.64 with Clairiere still yet to be heard from in her preferred position near the back of the pack. Turning up the heat a bit on the backstretch run, Travel Column seized command with five-sixteenths left to travel and stormed clear of her competition in the lane for a decisive victory. Clairiere tried to reel in the winner with a three-wide bid in the stretch, but failed to switch leads until the final strides and was never a serious threat, finishing 2 3/4 lengths back in second before galloping out in front.
A decisive debut winner at Churchill Downs Sept. 4, Travel Column checked in third in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland next out Oct. 2. Besting Clairiere for the first time when rallying from well back in the GII Golden Rod S. back at Churchill Nov. 28, the $850,000 FTSAUG buy changed tactics, attending the pace in the Feb. 13 GII Rachel Alexandra S., but was run down by Clairiere in the final strides to be second by a neck.
Pedigree Notes:
Travel Column is the only graded winner and one of two black-type victors from the first crop of MGISW Frosted with the other being Australian MSW & G1SP Ingratiating (Aus), who starts in the postponed G1 Golden Slipper S. next Saturday. She is also one 19 graded scorers and 34 black-type winners out of a daughter of Victory Gallop. Bayne and Christina Welker acquired Travel Column's dam Swingit for just $50,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale carrying a foal by Bodemeister and she has proven to be the bargain of a lifetime. That Bodemeister foal was a colt, who brought $310,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, and Travel Column summoned $850,000 at the same auction a year later. The Saratoga Sale was delayed to September, combined with the July Sale and New York-Bred Sale and moved to Kentucky, but the result for Swingit's latest foal was still a home run, in fact, her biggest to date. Her 2019 colt by American Pharoah–a May 5 foal now named Corton Charlemagne–summoned $1.25 million from bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, who was acting on behalf of Speedway Stables. The 17-year-old mare produced a City of Light colt May 13 of last year and was bred back to Audible.
Saturday, Fair Grounds
TWINSPIRES.COM FAIR GROUNDS OAKS-GII, $400,000, Fair Grounds, 3-20, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:42.75, ft.
1–TRAVEL COLUMN, 122, f, 3, by Frosted
1st Dam: Swingit (MSW, $345,353), by Victory Gallop
2nd Dam: Free Ransom, by Our Native
3rd Dam: Pay the Ransom, by J. O. Tobin
'TDN Rising Star' ($850,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-OXO Equine
LLC; B-Mr. & Mrs. Bayne Welker Jr. & Denali Stud (KY); T-Brad
Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $248,000. Lifetime Record: GISP,
5-3-1-1, $517,184. *1/2 to Neolithic (Harlan's Holiday),
G1SP-UAE, MGISP-USA, $2,278,028. Werk Nick Rating:
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Clairiere, 122, f, 3, Curlin–Cavorting, by Bernardini.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet
Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$80,000.
3–Souper Sensational, 122, f, 3, Curlin–Kateri, by Indian
Charlie. 'TDN Rising Star' ($725,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Live
Oak Plantation; B-Newtownanner Stud (KY); T-Mark E. Casse.
$40,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 2, 2 3/4. Odds: 2.10, 3.40, 13.60.
Also Ran: Obligatory, Li'l Tootsie, Zaajel, Il Malocchio. Scratched: Moon Swag. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
