Golden Award, who narrowly missed a graded stakes score last out, took advantage of a slow pace and finished strongly to pick up her first black-type success in the GIII Shuvee S. to close out a marathon 13-race card Sunday at Saratoga.
Graduating at fourth asking last fall at Belmont, the bay reeled off two more victories in allowances Nov. 7 at Churchill and Jan. 16 at Gulfstream before running fourth as the favorite in the sloppy-track GIII Hilliard Lyons-Baird Doubledogdare S. Apr. 19 at Keeneland. Chasing throughout in the GIII Allaire DuPont Distaff S. May 17 at Pimlico, she surged late, but came up a nose short on the wire.
Made the third choice here behind returning GISW and GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff runner-up Wow Cat (Chi), Golden Award broke sharply and shadowed She's a Julie through a pedestrian :25.24 quarter as the favorite caboosed the field. Drawing on even terms past a :50.24 half, she started to do the better work of the pace players as the tempo quickened through three-quarters in 1:13.88. Wow Cat came calling three deep at the top of the lane, but Golden Award had more than enough to turn that rival back and strode home a clear winner. Wow Cat wore down She's a Julie for the place.
“The trip set up nicely,” said winning rider Tyler Gaffalione, who picked up his first graded stakes win at Saratoga. “She broke alertly and put herself in a good position. She was kind of keen a little bit down the backside but we were going awfully slow, so I just let her out a little bit and put my hands down and she just kept reaching and reaching. When I asked her coming into the stretch, she really exploded and finished the job.”
Pedigree Notes:
Golden Award is the 130th stakes winner and 67th graded stakes winner for Medaglia d'Oro and is a half-sister to 2012's champion 3-year-old colt and GI Kentucky Derby/GI Preakness S. winner I'll Have Another. Her dam, who won her only start for Harvey Clarke and Kiaran McLaughlin at 27-1 in 2005, is responsible for a juvenile American Pharoah filly named All American Gal and returned to Medaglia d'Oro this spring.
Sunday, Saratoga Race Course
SHUVEE S.-GIII, $194,000, Saratoga, 7-21, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:49.64, ft.
1–GOLDEN AWARD, 118, f, 4, by Medaglia d'Oro
1st Dam: Arch's Gal Edith, by Arch
2nd Dam: Force Five Gal, by Pleasant Tap
3rd Dam: Last Cause, by Caucasus
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Summer
Wind Equine; B-Harvey A. Clarke (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 9-4-3-0, $294,600. *1/2
to I'll Have Another (Flower Alley), Ch. 3yo Colt-US, MGISW-
US, $2,693,600. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Wow Cat (Chi), 120, m, 5, Lookin At Lucky–Winter Cat (Chi),
by Cat Thief. O-Peter M. Brant & Stud Vendaval, Inc.; B-Haras
Paso Nevado (CHI); T-Chad C. Brown. $40,000.
3–She's a Julie, 124, f, 4, Elusive Quality–Kydd Gloves, by Dubai
Millennium (GB). ($160,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP). O-Whispering
Oaks Farm LLC, Team Hanley, Tim & Anna Cambron, Bradley
Thoroughbreds & Madaket Stables LLC; B-Godolphin LLC (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $24,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3/4, 8HF. Odds: 3.25, 1.15, 1.75.
Also Ran: Pink Sands, Forever Liesl. Scratched: Skeptic, Coach Rocks, Electric Forest.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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