By Steve Sherack
ELMONT, NY — Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief) put on the 'wow' performance of the day while making her stakes debut for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert on the GI Belmont S. undercard, airing by 18 3/4 lengths as the 3-5 favorite in the GI Longines Acorn S.
The Barclay Tagg-trained Pleasant Orb (Orb) completed the exacta at 39-1. Water White (Conveyance) was third. Returning GISW Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) was far back in fifth for her sophomore debut.
The $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale topper blasted out to the front from her inside draw and never gave them a chance from there.
She sped through an opening quarter of :22.48, and began to hit the gas as they rounded the far turn. Racing in hand as they reached the quarter pole with her ears up just waiting for a cue, John Velazquez shook his Hall of Fame reins as they straightened for home and the response was devastating. Gamine raced a bit greenly wandering around some while clear by daylight in the stretch, but it didn't matter one bit, as she still gave Najran's 2003 track record of 1:32.24 a good run for its money.
The final time of 1:32.55 was the fastest of 90 editions of the Acorn.
Owner Michael Lund Petersen's beige-and-green silks were carried to another memorable performance on this same card three years ago when the Baffert-trained Mor Spirit (Eskendereya) crushed in the GI Metropolitan H.
“It was an amazing race out of her,” Jimmy Barnes, longtime assistant trainer to Baffert, said.
“Especially coming into a Grade I and for it being only her third start. Johnny rode her right to the way we told him to go. We told him to take advantage of her position and he certainly did.”
Barnes added, “We'll go home, give her a little time and see what's next for her. I can imagine something at Saratoga.”
Gamine lived up to the buzz with the easiest of victories as the 1-9 favorite sprinting on debut at Santa Anita Mar. 7, then gamely held off the hard-knocking subsequent GII Santa Anita Oaks runner-up Speech (Mr Speaker) by a neck in front-running fashion in her two-turn debut in an optional claimer at Oaklawn May 2.
She was cutting back to a one-turn mile in the Acorn.
“By the quarter-pole she opened up so quickly I had to look back,” Velazquez said. “She's very nice and professional. I wish they were all that easy.
Velazquez continued, “I didn't want to fight her. On the backstretch she wanted to lean out a little bit so I was just going to let her do what she wanted, she was going comfortably. When I let her run I think she was going so fast that she drifted out anyway.”
Pedigree Notes:
Gamine is the sixth Grade I winner, 70th black-type winner and 29th graded winner for leading sire Into Mischief.
The flashy bay topped last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale, bringing $1.8 million from Michael Lund Petersen. Purchased by Brad Grady's Grand Oaks for $220,000 at Keeneland September as a yearling, she blossomed into a seven-figure juvenile after breezing in :10 flat for Bobby Dodd in Timonium.
Gamine is out of the stakes-placed mare Peggy Jane (Kafwain) and hails from the family of Canadian champion Dynamic Sky (Sky Mesa). Peggy Jane is also responsible for the unraced 2-year-old colt Splashtown (Speightstown) ($300,000 FTKOCT yearling purchase by Frankie Brothers), a yearling filly by Ghostzapper and a colt by Kantharos of this year.
Peggy Jane, a two-time winner, was a $200,000 OBS April 2-year-old purchase by Barbara Banke's Grace Stables in 2011.
Saturday, Belmont Park
LONGINES ACORN S.-GI, $300,000, Belmont, 6-20, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:32.55, ft.
1–GAMINE, 120, f, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Peggy Jane (SP, $102,050), by Kafwain
2nd Dam: Seattle Splash, by Chief Seattle
3rd Dam: Grand Splash, by Bucksplasher
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. 'TDN Rising Star' ($220,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $1,800,000
2yo '19 EASMAY). O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Grace
Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-John R.
Velazquez. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $234,600.
Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pleasant Orb, 120, f, 3, by Orb
1st Dam: Pleasant Home, by Seeking the Gold
2nd Dam: Our Country Place, by Pleasant Colony
3rd Dam: Maplejinsky, by Nijinsky II
O/B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Barclay Tagg. $60,000.
3–Water White, 120, f, 3, by Conveyance
1st Dam: Uzume, by Unbridled's Song
2nd Dam: Passion Flower, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: L'Amour Toujours, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
($50,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL). O-E.V. Racing Stable; B-Richard
Forbush (KY); T-Rudy R. Rodriguez. $36,000.
Margins: 18 3/4, HF, 7 3/4. Odds: 0.70, 39.75, 33.50.
Also Ran: Lucrezia, Perfect Alibi, Casual, Glass Ceiling.
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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