Averly Jane, whose half-brother Chattel (Giant Oak) belied 22-1 odds when he took this race in 2018, followed in big bro's hoofsteps while remaining unbeaten in her first start since April and beating the boys. An 8 3/4-length debut romper at Keeneland Apr. 5, the Fasig-Tipton October value buy returned just 13 days later to also best males in the Kentucky Juvenile S. during GI Kentucky Derby week Apr. 28. She returned to the worktab in Lexington at the end of June, and was the public's pick here as a main-track only entrant and one of three signed on for Wesley Ward.
Rocketing out of the gate to clear early, the bay was still in total control after a :45 flat half and glided home all by herself the easiest of winners.
“When you're riding for Wesley Ward, you know they have speed and just hopefully they last and today, she did,” winning rider Tyler Gaffalione said. “She broke on top and I was able to just put my hands down and let her relax and she did everything on her own. She's a rocket. I had plenty left in the tank. We could have went a lot quicker even early on but we only used what we needed.”
Ward said of the winner, “She's a nice filly. We were kind of going back and forth with the [Sept. 5 GI] Spinaway. We'll talk it over with Gatewood Bell [of Hat Creek racing]. He picked her out and he does a great job picking horses out. We'll get with him and make a plan from there. It'll probably be the [GI Darley] Alcibiades [at Keeneland Oct. 8], which is in Gatewood's hometown. That's where she's trained her whole life.”
Averly Jane has a yearling half-brother by Brody's Cause. Her dam was not bred for 2021 but most recently visited World of Trouble.
SKIDMORE S., $120,000, Saratoga, 8-20, 2yo, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:03.79, ft.
1–AVERLY JANE, 119, f, 2, by Midshipman
1st Dam: Sh Sh Shakin', by Richter Scale
2nd Dam: Capote's Gift, by Capote
3rd Dam: Bubbles Darlene, by Fappiano
($35,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-Hat Creek Racing; B-University of
Kentucky (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $66,000.
Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $193,140. *1/2 to Chattel (Giant
Oak), SW, $111,540.
2–Pure Panic, 122, c, 2, Summer Front–Shock the World, by
Hansen. ($24,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV; $42,000 RNA Ylg '20
KEESEP; $170,000 RNA 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O/B-Kendall E.
Hansen, M.D. Racing, LLC (KY); T-Michael J. Maker. $24,000.
3–Overbore, 122, c, 2, Speightstown–Galina Point, by Saffir.
($275,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Peter Leidel; B-WinStar Farm, LLC
(KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $14,400.
Margins: 7 1/4, 3/4, HD. Odds: 1.60, 5.90, 3.90.
Also Ran: Golden Bell, Catch the Smoke, Backnthewoods, Bonus Appreciation, Baytown Warrior, Barone Cesco. Scratched: Kaufymaker. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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