By Alan Carasso
As has been well documented, the Fair Grounds road to the GI Kentucky Oaks has been enormously productive over the last 15 years, producing no fewer than eight winners on the first Friday in May, including Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) and Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Finite (Munnings) is well on her way to adding to that impressive total after registering her fifth consecutive victory in Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S., easily lowering the colors of the previously unbeaten Eclipse Award winner British Idiom (Flashback).
Away in good order from her widest draw, Finite was a forward factor out of the stretch for the first time, but was consigned to a three-wide run around the first turn. British Idiom broke alertly and Javier Castellano looked to have an opportunity to get in and save some ground, but instead took the overland route and raced in her chief market rival's slipstream on the backstretch run. Finite continued to cover ground on the second bend, with British Idiom in her wake and while the odds-on pop came out to launch her bid in upper stretch, Finite had all the answers and pulled clear with a fair bit of authority.
A maiden winner at third asking in a 6 1/2-furlong test over the Kentucky Downs turf, Finite romped by six in the one-mile Rags to Riches S. at Churchill Oct. 27 and made it three on the hop with a 3/4-length success in her two-turn bow in the Nov. 30 GII Golden Rod S. beneath the Twin Spires. She was more workmanlike than brilliant in winning the Jan. 18 Silverbulletday S. by a neck, but came on in leaps and bounds for that effort.
“I think the last race put us in this position,” said winning trainer Steve Asmussen, who sent out Summerly (Summer Squall, 2005) and Untapable (Tapit, 2014) to win this event en route to the Oaks. “This race has obviously been a producer of really nice fillies and I think we have something to work with now with her. She's always been a really game filly and has always showed a lot of heart. We're hoping this filly can stay sound and keep running well and hopefully follow that same path.”
Pedigree Notes:
One of two serious Oaks chances for Munnings (GII Las Virgenes S. winner Venetian Harbor the other), Finite is a half-sister to 2018 G2 UAE Derby runner-up Reride (Candy Ride {Arg}) and her dam is a full-sister to no fewer than three full black-type winners, including MGSW Tapiture, GSW Rotation and SW & GSP Retap. The $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic graduate has a 2-year-old half-sister named Bankable (Candy Ride {Arg}) and a yearling half-brother by Gun Runner. Remit was most recently bred back to the latter.
Saturday, Fair Grounds
RACHEL ALEXANDRA S. PRESENTED BY FASIG-TIPTON-GII, $294,000, Fair Grounds, 2-15, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:43.97, ft.
1–FINITE, 122, f, 3, by Munnings&log=#tot">Munnings
1st Dam: Remit (MSW, $257,556), by Tapit
2nd Dam: Free Spin, by Olympio
3rd Dam: Spin n Win, by Private Account
($200,000 2yo '19 EASMAY). O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC,
Reiman, Thomas J., Dickson, William and Easter, Deborah A.;
B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 7-5-2-0,
$638,349. *1/2 to Reride (Candy Ride {Arg}), MSW, $261,010.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A++.
2–British Idiom, 122, f, 3, Flashback–Rose and Shine, by Mr.
Sekiguchi. ($40,000 Ylg '18 FTKOCT). O-Dubb, Michael, The
Elkstone Group, LLC (Stuart Grant), Madaket Stables LLC and
Bethlehem Stables LLC; B-Hargus Sexton, Sandra Sexton &
Silver Fern Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $60,000.
3–Swiss Skydiver, 122, f, 3, Daredevil–Expo Gold, by
Johannesburg. ($35,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Peter J. Callahan;
B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $30,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 2.70, 0.90, 8.20.
Also Ran: Tempers Rising, Impeccable Style, His Glory, Ursula.
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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