Al Shira'aa Farms' Mutamakina (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) returned to the site of her win in the GII Dance Smartly S. two months ago to capture the GI E.P. Taylor S. and secure the win in the Ladies of the Lawn series at Woodbine Sunday. The 8-1 shot, four wide into the first turn, tracked pacesetting Kalifornia Queen (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who set a pedestrian pace over the rain-soaked turf course. Mutamakina eyeballed the pacesetter entering the stretch, while a host of rivals piled up to her outside and a pair of foes snuck through the inside as Kalifornia Queen drifted out in upper stretch. Mutamakina finally got the best of the stubborn pacesetter in deep stretch before grimly holding off her late-closing stablemate La Dragontea (GB) (Lopa de Vega {Ire}) to win by a neck and give trainer Christophe Clement the one-two finish in the 1 1/4-mile race.
“She ran well over here about a month ago and we saw an opportunity again to bring her out here,” said winning rider Dylan Davis. “Christophe, first off, did a great job of getting her here. I've been breezing her, setting up for this race, and she's been breezing well and maintained herself and we knew that she would be tough coming here.”
Dylan continued, “She handled everything great. Last time she put herself in a great position laying second. Today, again, she got her nerves going a little bit more than previously, but she put herself in a great position putting herself second. We slowed down the pace and she was handling it well for me and I just needed her to finish strong. Once she got a head in front there at eighth pole she was digging in nicely. She handled the turf well today.”
Launched in 2019, Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn series is a points-based bonus series which began with the Aug. 22 Dance Smartly S. and was followed by the Sept. 18 GII Canadian S. won by La Dragontea. Mutamakina's two wins in the series earned her own a $50,000 bonus.
Mutamakina, twice group-placed in France in 2019, shipped stateside last autumn and was third in the 1 1/2-mile Zagora S. at Belmont Oct. 31 before concluding the season with a win in the 1 3/8-mile GIII Long Island S. She opened 2021 with a runner-up effort in the May 1 GII Sheepshead Bay S. She bested E.P. Taylor favorite Etoile (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) by a half-length in the Dance Smartly last time out.
Pedigree Notes:
Mutamakina's third dam is champion Ridgewood Pearl (GB), who won the 1995 GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park. Her dam, Joshua's Princess, produced a colt by Camelot (Ire) this year. Her 2-year-old full-brother sold for 16,000gns at last year's Tattersalls October sale.
Mutamakina joins Steel Prince (Ire) and Precious Ramotswe (GB) as group winners by Nathaniel out of Danehill mares. Nathaniel is also the sire of Group 1 winners Enable (GB)–two-time winner of the Arc–God Given (GB), Lady Bowthorpe (GB) and Channel (Ire).
Sunday, Woodbine
E. P. TAYLOR S.-GI, C$602,000, Woodbine, 10-17, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/4mT, 2:09.14, yl.
1–MUTAMAKINA (GB), 124, m, 5, by Nathaniel (Ire)
1st Dam: Joshua's Princess (GB), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Josh's Pearl (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Ridgewood Pearl (GB), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
1ST GRADE I WIN. (100,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Al Shira'aa
Farms; B-Widgham Stud (GB); T-Christophe Clement; J-Dylan
Davis. C$360,000. Lifetime Record: SW & MGSP-Fr, 16-5-3-3,
$634,509. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–La Dragontea (GB), 124, f, 4, by Lope de Vega (Ire)
1st Dam: La Concorde (Fr), by Sadler's Wells
2nd Dam: La Leuze (Ire), by Caerleon
3rd Dam: Floripedes, by Top Ville (Ire)
(67,000gns 3yo '20 TATMA). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing
& Rebecca Hillen; B-Bartisan Racing Ltd (GB); T-Christophe
Clement. C$120,000.
3–Kalifornia Queen (Ger), 124, f, 4, by Lope de Vega (Ire)
1st Dam: Kaldera (Ger), by Sinndar (Ire)
2nd Dam: Konigstochter (Ger), by Dai Jin (GB)
3rd Dam: Karenina (Ger), by Second Set (Ire)
(€70,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO; €260,000 3yo '20 ARARC).
O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb & First Row Partners;
B-Stall Torjager (GER); T-Chad C. Brown. C$60,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 1. Odds: 8.90, 5.85, 2.85.
Also Ran: Waliyak (Fr), Great Island, Keyflower (Fr), Family Way, Court Return, Etoile (Fr), Merveilleux. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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