Harvey's Lil Goil started a bit slowly, but finished fast to dominate Sunday's Busanda S. at Aqueduct and become the fifth black-type winner for her Triple Crown-winning champion first-crop sire–on his birthday no less. A debut fourth on the local lawn Nov. 9, the grey broke through by an emphatic six-length margin going a mile over this good main track Dec. 12 and was heavily supported to see out a additional furlong for this.
Away last, Harvey's Lil Goil was hung very wide while trying to make up some ground into the first turn. She settled out in the clear behind splits of :25.30 and :50.59, and was given an early cue by Junior Alvarado to sweep to the front entering the home bend. Already several lengths clear by the time she hit the top of the lane, she poured it on from there to dominate her competition. According to Trakus data, Harvey's Lil Goil covered more ground in the Busanda than every also ran, including 56 ft. (approximately 6 1/2 lengths) more than the runner-up.
“She was much the best; I was just the pilot,” Alvarado said. “At the half-mile [mark], she switched gears and I let her run along there. She took over and didn't do much… I didn't want to fight with her to make her stand properly [in the gate], but then she hopped at the break a little bit. In a stakes race, that's not what you want, but she was much the best, so it didn't matter.”
Leanna Willaford, assistant to winning conditioner Bill Mott, said, “She ran really well and to expectations, or possibly even better. She came back up to us from Florida last week and has been here for a few days. She had been here prior from July until when she broke her maiden, so we know her well. She looks really about the same since she's left and is progressing well, so it's exciting.”
The winner is out of an unraced half-sister to 2012 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. winner I'll Have Another (Flower Alley), who was also bred by the late Harvey Clarke, and to stablemate Golden Award (Medaglia d'Oro), winner of the GIII Turnback the Alarm H. over track and trip in November. Gloria S produced a Cairo Prince colt last February before being bred back to that former Clarke co-owned runner.
BUSANDA S., $101,000, Aqueduct, 2-2, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:54.49, ft.
1–HARVEY'S LIL GOIL, 118, f, 3, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Gloria S, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Arch's Gal Edith, by Arch
3rd Dam: Force Five Gal, by Pleasant Tap
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Estate of Harvey A. Clarke & Paul
Braverman; B-Harvey A. Clarke (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior
Alvarado. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $96,600.
2–Water White, 118, f, 3, Conveyance–Uzume, by Unbridled's
Song. ($50,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL). O-E.V. Racing Stable; B-Richard
Forbush (KY); T-Rudy R. Rodriguez. $21,000.
3–Fiftyshays Ofgreen, 119, f, 3, Bernardini–Divine Dispatch, by
Touch Gold. ($100,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Leonard C. Green &
Sean Shay; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-John C.
Servis. $12,000.
Margins: 7HF, 1HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.75, 3.70, 11.60.
Also Ran: Persisto, Ankle Monitor, Truth Hurts. Scratched: Quality Heat.
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