By Alan Carasso
The betting public had some difficulty knowing exactly what to do with Red Carpet Ready in Saturday's $200,000 Fern Creek S. at Churchill Downs. The $180,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate opened her account at first asking by 10 going six furlongs on the Stars of Tomorrow I program here Oct. 30, but it came over a heavily rain-affected track and was only modestly graded.
The dark bay filly was accordingly no better than 7-1 off a morning line that was half that number and jumped alertly to stalk the pace outside of 4-1 Twirled, herself an eight-length maiden winner at Keeneland Oct. 22. Asked to improve when The Great Maybe (Upstart) rolled up to her outside with about 2 1/2 furlongs to travel, Red Carpet Ready counterpunched between rivals, engaged the pacesetter in upper stretch, put her away for good at the eighth pole and came away to a fairly easy victory. Twirled just held for second over heavily favored Myrtlewood S. winner Key of Life, who overraced down the backstretch and just could not bridge the deficit late.
Red Carpet Ready, her sire's most expensive first-crop yearling (34 sold, 47 ring), is the second black-type winner for her freshman sire (by Kitten's Joy) and his first on the main track. The winner is out of an unraced daughter of SW Spun Silk, the dam of GI Vosburgh S. hero Joking (Distorted Humor), while the third dam includes MGSW/GISP Fed Biz (Giant's Causeway). Wild Silk produced a filly and a colt by Oscar Performance, respectively, the last two seasons and is expecting a foal by Not This Time early next year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
FERN CREEK S., $200,000, Churchill Downs, 11-26, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:16.72, ft.
1–RED CARPET READY, 122, f, 2, by Oscar Performance
1st Dam: Wild Silk, by Street Sense
2nd Dam: Spun Silk, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Spunoutacontrol, by Wild Again
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($180,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG; $100,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Ashbrook Farm & Upland Flats Racing; B-Lynn B Schiff (KY); T-George R Arnold II; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez Jr. $122,070. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $191,070. *Second SW (first on dirt) for freshman sire (by Kitten's Joy).
2–Twirled, 122, f, 2, Twirling Candy–Key d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. ($360,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Scott Dilworth, Randy & Susan Andrews; B-LLP Performance Horse LLC (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $39,700.
3–Key of Life, 122, f, 2, Mo Town–Longride to Wisdom, by Harlan's Holiday. ($42,000 Ylg '21 OBSOCT; $350,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Flurry Racing Stables LLC & Hoffman Family Racing LLC; B-Moreau Bloodstock International Inc (KY); T-Brad H Cox. $19,850.
Margins: 3 1/4, NK, 2 1/4. Odds: 7.42, 4.22, 0.45.
Also Ran: Baytown Lovely, The Great Maybe, Tell Me When.
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