V V's Dream (Mitole) already is showing an affinity for Churchill Downs. She picked up her second victory over the track in the GIII Pocahontas S., earning the first 10 points available on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
Debuted sprinting as the favorite over the dirt May 19, the gray filly earned 'TDN Rising Star' status with a 6 1/2-length win from off the pace. Shipped to Ellis Park for a run in the Debutante S., she was a beaten favorite July 2 by just a half-length to undefeated GISW Brightwork (Outwork). Back to where it all began under the Twin Spires, the 6-5 favorite found herself sitting pretty in third just a furlong into the race as pacesetters Hot Beach (Omaha Beach) and Youalmosthadme (Oxbow) settled into a duel through a :22.83 opening quarter. Caught between rivals early, V V's Dream tugged her way into a clear third even as the front pair had separated themselves from the field into the far turn. Moving under her own power around the bend, the 'Rising Star' came with an outside bid to swoop three-wide past both early leaders. From there, it was only a matter of who would finish second as the daughter of freshman stallion Mitole (by Eskendereya) opened up on the dueling pair and won as easily as she liked going away.
“She sat in a perfect spot just behind the two pacesetters,” said winning jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. “She got a little bit of a breather around the turn and really went by them own her own. She's won impressively in two starts here. I think stretching out around two turns shouldn't be a problem in the future.”
“She's still young but has shown a lot of talent already,” added assistant trainer Greg Geier. “She spent the summer in New York training for this race. It's been the plan to run here in the Pocahontas and then to the Breeders' Cup. I don't see why she wouldn't improve stretching out in distance after this.”
Saturday, Churchill Downs
POCAHONTAS S.-GIII, $300,000, Churchill Downs, 9-16, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:36.45, ft.
1–V V'S DREAM, 122, f, 2, by Mitole
1st Dam: Quay, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Skipper Tale, by Tale of the Cat
3rd Dam: Pretty 'n Smart, by Beau Genius
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-MJM Racing; B-Mark Stansell (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. $183,105. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $297,605, first SW for freshman sire (by Eskendereya). Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Youalmosthadme, 122, f, 2, Oxbow–Good Gator, by Good and Tough. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($12,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Qatar Racing LLC, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson and Black Type Thoroughbreds; B-Pope McLean, Marc McLean & Pope McLean Jr. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $59,550.
3–Hot Beach, 122, f, 2, Omaha Beach–Hot Water, by Medaglia d'Oro. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($160,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $400,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-Boardshorts Stables, LLC; B-Cobalt Investments, LLC (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. $29,775.
Margins: 8 3/4, 3/4, 5HF. Odds: 1.20, 2.48, 3.53.
Also Ran: Courbe, Riperton, Regal Rumor. Scratched: Empire Island, Peignoir, Raining Sugar.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
#6 V V'S DREAM ($4.40) gets a “dream trip” under @b_hernandezjr after quick fractions in the early part of the G3 🏆 Pocahontas Stakes at @ChurchillDowns. Congratulations to @McPeekRacing and MJM Racing. Another graded stakes winner for Mitole. pic.twitter.com/k5RNF9gtu4
— TVG (@TVG) September 16, 2023
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