Twirling Queen (Twirling Candy) made it four wins from as many starts as a 3-year-old and remained perfect in two appearances on the grass, posting a comfortable victory in Friday's Coronation Cup Stakes at Saratoga.
With 9-5 morning-line favorite Star of Mystery (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) scratching in favor of Sunday's GIII Quick Call Stakes, the Coronation Cup shaped a more open affair, and Twirling Queen put herself right into the mix early just off the pace disputed by Ever So Sweet (Ire) (Calyx {GB}), the 9-4 choice, and Toupie (Uncle Mo) through an opening quarter in :21.65. In range three deep on the turn, Twirling Queen was popped the question in upper stretch by Luis Saez, dueled into the final furlong with Toupie down to her inside and was home first as Kaiyru (Ire) (Kuroshio {Aus}) gained inches late. Cloudwalker (More Than Ready) was up for third.
“She broke from there pretty fast,” Saez said. “I feel like she wanted to take the lead, but I knew the speed was outside. Everything came like the plan–we sat behind and let the speed go. When we came to the top of the stretch, she was pretty loaded.”
A debut maiden winner in four juvenile appearances for Norm Casse, Twirling Queen made a favorable impression in her first start for this barn, lighting up the tote at 31-1 in a synthetic optional claimer at Gulfstream Feb. 8. She repeated the dose– this time at 13-1–in the rained-off Melody of Colors Stakes in Hallandale Mar. 24 and returned better than 10-1 when accounting for Toupie and Cloudwalker in her turf debut in the May 11 Mamzelle Stakes at Churchill Downs.
A two-time stakes winner at two, Adventurous Lady was purchased by Pursuit of Success for $100,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton HORA Sale. A half-sister to 'TDN Rising Star' Ari's Magic (Good Magic), Adventurous Lady is also responsible for the 2-year-old filly Lady Crush (Liam's Map), a yearling filly by Dialed In and a filly foal by Upstart. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
CORONATION CUP S., $150,000, Saratoga, 7-12, 3yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:01.93, fm.
1–TWIRLING QUEEN, 122, f, 3, by Twirling Candy
1st Dam: Adventurous Lady (MSW, $143,876), by Kantharos
2nd Dam: Ari the Adventurer, by Pioneerof the Nile
3rd Dam: Wild Catseye, by Forest Wildcat
($15,000 Ylg '22 KEEJAN). O-GU Racing Stable LLC; B-Pursuit of Success LLC (KY); T-Jose Francisco D'Angelo; J-Luis Saez. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 8-5-0-0, $375,063.
2–Kairyu (Ire), 124, f, 3, Kuroshio (Aus)–Vegatina (GB), by Lope de Vega (Ire). (€80,000 2yo '23 TATGOR). O-Martin S Schwartz & Michael O'Callaghan; B-Mr P Turley (IRE); T-Cherie DeVaux. $30,000.
3–Cloudwalker, 120, f, 3, More Than Ready–Tale of Class, by Tale of Ekati. ($220,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN). O-Boardshorts; B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Brendan P Walsh. $18,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4, NK. Odds: 3.70, 6.10, 4.80.
Also Ran: Toupie, Dancing Duchess, In Our Time, Ever So Sweet (Ire). Scratched: Baraye, Do Gooder, Golden Degree, Pipsy (Ire), Star of Mystery (GB), Value Area.
TWIRLING QUEEN, the 3YO daughter of @LanesEndFarms stallion Twirling Candy, wins the Coronation Cup Stakes under @luissaezpty for trainer @DangeloStable. pic.twitter.com/61vLCSi2oW
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) July 12, 2024
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
