Spanish Mission, Edisa Prevail in Turf Triple Finale
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Spanish Mission (outside) wins the Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park
The New York Racing Association's Turf Triple series for 3-year-old colts and fillies concluded Sept. 7 at Belmont Park and ended on a high note as Team Valor and Earle Mack's Spanish Mission went from last-to-first to claim the $1 million Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes by a nose.
After taking a wrong step from the gate, A Thread of Blue—who won the second leg of Turf Triple in the Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Aug. 4 at Saratoga Race Course—recovered with ease and flew to the lead under Luis Saez. Pursuing the leader just off the rail was Henley's Joy, the winner of the series-opening Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) who kept within striking distance of A Thread of Blue as he rated off fractions of :25.23, :50.77, and 1:16.17 for six furlongs.
Still in control by a head as the field entered the stretch, A Thread of Blue felt the pressure from Pedro Cara, who overtook him from the outside at the top of the stretch.
Last on the backstretch, Spanish Mission, who was making his first start on U.S. soil for trainer David Simcock, was tipped out wide by Jamie Spencer in the final turn before being set down for a drive. The son of Noble Mission gained ground progressively before finally linking up with Pedro Cara. The two locked heads and battled down to the wire before a thrilled Belmont crowd. With the finish line in sight, Spanish Mission, the 2-1 favorite, got the bob and was declared the victor by a nose.
"He didn't break that well but I wasn't too concerned. I was happy he was relaxed and found his rhythm coming along the backside," said Spencer.
"Going into the final turn he was giving me all he had. I dropped my right rein and even though I was using the crop, when you drop your reins in a race, it typically signals to the horse that the race is over. I would've been mad with myself had we lost but he got back on his game and finished strong. He was a very game horse today."
Final time for the 1 1/2 miles was 2:27.58 over turf rated firm. San Huberto was third followed by A Thread of Blue, Henley's Joy, Current, Kadar, Digital Age, and Tone Broke.
"As the race developed, it was just beautiful to watch," said Ian Russell, assistant to Simcock. "The further he went, the better he got into it, and he just got his head down. Jamie dropped his rein, but the horse stayed on and kept to his job. He knows his job and the further he goes, the better he's going to be. He's a lovely horse for the future."
Although the Jockey Club Derby Invitational is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event that awards the winner an automatic berth in the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Santa Anita Park, Spanish Mission is headed back to Europe and it's unlikely he will run in the World Championships, Team Valor owner Barry Irwin said.
A winner of the July 11 Bahrain Trophy (G3) at Newmarket, Spanish Mission was bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables out of the Street Cry mare Limonar and is a half brother to stakes winner Mokarris. His win in the Jockey Club Derby Invitational tripled his career earnings to $710,246 and improved his record to 3-1-2 from seven starts.
Spanish Mission was purchased by Lynch Bloodstock for $125,000 from the Lane's End consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He was later consigned to the 2018 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale by Tally Ho Stud, but went unsold on a final bid of $90,027.
"He's a good horse. I think he'll get better with age," Irwin said. "When I bought him, the plan was to leave him in Europe this year and then bring him to America next year. Halfway through the season, I realized this is strictly a European horse and I told my guys, 'He's never coming home, but I'll bring him for this race.'
"We're looking at the Melbourne Cup (G1) (in the future) with this horse. Earle (Mack) would rather win that race than anything, and I'd like to win it as well."
Edisa Makes it Count in Jockey Club Oaks Invitational
One start prior in the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, it was His Highness The Aga Khan's Edisa who stole the show in her own North American debut.
Partnering with jockey Flavien Prat for the 1 3/8-mile trip on the inner turf, Edisa—who was the post-time favorite in the eight-horse field—broke a step slow from the gate and struggled in the initial strides to find her footing.
Romantic Pursuit took immediate charge of the field and set the pace, leading through fractions of :25.10, :51.56, and 1:17.50 for six furlongs. Dyna Passer pressed the pace just off the inside around the backside and was a short half-length behind the leader at they reached the mile mark in 1:42.57.
Settled on the inside following her awkward break, Edisa began her run in seventh behind Desert Ride before angling out in the two path on the first turn to chase Wonderment. Coaxed by Prat at the five-sixteenths mark, Edisa was guided out five wide entering the stretch and asked for more.
Making her own wide move in the stretch, Dyna Passer shifted three wide and set down for drive to challenge Romantic Pursuit. Wonderment, who had tracked the pace behind Dyna Passer on the backstretch, was moved out as well and wrested brief command at the sixteenths-pole. But Wonderment did not have enough in reserve to hold over Edisa, who got up in the final jumps to cross the wire first, three-quarters-of-a-length in front.
"She broke slow and I was on the inside. I wasn't really happy with where I was, and they slowed down a lot up front," said Prat. "They went at a slow pace, but I'm very happy she really gave me a good turn-of-foot."
Final time for the race was 2:17.02. Wonderment took second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Dyna Passer in third. Romantic Pursuit finished fourth followed by Love So Deep, Lady Prancelot, Art of Almost, and Desert Ride to complete the order of finish.
"Her main quality is a quick turn-of-foot and she was able to show it here today," said trainer Alain de Royer Dupré. "It's a great pleasure to win at Belmont Park today. I was last here in 1985, so it's great to return and win. It's a beautiful track and it's nice to run here and win with a top horse.
"I preferred the good ground today. I was only concerned if the turf changed from good to soft because she's better on firm. She's well-bred. Her father, Kitten's Joy , is American and the mother is from a great Aga Khan family for long distance. She takes the speed of the father and the staying of the mother, so it was nice to see today. I don't know yet if we'll go onto the Breeders' Cup. We'll watch the weather during the weekend of the Arc and perhaps see if the ground is good. Perhaps we can go on from there and return to Santa Anita, but we'll put it all under consideration."
Bred in Kentucky by H.H. The Aga Khan Studs, Edisa is out of the Rock of Gibraltar mare Ebiyza. She made her first six starts in France for Dupre and placed second in both the Prix de Malleret (G2) and Prix de Psyche (G3). She holds a 3-2-1 record from 7 starts with $500,111 in earnings.