Go Google Yourself, Divine Queen Win Churchill Stakes
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Photo: Coady Photography
Go Google Yourself wins the Locust Grove Stakes at Churchill Downs
The 1-2 finishers in the Groupie Doll Stakes this summer at Ellis Park—Go Google Yourself and Divine Queen—returned to win stakes races for fillies and mares Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs.
Go Google Yourself scored in the $200,000 Locust Grove Stakes (G3), notching the first graded victory of her career, and Divine Queen took the $125,000 Open Mind Stakes a race earlier.
Jay Em Ess Stable's homebred Go Google Yourself spurted clear at the top of the stretch and turned back Moonlit Garden by a neck. Trained by Paul McGee and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., Go Google Yourself covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast main track in 1:44.13.
Skeptic set the pace from the inside and led the field of nine through comfortable early fractions of :24.44 and :49.17, with Escape Clause pressing from second and Go Google Yourself tracking in third. Go Google Yourself made the first run and took the lead at the head of the stretch as Moonlit Garden and Mylady Curlin waited for racing room. Moonlit Garden and Mylady Curlin got clear and made up ground in the stretch, but the winner was well in command and held them at bay in the final stages.
"The race before put a lot of confidence in her," Hernandez said. "She's just a typical mare, she's getting better with age. The last two races, she's stepped up her game. Now she's got a graded stakes in her."
Go Google Yourself, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Into Mischief out of the Deputy Minister mare Taunt, returned $9.80, $5 and $3 as the 7-2 third betting choice. Moonlit Garden, ridden by Florent Geroux, returned $7.40 and $4.20, with even-money favorite Mylady Curlin another length back in third under Shaun Bridgmohan and paying $2.20 to show.
"In the final steps, I was going to go by her, but (Go Google Yourself) just digged in," Geroux said.
Escape Clause, Rose of Malibu, Red Dane, Pink Sands, Cosmic Burst, and Skeptic completed the order of finish.
The victory increased Go Google Yourself's earnings to $462,025 with a record of 6-4-3 from 17 starts. She recorded her first stakes victory in the Aug. 11 Groupie Doll.
"We had a lot of confidence in her going in," McGee said. "The way she won at Ellis Park last time, by three lengths going away, she won pretty easy last time out to get her first stakes win."
Immediately before the Locust Grove, Carl Hurst and William "Buff" Bradley's homebred Divine Queen rode the rail under Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel and easily beat Ascot Day by 2 3/4 lengths to win the Open Mind.
The victory came just four days after Bradley, her 56-year-old trainer, underwent a heart procedure.
"I'm feeling a little better now, for sure," Bradley said.
Divine Queen broke well from the starting gate in the field of six and set the pace from the inside along with a pressing Headland and Ascot Day as they entered the turn and clocked a first quarter-mile in :22.37. Ascot Day rolled out of the turn and poked her head in front at the top of the stretch, but a calm Borel didn't panic when they crossed a half-mile in :45.65. Divine Queen drew even again at the eighth pole and then drew clear inside the final furlong to finish in 1:09.40.
"I had a ton of horse every step of the way," Borel said. "I thought we'd go a little faster early. … I gave her a good breather around the turn, and (Ascot Day) opened up about a half-length. When I squeeze on her, she just came home."
Divine Queen has won four of five starts beneath the Twin Spires.
"A homebred, it's really nice to see them run big and to do it here at Churchill," Bradley said. "Her whole family, they're runners. It's nice to see her get her second stakes win here."
Divine Queen improved her record to 6-2-0 from 17 starts, with $323,814 in earnings. She is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Divine Park out of the Williamstown mare Town Queen.
"The horse ran big last time, and I think the cutback to three-quarters sure didn't hurt her any." Bradley said. "I thought she might be sharp, but we didn't know what everybody else was going to do. Calvin sat chilly on her because he knew he had a bunch of horse. She got passed by two horses coming out of the turn, but once he sat down on her, she reengaged. She's got a big heart. She's a trier for sure."
Divine Queen, the 5-2 co-second choice, paid $7.60, $4 and $3.40. Ascot Day, ridden by Declan Cannon, returned $7 and $4.20, with Upset Brewing finishing one length back in third under Gabriel Saez and paying $4.60 to show.
Awestruck, Honey Bunny, and Headland completed the order of finish. Meadow Dance and America's Tale were scratched.
Video: Locust Grove S. (G3)