Go Google Yourself Finds Her Way in Bayakoa Stakes
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Photo: Coady Photography
Go Google Yourself (outside) wins the Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn Park
Jay Em Ess Stables' Go Google Yourself celebrated President's Day with a successful season debut Feb. 17, edging out Whoa Nellie to win the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.
Ridden by Brian Hernandez, Jr., Go Google Yourself broke sharply from post 2 but held back on early speed to allow Lady Suebee room to take the lead. Looking to make good on last year's third-place Bayakoa effort, Lady Suebee and jockey Tyler Baze took command of the field in the three-path and led the way along the backstretch through fractions of :23.91 and :47.70 for the half-mile.
Within stalking range of Lady Subebee through the first four furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile test, Go Google Yourself drifted even further back into third as Whoe Nellie moved up to press the leader in second. Covered by the frontrunners throughout most of the backstretch, Go Google Yourself bided her time coming off the turn. The 5-year-old mare was angled out wide by Hernandez at the top of the stretch and set down for a drive.
Lady Suebee, who had managed to hold onto a tentative lead until the field reached the top of the stretch, dueled briefly with Whoa Nellie but was quickly overtaken by Go Google Yourself and Cairenn, who had staged a four-wide rally in the lane in a late effort to challenge for the lead.
As the finish line approached, a game Go Google Yourself dug deep to catch Whoa Nellie, who was forced to relinquish her almost two-length lead and settle for second at the wire, a neck behind her competitor.
The final time over the fast track was 1:43.65. Whoa Nellie held for second, 3 3/4 lengths in front of Cairenn in third. It was another 6 3/4 lengths back to Motion Emotion in fourth, followed by Lady Subee and Gold Standard to complete the order of finish.
"It was a tough race,"said trainer Paul McGee. "I didn't get confident until she made the lead, actually, right there at the wire. She's a game, hard-trying filly and always has been. The fact that we ran down (Whoa Nellie), I was really proud of her. Although it was a six-horse field, it was a tough six horses, I thought. A lot of stakes experience among the horses in there. 'Google,' she's just a classy, hard-trying filly. That's all you can ask for."
"We had to run hard to wear down a nice filly," jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said. "We had a lot of confidence in her. I got a little nervous inside the eighth pole because (trainer) Larry Jones' horses can be tough to wear down. Our filly is a multiple stakes winner and she got the job done today."
McGee said the mare—who is based at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots—will likely return to Oaklawn Park for her next start. Possible targets include both the March 14 Azeri Stakes (G2) or the April 18 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1).
Bred in Kentucky by Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess, Go Google Yourself is out of the Deputy Minister mare Taunt. The Bayakoa victory was the second graded stakes score and third stakes win in a 19-start career for the daughter of Into Mischief . She earned her first graded stakes win in September in the Locust Grove Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.
Go Google Yourself holds a 7-5-3 record and boasts $639,625 in purse earnings.