Longshot Project Whiskey Lands Delaware Oaks
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Photo: Hoofprints, Inc.
Project Whiskey holds off Dream Marie to win the Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park
Project Whiskey might have been sent off at odds of 38-1 in the $300,000 Delaware Oaks (G3), but bettors underestimated her innate determination and her ability to stretch out to two turns.
Facing graded competition for the first time and tackling her longest distance yet, Cash is King and LC Racing's 3-year-old Tapizar filly made her move in the 1 1/16-mile test after pressing the pace, and turned back 9-5 favorite Piece of My Heart at the top of the lane. But she still had plenty of work to do to fend off the challenge of Dream Marie, who moved powerfully with her around the turn for home.
The two battled down the length of the stretch, but Project Whiskey would not be denied, and eked out the victory by half a length.
"It was a real gutsy effort for my filly especially because it was her first time going two turns," said jockey Frankie Pennington. "She broke sharp and put us in a good position. When the 7 (Dream Marie) came towards us just before the quarter pole, I asked her and she fought back on. The more we were staying together with 7, the more she just kept fighting, and she gutted it out."
Piece of My Heart led the way early in the Delaware Oaks, chasing her first graded score off a victory in the May 1 Gardenia Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The Flat Out filly clicked off fractions of :23.32, :47.28, and 1:11.99 while under pressure from Long Point Beach and Project Whiskey, who raced third in the three path.
Bidding between foes nearing the five-sixteenths pole, Project Whiskey gained command in upper stretch and dug in for the drive, battling back as Dream Marie vied to her outside through a 1:37.76 mile. The two brushed late but Project Whiskey held firm in the end. The final time was 1:44.04 on a fast track. Project Whiskey returned $79.60 as the longest shot in a field of eight.
Project Whiskey (inside) takes the lead en route to victory in the Delaware Oaks
Dream Marie held for second by 1 1/4 lengths over Princess Cadey, who closed well from seventh but ran out of ground. Piece of My Heart, Hopeful Growth, Comical, Queen Bridget, and Long Point Beach completed the order of finish. Queen Bridget stumbled badly at the start and was never involved, spotting the field more than 19 lengths at the first point of call. The stewards conducted an inquiry into the start and took no action.
The Delaware Oaks was a Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualifier for the first time this year, with the top four finishers picking up points on a 50-20-10-5 scale toward a spot in the starting gate for the Sept. 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Project Whiskey is trained by Robert "Butch" Reid Jr., and came into the Delaware Oaks off a poor sixth, last of all, in a May 25 allowance going six furlongs at Churchill. It was her first start since a seventh in the Dec. 7 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship Stakes at Laurel Park, in which she bobbled at the start and only beat one horse. One start prior she won the Parx Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Parx Racing with the same determined style she put on display in the Delaware Oaks.
"I am glad we went down to Churchill to get that race in her which set her up perfectly for this," Reid said. "I think this is what she has been waiting to do—to go a route ground.
"We are not sure where we are going to go next with her, but I am sure it will probably have the word 'Oaks' behind it. What exactly that race is, we are going to have to sit down with the owners to figure out.
"I am just happy to have this ownership group. They put up with a lot of my shenanigans and they went ahead and took the opportunity to run in this race with this nice filly, so I got to give them a lot of the credit."
A $35,000 purchase by Chuck Zacney from Dark Hollow Farm's consignment to the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale, Project Whiskey improved her record to three wins and two thirds from seven starts, with earnings of $262,580. She was bred by Dark Hollow out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Over the Moon.