Egg Drop Gets Second Graded Win in Goldikova
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Favored Egg Drop, a $12,000 Ocala yearling buy, recorded her second grade II victory in a row when she tallied by a head in the $150,000 Goldikova Stakes on the turf Nov. 3 at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Mike Mitchell for Little Red Feather Racing, Egg Drop was another winner for Martin Garcia, taking the lead past mid-stretch. She defeated the rallying Miss Pippa narrowly as the two striking gray/roan fillies fought it out to the line in the one-mile test for fillies and mares.
The victory wrapped up a superb weekend for Garcia, who scored his first two Breeders' Cup victories aboard the Bob Baffert trainees Secret Circle (Sprint) and New Year's Day (Juvenile).
Egg Drop, the 19-10 choice in a field of nine, was timed in a swift 1:33.52 over firm going.
E Z Kitty had no early pressure as she sprinted away in the Goldikova with Egg Drop chasing in second along with Appealing and A Time to Love. E Z Kitty set a good tempo while opening up by as many as eight lengths, getting quarter mile fractions of :22.33, :45.09, and 1:09.16. They took closer order coming into the stretch and Egg Drop was breathing down E Z Kitty's neck while three paths wide as they approached mid-stretch.
Egg Drop took the lead when asked by Garcia and battled to the wire to deny the late-running Miss Pippa, who challenged on the outside after racing in seventh for a half mile under Mike Smith. Customer Base, rallying for Gary Stevens while slightly off the rail, got the show spot over A Time to Love while finishing 1 1/4 lengths behind Miss Pippa.
"I was expecting more horses to show speed, but that didn’t happen," Garcia said. "That made it easy for E Z Kitty to get the lead. My horse was very calm, which is what I was hoping for. When I asked her to go, she was waiting for company. When the company came (Miss Pippa), she looked, she pinned her ears back, and she took off again.”
Egg Drop won the Yellow Ribbon Handicap (gr. IIT) by a head on the Del Mar grass course Sept. 25, also at one mile. The winning 4-year-old daughter of Alphabet Soup out of the Adhocracy mare Rehocracy is now 3-for-4 on grass. Her lone turf loss came in a runner-up finish in the Royal Heroine Mile (g. IIT) at Betfair Hollywood Park prior to the Yellow Ribbon.
"We always kind of thought synthetic with this horse," Mitchell said. "The we put her on the lawn one time (an allowance victory at Hollywood in May). She just floats over it. So we're going to keep her on turf."
Mitchell said he would point Egg Drop to Hollywood's Matriarch (gr. IT) at one mile Dec. 1.
Centaur Farms bred Egg Drop in Florida. The modestly-bred filly was sold at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s August sale in 2010.
Egg Drop won for the fifth time in 11 starts with four additional placings, good for lifetime earnings of $344,020.
“This made her a multiple graded winner, and I need the money," Mitchell said. "She just rates so nice, so kind. From day one, when they sent her to me, they said she’s a freak, and she’s such a sweet filly.”
Carrying top weight of 124 pounds, Egg Drop paid $5.80, $3.60, and $2.80. Miss Pippa, coming off a victory in the restricted Swingtime Stakes Oct. 5 over the course and distance, gave a game effort while returning $6.60 and $4.20 for the place. The exacta was $29. Customer Base, second in the Swingtime last time for trainer Tom Proctor, paid $5 to show.
A Time to Love was followed by Appealing, Long Face, second choice More Chocolate, Ighraa, and E Z Kitty.