Army Wife Marches to Victory in Iowa Oaks
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Photo: Coady Photography
Army Wife wins the Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino
Three Diamonds Farm's Army Wife once again pulled rank on her graded stakes rivals as she took charge approaching the eighth pole and drew off to a 3 3/4-length victory July 2 in the $225,000 Iowa Oaks (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at Prairie Meadows.
Trained by Mike Maker, the improving daughter of Declaration of War notched a second straight graded stakes win after taking the May 14 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) for her initial black type victory.
"She performed very well today," jockey Joel Rosario said. "It looks like she's getting better."
The victory was the fourth in nine starts for the daughter of the Arch mare Tread, who was bred by J. D. Stuart and AR Enterprises and has earned $423,972. Prior to her two graded stakes wins, she was third in the Gazelle Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack while making her stakes debut.
Bought for $190,000 by Ryder Finney, agent, from the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, she is the third foal from Tread to race and her first stakes winner.
Tread also has a 2-year-old filly by Jimmy Creed .
Sister Annie set the early pace in the 1 1/16-mile Iowa Oaks, with 17-1 outsider Let It Ride Stables' Shesa Mystery in closest pursuit while Rosario was content to save ground in fourth on the backstretch.
On the final turn, jockey David Cabrera guided Shesa Mystery to a short lead as Rosario moved Army Wife into contention in the three path. In the stretch, Army Wife ($4) swept past the leader to draw clear and cross the wire in 1:43.10 as the even-money favorite in the field of six.
"She was very comfortable and when I asked her to get into the race, she did," Rosario said. "I was very confident turning for home."
Shesa Mystery, a daughter of Verrazano trained by Jeff Hiles, took second by 2 1/2 lengths over Stonestreet Stables' 8-5 second choice Pauline's Pearl , a homebred Tapit filly trained by Steve Asmussen.