Super Stock Returns to Winning Form in Ellis Park Derby

The $200,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Derby Aug. 15 at Ellis Park appeared to be heavily favored Super Stock 's race to lose, given that he was the winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1) earlier this year. But that was if he ran to his Arkansas Derby, rather than his pair of fourth-place finishes in the Texas Derby and Iowa Derby in his last two starts. 

On Sunday he returned to top form with a 3 3/4-length win that, for trainer Steve Asmussen, was keyed by jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. riding Super Stock like he did in the Arkansas Derby—getting into the race early. Super Stock hounded the early leader, Colonel Bowman , before taking command and drawing off to the authoritative victory over runner-up There Goes Harvard .

Super Stock holds a special attachment to Asmussen. His parents, Keith and Marilyn, own the 3-year-old Dialed In   colt in partnership with Nashville talent mogul Erv Woolsey, a long-time client.

"He ran a very good race, and it's great to see him back in the winner's circle," Asmussen told Ellis media by phone following Super Stock's first victory since the Arkansas Derby, after which he finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). "Obviously he's a very special horse for the whole family. He makes a lot of people happy when he wins."

Ellis Park allowance winner Colonel Bowman broke for the early lead and set legitimate fractions of :23.78, :47.85, and 1:11.99 into the stretch. Super Stock stalked in second place throughout before taking over the lead and pulling away. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:48.89 on a fast track.

"He broke good, and I was happy when he was in the place I wanted him to be," said Santana, in from Saratoga Race Course to ride Sunday at Ellis Park for Asmussen. "When I was sitting second to that other horse, I knew he would be running hard at the end."

Super Stock went off as the even-money favorite and paid $4 to win. The colt now has three wins in 12 starts, with two seconds and two thirds, and increased his career earnings to $957,677.

Bred in Kentucky by Pedro Gonzalez and P. J. Gonzalez, Super Stock is out of the Closing Argument mare Super Girlie. Of her five foals to race, four are winners, and he is the first graded stakes winner. Super Girlie also has a yearling colt by Mendelssohn  . Super Stock, a half brother to the grade 1-placed Bouje Girl, was purchased by his owners for $70,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Matera Shines in Groupie Doll

Matera  earned her third win in as many starts since being moved to trainer Brad Cox when the 4-year-old daughter of Tapit   prevailed by a neck over Lady Kate  in the $123,679 Groupie Doll Stakes.

Despite starting from the outside post in the field of 12, Don Alberto Stable's Matera, under jockey Florent Geroux, engaged early leader Lady Kate and those two dueled through the finish. Geroux was comfortable waiting to make his move with Matera, a $1.4 million graduate of the 2018 Keeneland September sale, where she was consigned by Taylor Made. 

Matera shipped in from Cox's Indiana Grand division, where she won the Mari Hulman George Memorial for her first stakes win. With Cox calling the shots, Matera has won three in a row—all with Geroux aboard.

"I was worried about the post position, and my choices were very limited: You can send pretty hard, very aggressive, or you take back and go inside," Geroux said. "When she broke pretty good, I just took it from there."

Winning time for the mile was 1:36.41 on a fast track under cloudy skies. Matera paid $18.40 as she edged Lady Kate. It was another three lengths back to High Regard  in third.

Matera delivered a third Groupie Doll to Cox, who also won in 2015 with Call Pat  and in 2017 with Tiger Moth  when the stakes was a grade 3 race.

"She trains well … we've liked her since we picked her up last winter," Cox said. 

"I was very proud of her performance and happy for the Don Alberto Group," he added. "They have a big-time breeding operation and she's going to be a big-time mare for them hopefully."

Matera was bred in Kentucky by Albaugh Family Stable out of the graded stakes-winning Trippi mare Miss Macy Sue , making her a half sister to multiple grade 1 winner Liam's Map  , grade 3 winner and grade 1-placed Not This Time  , and stakes winner and grade 2-placed Taylor S .

An Audubon Oaks 'Caper'

In a battle of the Hernandez brothers in the $99,250 Runhappy Audubon Oaks, the younger rider, Colby Hernandez, and the unbeaten filly Carribean Caper  ran down his meet-leading sibling Brian and the gritty pacesetter Magic Quest  to take the seven-furlong race by a length in a time of 1:22.09.

"We had a good break today and I was able to hop outside my brother there," Colby Hernandez said after winning his first stakes at Ellis. "From the quarter pole home, I said, 'If we have enough pony we can win it from here.' When I called on her, she gave me all she had. I asked her a little bit more today than normally, but I think she still had a good bit left in the tank."

Carribean Caper, a daughter of Speightstown   owned by Andrea Pollack's Columbine Stable and trained by Al Stall Jr., is 4-for-4 after winning her stakes debut. 

Stall said the seven-furlong Dogwood Stakes (G3) Sept. 25 at Churchill Downs will be considered, with an eye on the seven-furlong Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, both still keeping Carribean Caper against 3-year-old fillies.

Carribean Caper was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm out of the stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Checkupfromzneckup. Her yearling Tapit   half sister sold for $990,000 to West Point Thoroughbreds, Scarlet Oak Racing, and NBS Stable out of Denali Stud's consignment to The Sarartoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in New York.

Roger McQueen Shines

Roger McQueen , sent off at 9-2 odds with Adam Beschizza aboard, held off a late challenge by Lucky Boss  and Brian Hernandez Jr. to capture the $124,750 Runhappy Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes, a seven-furlong test for 2-year-olds.

Trained by Larry Rivelli for owner Carolyn Wilson, the Kentucky-bred won for the second time on the Ellis dirt, finishing a half-length in front of 8-1 Lucky Boss, and covering the seven furlongs in 1:23.67. Roger McQueen broke his maiden with a five-length victory at Ellis July 17 in a five-furlong race.

Front-running Verylittlecents  notched her second win in a row in the $125,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Debutante Stakes as she beat Golden Sights  by 2 1/2 lengths to best the field of six 2-year-old fillies. 

The winning filly, by Goldencents  , covered the seven-furlong distance in 1:23.32. Her record improves to two wins in three starts and increases her career earnings to $111,980 for owner Randy Patterson. 

"Luckily she ran very well," said trainer Randy Morse. "I loved it when she made the lead that easy up the backside, because she's got a lot of fight to her."