Letruska Overwhelms Spinster Rivals at Keeneland
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Letruska delivers a clear victory in the Spinster Stakes at Keeneland
As trainer Fausto Gutierrez sees it, his horse of a lifetime will enter the Breeders' Cup World Championships on a roll.
On Oct. 10 that dream horse, Letruska , posted a fifth straight victory when she easily put away five rivals in the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. In those five straight wins, the 5-year-old Super Saver mare has led at every point of call and her effort Sunday appeared to be easy on her with the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) just less than four weeks away on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.
In knocking down her fourth grade 1 victory and sixth graded stakes win overall this season, St. George Stable homebred Letruska broke alertly and quickly secured the lead. Racing just off the rail in the first turn, she opened about a 2 1/2-length advantage through a leisurely quarter-mile in :24. While rivals Envoutante , a multiple graded stakes winner, and longshot Town Avenger moved a bit closer in the backstretch, that effort didn't show up at the call as Letruska maintained her 2 1/2-length advantage through a half-mile in :47.89.
Letruska, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up, was just getting started. Coming out of the far turn she tightened her grip on the race, to open up 3 1/2 lengths on her rivals in midstretch. Grade 1 winner Dunbar Road surged a bit in the stretch but never seriously challenged the winner as the daughter of Quality Road settled for second, 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner, who completed the 1 1/8-mile test for fillies and mares in 1:49.01 on the fast track.
(L-R): Andres Gutierrez, Jose Diaz, and Fausto and Ana Gutierrez with Letruska and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. after the Spinster Stakes
The easy Spinster score follows earlier top-level triumphs this season in the Personal Ensign Stakes Presented by Lia Infiniti at Saratoga Race Course, Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park, and Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park. Her six graded stakes wins this season have come at six different tracks as she also won the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park.
Letruska upped her career record to 17-1-1 from 22 starts and pushed her earnings to $2,236,459.
"I'll tell you, this is a horse to change the life for any person," Gutierrez said, noting that he planned to move forward to the Distaff with the bay mare. "She's a superstar and she proves (it) every second, every race. She has shown her game, her ability at Churchill, at Oaklawn, at Saratoga. She's a racehorse."
Ortiz said it was a smooth trip and noted that Letruska is well-trained.
"She was just moving smooth out there," Ortiz said. "She didn't go that fast today but she did it easy, relaxed. Whenever I asked her she was there for me."
As a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race, the Spinster awards the winner a fees-paid entry into the Distaff. Asked about any possibility of taking on males in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Gutierrez said while he wouldn't completely rule it out he was strongly leaning toward staying in her division.
Bred in Kentucky, Letruska is out of the grade 2-placed Successful Appeal mare Magic Appeal, who has produced four other winners including stakes winner and grade 1-placed Trigger Warning and stakes-placed American Doll . Magic Appeal's youngest foals are a yearling Arrogate colt and a weanling Malibu Moon filly. She was bred to Curlin for 2022.
While Dunbar Road has dropped six straight races since winning last year's Delaware Handicap (G2), the 2019 Alabama Stakes (G1) winner has put in nice runs in back to back races. Before finishing second Sunday, she finished a close fourth behind Letruska in the Personal Ensign. Also Sunday, she finished one spot ahead of Bonny South , who was second in the Personal Ensign.
"I thought turning for home that she responded really well and maybe I could catch her (Letruska)," said Flavien Prat, who was aboard Dunbar Road Sunday. "From my position, I was expecting somebody to soften it (the pace) up a little bit because I come from behind, but she had a good trip."
Trainer Brad Cox said he thought Bonny South again ran well and a start in the Distaff is still on the table for the Juddmonte homebred.
"We know our filly needs (a faster) pace to run at, but she closed well," Cox said. "I was extremely happy with Bonny South's effort."