Turnerloose Upsets Rachel Alexandra Stakes at 17-1
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Photo: Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.
Turnerloose wins the Rachel Alexandra Stakes over Goddess of Fire at Fair Grounds Race Course
Turnerloose showed no problem racing on the dirt surface for the first time as she got up to win the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2) Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots at odds of 17-1.
"To be honest, I didn't know if she'd handle the dirt," trainer Brad Cox said. "She worked well enough on it last fall. We gave her a little bit of a break, we brought her back, she worked well enough here at the Fair Grounds. She broke, I thought Florent (Geroux) put her in a great position, and she tries hard. She always tries hard."
The Nyquist filly was a stakes winner on the turf last year and made her first start since fading to last in the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.
"California wasn't her thing. She was off her bridle going up the backside and I just think she was a tired filly at that point," Cox added. "We gave her a break, she regrouped, and I think we saw a better version of her obviously than we saw in California."
Cox will now aim Ike and Dawn Thrash's Turnerloose for the May 6 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), with prep races in between to be determined. Turnerloose collected 50 qualifying points Saturday on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, which boosted her to the top of the leaderboard.
While Turnerloose claimed an upset victory in the Rachel Alexandra, Stonestreet Stables' Jan. 22 Silverbulletday Stakes winner La Crete was pulled up by jockey Joel Rosario after leading down the backstretch before being vanned off the track. Stonestreet shared an update on Twitter Saturday night that stated: "La Crete is comfortable and weight bearing. She has a condylar fracture that is a good candidate for repair. She will be monitored through the night and we will update tomorrow."
La Crete, a half sister to last year's race winner Clairiere , broke from the rail and led through the first quarter-mile in :23.94 while Hidden Connection , who broke fast from the outside post of 11, got up to race in second. Hidden Connection took over after Rosario pulled up La Crete, running a half in :48:18 and three-quarters in 1:13.07. Awake at Midnyte , Turnerloose, and Goddess of Fire followed off the pace.
Turnerloose, who had her regular rider Geroux in the irons, broke from post 7 and stalked the from along the inside. Geroux guided her out four wide entering the lane and his filly was back in fifth as the field turned for home. Goddess of Fire took over in the lane as Hidden Connection tried to fight on late, but Turnerloose continued to dig in down the lane and got up to win by a half-length. She completed the 1 1/16 miles on the fast track in 1:44.22 and paid $37 on a $2 win ticket.
The connections of Turnerloose enjoy the trophy presentation for the Rachel Alexandra Stakes
"I expected her to be forwardly placed," Geroux said. "She broke pretty good, I was in a good spot, but two horses were quicker than me coming to the first turn so I just stayed where I was. I just wanted to keep her in a nice rhythm without forcing the pace if I didn't have to. There was a little incident a little past the five-eighths pole when this filly, La Crete, moved out of the way. I kind of stayed on the inside, let my horse come into herself, but I was very pleased with her when they came down the lane. I tipped her outside and I could tell she was going to get there. She was very brave and she went on to catch Todd's filly (Goddess of Fire, trained by Todd Pletcher) at the end."
Goddess of Fire, at odds of 15-1, was second 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Awake at Midnyte. Hidden Connection missed out on a place by a head, finishing fourth. They earned 20, 10, and five points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively.
Turnerloose was bred in Kentucky by William Humphries and Altair Farms out of the unraced A.P. Indy mare Goaltending, a daughter of grade 1 winner Game Face . Goaltending's first four foals have all raced and three are winners. Her two unraced foals are a yearling Arrogate filly and a City of Light filly born Jan. 12.
The Thrashes purchased Turnerloose for $50,000 from Woodford Thoroughbreds' consignment to the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The dark bay filly has bankrolled $531,300 and now holds a 3-0-1 record from five starts.
"She's a grade 2 winner now. We need to win a grade 1," Cox said. "Obviously I think the... goal is the Kentucky Oaks. How we get there? I think we'll let the dust settle, see how she comes out of it, and go forward."