Gam's Mission Wears Down Dalika in Mint Julep
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Photo: Coady Photography
Gam's Mission wins the Mint Julep Stakes at Churchill Downs
Back on her favorite turf course, Lazy F Ranch's Gam's Mission wore down a stubborn Dalika to post a 1 1/4-length victory in the June 5 $200,000 Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs.
The winner of the Regret Stakes (G3T) over the Churchill lawn last year, Gam's Mission was the 3-1 second choice behind favored Petricor from the Bill Mott barn. Making her third start of 2022 following consecutive runner-up finishes, including a head defeat in an April 23 allowance, Gam's Mission bided her time well off the pace in the Mint Julep. Bel Mar Equine's Dalika, returning from an eight-month layoff, quickly cleared the field as she showed the way through a :24.22 opening quarter and :48.68 half-mile.
It was past the half-mile marker where Adam Beschizza nudged Gam's Mission into gear, and she advanced upon the leaders with every stride, swinging four wide into the lane for the stretch run. Dalika ran on bravely but was caught in the final sixteenth by Gam's Mission, who surged clear to hit the wire in 1:43.53 for the 1 1/16 miles on a firm course.
“She’s a war horse,” Beschizza said of Gam's Mission, who paid $8.20. “This filly is all heart. She probably prefers a little cut in the ground, and it was pretty fast today. She was able to overcome that and win very nicely. We thought she’d be sitting on a big run today and was doing well with just a couple of easy gallops into today’s race.”
Longshot Take Charge Ro was 1 1/4 lengths farther back in third, a neck in front of Petricor.
“Adam did a great job getting to settle from off the pace,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “She was a little bit farther back than normal, but that was just sort of how the race unfolded today with (Dalika) on the front end. I’m really pleased with her effort to close that strongly.”
With her second graded score, the 4-year-old filly upped her earnings to $448,708 and improved her career record to 4-3-0 from 10 starts.
Bred in Kentucky by her owners, Gam's Mission is out of the winning War Pass mare Aunt Martha, the dam of three winners from three foals to race. Aunt Martha, a daughter of the grade 1-winning mare Auntie Mame, has an unraced 2-year-old filly by Cat Burglar and a yearling colt by Dad's Caps.