Chop Chop First Stakes Winner for City of Light
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coady Photography
Chop Chop wins the Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs
Chop Chop prevailed in inclement weather Sept. 3 at Kentucky Downs to win the $500,000 Aristocrat Gaming Juvenile Fillies Stakes and give City of Light his first stakes winner.
As rain poured down on the eight-horse field for 2-year-old fillies, Chop Chop was unfazed. Stalking the pace in third, she moved behind Towhead and C C Cruise Control through early fractions of :24:11 and :49:99 over yielding turf in the one-mile race
Under Reylu Gutierrez, the Brad Cox trainee began to make headway around the final turn in 1:16.82, moving into second. Down the stretch it was a battle against the Ricardo Santana-piloted Towhead as the two drew further away from the other contenders through seven furlongs in 1:29.78.
In a head-bobbing photo finish to the wire, Chop Chop emerged on top by a nose for owner Selective in 1:43.86, a slow time reflecting the wet conditions of the course.
CHOP CHOP fights off a stubborn TOWHEAD for a gutsy win in the @aristocratslots Juvenile Fillies! The filly is trained by @bradcoxracing for owner Selective LLC and was ridden by @ReyGutiJockey. #TheFanDuelMeetatKD pic.twitter.com/U7b6Ie9jBw
— Kentucky Downs (@KYDownsRacing) September 3, 2022
Towhead was second, nine lengths ahead of C C Cruise Control, who held on to take third by three-quarters of a length over Knockyoursocksoff .
Chop Chop paid $10.22 on a $2 win ticket. Now 2-for-2, her earnings increased to $336,700. She notched a debut win in an Aug. 14 maiden special weight race at Ellis Park.
With her second victory, Chop Chop became City of Light's first stakes winner from his first crop of 2-year-olds. The son of Quality Road entered stud at Lane's End near Versailles, Ky., in 2019 and stood the 2022 season for an advertised fee of $60,000.
The narrowly defeated Towhead was looking for a first to put on her record for trainer Michael Maker. Last out the daughter of Malibu Moon was third in a maiden special weight Aug. 14 at Saratoga Race Course. Previously she placed third and second in maiden special weight races at Churchill Downs June 17 and May 26, respectively.
She also crossed the wire first in a July 24 maiden race at Saratoga, though the outcome didn't count in a race declared a "no contest" by stewards after an initial delay in moving the starting gate.
The Juvenile Fillies was the closing race for the day as the remainder of the card was canceled due to the severity of the weather and impacted course conditions. Kentucky Downs is a turf-only track.
The $1 million WinStar Mint Million Stakes (G3T) will now run Sept. 10, and the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile Stakes will go off Sept. 14. Nominations for both are reopened and will close Sept. 4. All horses which were previously nominated are automatically nominated.
Chop Chop is the sole winner out of the Giant's Causeway mare Grand Sofia , who has four foals. The dam also has a 3-year-old Gun Runner colt named Ridley's Major , who has twice hit the board in four starts, a yearling Omaha Beach filly, and a 2022 Constitution filly. She was bred back to Liam's Map for the 2023 season.
A $230,000 purchase by Cary Bloodstock for her owner from Bluewater Sales' consignment to The July Sale in 2021 at Fasig-Tipton, Chop Chop was bred in Kentucky by Cobra Farm and MRJ Thoroughbreds.