Adventuring Outlasts Family Way in Ladies Marathon
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Photo: Coady Photography
Adventuring wins the Ladies Marathon at Kentucky Downs
When the marathon was done at Kentucky Downs Sept. 13, the two horses most everybody expected to be right there at the end, were right there.
On this day, Adventuring , the 5-2 second choice in the field of nine, was just a little bit better than Family Way , the 4-5 favorite.
The 11th running of the $550,000 AGS Ladies Marathon (G3T) for fillies and mares aged 3 and up, went to Adventuring and jockey Joel Rosario, who finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of Family Way and Tyler Gaffalione in the 1 5/16-mile turf race.
"Perfect trip. The filly did all the work," Rosario said. "You can see the way she runs that if someone challenges her, she keeps moving forward."
Adventuring, owned by Godolphin and trained by Brad Cox, went straight to the lead over the firm course and carved out fractions of :25.38 for the first quarter, :49.90 for the half, and 1:14.24 for six furlongs.
Family Way was never far off, tracking the leader in fourth and then third. With an eighth of a mile to go, Adventuring was still strong and Family Way, who won this race a year ago, was gathering momentum. They just could not get past the winner.
"We had everything our way, we just couldn't catch the leader," Gaffalione said. "I'm proud of her. She never disappoints me."
Adventuring, a 4-year-old daughter of Pioneerof the Nile , won for just the second time in four career starts on the grass. This was just her second start of 2022; the first came at Mountaineer Park on Aug. 6 when she won by 2 1/2 lengths over a sloppy track in a stakes that was taken off the grass.
That was her first start since December.
"She had a long break over the winter time," said Michael Banahan, the director of bloodstock for Godolphin USA. "We got her back going again. Brad and his team have done a great job. Distance of ground is what's key for her."
Getting Adventuring back to Kentucky Downs was the obvious play for the Cox barn. Last year, she won the Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks in similar fashion, going to the lead and drawing off to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
"She's a horse for the course," Cox said by phone.
"She gets very competitive when she gets the lead," Rosario said. "She keeps galloping and galloping. She looked like she was really relaxed."
Adventuring's final time was 2:08.28 on firm turn, and she returned $7.80 to win.
Luck Money finished a neck behind Family Way in third.
Bred in Kentucky by Godolphin, Adventuring is among three winners produced from four foals out of the champion, grade-1 winning Hard Spun mare Questing . Adventuring is her most recent foal.