Flashy Debut Winner Justique Goes Long in Chandelier

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Flashy Debut Winner Justique Goes Long in Chandelier
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Justique wins her debut at Del Mar

C R K Stable's Justique , a fast-closing, impressive first-out winner that would appear better suited to routing, rates top billing among seven juvenile fillies who will each be trying two turns for the first time in the $200,000 Chandelier Stakes (G2) Oct. 8 at Santa Anita Park. 

A Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge Race Qualifier, the winner of the 1 1/16-mile Chandelier will earn a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 4 at Keeneland.

Trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Justique was off slowly and devoid of early foot in her 5 1/2-furlong debut July 31 at Del Mar, but hit her best stride around the far turn and won with consummate ease while geared down some three lengths clear of next-out winner Home Cooking  in an eye-catching effort.

By 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify   out of the Bernardini  mare Grazie Millie, Justique sold for $725,000 to Mayberry Farm at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Glenwood Farm consignment. She is a half sister to Mo Town   (Uncle Mo  ), winner of the 2016 Remsen Stakes (G2) and 2017 Hollywood Derby (G1T), both at 1 1/8 miles.

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Two other contenders—the Peter Miller-trained And Tell Me Nolies  and the Bob Baffert-trained Home Cooking —get a rematch from their last meeting, the Sept. 10 Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1). In that race, And Tell Me Nolies tracked down her rival with a furious rally down the stretch to win at the wire by a head. Home Cooking may have grown a bit fatigued from an early turn bid in which she took the lead.

Peter Redekop&#39;s And Tell Me Nolies and jockey Ramon Vazquez, left, get up to beat Home Cooking and Mike Smith (right) in the Grade I $300,000 TVG Del Mar Debutante Saturday, September 10, 2022 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, CA.<br><br /> Benoit Photo
Photo: Benoit Photo
And Tell Me Nolies (left) defeats Home Cooking in the Del Mar Debutante at Del Mar

Shirreffs chose to skip the Del Mar Debutante with Justique to await the Chandelier.

And Tell Me Nolies, owned by Peter Redekop, is by Arrogate  out of the graded-winning Exchange Rate  mare Be Fair . 

A 9 1/4-length maiden winner going 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 21, Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman's Home Cooking was subsequently off as the 3-5 favorite in the Del Mar Debutante before being edged late. The Chandelier will also reunite her with Justique, who won that July 31 debut for both fillies.

Huntingcoco , the second of two Baffert entrants, was a scintillating first-out maiden winner going 5 1/2 furlongs Sept. 4, winning by 6 3/4 lengths while earning a Chandelier-best last out Equibase Speed Figure of 84. Baffert has won the Chandelier 12 times.

Owned by Villa Rosa Farm and Harlo Stable, Huntingcoco is a Pennsylvania-bred filly by Practical Joke   out of the Maria's Mon mare Sulis .

Ice Dancing , a Bass Stables homebred, makes her third start. Trained by Richard Mandella, the daughter of Frosted   finished third in both starts—races And Tell Me Nolies won.

Mike Powers' Naughty Lottie  makes her California debut. Out of Scarlet Emerald (Desert Party), Naughty Lottie won at first asking at Louisiana Downs and then finished third at Prairie Meadows in the Prairie Meadows Debutante Stakes. Midnight Lute  's daughter is trained by Justin Jeansonne. Jeansonne purchased Naughty Lottie for Powers at the 2022 Ocala Breeders' Sales' Spring Sale from the Paul Sharp consignment for $17,000.

Rounding out the field is Repole Stable's Uncontrollable . The Michael McCarthy-trained filly, a $130,000 purchase earlier this year at the OBS Spring Sale, she has a maiden win and second in the Generous Portion Stakes in two starts, both at Del Mar. The daughter of Upstart   races outside of California-bred company for the first time.


Entries: Chandelier S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, October 08, 2022, Race 6

  • Grade II
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $200,000
  • 2 yo Fillies
  • 3:38 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Naughty Lottie (KY) Ryan Curatolo 122 Justin Jeansonne 12/1
2 2Ice Dancing (KY) Umberto Rispoli 122 Richard E. Mandella 10/1
3 3Home Cooking (KY) Mike E. Smith 122 Bob Baffert 3/1
4 4Huntingcoco (PA)Keeneland Sales Graduate Edwin A. Maldonado 122 Bob Baffert 7/2
5 5And Tell Me Nolies (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Ramon A. Vazquez 122 Peter Miller 3/1
6 6Uncontrollable (CA) Juan J. Hernandez 122 Michael W. McCarthy 12/1
7 7Justique (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Victor Espinoza 122 John A. Shirreffs 2/1