A Mo Reay Turns Back Lovely Ride in Bayakoa
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Photo: Coady Photography
A Mo Reay (outside) edges Lovely Ride in the Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn Park
Hunter Valley Farm's A Mo Reay made good use of the final strides Feb. 4 in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park, eking out the score over Lovely Ride to land her first graded win.
The 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo rated third behind Lovely Ride and Graysonsmacho Gal as opening fractions went in :24.24 and :48.07 with Florent Geroux sitting patiently aboard. At the top of the lane, Lovely Ride soared to the front with Le Da Vida giving chase from the inside and A Mo Reay blazing from the outside in 1:12.63.
Under strong encouragement from Geroux, A Mo Reay found stored energy to turn back Lovely Ride in 1:38.50 and got up by a 1/2 length to capture the 1 1/16 mile race in a final time of 1:45.07.
Le Da Vida was 2 3/4 lengths behind Lovely Ride in third.
With the victory, A Mo Reay improved her record for trainer Brad Cox to 4-1-3 from 11 starts and increased her earnings to $392,650.
"Very good filly," Geroux said. "It was a nice battle all the way down the lane. But the last sixteenth of a mile, my filly made up the difference.”
The filly was bred by T & G Farm of Kentucky out of the grade 3-placed Pioneerof the Nile mare Margaret Reay , who has two winners from three foals to race.
A Mo Reay sold for $400,000 to Green Acres Farm at The November Sale last year at Fasig Tipton when part of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.