Interpolate Bounces Back in Ruthless Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Walter Wlodarczyk
Interpolate wins the Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack
Klaravich Stables' Interpolate notched her first stakes triumph for trainer Chad Brown in the Feb. 5 $100,000 Ruthless Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Ridden to victory by Eric Cancel, who picked up the mount from the injured Kendrick Carmouche, Interpolate stalked and pounced to victory under a well-timed ride to pass pacesetter Girl Trouble down the stretch and post the 2 1/2-length score.
"She's always shown a lot of potential in the mornings and it's one of those things with young horses where she's developed week-to-week and month-to-month mentally," Brown said. "Eric allowed her to really put her development all together today by allowing her to run how she wanted. I'm very proud of her."
Breaking sharply from post 2, Interpolate was taken back by Cancel and settled in fourth as post-time favorite Girl Trouble vied for command with an advancing Royal Poppy through an opening quarter-mile in :24.53.
Royal Poppy secured a half-length lead as the field rounded the turn with Girl Trouble to her inside, but Interpolate loomed large in the three-path and made up ground with every stride to come to even terms with her two rivals after a half-mile in :48.50. Royal Poppy began to backpedal at the top of the stretch as a stubborn Girl Trouble continued to give chase down the lane, but Interpolate had plenty left to draw away from her rival and cross the wire first in a final time of 1:26.44 over the fast main track.
"She felt pretty good. She was pretty nice and smooth," Cancel said. "Looking at her last race, it looks like she had a little bit of a rough trip, but I just tried to not get in her way today. I tried to let her be comfortable out there and she did the job."
Girl Trouble held place honors by 2 3/4 lengths over the late-running Malibu Moonshine , who suffered her first loss in her fourth career start.
Brown said Interpolate is more likely to cut back to six furlongs in the $100,000 Cicada Stakes on March 18 rather than stretch out to one mile in the $200,000 Busher Stakes on March 4, which offers 50-20-10-15-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.
Bred in Kentucky by Capital Bloodstock, Interpolate banked $55,000 in victory and improved her lifetime record to 4-2-0-0. She returned $11.80 for a $2 win ticket.
Interpolate is a 3-year-old daughter of leading sire Into Mischief and out of the unraced Tapit mare Keesha. She passed through the ring twice as a yearling in 2021, bringing $210,000 to Beryl Stokes at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale before selling to Cayuga Capital for $300,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.