Wet Paint Runs Down Sacred Wish in CCA Oaks

The story of the Godolphin homebred Wet Paint  began the day after another Godolphin horse had his day in the sun at Saratoga Race Course. 

The day after the 2021 Travers Stakes (G1) at the Spa, which was won by Essential Quality  , the time-honored tradition of painting the Travers canoe the colors of the winning owner was complete.

Godolphin's blue colors adorned the vessel, and, of course, the Godolphin people in town had to get photos.

That's where Wet Paint's story started.

"One of our great team members, Tammy Masterson, did not know (the canoe) was still wet and she put her hand on it and she had blue paint all over her hand," Dan Pride, chief operating officer of Godolphin, said late in the afternoon of July 22.

Bingo. A Godolphin horse was going to get a snappy name because of that story.

That horse became Wet Paint and the 3-year-old filly started her own Saratoga tale when she rallied and pulled off a gutty win in the 107th running of the $485,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) in front of an announced crowd of 32,321 at the Spa.

Pride was standing in the winner's circle at Saratoga after Wet Paint and jockey Flavien Prat had secured the narrow neck victory in the 1 1/8-mile race on the fast Spa track.

They had to work for it. 

Longshot Sacred Wish , trained by George Weaver and ridden by Manny Franco, was just inches from an upset win when the hard-charging Wet Paint concluded her furious rally just jumps from the wire.

Sacred Wish, sent off as 10-1 in the field of five, took the lead from a tiring She's Lookin Lucky , who had set a moderate pace of 24.67, :48.81, and 1:12.59. When Sacred Wish took over, she spurted away into the stretch while Wet Paint, the 7-5 second choice, began to rally from last into the stretch.

Racing wide, Wet Paint cut into the lead, but Sacred Wish was stubborn.

"The closer we got to the wire, more and more I was thinking, 'This is going to be a reality,'" George Weaver, Sacred Wish's trainer, said after the race.

When asked if he was watching the steady rally of Wet Paint, he laughed.

"I was like this," he said, putting one hand over his left eye. "I was trying to shield myself from seeing the other horses. I could not see (Wet Paint) at all."

But everyone else could. Cox was glued to Wet Paint. He started to feel good at the sixteenth pole and his filly was charging home.

"When we turned for home, the filly on the lead—who is obviously a very good filly—looked like she had something left, and she did," Cox said. "She fought on hard, and our filly just had her momentum going forward down the lane and it worked out well."

"Turning for home, I thought I was going to win," Prat said. "At the eighth pole, I was questioning it, and then she finally found another gear to get by (Sacred Wish)."

Wet Paint, the beaten favorite in the May 5 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, got her first grade 1 win. Cox had early concerns when it was announced earlier in the day that Hoosier Philly , who was expected to be part of the pace, was scratched. 

Trainer Tom Amoss announced that Hoosier Philly did not run because of a minor foot issue.

At the start of the race, the Norm Casse-trained Southlawn  stumbled badly at the gate, otherwise she could have been part of the early mix, too.

"(She's Lookin Lucky) wasn't getting a whole lot of pressure," Cox said. "Overall, I'm proud of (Wet Paint's) effort. She is a super consistent filly who always comes running."

Wet Paint's time was 1:50.68 and she paid $4.90 to win. The daughter of Blame   out of the Street Cry mare Sky Painter  has now won five of nine starts and her earnings ballooned to $1,057,175. 

This year, Wet Paint has four wins in six starts.

Godolphin also owns Pretty Mischievous , the winner of the Kentucky Oaks and current leader of the 3-year-old division. The Brendan Walsh trainee is headed to Saratoga's $500,000 Test Stakes (G1) at seven furlongs on Aug. 5. 

Pride said that Wet Paint will be pointed to the $600,000 Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Aug. 19; the goal for Pretty Mischievous after the Test, Pride said, is the $1 million Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing Sept. 23.

"Obviously, Pretty Mischievous is probably the leader," Cox said, "but if this filly can win the Alabama and the Breeders' Cup (Distaff) (G1), it might put her in line for maybe championship honors."

Repole Stable's Gambling Girl , the 6-5 favorite, was third, 8 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up.

"Disappointing effort," owner Mike Repole said after watching the winners celebrate from his front row clubhouse box. "We will regroup and, four weeks from now, we will look at the Alabama."

She's Lookin Lucky finished fourth and Southlawn was fifth.