Heavenly Sunday Romps in Off-the-Turf Mrs. Revere
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Photo: Coady Photography/Renee Torbit
Heavenly Sunday wins the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs
Heavenly Sunday put her versatility on full display Nov. 24 with a scintillating five-length romp in an off-the-turf rendition of the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Formerly contested as a grade 2 on the lawn, the Mrs. Revere Stakes and the remaining turf races for the weekend were declared off-the-turf by Churchill Downs management Friday morning. The only other stakes to be held on the grass course was the Commonwealth Turf Stakes on Sunday. Friday's announcement follows a string of troubles with the Churchill turf course over the track's fall meet that saw races frequently moved from the grass to the main track. The Cardinal Stakes (G3T) on Thanksgiving, however, remained on the turf yesterday.
The graded status of the Mrs. Revere will be determined by the American Graded Stakes Committee pending review.
A graded stakes winner on the turf under the Twin Spires earlier in the year in the Edgewood Stakes (G2T) on Derby day, Heavenly Sunday made her first-ever start on the dirt in Friday's Mrs. Revere. Bet down as the post-time favorite on the basis of her front-running speed and the dirt affinity for the offspring of Candy Ride , the filly's sire, Heavenly Sunday rocketed from her outside post and quickly hounded Callie's Grit for the early advantage. A length back in second at the half-mile pole in :48.81, jockey Florent Geroux let the reins out a notch on the eager Heavenly Sunday and she ranged alongside Callie's Grit into the turn for home.
It was all over at the quarter pole, as Heavenly Sunday spurted away from her rivals and opened up a commanding lead midway down the stretch. Geared down by Geroux, she strode across the wire in a final time of 1:44.69 for the 1 1/16 miles on a track labeled as fast.
Heavenly Sunday wins the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs
Longshots Beach Walkn and Make the Boys Wink completed the trifecta.
Heavenly Sunday ($4.82), a 3-year-old filly owned by Miacomet Farm (William Harrigan) and trained by Brad Cox, collected her fourth win from nine trips to the post and increased her bankroll to $708,683. Bred by Randal Family Trust, she is the only stakes winner produced from the Giant's Causeway mare Alien Giant. The mare delivered a colt by The Factor this past spring.
What They Said
Cox: "(Heavenly Sunday) always worked well on the dirt. We started her first time on the grass and she did nothing wrong on it so we just kept her on that surface. When it came off I always say my favorite races are dirt races and my second favorite are off the turf so there we go it worked out well."