Vixen's Class Prevails in Herecomesthebride Victory
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Vixen wins the Herecomesthebride Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Vixen may have made it close, but got the job done nonetheless for D. J. Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, prevailing by a head in a four-way blanket finish in the $205,000 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) March 1 at Gulfstream Park.
The Herecomesthebride marked back-to-back black-type victories and the first graded triumph of her career for the 3-year-old Vekoma filly. Grade 1-placed as a 2-year-old, she opened her sophomore season with a sparkling last-out score in the Feb. 1 Sweetest Chant Stakes. Facing a tougher field of rivals in the one-mile Herecomesthebride, the Mark Casse runner showed once again that she'll be a formidable contender in the 3-year-old filly division moving forward.
Breaking alertly under John Velazquez, who has ridden the filly in her last four starts, Vixen settled into a stalking third behind pacesetting Grade A and a closely pursuing Mrs Worldwide . Following opening splits of :22.97 and :46.51, Velazquez began to rev up on Vixen as they loomed three wide turning for home. Set to a drive, Vixen didn't quicken as sharply as she had in the Sweetest Chant, but instead ground down a stubborn Mrs Worldwide at the wire.
Mrs Worldwide, a stakes winner on the dirt at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Brian Lynch, outran her 31-1 odds with a gallant runner-up finish in her turf debut. The Global Campaign filly just edged out a late-rallying Daisy Flyer , who completed the trifecta at 87-1, resulting in a whopping $424.60 trifecta payoff.
The Casse-trained Classic Q was another nose back in fourth.
"She ran good. Maybe she bounced a little off her first performance but today was good," Casse said of Vixen, who gave the Hall of Fame trainer his fourth win in the Herecomesthebride. "Hopefully, she moves on from there. She's tough; she's a good horse. Like I said, maybe she kind of regressed from her first start. She'll have some time and she'll be off to Kentucky.
"I thought Classic Q was going to be on the lead, but she got away bad. She ran a helluva race to be fourth."
Vixen, returning $3.60 as the 4-5 favorite, stopped the timer in 1:33.57 on a firm turf course. The $200,000 2-year-old purchase gave Spendthrift Farm stallion and 2024 leading first-crop sire Vekoma his second graded stakes winner of the year following his son Golden Vekoma 's Middle East success in the Saudi Derby (G3) and UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3).
Video: Herecomesthebride S. (G3T)
Mi Bago Routes Rivals in Colonel Liam Stakes
Three races after stablemate Vixen captured the Herecomesthebride, Mi Bago polished off a stakes double for the Mark Casse barn and stallion Vekoma with an electrifying score in the $200,000 Colonel Liam Stakes.
Mi Bago leads every step of the way to win the Colonel Liam Stakes
Racing for the colors of longtime Casse client Gary Barber, Mi Bago was simply uncatchable in Saturday's one-mile turf affair for 3-year-olds. Establishing authority in the opening strides, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. did all he could to rein in the fleet-footed son of Vekoma establishing sizzling early open fractions of :22.55 and :45.53. He wasn't done there. Striking the six-furlong marker in 1:08.84, the bay streaked to the wire without a rival in sight, hitting the wire 4 3/4 lengths in front of runner-up Enterdadragon .
Chad Brown-trained George Briggs rounded out the trifecta in his stakes debut.
Favored Mi Bago ($6.20) was timed in 1:32.51, only a second off the Gulfstream Park track mark.
Netting his fourth black-type win and third straight victory, New York-bred Mi Bago increased his bankroll to $387,850.