Spinaway on Radar for Debut Winner Tap to It
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Whisper Hill Farm's 2-year-old filly Tap to It overcame some difficulty in capturing her career debut Aug. 16 at Saratoga Race Course, pleasing trainer Ralph Nicks and stamping herself as a candidate for the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) Sept. 6.
The Tapit filly won the six-furlong maiden special weight race by two lengths while showing Nicks what he deemed outstanding ability for an such an inexperienced runner.
"She's shown herself to be very talented, and then she showed she's special by overcoming all that adversity yesterday," Nicks said. "Sometimes, it could be two or three races before they go through what she went through."
Favored from post 2 in the sixth race, Tap to It broke awkwardly under Joel Rosario and had to steady for several strides off the heels of 51-1 longshot Etsu, and then got shuffled back when that filly dropped out of contention. After taking some dirt, Tap to It was angled out approaching the stretch and came flying home strongly to take the lead in the final sixteenth and went on the convincing victory.
"She's pretty smart," Nicks said of his runner, who finished in 1:10.93. "I just think she's a pretty nice horse. It's pretty plain."
Tap to It's dam is the Bold Badgett mare Leave Me Alone, who won the 2005 Test (gr. I) at Saratoga. Whisper Hill Farm paid $400,000 for Tap to It at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale, where she was offered by Lane's End, agent. She was bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Farm.
Nicks said the seven-furlong Spinaway at Saratoga is among the races he's considering.
"It's possible. It's on the radar," he said. "I don't know what we're going to do. We're going to let her tell us."