Recepta Continues Upswing in Noble Damsel
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With a strong rally through the stretch, Recepta secured her second straight stakes win—and first career graded stakes victory—Saturday, Sept. 19 in the $200,000 Noble Damsel Stakes (gr. IIIT) on the turf at Belmont Park.
Recepta earned a strong Equibase Speed Figure of 115 in winning the Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes Aug. 8 on the Saratoga Race Course turf, a race that was restricted to fillies and mares who had not won a graded stakes in 2015. But that race is proving to be a solid one as its third-place finisher, A Little Bit Sassy, ran a close second in the Glen Hill Farm One Dreamer Stakes Saturday at Kentucky Downs.
In the Noble Damsel for fillies and mares, Phillips Racing Partnership and Pam Gartin's Recepta rallied three-, then four-wide under Elvis Trujillo, who was aboard for the first time. As Recepta circled rivals, the 4-year-old Speightstown filly was shadowed by Ben Sangster's Lady Lara, who was even wider.
Those two dueled through the stretch with Recepta battling to the wire to maintain the advantage and score by half a length, completing the one-mile race in 1:33.32 on firm turf.
"I think the key to her development this year is more maturity than anything," said winning trainer James Toner. "She was kind of washy and sort of flighty last year and couldn't take too much. We gave her the winter off and brought her back in the spring, and she's taken every step that we've wanted her to take."
Trujillo didn't mind rallying wide in the turn.
"I had a perfect trip. Three or four horses went to the lead," Trujillo said. "At the three-eighths pole they started to stop and the horses next to me started putting pressure on them. When I turned for home, I asked her and she was gone. She's a very nice horse."
Crowley's Law followed in third with 2-1 favorite Coffee Clique fourth. Recepta returned $14.60 to win, $6 to place, and $4.30 to show while second-choice Lady Lara paid $4.10 and $2.90. Crowley's Lay returned $3.90 to show.
Bred in Kentucky by John Phillips and Hank Snowden, Recepta is out of the Honor Grades mare Honor Bestowed, who also has produced grade III-winning sprinter Taqarub.