Lady Ivanka Charges to Spinaway Score

A plunge into the deep end did nothing to deter Lady Ivanka from all she's ever known on the racetrack.

The Oklahoma-bred daughter of Tiz Wonderful picked up her second straight win with a bold outside run Sept. 2, charging to victory by three-quarters of a length in the $350,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

In just her second start after breaking her maiden at first asking Aug. 9 for trainer Rudy Rodriguez at the Spa, nonplussed by her stakes debut at the highest level, Lady Ivanka rated well in third for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. as 3-5 favorite Separationofpowers and 2-1 second choice Pure Silver went at it from the start of the seven-furlong test.

"The post killed her," trainer Chad Brown said of Separationofpowers, who broke from the inside in a field of five. "It was a bad draw and she got hounded the whole way. She did all the dirty work there and I'm proud of her. She worked hard, but it's just not a good situation to be drawn inside of a real fast horse like Pure Silver, and set it up for another horse."

With those two setting fractions of :22.36 and :45.30, Lady Ivanka bided her time until Ortiz shook her up through three-quarters in 1:10.83. Running four-wide off the turn, the bay filly put away the early leaders and stymied the rail-skimming rally of Maya Malibu and jockey Javier Castellano. She finished seven furlongs in 1:24.97 on a fast track.

"It was a tough test, but we got it done," Rodriguez said. "She ran a good race; the race set up (and) ran the way we expected. ... I was not confident at all (turning for home) because I saw that the other horse was coming on the inside, and Javier is one of the best riders in the country. They opened the rail for him, and I was concerned, but thank God we held on."

"I got a perfect trip," Ortiz said. "I broke out of there and just sat there and waited. We were clear on the turn and when I asked her, she was there for me. She was ready. Rudy did a good job with her. Her last race was impressive and she did it in a good way. Now here we are in a grade 1, and she did it."

Lady Ivanka returned $12.40, $5.40, and $3.60 while Maya Malibu brought $7.70 and $4.90. Separationofpowers held for third, worth $2.10, and was followed home by Pure Silver and Obvious Two.

Bred by Scott Pierce out of the Officer mare Lady Leftennant, Lady Ivanka races for Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, Michael Imperio, and Susan Montanye. She picked up an automatic berth to the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) with her score, but Rodriguez said he's not quite ready to commit to a start in the Nov. 4 race at Del Mar.

"I don't know. I have to talk to the owners, and then make a plan and see what we have to do, but it's very good to be in this position," the trainer remarked. "I think she's very good. She's got a very good mind. ... Like you see, she's just sitting there behind horses. She's been doing that in the morning all the time, so I think she can stretch out."

An $80,000 purchase by agent Kim Valerio from SBM Training & Sales' consignment to this year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale, Lady Ivanka went through the sale ring on two previous occasions, but was an RNA from Legacy Bloodstock's consignment to both the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale ($11,000) and the 2015 Keeneland November breeding stock sale ($21,000).

Lady Ivanka is the 25th black-type stakes winner for Tiz Wonderful. The Korean Racing Authority purchased the 13-year-old son of Tiznow—Evil, by Hennessy, to stand in Korea at the end of 2014.