Shenandoah Queen Continues Sadler's Roll at Del Mar
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Shenandoah Queen wins the Tranquility Lake Stakes
The Summer of Sadler continued at Del Mar Aug. 24 in the $75,000 Tranquility Lake Stakes.
Hronis Racing's Shenandoah Queen, last year's Tranquility Lake winner, gave trainer John Sadler his sixth stakes win (and Hronis' fourth) of the summer meeting with a commanding 8 1/2-length score over grade 1 winner Vale Dori Friday.
"You know, it seems like it goes in swells," said owner Kosta Hronis, who scored his meet-leading 10th victory in the one-mile stakes for fillies and mares 3 and older. "I remember we lost 18 races in a row, and I thought, 'We're not going to win another race again.' And then all of the sudden, John is hot, we're hot, and the barn is in great shape. We've run well here, for whatever reason."
Similar to her victory in the 2017 Tranquility Lake, Shenandoah Queen stalked the early pace in second Friday. Mended set the fractions—:23.24, :46.75, and 1:11.56 through six furlongs—but Shenandoah Queen and jockey Tyler Baze took command in the final turn and were unchallenged to the wire. The 6-year-old Henny Hughes mare widened her margin on her competition from three lengths to 8 1/2 in the final furlong and finished off the distance in 1:37.85.
Vale Dori, who went off at 4-5, missed the break but advanced to third in the first turn. She was under a drive in the final turn and appeared destined to miss the board, but grinded past a couple rivals to finish second, a half-length ahead of Turkish Tabby.
Hronis said after the race that Shenandoah Queen could head to the Sept. 30 Zenyatta Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, but would leave the decision making to Sadler, who was home sick Friday afternoon.
"We'll see what John wants to do," Hronis said. "Maybe we'll go to the Zenyatta. That division seems wide open now (with the retirement of Unique Bella). If you're not running against Unique Bella, you've got a shot. I'm sad for her, because I love horse racing and I love her, and I feel sad that she's gone, but it really opens up that division."
Shenandoah Queen's last start came against Unique Bella in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) July 29, where she finished a nonthreatening fifth behind the gray multiple grade 1 winner.
Shenandoah Queen now has a 6-2-2- record from 20 starts and $212,610 in earnings.