No Stopping Irish Mission in La Prevoyante

By Jerry Bossert



An outside post and a wide trip couldn't stop favored Irish Mission as she held off stablemate Tabreed by three-quarters of a length to take the $100,000 La Prevoyante Handicap (gr. IIIT)  from Gulfstream Park Dec. 27.



Breaking from post 12 in the 14-horse calvary charge over the turf, Irish Mission, the starting highweight carrying 120 pounds and jockey John Velazquez, raced in fourth while three wide throughout the 1 1/2-mile marathon.



Velazquez seemed content keeping the 5-year-old wide as 38-1 shot Bohemian Dance set a slow pace of :52.93 for the first-half mile and 1:46.43 for the mile on a Gulfstream course labeled good.



As the field turned for home, Velazquez asked Irish Mission and she grabbed a narrow lead from Premium at the top of the stretch. She first repulsed a challenge from Always Kitten before holding off the late run from Tabreed, giving trainer Christophe Clement a one-two finish.



"The pace was slow and I couldn't drop in to where I wanted to be but I said since we're going so slow I kept her where I was," Velazquez said. "I didn't want to be in her mouth too much. After that, I just kind of waited down the lane because now she's going to wait and she responded when they came to her."



The La Prevoyante was the sixth win from 28 starts for Irish Mission, who was bred in Ontario by Sam-Son Farm. She is by Giant's Causeway   out of the dam Misty Mission, by Miswaki. It marked her second win from eight starts in 2014, going along with a victory in the $150,000 Glens Falls Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 31.



"It was the same for all of us," Clement said of the slow pace. "As long as we all compete and it's the same for all of us, I'm okay with it. They finished very well. When they win you don't care too much."



Clement's saddled his fifth winner of the La Prevoyante Handicap along with Sardaniya (1992), Trampoli (1994), and Coretta (1998 and 1999). His third starter in the race, Maximova, finished sixth.



Owned by Robert S. Evans, whose Tonalist captured the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) in June, Irish Mission ran the 12 furlongs in 2:35.85.



"She's (Irish Mission) going to be bred in the spring of 2015, so maybe she can run once more in a race like The Very One (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream (Feb. 21)," Clement said. "The other filly (Tabreed) is going to quarantine, I think in January. She's going to be bred to Australia, because the owner of Tabreed owns a share of Australia."



Canada's 2012 Sovereign Award winner for champion grass mare and 3-year-old filly, Irish Mission returned $6.40 to win, $4.20 to place and $3 to show. Tabreed paid $9.20 to place and $5.60 to show, while second choice Photo Call was a neck farther back in third and returned $3.60 to show.



The field was rounded out by Always Kitten, Julie's Love, Maximova, Clearbrook, Auld Alliance, Cay Dancer, Honey Lake, Angegreen, Bohemian Dance, Modernstone, and Premium.

Irish Mission boosted her career earnings to $1,266,863.