Quip Takes Oaklawn Handicap by a Neck
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Photo: Coady Photography
Quip holds off Lone Sailor (outside) and Pioneer Spirit (inside) to win the Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park
A year and a month since the day he claimed his first graded win in the Lambholm South Tampa Derby (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs, Quip finally found his way back to the winner's circle to take the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 13 at Oaklawn Park.
Pioneer Spirit was asked for early speed from the gate by jockey Luis Saez and took the lead just off the rail in the two path, tracked by Remembering Rita and Chris and Dave through the half-mile in :47.96. Quip stalked the pace from fourth, three wide on the backstretch, before moving up to make a bid as they approached the far turn.
Still ahead by a half-length as six furlongs went in 1:11.99, Pioneer Spirit fought to hold off the closers as Quip, guided by Jose Ortiz, edged him by a head at the sixteenth pole. Giant Expectations tried to run down Quip with a five-wide rally on the outside, but was easily passed even farther outside by grade 3 winner Lone Sailor, who got up on even terms with Quip in deep stretch but missed by a neck at the wire.
"We were expecting to be close," said trainer Rodolphe Brisset. "He looked like on the backside, the horse was not really taking us anywhere, but he was keeping position. He had to make an early move and was very wide on the turn, but the horse ran his usual race. He's been taking us on a fun ride. It's very sweet. This horse is special."
Pioneer Spirit was a neck back in third. Remembering Rita, Giant Expectations, Rated R Superstar, Tenfold, Lookin At Lee, and Chris and Dave completed the order of finish. Final time for the 1 1/8-mile race was 1:50.21 over a sloppy (sealed) track.
"He broke really clean," Ortiz said. "He put in a good position early, but I had to fight with Joel Rosario (on Giant Expectations) to keep I got a lucky I had the horse. Last time, they went really fast off the layoff. Quip was very game and never let them by him."
Campaigned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing, Quip won his first two starts at 2 for Brisset before stepping up to graded company in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, where he finished seventh.
Back for his sophomore campaign, the son of Distorted Humor took the Tampa Derby by a length and set himself on the trail for the 2018 Road to the Kentucky Derby. He finished second one start later in the April 14 Arkansas Derby (G1), but bypassed the first leg of the Triple Crown for the May 19 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, where he finished off the board.
On the bench for nine months, Quip finally returned to the track to make his first start of 2019 in the Feb. 23 Hal's Hope Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, where he finished third. He now has a 4-1-1 record from eight starts, with earnings of $942,500.
Quip was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm out of the Indian Charlie mare Princess Ash. The mare has a 3-year-old Speightstown filly named Solstice, a 2-year-old Distorted Humor filly, and a yearling Constitution filly. She was bred to Pioneerof the Nile in 2019.