DRF - Misty Veil much the best in Lady Jacqueline romp
June 22, 2024
John Stewart, whose Resolute Racing has become a major presence in the auction scene over the past 10 months, purchased Misty Veil for $210,000 earlier this year. The mare has more than paid that back, adding to her résumé and bankroll with an 8 1/2-length victory in the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes on Saturday at Thistledown.
The Lady Jacqueline, for fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles, was the richest of four undercard stakes supporting the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown, and the only open event in that quartet, with the others Ohio-restricted.
Misty Veil ($5.80) put together a fine winter at Oaklawn Park, finishing second in the Mistletoe Stakes in December before winning the Pippin Stakes in early January - just days before owners Michael Hui and John Yocum sent her through the ring at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale as a racing or broodmare prospect. Stewart, who is seeking both to race high-quality fillies and to eventually add them to his broodmare band, picked her up, and kept her with trainer Mike Maker. She continued on well at Oaklawn, finishing third in the Grade 3 Bayakoa, and second by a neck in the Grade 2 Azeri. That campaign earned her a try in Oaklawn’s signature event for the division, the Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 13; she finished eighth, and got plenty of time off before her return to the worktab and the races.
Misty Veil faced a field of eight in the Lady Jacqueline, but was definitely facing easier company than her last; additionally, morning-line favorite Musical Mischief was listed as a trainer scratch by Michael McCarthy. Misty Veil then got a perfect trip under Ramon Vazquez, racing in third early, and never in traffic or out of touch, as Yankee Dollar was pressed by Red Hot Lass through a moderate opening half of 48.46 seconds on the fast track. The eventual winner began to make up ground under her own power around the far turn, easily took command when given her cue, and then continued to widen through the balance of the stretch.
She stopped the clock in 1:50.04.
Behind Misty Veil, Red Hot Lass held second by a length over post-time favorite Corningstone, who raced fairly evenly throughout.
Longshots take Ohio-restricted stakes
Upsets ruled in three Ohio-restricted stakes on the undercard, with Who Da Boss ($43.20), Lofty Cowtown ($36.20), and That's the Way ($12.20) picking up the wins.
Who Da Boss wore down Shadowy, part of the favored entry, to win the $75,000 Cleveland Gold Cup for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds by three-quarters of a length.
Shadowy, Spellcast, and Fact Not Fiction made up a powerful entry for the partnership of leading Ohio trainer Tim Hamm’s Blazing Meadows Farm and WinStar Farm, and the trio went off at 20 cents on the dollar in the seven-horse starting field. That looked like a safe bet turning for home, with Shadowy, a multiple stakes-winning juvenile, narrowly leading stablemate Spellcast, a winner on the Best of Ohio program two weeks ago. But Who Da Boss was making a steady, grinding run on the outside, and was confidently handled by Erik Barbaran, despite not switching leads until late. The gelding wore down Shadowy nearing the wire, with those two two lengths clear of Spellcast in third.
The time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:54.
This was the first career stakes win for Who Da Boss, who runs for Robert and Marion Gorham. The gelding was fifth in the Tall Stack Stakes in May, then fourth in the Best of Ohio Green Carpet Stakes on turf - won by Spellcast - in two prior tries at the level.
One race later, Lofty Cowtown unleashed a game late kick between horses to upset the $75,000 Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial for fillies and mares. Both the Classen Memorial and the $75,000 George Lewis Memorial for older horses were restricted to Ohio-accredited older runners. An Ohio-accredited Thoroughbred is a horse conceived and born in the state who is both by an in-state stallion and out of a mare remaining continuously in the state for a certain period, and both registered as required with the state racing commission.
Salute the Kid took over into the stretch from defending Classen Memorial winner Kichi Kitsu, but Queenofthebuckeye closed on the outside to mount a challenge in the final furlong. Meanwhile, Lofty Cowtown and David Halder, who had been seventh at the quarter pole, were coming fastest of all while saving all the ground they could. Lofty Cowtown came through tight quarters between the two and edged clear by half a length at the wire. Queenofthebuckeye edged away from Salute the Kid in the final yards to be second by a length.
The time for the six furlongs was 1:12.88.
Lofty Cowtown, trained by Megan Fadlovich for HMD Racing Stables, won three straight races at Thistledown last year before finishing a solid third in the Miss Southern Ohio on turf in her stakes debut. However, she was well beaten in her three starts following that effort, and the Classen Memorial marked her first start since December, rendering her a longshot Saturday.
That's the Way capped the Ohio-restricted action, and delivered a stakes double for Barbaran, with a dominant score in the George Lewis Memorial. The gelding, who had been ninth of 12 entering the far turn, made a sustained rally along the inside, took over in the stretch, and drew clear to win by 5 3/4 lengths, with Barbaran beginning to stand in the irons before the wire. He finished the 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.04.
Well behind him, Moester edged Mister Mobil by half a length for second.
This was the first career stakes win for That's the Way, trained by Jeff Radosevich for Annechino Racing.