Dothraki Queen a royal princess in Pocahontas Stakes

At the eighth pole, the Grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes was a wide open affair as seven of the eight fillies in the field lined up across the track for the stretch drive. Sneaking up the rail, Dothraki Queen closed from second to last to pull away from the pack convincingly and post an upset victory in her graded stakes debut.

With jockey Corey Lanerie aboard, Dothraki Queen broke last of all due to being bothered early but moved up to race seventh. Decked Out went out and established the lead from post position two with Princess Kennedy right there within a length. Put Da Blame On Me and Bold Quality were also right there, with Dream Dance in fifth, Just Wicked in sixth, and Vivid Storm as the trailer.

Not much changed through the first six furlongs except for the field to compact from 6 ½ lengths covering them all to just 3 ¼ lengths difference between first and last. With Decked Out showing the way through those splits, a very moderate pace of :24.13, :49.71 and 1:15.30 was set.

Spinning for home, all but Vivid Storm lined up seven across the track, leaving the race wide open with an eighth of a mile left to run. After sitting a patient trip, Dothraki Queen and Lanerie were able to sneak up the rail and grab the lead in mid-stretch. To their far outside, Bold Quality angled out sharply at the top of the stretch after being trapped behind a wall of foes, bumping Dream Dance hard.

To the inside, Dothraki Queen, unbothered by traffic, pulled away to a 1 ½ length advantage, but Bold Quality, now with room to run, steadily cut into that lead inside the final sixteenth. At the wire, Dothraki’s Queen held just a ½-length lead, finishing the 1 1/16 mile event in 1:45.80. Bold Quality was a clear second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Dream Dance, who in turn was 3 ¼ lengths ahead of favorite Just Wicked. Decked Out, Princess Kennedy, Put Da Blame On Me and Vivid Storm completed the order of finish.

Winning jockey Corey Lanerie said of their trip, “When I got through I thought we were going to win by five. She quickened that much and I was surprised. The two horse [Bold Quality] she was heads up with me turning for home and I just kind of took the hole from her and I didn’t expect her to be running at me towards the end, but she made it close. I thought they were going to get me for one minute. I don’t think my filly was going to let her by.”

The results for the top three finishers did not hold, however, as Dream Dance’s jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. lodged a claim of foul against Paco Lopez and Bold Quality for the bumping incident at the top of the stretch. After reviewing the stretch drive, the Churchill Downs stewards disqualified Bold Quality from second to third and moved Dream Dance up from third to second.

Off 7-1 odds, Dothraki Queen paid $16.80/$6.80/$8.60 for the win. Dream Dance, 20-1, returned $15.00/$14.40, and Bold Quality returned $8.80 for the show. The $2 exacta paid $212.20, the $2 trifecta returned $1,357.20 and the $1 superfecta was worth $1,611.40.

Winning trainer Kenny McPeek was thrilled to get a graded victory after having a tough summer and praised the filly and her personality. “She’s a really brave filly,” McPeek described his charge. “When you’re in the barn with her, she’s extremely intelligent; she’s a little bit mean which I like. She’s always done everything right. I wasn’t so sure she would take to the dirt the way she would the turf but we’re thrilled. Obviously I got my butt kicked in New York this summer. A lot of that is because I left all of my best young horses in Kentucky and I think Dale [Romans] did a lot of the same thing. Hopefully it pays off.”

By Pure Prize and out of the Saint Ballado mare Sharaiji Blossom, Dothraki Queen was a $35,000 purchase at the Keeneland 2014 September Yearling Sale. Bred by Liberty Road Stables and consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, the filly was picked up by Kenneth McPeek on behalf of Magdalena Racing, a partnership him and his wife Sherri McPeek are a part of. Dothraki Queen debuted a winner on the turf going one mile at Ellis Park. Off that victory, McPeek spotted his filly in the Pocahontas, just her second start and first on the dirt. She obviously did not disappoint, picking up her first graded stakes victory while remaining undefeated in 2 starts.

Jockey Lanerie discussed the switch from dirt to turf. “With her having been on the grass this was my first time having ridden her on dirt,” he explained. “I didn’t know how she would take it [dirt] in her face, but all the way down the backside I didn’t have that much, but for a couple of times she had it and she pulled me forward.”

Trainer McPeek already has a game plan in place for his newly minted graded stakes winner. “We’ll go to the Alcibiades next,” he stated. “If she’s doing well, she’ll run.”

As the Pocahontas winner, Dothraki Queen picked up a couple additional bonuses for her fine performance today. The Pocahontas Stakes is part of both the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” promotion and the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks.” As a ‘WAYI’ race, Dothraki Queen will have all her entry fees paid for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as well as a travel allowance. She also took the early lead towards qualifying for the Kentucky Oaks by snatching 10 points as the winner today.