My Pal Chrisy blossoms at Gulfstream
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Photo:
Eclipse Spotswire
On paper, it
looked to be a two horse race with Grade 1 winner Starship Truffles and Grade 1
placed Wildcat Lily headlining the Musical Romance Stakes at Gulfstream. But any given horse can win on any given day,
just like any horse can lose on any day. Well, today was My Pal Chrisy’s day,
and she made the most of the opportunity presented to her.
In my preview
to today’s stakes race at the South Florida track, I stated that My Pal Chrisy was a solid and honest
mare, but I didn’t think she could win unless the speed collapsed on the front
end and the pacesetters back pedaled in the stretch. Turns out, the scenario I
presented in which she could win was exactly what happened.
With all the
speed drawn to the inside, it was a mad dash to the front at the break. Wildcat Lily shot up the inside from
her rail position while just to her inside, Starship Truffles and Bringingdown Babel went with her. Wildcat
Lily, with Starship Truffles glued to her shoulder, ran the first quarter in
22:50 and the half in 45:30. Turning for home, Appealing Stella, who had been
patiently stalking the leaders through the first parts of the race, gained a
narrow advantage in the stretch, but My Pal Chrisy finished best of all.
Closing from last in the field of seven, she blew right past Appealing Stella
and drew away to a 2 length victory.
The daughter
of Alex’s Pal paid $7.20/$4.80/$3.20 as the third betting choice and completed
the 6 ½-furlong event in 1.16:41. Appealing Stella ($8.20/$4.80) utilized her
stalking trip to finish 2nd, and Starship Truffles ($2.80) managed
to hold third. Bringingdown Babel, Sure Route, Wildcat Lily, and longshot
Isabelle’s Thunder completed the order of finish.
Aside from a
pair of races earlier in the year in which she finished 5th after
not being able to make any headway against a pedestrian pace, My Pal Chrisy is
having her best career season to date. She has put together an 8:2-1-3 record
for the year while earning $236,100. Her victory today put her in the same category
as Black Diamond Cat; both are dual
stakes winners at Gulfstream’s summer meet and top the leader board in terms of
wins and money earned at the meet.
My Pal
Chrisy has always been a hard-knocking runner, but she has really blossomed
since being purchased by Miller Racing and transferred to Marty Wolfson’s barn. Since the purchase and trainer switch, My Pal
Chrisy has gone two for two with both wins coming in stakes races at Gulfstream
Park. Last month she won the Paseana Stakes by 6 ¾-lengths, a race in which she
was also able to benefit from a hot early pace. Though she hasn’t quite reached
the upper echelon in her division, something tells me that we are just starting
to see the best of My Pal Chrisy.
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