Include Betty is an Easy Winner in the Mother Goose

Today’s Mother Goose (G1) field of eleven, one of the largest in many years, contained only one horse with a graded stakes victory and that was Include Betty. With an edge in class and a blistering early pace to set up her deep closing move, Include Betty had no trouble going from last to first to win the Mother Goose and her first a career grade one victory.

Young rider Drayden Van Dyke made his first trip to Belmont Park to ride the winner for trainer Tom Proctor who is based at Fair Hills Training Center in Maryland. After an alert break from the gate, Van Dyke allowed Include Betty to settle at the back of the field. After early fractions of :22.66 and :45.50, Include Betty was 12 lengths behind.

At that point Van Dyke started to get his filly rolling and she easily began to pick off horses. Going around the sweeping Belmont Park clubhouse turn, Include Betty was forced very wide. Coming into the stretch five horses were strung across the track with the eventual winner the widest of all.

Include Betty, who was sent off as the fifth betting choice at 5-1, was full of run and easily drew off to win by 3 ¼ lengths. Wonder Gal was able to win the place after a head bobbing finish with Chide.

From 1957 to 2002 the Mother Goose was the middle leg of the New York Triple Tiara. Run at a distance of a mile and an eighth, the Mother Goose fell between the one-mile Acorn and the long distance Coaching Club American Oaks, which was run at a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half. Eight great three-year-old fillies took down this distaff crown: Dark Mirage, Shuvee, Chris Evert, Ruffian, Davona Dale, Mom’s Command, Open Mind, and Sky Beauty. Interestingly Shuvee and Sky Beauty did not win the Eclipse Award as top three-year-old filly even though all eight of the Triple Tiara winners would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

I was a huge fan of the Triple Tiara. I followed it as closely as the Triple Crown. In the 1970’s there was a wonderful sequence of Triple winners: Secretariat, Chris Evert, Ruffian, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, and Davona Dale. Even though I understand that racing schedules and distances have adjusted over the years to change with the times, it doesn’t mean that I still don’t lament the loss of the Tiara and even that some of the luster has come off the individual races like in today’s Mother Goose.

The Mother Goose was a race that used to produce the three-year-old filly champion with great regularity, but since 2000 there has only been Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Untapable last year.

After Include Betty’s victory, Van Dyke described the trip, "It was a perfect trip. I know they were going fast up front and I knew this long stretch should really help her out, she makes that nice little last run and I knew it'd work out just perfect for her.”

Include Betty earned $150,000 for owners Brereton Jones and Timothy Thornton and bettors were rewarded with mutuel payouts of $12.80, 5.20, and $3.60.