Welcome Back, Sugar Shock!
Once upon a time, an impressive young filly left Oaklawn Park hotter than a pepper sprout. After stringing together a quartet of consecutive wins, with only a disqualification standing in her way of a perfect local record, she left to face the best young fillies in the nation under the famed twin spires of Churchill Downs. Today, that filly returned to the starting gate after a layoff of nearly seven months. Facing older fillies for the first time, it was like old times for Sugar Shock at the friendly confines of Oaklawn Park, as she returned a winner in the $100,000 American Beauty Stakes.
Ridden by old friend, Channing Hill, things were not exactly the same for Sugar Shock, this year as last, as she needed a furious late rally to take home first money today, but in the end, the result was very much the same.
Sent off as the 8-5 in the large field of 13, Sugar Shock found a spot near the back of the field and on the inside, through strong opening fractions of :21.68 and :46.04 set by Spring Included. Sugar Shock began picking up horses mid-race, but was forced way wide spinning out of the far turn. When Hill set her down for the stretch run, though, the response was full of class. Mowing down the field with every stride, Sugar Shock got up late for the victory, hitting the wire a half-length winner. Spring Included held off Haveyougoneaway for the place money.
“When she got fanned out there and didn’t really see anybody inside her, she kind of came off the bridle a little bit, but once I pointed her back down at her targets, she ran right at them,” said Hill. “She went under the wire pretty easy for her. Obviously, it was pretty close, but I never felt like I was without horse. She showed you how special she is just by being able to go three-quarters off that long layoff and how good a job (trainer) Doug (Anderson) has done with her. Those horses weren’t stopping, either, coming to the wire. She had to really turn it on from the eighth pole home. I’m really proud of her.”
Final time for the six furlongs over the fast track for the victorious Sugar Shock, was 1:11.62. The win sprinting in the American Beauty was her first try around only one turn since the filly, trained and co-owned by Doug Anderson, began 2014 with maiden and allowance wins at Oaklawn Park, also at six furlongs.
Of course, Sugar Shock did not win Untapable’s Kentucky Oaks, ultimately fading to 8th after setting the early pace. She did win her race after that, a minor stakes race at Prairie Meadows, before pulling up after not handling the mud in the Iowa Oaks. Not pushed by her rider that day, Anderson decided to give his star some time off, and the long awaited return was a happy one today.
A Kentucky-bred daughter of Candy Ride, Sugar Shock was undoubtedly the best 3-year-old filly last year at Oaklawn Park, hitting the wire first in all four starts, including a game victory in the $400,000 Fantasy Stakes. After today’s impressive rally, she can get back to business as usual at her favorite track, with bigger tests to come in the near future. For now, she raised her lifetime record to 10-5-1-1, and demonstrated that she will be a four-year-old filly to watch at any distance … especially at Oaklawn Park.