Chocolate Martini upsets Fair Grounds Oaks, on to Kentucky
Chocolate Martini
pulled off the 13-1 upset in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks
despite being pushed wide into the stretch. The 3-year-old Broken Vow filly just
held off a late running Eskimo Kisses and picked up 100 points toward the 2018 Kentucky Oaks starting gate.
In early February, Chocolate Martini entered a claiming race at Fair Grounds for the Bret Calhoun stable and finished fourth off a maiden claiming win. Trainer Tom Amoss and Double Doors Racing, LLC claimed the Broken Vow filly for a $30,000 tag, and she gave them a neck victory in allowance optional claiming later that month. After her Fair Grounds Oaks win, she’s bound to compete for the lilies May 4 at Churchill Downs.
“I don't think you can keep these owners away from the Oaks,” Amoss said. “They're going to the Kentucky Oaks as long as she's healthy.”
Classy Act, the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes runner-up, was sharp at the break and took command. She’s a Julie and America’s Tale were also quick out of the gate and were away in front of Wonder Gadot, who hit the board in both the Silverbulletday Stakes and Rachel Alexandra. Jockey Mitchell Murrill settled Chocolate Martini in second to last behind Saguaro Row while Eskimo Kisses, who won her last two starts, trailed the field.
Classy Act set fractions of :23.39, :46.28 and 1:11.02. She was ahead by 2 ½ lengths turning for home but began to tire and drift out. Chocolate Martini was making her run on the outside and had to turn down the middle of the stretch as Classy Act drifted. Wonder Gadot took advantage of the rail opening as Eskimo Kisses came running late on the far outside.
Chocolate Martini pulled clear enough of her inside competition and found the wire just before Eskimo Kisses could catch her, winning by a head. The final time for the 1 1/16 miles Oaks prep was 1:44.44.
“The race set up how I had planned with a blistering pace up front,” Murrill said, “just held her together and waited until the time to punch the button, and she did the rest.”
Eskimo Kisses earned 20 points as the Fair Grounds Oaks runner-up. Wonder Gadot brought her total to 44 with an extra 20 points and Classy Act picked up 10 more in fourth, giving her 30 points. She’s a Julie, Saguaro Row and America’s Tale completed the order of finish. Patrona Margarita and Testing One Two were scratched.
Although Amoss appears to have turned Chocolate Martini around, he gives credit to where she came from.
"She came to me in great shape,” the current trainer said. “We didn't really do anything different than the other guys had done with her, but we caught her coming into her maturity level just right. We were lucky in that regard, and it paid off today.”