Don't Tell Sophia Rallies in Locust Grove
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Photo:
Coady Photography
Returning from a 175-day layoff, Don’t Tell Sophia rallied from last in a field of six fillies and mares to
roll past Molly Morgan en route to a 2 ¼ length victory in the 31st running of the $108,200 Locust Grove on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Don’t Tell Sophia, a 6-year-old daughter of Congaree out of the Valid
Expectations mare Lost Expectations, ran the 1 1/16 miles over a fast
track in 1:44.93 to
notch her sixth career stakes win.
Joe Rocco Jr.
rode the winner for trainer Phil Simms, who co-owns the Kentucky-bred mare with Jerry
Namy.
Longshot Baby
Fresh set the pace along the inside in a pedestrian :25.31, and was headed after a half-mile by 9-5 favorite On
Fire Baby
in :49.76. Don’t Tell Sophia, who saved ground along the inside,
trailed by about five lengths before making a sweeping five-wide move on
the final turn to engage the leaders
and draw clear for the win.
Don’t Tell Sophia, who banked $66,413 and improved her record to
21-10-4-3—$679,295, paid $6.20, $2.80 and $2.60 as the 2-1 second
betting choice. Molly Morgan
returned $3.40 and $2.60. Frivolous was another nose back in third and paid $5.20. Ria Antonia, Baby Fresh and On Fire Baby, who stopped on the second turn, completed the order of finish.
Don’t Tell Sophia, the winner of last fall’s Chilukki (GII) at
Churchill Downs, began her 2014 campaign with back-to-back $100,000
stakes victories at Oaklawn
Park in the Pippin and Bayakoa before finishing third beaten 1 ¾ lengths
behind Magic Union and multiple Grade I-winner Close Hatches in Oaklawn’s Azeri (GII). She also won the Pippin and Bayakoa in 2013.
The bay mare was purchased by Sims as a yearling for the bargain price of $1,000.
The Locust Grove was one of four stakes races Saturday at Churchill Downs. The stakes race is named after the 1790 Georgian mansion in Louisville that played
home to ancestors of Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark.
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