Emollient Changes Tactics in Spinster
Juddmonte Farms’ Emollient, the lone 3-year-old filly in the field, delivered a last-to-first 1¼-length victory in the 58th running of the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) for fillies and mares before a crowd of 9,034 on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Keeneland.
The victory earned Emollient a berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) to be run Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.
Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Mike Smith, Emollient covered the 1 1/8 miles on the main track in 1:47.75. It marked the second Juddmonte Spinster victory for Mott, who won the 2009 race with Mushka and for Smith who won the 1995 edition of the race with Inside Information.
The victory was worth $300,000 and increased Emollient’s earnings to $958,900 with a record of 10-5-2-0.
Emollient, a homebred daughter of Empire Maker out of the Touch Gold mare Soothing Touch, became only the fourth 3-year-old to win the Central Bank Ashland (G1) in the spring and come back to win the Spinster in the fall. She joins Doubledogdare (1956), Optimistic Gal (1976) and Take Charge Lady (2002).
In her victory in the Central Bank Ashland, Emollient led gate to wire in a nine-length victory in her only other race on Polytrack. On Sunday, Emollient broke last in the field of 11 as Sisterly Love set the pace.
Sisterly Love led the field through fractions of :23.60 and :47.30 while Emollient raced at the back of the pack. Entering the far turn, Emollient began to pick off rivals and swung widest of all in a tightly bunched pack at the head of the stretch.
Emollient put away Sisterly Love at the eighth pole and repulsed a bid from Summer Applause to begin drawing away at the sixteenth pole.
Sent off as the favorite, Emollient returned $6.60, $4.20 and $4. Summer Applause, ridden by John Velazquez, returned $7.80 and $5.20 with Wine Princess finishing 3½ lengths back in third under Shaun Bridgmohan and paying $7.40 to show.
Sisterly Love finished a half-length back in fourth and was followed in order by Open Water, Byrama (GB), Hard Not to Like, Hard to Resist, Closing Range, Sisterhood and On Fire Baby.