Ky. Oaks prep: Ramify tries to live up to pedigree in Busanda

When multiple Grade 1 winner Sightseek was retired from racing in 2004, international powerhouse Juddmonte held high hopes that the daughter of Distant View would continue to produce top progeny as her dam Viviana and influential broodmares Nijinsky Star, Chris Evert and Miss Carmie did further down her bottom line.

After six foals to race yielded Grade 3-placed stakes winner Raison d’Etat and Russian stakes performer Night Site, the dreams of continuing the blue-blooded line shifted to the next generation of Sightseek’s progeny. It is led by promising sophomore filly Ramify in Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile, $125,000 Busanda Stakes, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) points prep at 3:39 p.m. EST at Aqueduct.

Garrett O’Rourke, general manager of Juddmonte USA, said he was optimistic the daughter of Munnings out of Tapit mare Chamber will relish two turns. He referenced the Juddmonte pair of dual graded-stakes-winning millionaire Bonny South and graded-stakes-placed Sun Path, also by Munnings and out of Tapit mare Touch the Star. Both proved successful at a route of ground.

“I’ve always been a fan of Speightstown, and Munnings was the natural progression to succeed him,” O’Rourke said. “I always felt like he was under the radar for quite a few years, and we’ve had good success with the likes of Bonny South, Sun Path and now Ramify. I think the distance is a little longer than I might have thought ideal for her being a Munnings, but who knows?”

Chamber was trained by four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown. Her three-start résumé included a dominant 7 1/2-length win at second asking sprinting seven furlongs at Belmont Park. Short as her career was, O’Rourke said Chamber showed flashes of the talent Juddmonte hoped to see from Sightseek’s progeny.

“We worked with the family a long time trying to get something to keep the Sightseek line going. I have to say that I was disappointed that as brilliant of a mare as Sightseek was, and as magnificent-looking she was, we couldn’t get anything out of her that was anywhere close to her ability,” O’Rourke said. “Chamber did show ability but had some issues. When she won, she won impressively, but we weren’t able to get her to black-type level. It took going from stallion to stallion seeing what is it that can unlock the brilliance going back to Sightseek, and maybe it will be with Ramify.”

Five years after Chamber’s last trip around the racetrack, Ramify stepped into Brown’s barn with the same hopes her mother did. Although she did not debut until Dec. 8, she proved well worth the wait as she overcame a 13-length deficit to pick off rivals down the lane of the one-turn mile and fend off the late run of returning rival My Sherrona. The half-length victory was awarded a 76 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form, the highest in the nine-horse Busanda field.

“She’s a filly that looked like she was going to be a precocious type but injured a hock last year. We gave her all the time she needed to heal, but it set her back a few months,” O’Rourke said. “She got to Chad a little bit later, and in fairness she didn’t skip a beat after that. Going into her race I was confident she had ability, but with 2-year-olds you’re just trying to figure out how much. You can only see so much in the mornings, and those races teach you a lot more. It was admirable the way she fought on to win it.”

A win in the Busanda would make Ramify a top prospect on the Kentucky Oaks trail as the race offers the top-five finishers 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points towards the prestigious Grade 1 test May 2 at Churchill Downs.

“At this time of year you’re just trying to find out what level of ability these horses have and where we’re at with them,” O’Rourke said. “Coming off that nice, maiden win, it seemed like the natural progression. We get all of that education on Saturday, and hopefully it’s to our liking.”

Ramify boasts a trend of route proficiencies on her bottom line with six of Sightseek’s seven Grade 1 wins coming at 1 1/16 and 1 1/8 miles. Sightseek is also a half-sister to multiple graded-stakes winner Tates Creek, a dual Grade 1 winner on turf at both 1 1/8 and 1 1/4 miles.

O’Rourke concluded he is comfortable leaving race tactics in the capable hands of Brown and jockey José Lezcano, who rides the filly from post 3 on Saturday.

“The fact is all of the horses have to run the distance, and maybe they’re all in the same boat where they all find it a bit of a stretch this time of year,” O’Rourke said. “She definitely was running on well at the end of her last race. I would hope she jumps and will be a bit closer, keep a nice and steady pace and finish the same way. This is the stuff you have to learn.”