Sistercharlie leads Chad Brown trio in Jenny Wiley Stakes win
Sistercharlie led a trio of Chad Brown trainees filling out the trifecta in
Saturday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes, marking the first time the
Eclipse Award-winning trainer accomplished the feat at Keeneland.
“You bring your best ones to
Keeneland or you won’t have any luck here,” Brown said. “Luckily I have a lot
of good horses and my staff has been working overtime. All the credit goes to
them.”
The win also gave jockey John Valazquez his
50th stakes win at Keeneland.
“I’m blessed to ride for a lot
of good trainers with a lot of good horses,” Velazquez said. “Trainers like
Chad Brown give me the opportunities.”
The Jenny Wiley was the first start back
since for Sistercharlie since fighting off a lung infection. She was last seen
finishing second to stablemate New Money Honey in July’s Grade 1 Belmont Oaks
Invitational Stakes. The 4-year-old daughter of Myboycharlie was also a Group 1
runner-up and Group 3 winner in France. She picked up her fourth win in seven
starts in her Jenny Wiley effort.
Favorite Dona Bruja and La Coronel, a
three-times Keeneland stakes winner, led the field of 11 early. Two of Brown’s
fillies, Off Limits and Sistercharlie, sat mid-pack while their stablemate
Fourstar Crook took up the rear.
After fractions of :23.48, :47.76 and ¾: 1:12.14, La Coronel took the lead turning for home, but the Brown fillies showed a successful turn of foot and became a quick threat. Fourstar Crook took the rail while Sistercharlie showed a late burst on the outside, with Off Limits following her path. The trio overtook La Coronel to steal the trifecta. La Coronel and Dona Bruja held for fourth and fifth, respectively.
“I got good position going to
the first turn, a position where I wanted to be,” Velazquez said of his ride. “She
sat really well. By the three-eighths pole, I knew I was in a good position –
just looking for where I was going to shoot through. I got through the rail.
Had the best horse.”
Sistercharlie completed the 1 1/16 miles in
1:41.41.
Cambodia, Kitten’s Roar, Proctor’s Ledge, Bletchley, Ultra Brat and Lovely Bernadette completed the order of finish.
“She’s really matured and this was really a team effort,” Brown said of the winning filly. “After her (last) race last year, she got really sick on us. We have a great team of veterinarians that worked on her. She had a lung infection that turned real bad. We rested her and (owner) Peter Brant was very, very patient to give her all that time. My staff did a tremendous job bringing her back after such a lengthy layoff.”