 Mo d'Amour took command midstretch of the $125,000 Busher Stakes Saturday, Feb. 27 at Aqueduct Racetrack on her way to her first stakes victory in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. Watch Video
A daughter of leading freshman sire of 2015 Uncle Mo , Mo d'Amour was angled out by jockey Chris DeCarlo coming off the far turn and surged past 6-5 favorite Katniss the Victor in the stretch to score a two length victory, completing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.37 on a fast track.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, King of Prussia Stable's Mo d'Amour entered Saturday's race off a 4 1/4-length victory in a one-mile allowance-optional claiming race Feb. 6 at Laurel Park. Before that effort, Mo d'Amour opened the season with a third-place finish in the six-furlong Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct.
King of Prussia Stable's Ed Stanco said the Mo d'Amour put things together in the Laurel allowance race.
"The Laurel race was nice and she trained well off that," Stanco said. "Three weeks and she was kicking the barn door down. It's nice having an Uncle Mo [filly]. We really like Mike Repole, so it makes it a lot of fun."
In Saturday's race, Whistling Straits displayed her usual early speed to lead through a half-mile in :49.51 while tracked by Lost Raven with Katniss the Victor tracking in third to the outside. Katniss the Victor and Aaron Gryder would rally three wide in the far turn to seize the lead turning for home, but that's when Mo d'Amour would be angled out for her winning run.
DeCarlo said going into the race, he didn't expect to rally from fourth.
"I thought I was going to be closer than I was," DeCarlo said. "I broke and we got jostled a little bit and two [horses] were in front of me that I really didn't expect and there was an opportunity for me to get to the fence, so that's what I did. They said she waits on horses, so I tried to wait as long as I could. I really waited until about the 3/16th pole before I really set her down and when she ran by, she kind of kicked on. She did idle a little bit, but I had plenty in the tank."
Gabriel Duignan's Dreams to Reality would rally to finish second, despite racing greenly under Kendrick Carmouche. Katniss the Victor held third.
Mo d'Amour returned $10, $6.10, and $3.40 across the board while Dreams to Reality paid $14.80 to place and $6.20 to show. Katniss the Victor returned $2.50 to show.
Mo d'Amour sold as a yearling and a 2-year-old. She was most recently purchased by Joseph Brocklebank, agent, for her current owners, for $75,000 at the 2015 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March 2-year-olds in training sale. She was consigned to that sale by Woodside Ranch, agent.
Bred in Kentucky by Doug and Felicia Branham, Mo d'Amour is the first starter out of the unraced Scat Daddy mare Neverthesame. |
