NEWS
Lahudood prevails in Filly and Mare Turf
Posted: Saturday, October 27, 2007 3:50 PM
LAHUDOOD
Photo by Z/Matt Barton
by Tom De Martini
Shadwell Farm’s homebred Lahudood (GB) received a perfect trip under jockey Alan Garcia and held off late charges from Honey Ryder and Passage of Time (GB) to post a three-quarter-length victory in the $1,952,080 Emirates Airlines Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
The four-year-old Singpiel (Ire) filly broke through for a Grade 1 victory in her fourth United States start in the Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes (G1) on September 29 at Belmont Park. The Flower Bowl win followed a poor performance at Arlington Park in the Beverly D. Stakes (G1) on August 11.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin pointed out that owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum said to throw out the Beverly D. as an aberration.
“She’s a little bit of a fussy filly, and she may not have liked the plane ride to Chicago,” said Rick Nichols, racing manager for Shadwell. “The Flower Bowl was at home and this was closer to home. The ground today sure didn’t bother her.”
The early pace of the three-turn race was set by Precious Kitten and Simply Perfect (GB), who set pedestrian fractions of :25.99 and :52.06 for the initial half-mile. Simply Perfect blew the clubhouse turn and bolted to the outside rail, effectively taking Precious Kitten and Arravale out of the race.
Garcia, who captured his first Breeders’ Cup race, said he concentrated on keeping Lahudood, at odds of 11.70-to-1, in position close to the rail in tight quarters as the trouble unfolded.
”[Lahudood] relaxed on the backside,” Garcia said. “At the three-eighths, I let [her] go because horses behind me were putting on pressure.”
Lahudood, whose name is Arabic for no boundaries, surged to the front midway through the far turn under Garcia and drew clear to complete 1 3/8 miles on turf rated as soft in 2:22.75.
“Luckily, Rick is involved and talks daily to me about jockeys,” McLaughlin said. “Garcia has been riding with some success for us, and when he won a Grade 1 with the filly, we weren’t looking to change riders.”
Honey Ryder held off Passage of Time by a neck for second. Nashoba’s Key, the 2.80-to-1 favorite, was fourth and All My Loving (Ire) was fifth.
Out of the winning Arazi mare Rahayeb (GB), Lahudood posted her fourth win in 12 lifetime starts and increased her earnings to $1,695,370.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Tom De Martini is a New Jersey-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent
