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Lady Kate Earns First Stakes Victory in Groupie Doll

Mundaye Call sets Ellis Park seven-furlong track record in Audobon Oaks.

Lady Kate wires the Groupie Doll Stakes at Ellis Park

Lady Kate wires the Groupie Doll Stakes at Ellis Park

Coady Photography

Anderson Stables' Lady Kate broke through at the stakes level in the $100,000 Groupie Doll Stakes, one of four stakes on the undercard of the Aug. 9 Runhappy Ellis Park Derby at Ellis Park, defeating multiple graded stakes winners Street Band and Lady Apple

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, the 4-year-old Bernardini filly won at the Groupie Doll's mile distance one start earlier in an allowance optional claiming event at Churchill Downs. She wired that June 21 race by 2 1/2 lengths. 

Lady Kate grabbed the lead under Florent Geroux in the Groupie Doll and set fractions of :23.67, :47.03, and 1:11 through six furlongs. New Roo and Istan Council chased behind her but had to settle for second and third, respectively.

Lady Kate continued on to a 4 3/4-length victory and crossed the wire in 1:35.89. She paid $10.

"She has good tactical speed and she broke very alertly, so I took advantage of it," Geroux said. "Going into the lead she was nice and relaxed. When I asked her turning to home, she gave me another gear and she was ahead to win the race."

Last year's Cotillion Stakes (G1) winner and race favorite Street Band was making her first start since finishing fourth in the April 18 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park. She was steadied into the first turn and got up to finish sixth. Lady Apple raced near the back early on and finished ninth.

"Street Band had been off awhile, and with the weather being so bad the last week, missed a lot of training," said trainer Larry Jones. "We missed what would have been for her a serious six days, so we just had to do the best we could. You could tell she got a little short. Turning for home, she was starting to labor. The race was quick today. It was a good race."

Anderson Stables purchased Lady Kate for $485,000 from Stone Farm's consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The filly has won five races and finished second twice in 11 outings. She's earned $249,470.

Lady Kate was bred in Kentucky by Eileen Hartis and Godolphin. She is out of Street Cry's grade 2-winning and grade 1-placed daughter Princess Haya, also the dam of multiple graded-placed Prince of Arabia

Mundaye Call Sets Track Record in Audobon Oaks
OXO Equine's Mundaye Call shot out of the gate in the $98,667 Runhappy Audobon Oaks and commanded the seven furlongs for 3-year-old fillies throughout on her way to a track record.

The daughter of Into Mischief  was geared down in the final sixteenth of a mile by Florent Geroux and completed the distance in 1:21.17.

"She's a big strong filly. Right sire. That sire is amazing," trainer Brad Cox said. "We've had luck with Covfefe, Owendale, others. Gamine—we don't have her but wish we did. Long list of good Into Mischiefs, and she's hopefully going to be on the list.

"She's fast. She showed that today breaking the track record. She's still lightly raced. We're very pleased with what she was able to accomplishment today."

Mundaye Call broke her maiden third time out as a juvenile Nov. 16 at Del Mar with trainer Don Chatlos. She returned July 11 to take an allowance at Keeneland for Cox. 

Mundaye Call wins 2020 Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park
Photo: Coady Photography
Mundaye Call wins the Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park in track-record time

After speeding out of post 10, Mundaye Call set fractions of :22.25, :45.11, and 1:08.92. Geroux called on her near the eighth pole and she opened on the field, rolling to a 7 1/4-length win.

Geroux said he was not surprised about the track record.

"The filly has been working extremely well in the morning. We've been very high on her," he said. "She won nicely first time for Brad at Keeneland with Joel Rosario while I was gone at Belmont Park to ride Monomoy Girl. You never expect a track record. But we expected a big race for her today."

Ocean Breeze came from fourth to finish second, and Sconsin rallied from 10th to capture third.

The Audobon Oaks offered points toward the Sept. 4 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the first four finishers. Cox said he would talk to Larry Best of OXO Equine to see whether the owner would want to entertain the Kentucky Oaks, but Mundaye Call would need multiple defections to get into the 14-horse field after earning her first 10 points.

Mundaye Call was purchased by OXO Equine for $950,000 from the Denali Stud consignment to The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale in New York, in 2018. She has three wins and a second from five starts and earnings of $159,360.

The bay was bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm and is the second foal and winner out of Reve d'Amour, by Warrior's Reward 

Crazy Beautiful Switches to Dirt, Takes Debutante
Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Crazy Beautiful kept her two-start record perfect with a late-running score in the $99,179 Runhappy Debutante Stakes.

The 2-year-old Liam's Map  filly debuted for trainer Kenny McPeek July 5 at Ellis, winning a one-mile turf event by 3 1/2 lengths. She was switched to the dirt for the seven-furlong Debutante, in which she was the 5-2 favorite.

"She trained like a good thing from the beginning. I was a little nervous because she hadn't run on the dirt yet. But it looks like she's just as good on that as she was on the turf," McPeek said.

Crazy Beautiful wins 2020 Runhappy Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park
Photo: Coady Photography
Crazy Beautiful takes the Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park

The gray filly was bumped at the start and ninth early under Rafael Bejarano. Longshot Seguro showed the way through fractions of :22.10 and :45.46. Mania, who stalked the pace in third, took over to race six furlongs in 1:11.13. Crazy Beautiful bumped twice with Xtrema nearing the lane, was four wide, then was guided toward the inside by Bejarano and sailed past Mania to win by 3 3/4 lengths. 

She survived a stewards' review after Xtrema's jockey, James Graham, claimed foul. The final time on a fast track was 1:23.71.

"My horse was much the best in the race. I was in perfect position. Behind horses she was fine. But as soon as you got close to the horses, she kind of got excited, angry because of the first time dirt in her face," Bejarano said. "Last time she was on the turf. I came out a little bit, but (Xtrema) pushed me in and tried to make me look bad. This is going to be a really good horse."

"I didn't know how she'd handle the dirt in her face because she hasn't had that before. But she did that like it was fun," McPeek added. "Bejarano made us a little nervous with a little bumping down the stretch. He had so much horse, he probably didn't know what to do."

Mania finished second ahead of Fabricate in third.

McPeek said Crazy Beautiful is "a Pocahontas (G3) filly, for sure," referring to the mile race Sept. 3 at Churchill Downs. He also said the Sept. 7 Mint Juvenile Fillies Stakes run at the same distance on turf at Kentucky Downs is an option.

Pico d'Oro Breaks His Maiden in Juvenile
Sandin Syndicate Stable's Pico d'Oro rallied down the Ellis Park stretch to break his maiden in Sunday's $100,000 Runhappy Juvenile Stakes.

Trainer Bill Morey unveiled the Curlin  colt June 19 at Churchill Downs, where Pico d'Oro was sixth on debut going five furlongs. The bay returned July 19 at Ellis Park to run second to fellow Juvenile entrant Medicine Tail in a six-furlong maiden race.

"My owner, Gerry Sandin, was a big part of it. He's a good friend of mine. We played Little League baseball together 30 years ago, and this was the first horse we ever bought, so I'm really happy for him, mostly," Morey said. "He was a big part of picking this race and pointing for it, and the horse did the (rest)."

Pico d'Oro wins 2020 Runhappy Juvenile Stakes at Ellis Park
Photo: Coady Photography
Pico d'Oro wins the Juvenile Stakes at Ellis Park

Favored Cowan battled with Medicine Tail and ran the first quarter-mile in :22.29, then Medicine Tail got his head in front to run a half in :45.64. Pico d'Oro, ridden by Joe Talamo, was seventh early. Medicine Tail opened by 2 1/2 lengths in the stretch, running six furlongs in 1:10.42, but Pico d'Oro began to close the distance on the outside and went on for a two-length victory.

The final time on a fast track was 1:23.95.

"The pace was pretty solid up front for us, and he ran them down. Very professional too," Talamo said. "For breaking his maiden in a stakes, I definitely think he's got a real bright future. I had a lot of horse. For seven-eighths, a lot of these horses haven't gone that far. They put up pretty solid fractions, and I had quite a bit of horse the whole way. It set up perfect. They were kind of spread out four wide the whole way, so I was able to kind of tuck in there and come out accordingly, and he did the rest."

Medicine Tail was second, seven lengths ahead of third-place Perfect Mistake.

Libertyrun, who was the first winner for his sire, Runhappy , fell just before the wire and was vanned off. Owner Gallery Racing reported on Twitter that the colt was humanely euthanized. The state veterinarian reported Libertyrun suffered a shattered left front sesamoid.

"We are beyond upset over this, and we will always love him for everything he gave us on and off the track," owner James McIngvale's Gallery Racing wrote on Twitter. They noted jockey Miguel Mena was OK and would remain on his mounts for the day.

Video: Groupie Doll S. (BT)

Video: Runhappy Audubon Oaks (BT)

Video: Runhappy Debutante S. (BT)

Video: Runhappy Juvenile S. (BT)