McKulick Edges Toskana Belle in Jockey Club Oaks

Two out of three wasn't bad at all for a filly named McKulick (GB). Klaravich Stables' bay runner, who has a special bond with trainer Chad Brown, did not sweep the New York Racing Association's Turf Triple for 3-year-old fillies—but she came close. After winning the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) to open the series, she then finished second to With The Moonlight (IRE), the Belmont Oaks runner-up, in leg two, the Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes (G3T). In the Sept. 17 finale, as With The Moonlight skipped the race, McKulick reverted to her winning ways, and she spoiled famed European jockey Frankie Dettori's first stakes mount at Aqueduct Racetrack after a 32-year absence. The filly edged away in the stretch to a half-length victory over Dettori and Toskana Belle (FR) in the $671,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes (G3T) on the first weekend of the Belmont at the Big A meet. "It makes all the hard work worthwhile," Brown said. "Everyone has played a role from owner to bloodstock agent to training team and Irad (Ortiz Jr.), the jockey. It's a strong, team effort." McKulick ($3.60) was a 4-5 favorite and will always be a sentimental favorite for Brown as she was named after Brown's longtime friend and bookkeeper Mary McKulick, who passed away in 2020. She is also a daughter of Frankel (GB), the undefeated European champion, who honors the memory of Brown's late mentor, Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel. "It was an excellent race. I'm so proud of the filly and my team. There's obviously a story behind this filly—she's named after my late bookkeeper and friend, Mary, my first employee. So, it's special that the filly is having a great year," Brown said. A field of six contested the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Oaks and Michael Tabor's Beside Herself set fractions of :24.35 and :48.21 as Australian Bloodstock Racing's Toskana Belle, a group 1 winner in Germany, chased from second. On the turn, when Dettori made his move on the leader, so did Ortiz on McKulick outside of him. Turning for home, the three fillies were across the track, but when Beside Herself began to fade, it became a battle to the wire between the two betting favorites that went to McKulick "I moved a little earlier because she's that kind of filly that needs to start going a little earlier. The horse I had to beat (Toskana Belle) was in front of me, so I thought, 'Why not?'" Ortiz said. Final time over the firm inner turf course was 2:12.38, establishing a course record. "I had a good trip," said Dettori, whose last visit to Aqueduct occurred in 1990 when he won aboard Fire the Groom in the Aqueduct Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap. "The only thing was that on this track the bends are so tight (relative to overseas); she found it difficult to negotiate, and I lost a lot of momentum. She did her best work on the straights, but the damage was done on the turns." Dettori won the Caesars Jockey Club Derby Invitational Stakes (G3T) later on the card with Nations Pride (IRE). Toskana Belle, a daughter of Shamalgan (FR) trained by Andreas Wohler, was second as the 2-1 second choice by three-quarters of a length over Margaret and Keith Long's Miss Yearwood, a Will Take Charge filly trained by Ian Wilkes. Bred by Essafinaat UK out of the Makfi (GB) mare Astrelle (IRE), McKulick was purchased for the equivalent of $245,369 by Mike Ryan, agent, from the Hazelwood Bloodstock consignment at the 2020 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The victory gave her a mark of 3-3-1 in seven starts and pushed her earnings to $1,088,650. She is the third of four foals from Astrelle to race and her third graded stakes winner. The half sister to group 2 winner Fearless King (GB) and group 3 winner Just Beautiful (GB) has two unraced half sisters, a yearling by Calyx (GB) and a 2022 Pinatubo (IRE) filly.