Bay Storm. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
By Kentucky Downs publicity team
FRANKLIN, Ky.– Gritty Bay Storm withstood non-stop pace pressure and the late charge from Wakanaka Saturday to win the $1 million AGS Ladies Turf Sprint (GII) by a neck at Kentucky Downs.
Trained by Jonathan Thomas, who won a pair of $1 million races during the program and has four victories at the meet, Bay Storm blended two themes of the day into a victory that made her a millionaire. Getting to the lead was an important element as was past success over the Kentucky Downs course. A year ago, the daughter of Kantharos owned by Bridlewood Farm, was not in front at any of the calls and finished a nose behind Campanelle.
Though she had company throughout the 6 ½ furlong race, once she gained the advantage none of the other six horses in the field was able to get in front of Bay Storm and Florent Geroux Saturday. Most of the time Tony Ann and jockey Tyler Gaffalione were on her right flank as she set fraction of 22.63 seconds, 45.80 and 10:10.41. Wakanaka came with a strong run from the back of the field, pulled alongside the leading pair at the sixteenth pole but could not get past them.
“She broke in the air,” Geroux said. “She recovered and came back on the inside of Tyler and made the lead. She ran great here last year on this track. It was a big advantage. She is a fighter. It’s very simple here: they either like it or they don’t. She fought today.”
Bay Storm won by a neck in 1:17.06 and paid $7.72. Wakanaka, a slim 5-2 favorite over Bay Storm edged Tony Ann by a head for second.
Thomas said the victory took some of the sting out of last year’s loss.
“Without a doubt,” he said. “She really deserves this. She’s got a crazy-good resume. I think that’s her (17th) lifetime start, and she’s only been off the board twice. It’s a real credit to her, a graded-stakes winner. George Isaacs and the Bridlewood team have been really patient with her. It’s kind of like a bow on a present. It feels good to have gotten her that win.”
Bay Storm was the fourth winner Saturday that had either won before or run very well over the distinctive Kentucky Downs course.
“Some horses have an affinity (for the course),” he said. “She’s certainly taken to this track real well. The common thread is all the winners we’ve had, they’ll run on anything. I don’t know if they just like the track or they’re just tough. Everything we’ve won with, they’re tough hardy front-end type of horses.”
Thomas said that with Wakanaka charging the contact with Tony Ann in the stretch probably was a positive.
“There were a couple of dodgy moments,” he said. “Honestly, the filly on the outside bumping her a couple of times probably fired her up. That probably helped us get to the wire the way we did, kind of made her dig down a little deeper. But that’s what we expect from her.”
Thomas has two other wins in $1 million races on his resume courtesy of Catholic Boy in 2018: the $1.25 million Travers and the $1.2 million Belmont Derby. This is his first daily double in $1 million dollar tests.
“I was actually thinking that earlier, being here and winning two races, basically the monetary equivalent of the Travers, is a pretty big deal,” he said.
“My family and I recently moved to Kentucky. This is home. So, we’ve had a good kind of home-coming here.”
Thomas said he relocated to Kentucky in search of more opportunities. Right now, he is based at Turfway Park.
Wakanaka, co-owned by Team Valor and Gary Barber, has been a consistent performer and has finished in the top three in 16 of her 20 career starts.
“She came running,” said jockey Joel Rosario. “It looked for a second that we might win the race. It was a good run.
Stakes Quotes
11th running of the $1,000,000 AGS Ladies Turf Sprint (G2), fillies & mares 3 years old & up, 6 1/2 furlongs, includes KTDF of $400,000
Jonathan Thomas, winning trainer Bay Storm (who lost this race in 2022 by a nose):
(Does this take some of the sting off of last year’s defeat): “Without a doubt. She really deserves this. She’s got a crazy good resume. I think that’s her (17th) lifetime start, and she’s only been off the board twice. It’s a real credit to her, a graded-stakes winner. George Isaacs and the Bridlewood team have been really patient with her. It’s kind of like a bow on a present. It feels good to have gotten her that win.”
(Other than Regal Realm, Thomas’ other stakes winner in the Ladies Turf, all the stakes winners heading into the Ky Turf Cup had either won at Kentucky Downs before or ran as good as a win, in Bay Storm’s case) “Some horses have an affinity (for the course). She’s certainly taken to this track real well. The common thread is all the winners we’ve had, they’ll run on anything. I don’t know if they just like the track or they’re just tough. Everything we’ve won with, they’re tough hardy front-end type of horses.”
Note: Thomas has won four races this meet.
(thoughts coming to the wire, as Wakanaka comes flying, along with Tony Ann) “There were a couple of dodgy moments. Honestly, the filly on the outside bumping her a couple of times probably fired her up. That probably helped us get to the wire the way we did, kind of made her dig down a little deeper. But that’s what we expect from her.”
(Any thoughts of ‘oh no, not again?’) “Yeah (laughs) for sure. For sure.”
(You won the 2018 Travers, worth $1.25 million and the $1.2 million Belmont Derby with Catholic Boy. Now you’ve won two-million-dollar races in one day) “I was actually thinking that earlier, being here and winning two races, basically the monetary equivalent of the Travers, is a pretty big deal. My family and I recently moved to Kentucky. This is home. So we’ve had a good kind of home-coming here.” (Right now, he’s stabled at a Turfway)
Came to Kentucky because ..? “Just a good place to raise my family. I thought there was a little more opportunity. I love New York, but I just wasn’t getting quite the opportunities there as I am here.”
Jockey Florent Geroux, 1st, Bay Storm – “She broke in the air. She recovered and came back on the inside of Tyler (Gaffalione aboard Tony Ann) and made the lead. She ran great here last year on this track (losing the Ladies Sprint by a nose to Campanelle). It was a big advantage. She is a fighter. It’s very simple here, they either like it or they don’t. She fought today.”
Jockey Joel Rosario, 2nd, Wakanaka – “She came running. It looked for a second that we might win the race. It was a good run.
(Being that far back) “The last time she ran (the Grade 3 Caress at Saratoga at 51/2 furlongs) she was a little closer, sure. It looked like there was a little bit of speed in the race. They got away from me in the first part. She came, though. A good finish. She ran great.”
