Shotgun Hottie gave DeVaux the first of three stakes on the day. (Anika Miskars/Past The Wire)
Trainer Cherie DeVaux scored three stakes including the historic Pimlico Special
By Maribeth Kalinich with MJC Releases
Trainer Cherie DeVaux has a very good day at historic Pimlico Race Course on Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan Day sweeping three stakes races.
The first was with Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff Ganje’s Shotgun Hottie in Friday’s listed $100,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff.
Ridden by Paco Lopez, Shotgun Hottie ($3.60) completed the distance in 1:49.60 over a fast main track for her sixth career win, fourth in a stakes and first since capturing the 1 1/16-mile Molly Pitcher (G3) last July in her season finale.
Breaking from the outermost post as the 4-5 favorite, Shotgun Hottie was content to sit third while 13-1 long shot Lacie Be Good put up fractions of 24.57 and 48.60 seconds pressed to her outside by Musical Mischief. Musical Mischief took over the top spot midway around the turn but was followed closely by Shotgun Hottie as the two hooked up at the top of the stretch before the winner steadily pulled away.
“She had been training well and you hope they can come out fresh from (age) 2 to 3. There are a lot of unknowns coming out here (off layoff since Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf). I was really impressed with her. It was obviously an easier race than the Breeders’ Cup. You hope they come forward and now hope for an exciting year ahead. This race fit the calendar for her,” DeVaux said.
“It’s not a bad start at all (winning the Allaire DuPont). Just hope the horses continue to run well and run their races and come out of them well. We will target the series they have in New York and the big one would be the Queen Elizabeth (at Keeneland).
“I don’t expect to win any race; it’s not in my constitution. I just hope they are fit to run their race. I want them to run a race especially coming off a layoff that we can move forward from. She showed that was well within her wheelhouse and Johnny had her pretty wrapped up at the end,” DeVaux concluded
DeVaux took the next race up with Lael Stables’ She Feels Pretty winning the Hilltop Stakes (Black Type) piloted by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez besting Frankie Dettori aboard Just Better making his first start at Pimlico.
Roanan Goddess, back on grass for the first time since breaking her maiden last September at Colonial Downs, took the early initiative from her rail post and was in front after a quarter-mile in 23.92 seconds, trailed by Just Better two wide and Turf Rocket in the three path as She Feels Pretty settled in fifth.
Velazquez bided his time behind horses until finding room leaving the far turn and quickly scooted past Just Better, who had taken over the lead, and opened up with daylight to win in 1:38.59 over a turf course rated good. Just Better was 3 ½ lengths in front of Waves of Mischief in second.
It was the fifth Hilltop score for Velazquez following Excited (2011), Coup (2012), Miss Temple City (2015) and Alda (2021).
“Very impressive. Just really pleased for the outcome. She’s faced a lot of formidable competition in her last couple of races. This was a step down as far as from a Grade 1, but it’s a steppingstone to get to the Molly Pitcher (On the Haskell undercard at Monmouth Park). She’s a big ol’ filly and she seems to run herself into form. So, it takes a few races for her to be at her best, and that’s what we’re hoping for the summer,” said DeVaux.
“Paco does a great job in getting her to relax. In a couple of her races, she’s had a hard time. She comes out of the gate, and she has a tendency to grab the bit and want to do too much coming to the first turn. She’s a big filly and you can’t stop her and get her going again. So, it’s really important to get her to relax behind the speed or on the outside. Paco does a great job to do that. He has really good hands and sits quietly on horses. For her, I think that’s the key for what makes her run the way she did for him,” DeVaux added.
DeVaux continued to crush the day winning the historic Pimlico Special with Blue Heaven Farm’s Pyrenees, the same race in which Seabiscuit beat War Admiral, who has won the inaugural edition the previous year.
A 4-year-old son of top sire Into Mischief, Pyrenees was ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., who was attempting to repeat the performance while navigating the same distance in Saturday’s 149th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, aboard Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan.
The winning time was 1:57.73 over a fast main track.
Harlocap fended off 3-5 favorite and multiple graded-stakes winner Kingsbarns for a half-mile through splits of 24.60 and 50.26 seconds, with Royal Ship following in the clear in third and Hernandez settled on Pyrenees along the rail in fourth. Kingsbarns was finally able to stick a nose in front after six furlongs went in 1:15.57, but Pyrenees was beginning to roll on the far outside and came with a steady run through the stretch to catch Kingsbarns approaching the wire.
Hernandez has been aboard for the entirety of Pyrenees’ win streak, which began with a mid-December maiden special weight triumph over older horses at Fair Grounds, his fifth career start. This year they won an open allowance Jan. 27 at Fair Grounds, also going 1 1/16 miles, and captured a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance April 12 at Keeneland in his Pimlico Special tune-up.
“It’s not really anything in the forefront. We were just hoping the horses showed up: A horse like him, stepping up into stakes company and him performing, and Shotgun Hottie coming into form, and She Feels Pretty, her first start since last year. You just hope you come in here and the horses run their race, they come out sound, they come out healthy. That’s the most important, the last part. It’s great. This is my first time really running here on my own. I only came here one time before with Chad (when she was an assistant to Chad Brown). So, I think I’ll have to make this a yearly visit,” DeVaux said.
“I’ve never won three races in a day, so we’ll take this.”
(On Pyrenees’ race): “He’s been a horse that’s been a challenge for us, and he faced a lot of adversity in that race. Didn’t have a clear trip, had to sit back, and then they were going so slow, for him to close into that was really special,” DeVaux said.
“The first time he ran, he double-barreled the jockey and sent him flying across the screen. He really trained like he knew he had a lot in him but always hung back. We were trying blinkers, then he had a pretty significant injury that caused the layoff. So, we just regrouped with him. Really that’s all we did. He forced us to give him the time.”
