Drexel Hill captures the Busher (Walter Włodarczyk)
Daughter of Bolt D’Oro Was Awarded the Winner’s Share of Kentucky Oaks Qualifying Points
By Mary Eddy
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Legion Racing’s Drexel Hill showed an impressive turn of foot to capture her first stakes victory in Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Busher, a one-turn mile for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
In victory, the daughter of Bolt d’Oro was awarded the winner’s share of the 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points awarded to the top-five finishers, bringing her total Oaks points to 57 after a fifth in the Untapable in December and a third-place finish in the Silverbulletday last out on January 18, both at Fair Grounds Race Course.
Trainer Whit Beckman, who began training in 2021 and spent several years in New York as an assistant to trainers Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher, said Drexel Hill showed heart under Ben Curtis to win despite a stumbling beginning.
“It’s an exclamation point for me. For a short career, I’ve spent so much time up here and it’s good to come back and win one,” Beckman said. “She came out and looked a little flat. He [Curtis] was nudging her along the whole way and down the backside, so I was a little unsure if she was going to fire. Once he got her pointed outside, she engaged and once she flattened out down the stretch she responded beautifully.”
In the troubled beginning, Drexel Hill stumbled and bumped with a foe from post 3 in the eight-horse field and was near the rear of the pack as the Jose Lezcano-piloted She’s Fascinating took charge exiting the chute to mark the opening quarter-mile in 23.64 seconds over the fast main track.
The pacesetter would not be in command for long as the pressing Volleyballprincess forged ahead along the inside under Eliseo Ruiz and assumed the lead midway down the backstretch with Sharp Smile and post-time favorite Liam in the Dust tracking just behind She’s Fascinating through the half-mile in 47.68.
The Kendrick Carmouche-ridden Amarth made an eye-catching four-wide move in the turn to loom large coming to the top of the stretch as a game Volleyballprincess dug in along the inside and Curtis coaxed Drexel Hill to the far outside to set her sights on the top pair.
Amarth and Volleyballprincess went head-to-head in upper stretch and the former edged clear just past the eighth pole, but a loaded Drexel Hill was urged by Curtis to split rivals, a move that proved successful as she passed Amarth in the final strides to win by three-quarter-lengths in a final time of 1:41.46.
Volleyballprincess finished another four lengths back in third with Fortuna Mia and Ramify collecting the remaining Oaks points. Sharp Smile, She’s Fascinating and Liam in the Dust completed the order of finish. Nilo’s Rose was scratched.
Beckman reiterated his pride in the filly’s determination as she provided him with his first New York stakes victory.
“Generally, horses that break like that and are having to be asked the whole way don’t finish so well, but once he got her through the turn and she switched leads she really found another gear,” Beckman said. “It’s never an easy track to close that far on and I was thrilled he was able to get her in the right spot to pick up those last couple of horses.”
Curtis, aboard for the Silverbulletday as well, said he was impressed with the filly’s grit to overtake the Eddie Kenneally-trained Amarth late in the stretch.
“She broke very quick out of the gate and then took a stumble about a jump in and it took her awhile to get going after that,” Curtis explained. “She didn’t really take to the track very well early, but I let her find her feet and warmed her up into it.
“I saw the Kenneally horse going well, so I tried to follow that one through,” Curtis continued. “She only really came good the last eighth of a mile and she hit the line very strong. I think she overcame the fact she didn’t like the track. She’s a very tough filly. She’s crying out for more – the further the better. She has a good attitude and she’ll stay well.”
Carmouche said Amarth, a last-out sixth in the Untapable, was brave in defeat.
“I had a perfect trip. I thought I’d be at least sitting second, but I let those guys run away from me,” Carmouche said. “I was sitting a perfect trip. No excuse for this filly, she ran her heart out. I thought the trainer and the owner brought this horse to win today. I thought if I gave her a good ride, we could get the money at twenty to one [23-1].”
Beckman now has three fillies pointed towards the Kentucky Oaks, with Her Laugh and Simply Joking having won prep races at Fair Grounds this winter. The next local option for Drexel Hill would be the nine-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle on April 5, a 100-50-25-15-10 Oaks qualifier.
“I’m not going to say she likes the track, but she did perform well. Maybe with a little more distance and some pace, it could be a legitimate option for her,” Beckman said of the Gazelle. “Her Laugh will run in New Orleans and Simply Joking we’re thinking either at Oaklawn or Keeneland.”
Bred in Kentucky by Tuscany Bloodstock, Drexel Hill made her first four starts – including a fourth-out graduation in November – on the Woodbine Tapeta for conditioner Barbara Minshall before moving to Beckman in December. She was a $50,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Daaher mare Ascot Walk. She banked $110,000 in victory while returning $12 on a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A with a nine-race card featuring the $125,000 Correction in Race 2. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
