Laurelin cruises to victory under Kendrick Carmouche, NYRA Photo
Keith McCalmont
Newstead Stables’ Laurelin looks to launch another win streak in Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks, an 11-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Graham Motion, the Irish-bred Zarak chestnut won her first five career starts, including three wins at the Big A, before tasting defeat for the first time last out when a 1 1/4-length second to Lush Lips in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 11 at Keeneland.
There, with regular pilot Kendrick Carmouche up, Laurelin saved ground in fourth position as Lush Lips tracked the pacesetting Opulent Restraint through an opening quarter-mile in 23.23 seconds over the good turf. Carmouche shifted Laurelin out a path down the backstretch and improved to third as Opulent Restraint reached the half-mile in 47.70 and three-quarters in 1:12.08. The game pacesetter spun the field into the stretch run with Lush Lips taking dead aim and Laurelin following her run, but Laurelin could not reel in her rival, who hit the front and stopped the clock in a final time of 1:48.01.
“I thought she ran great. The winner ran a big race, and I thought we ran our race – she ran very well. It’s always tough when you’re undefeated but I thought she ran super,” Motion said.
Laurelin [post 7, Kendrick Carmouche, 122 pounds] began her career with a trio of starts at Aqueduct, successfully debuting in October 2024 and following one month later with a half-length win in the Tepin over Five G, who subsequently won the Cash Run at Gulfstream Park.
The $169,488 purchase from Book 1 of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale returned to action in April and won her sophomore debut, besting Opulent Restraint by a neck in the Listed Memories of Silver over one-mile of good going. A productive summer saw Laurelin continue her winning ways over yielding ground in the one-mile Penn Oaks on June 27 when 1 1/4-lengths the better of Candy Quest, who exited that effort to win the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen.
New York beckoned once more as Laurelin ran her win streak to five with a 1 3/4-length score over returning rival Evershed in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks Invitational – the second leg of NYRA’s lucrative turf series for sophomore fillies – on August 9 at Saratoga Race Course.
Now, Laurelin will test her mettle with the longest race yet in her promising career by stretching out to 11 furlongs. Motion said Laurelin, out of the winning Cape Cross mare Bari, should appreciate the added ground as a daughter of Zarak, who captured the 2017 Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in his first try at 1 1/2-miles.
“I think that’s what she wants to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what she likes, she’s kind of bred to do that,” Motion said.
Laurelin has worked back twice over the Fair Hill synthetic, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:01.80 Saturday.
“She’s very straightforward in the morning. I don’t think she needs to do as much now as she did early on in the year, she’s very fit,” Motion said.
George Messina and Michael Lee’s Fionn [post 4, Flavien Prat, 122 pounds, blinkers OFF] won the first leg of NYRA’s turf series for sophomore fillies with a nose score over the well-regarded dual surface star Nitrogen in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.
Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the Twirling Candy dark bay has won 6-of-9 starts, including stakes scores in the Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial in March at Fair Grounds, and the nine-furlong Grade 3 Regret in May at Churchill Downs ahead of her course-record setting effort in the nine-furlong Belmont Oaks on July 5 at Saratoga.
Opulent Restraint showed the way in the Belmont Oaks, zipping three-quarters in 1:10.10 over the firm turf and was stubborn into the lane before Nitrogen pushed past inside the three-sixteenths. However, Fionn was looming with giant strides on the outside and though Nitrogen drifted out to meet her foe, she could not repel the rallying Fionn, who scored by a nose. Fionn’s final time of 1:44.84 lowered the previous Mellon turf record of 1:45.06 set by In Italian in the 2022 Grade 1 Diana.
Fionn took down the lucrative 1 5/16-mile Grade 3 Dueling Grounds Oaks in September at Kentucky Downs, rallying from 10th and 9 3/4-lengths off the pace to post a half-length score over Candy Quest with returning rival Hereforagoodtime in third. She enters from a 4 3/4-length fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup where she was off a step slow and raced from last-of-8 and 10 lengths in arrears in the early going as she missed the board for the first time in nine starts.
The $75,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Gaelic Gold, a half-sister to multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Sea Foam. Her second dam is Grade 3-winner Strike It Rich.
Mark Grier’s Evershed [post 5, Dylan Davis, 118 pounds] stretches out from a prominent runner-up effort in the nine-furlong Listed Old Dominion Oaks on September 6 at Colonial Downs for trainer Arnaud Delacour. There, the Churchill bay set splits of 24.76 seconds, 49.86 and 1:14.30 over the soft turf. She held a one-length advantage at the stretch call but was challenged by As Catch Can, who slipped up the rail inside the final furlong to post a three-quarter length score in a final time of 1:51.28.
“The last time, there was no pace in the race. We thought that maybe we could try to lead. It almost worked out,” Delacour said. “It did pour down rain at Colonial Downs that day. They were borderline going to cancel the races. The turf became very soft, and maybe she did a little too much in front, so she got caught at the end. It was still a respectable performance, in my opinion.”
The $369,665 purchase at the 2023 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale won at second asking in a one-mile turf maiden in December at Tampa Bay Downs and returned to action in July at Colonial to best elders in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance over good turf.
Evershed earned a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure for her stalking runner-up effort to then undefeated Laurelin in the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks Invitational in August ahead of her Old Dominion Oaks try.
“She didn’t give up and kept fighting until the end. We were probably second best that day [against Laurelin], but hopefully she can take a step forward in this race,” Delacour said. “We have had plenty of time since her last race at Colonial Downs, so hopefully she keeps on improving.”
Delacour indicated Evershed should appreciate stretching out in distance.
“This is not going to be an easy race, but I think the distance will help her. This is a mile and three-eighths for the first time, which should be good for her distance-wise. I’m excited to run her,” Delacour said.
Evershed, out of the Darshaan mare Balankiya, is a half-sister to dual group/graded stakes-winner Bayrir, who captured the 10-furlong Grade 1 Secretariat in 2012 at Arlington Park.
Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing’s Hereforagoodtime [post 2, John Velazquez, 118 pounds] will look to make the grade after three consecutive on-the-board efforts in graded company for trainer Brendan Walsh.
The Justify chestnut graduated at sixth asking in prominent fashion in an off-the-turf nine-furlong route over good dirt on April 7 at Keeneland and doubled up next out with a rallying 1 1/2-length optional-claiming score over firm turf traveling 1 1/16-miles on May 8 at Churchill Downs.
Hereforagoodtime stepped into graded company with a 1 1/2-length third to the victorious Fionn in the Grade 3 Regret on May 31 at Churchill. She did not return to action until August 3 when closing to finish a 3 3/4-length second to Destino d’Oro in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Pucker Up at Ellis Park. Last out, Hereforagoodtime stalked from fifth position en route to a 3 3/4-length third to familiar foe Fionn in the Grade 3 Dueling Grounds Oaks.
The $400,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Speightstown mare First Hour, a half-sister to dual Grade 2-winner Justwhistledixie and Grade 2-winner Chace City.
A talented field includes the New York-bred Scythian [post 1, Sahin Civaci, 122 pounds], winner of last year’s Grade 2 Miss Grillo for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; a pair for trainer Miguel Clement in stakes-placed Don’t Jinx It [post 6, Jaime Rodriguez, 118 pounds] and three-time winning New York-bred National Archive [post 3, Manny Franco, 118 pounds]; and allowance winner Unmerited Favor [post 8, Christopher Elliott, 118 pounds] for trainer Ken McPeek.
The Jockey Club Oaks is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the Listed $150,000 Knickerbocker in Race 9. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.
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