No Show Sammy Jo (#6 outside) fights Sirona for the win. (Jim McCue/TMJC)
Completed a Natural Stakes Double for Motion
Dan Illman/Laurel Park
LAUREL, Md. — While Toupie can be obstreperous, No Show Sammy Jo is a sweetheart, and she showed class and determination to successfully defend her title in the All Along Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles.
“Sammy is a consummate professional,” Wilson said. “She doesn’t turn a hair. She’s right in the first stall when you walk in the barn, and she’s just hanging out all day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her take a foot wrong. She’s just a lovely mare to be around.”
Ridden by Jorge Ruiz, No Show Sammy Jo relaxed in third position entering the backstretch as Cut From Class opened up a lengthy lead.
Cut From Class carved out reasonable fractions of 24.94, 50.30, and 1:14.75 before being confronted by No Show Sammy Jo’s uncoupled stablemate Sirona.
Sirona surged to the front and fought valiantly to the wire, but No Show Sammy Jo had outside momentum. At the wire, it was No Show Sammy Jo by a nose in 1:49.87. Venomous Vixen finished another 1 ¼ lengths behind in third. Then came For Arrogate, Cut From Class, and Chick’s Shadow. Mopo scratched.
No Show Sammy Jo completed a natural stakes double for Motion, and returned $2.80 as the prohibitive betting favorite.
“She got a great ride from Jorge,” Wilson said. “It just set up really well for her. They went pretty slow up front. She was a bit more forwardly placed today than she tends to be. That was her issue last year.”
Sirona, a stakes-winner in England and in her native Germany, made her North American debut in the All Along. She didn’t break the best, but advanced to settle in second position, and fought the winner tooth and nail.
“I thought Sirona ran great [considering] it was her first time out here, and that we haven’t had her that long,” McGee said. “She’s really been so professional. When Graham asked about running her, I told him to go for it. She’s really athletic. She’s really speedy. We haven’t even quite figured her out yet.”
No Show Sammy Jo was unplaced in two Grade 1 races during the spring before racing at longer distances earlier in the summer.
“She’s been a little disappointing this year for me,” Motion said this week. “I thought she was one of my best mares going into the season. This seems like a more reasonable spot to get her back on track.”
Bred in England by Fittocks Stud and St Albans Bloodstock, No Show Sammy Jo is a 5-year-old mare by Lope de Vega. She was purchased for approximately $214,000 overseas as a yearling by Bridlewood Farm and Madaket Stable.
Grade 3-placed last year, No Show Sammy Jo boasts a record of five wins from 11 starts for $375,050 in earnings.
