R Calli Kim takes the The Very One (Coglianese)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.— Averill Racing and Two Eight Racing LLC’s R Calli Kim validated her 6-5 favoritism with a late rally that carried the 7-year-old daughter of Revolutionary to victory in Saturday’s $150,000 The Very One (G3).
The Brendan Walsh-trained mare took a similar route to victory in the 1 3/8-mile turf stakes for older fillies and mares as the one taken by Starting Over on his way to beating the boys in in the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida (G2) earlier on Saturday’s 14-race program.
R Calli Kim settled well off a rapid pace set by Angel Nadeshiko, who was clear on the lead past fractions of 23.47 (seconds) and 47.98 for the first half mile on her way to catching six furlongs in 2:14.45. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione asked her for her run entering the far turn, and the veteran turf campaigner responded with a wide sweep into the stretch that propelled her past Anatolian and Cairo Consort on her way to victory by two lengths.
R Calli Kim ran 1 3/8 miles in 2:13.01. Anatolian finished second three-quarters of a length ahead of Cairo Consort.
R Calli Kim had won four races in a row, including a victory in the Long Island (G3) at Aqueduct, before finishing second last time out in the Jan. 27 La Prevoyante (G3).
$150,000 The Very One (G3) Quotes
Winning trainer Brendan Walsh (R Calli Kim): “She’s a very good mare. She’s shown it time and time again. We’re just delighted for everyone involved. It’s great. When they’re going into the gate and you’re even money you’re always nervous, but she traveled really well. I looked at the half-mile pole and thought, ‘Boy, he’s really loaded.’ [Jockey] Tyler [Gaffalione] said she was sitting so good and once he pulled her out and asked her to quicken up, she was gone. There’s a couple of options. We’ll see how she comes out of this, and I’ll talk to the boys and we’ll go from there.”
