Royal Spa. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Darren Rogers/Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Royal Spa, owned and bred by Rhonda O’Rourke’s Breffni Farm, displayed a powerful closing punch to outkick Gin Gin inside the final furlong and score a 13-1 upset in Saturday’s sixth running of the $271,000 Shawnee (Grade III) by 1 ¼ lengths at Churchill Downs.
“This win means so much to me because Breffni Farm are some of the best people,” said winning trainer Rodolphe Brisset.
Illinois invader Wild About Hilary, winner of the Pago Hop and Bayakoa (GIII) this winter, led the field of nine fillies and mares through early splits of :23.51, :47.06 and 1:11.21 as Doubledogdare (GIII) winner Gin Gin tracked in second and Royal Spa relaxed in sixth.
Gin Gin put away Wild About Hilary leaving the final turn, but Royal Spa rallied wide around the bend and steamed her way into contention with a powerful closing kick. Royal Spa, ridden by Flavien Prat, edged to the front inside the final furlong and drew away for the upset win in 1:42.20 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track.
“We got a little shuffled back at the start, so I just let her get into the bridle,” Prat said. “Around the turn she sort of found her best stride and when I asked her to finish up down the lane she did.”
Royal Spa returned $28.78, $9.38 and $4.58. Gin Gin, under Jose Ortiz at odds of 5-2, returned $4.64 and $3.12. Alpine Princess, with Florent Geroux up at 6-1, was another 2 ½ lengths back in third and paid $3.72.
Corningstone, Free Like a Girl, 2-1 favorite Where’s My Ring, In Just My Heels, Wild About Hilary and Hoosier Philly completed the order of finish.
Royal Spa is a 5-year-old Violence mare out of the Mineshaft mare Bodacious Babe. She was bred in Kentucky by her owner.
With her victory in Saturday’s Shawnee worth $163,920, Royal Spa improved her record to 18-6-3-2—$728,592.
This marked Royal Spa’s second consecutive stakes win. She won the $100,000 Heavenly Cause at Laurel Park on April 12.
“We knew that probably going seven-eighths or a mile is her best dista,nce but the circumstances really worked out well to try longer today,” Brisset said. “She was a bit further back than we originally planned but it might’ve benefited her for the future. I’m not sure what we will do with her next. It worked out well trying a longer distance today, but we also know she runs well going a little shorter.”
The Shawnee Stakes is named after a neighborhood in western Louisville.
Shawnee Quotes
Jose Ortiz (jockey, Gin Gin, runner-up): “She ran a great race. We ended up being second best today but she’s run two really good races in a row
