Shimmering Allure comes off the pace to earn stakes glory with Junior Alvarado aboard.
By Ryan Martin
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Walking L Thoroughbreds’ Shimmering Allure launched a devastating rally in deep stretch to capture Sunday’s 49th running of the listed $150,000 Tempted for juvenile fillies going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Shimmering Allure, a dark bay daughter of first crop sire Enticed, previously finished fourth in her lone two-turn start in the Grade 1 Alcibiades on October 6 at Keeneland, which came following a fourth-out graduation going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs for trainer Kenny McPeek. She handled the cutback with flying colors, tracking well off the pace, to post a sharp three-length victory under Junior Alvarado.
Breaking from post 1 in the eight-horse field, Shimmering Allure was in seventh position early on while 36-1 longshot Belle’s Blue Bell set the temp through an opening quarter-mile in 23.03 seconds and the half-mile in 46.48 over the fast main track. Caitlinhergrtness, the 8-5 favorite, tracked a close second with Vino Rouge tracking to her outside in third.
Around the far turn, Caitlinhergrtness matched strides with the pacesetter and came under a drive in upper stretch with Vino Rouge battling to her outside. Vino Rouge took command at the stretch call, but could not fend off a rallying Shimmering Allure, who completed the journey in 1:37.24.
Vino Rouge finished 3 3/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Perfectly Wicked. Caitlinhergrtness, Don’t Tell Kelly, Belle’s Blue Bell, Enfuega, and A Primera Vista completed the order of finish. Caress and Vicountess were both scratched.
Alvarado said a fast pace up front helped his filly’s chances.
“She was a filly we knew would come from behind. She broke very well today, and they outran her the first part, but I knew there was going to be a lot of speed since there was a lot of fillies coming from sprints so that helped her to get a fast pace up front,” said Alvarado. “I bought my time and let her get her feet underneath. When we hit the three-eighths pole, I started tapping the shoulder and she turned it on. I knew I had enough horse to get there at the end, so I tipped out at that point, and she finished up very well.”
The triumph only added to a whirlwind weekend for Alvarado, who piloted Just F Y I to victory in Friday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park before winning the following day’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile aboard multiple Grade 1-winner Cody’s Wish.
“That’s why we wake up every day. We work almost every day just to get to those big races with horses with a chance, and then to be able to win those types of races is what you do for your career,” Alvarado said. “You want to be there. You want to show them that you can ride with any jockeys. Here, there are a lot of good riders all around. It was just an unbelievable weekend and something I will never forget in my life.”
Nick Galati, assistant to McPeek, said the conditioner had the Tempted circled following her last start.
“She ran so good last time and Ken told me right away that he wanted to run in the Tempted. I think this was the plan and she just turned a corner,” Galati said. “She liked going two turns and last time it was a really tough race but she hung in there for a good fourth. Today, she was ready. I’m sure we’ll find a good spot. She’s really a nice filly, for sure. We always thought she was a nice filly, even the first time she ran in Saratoga, she ran really well. She sprinted a couple of times and it set her up nicely. I think she just keeps getting better. She seems to like any track she runs on also, so she’s honest.”
Shimmering Allure, who returned $6.10 for a $2 win wager as the second choice, banked $82,500 in victory to push her lifetime earnings up to $189,095. Her record now stands at 6-2-2-0.
Bred in Kentucky by Clifton Farm, Shimmering Allure is out of the stakes-placed Wild Again mare Shimmering Tale and was bought for $40,000 from the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale.
Live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack resumes on Thursday with a nine-race program. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.
