Overlooked in the betting, Sippin Pretty wins the Victory Ride going away.
:quality(75))
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A little freshening, a better break, and a sweet trip all led to Sippin Pretty pulling a 26-1 upset in Friday’s Grade 3, $225,000 Victory Ride Stakes at Saratoga.
Sitting an up-close fourth while racing on the inside after breaking well from the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr., Sippin Pretty tipped out into the four path turning for home and ran down the favored Goodall to win the Victory Ride by 1 3/4 lengths. Goodall, who made the lead before the quarter pole, finished second by 3 1/4 lengths over A Fine Chardonnay. Ian Wilkes trains the first- and third-place finishers.
Wilkes felt a poor break contributed to Sippin Pretty finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs on May 1, her fourth race of the year. Wilkes decided to freshen Sippin Pretty with the idea of running in this race. In the Eight Belles, Sippin Pretty was at the back of the pack, not her typical position early in a race.
That’s why Wilkes’s instructions to Santana were to break good.
“If she’s on the lead, that’s fine, if she was sitting second or third, but I wanted her in the race because that’s her style,” Wilkes said. “She’s naturally quick.”
Sippin Pretty, breaking from the rail, came out and bumped with Iron Orchard out of the gate. Iron Orchard, making her first start since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, rushed to the lead under Joel Rosario and dueled early on with Mythical, who broke through the starting gate prior to the official start of the race and had to be reloaded.
Goodall, coming off a victory in the Jersey Girl Stakes here last month, raced an up-close third, while Santana had Sippin Pretty in fourth.
Goodall, under Flavien Prat, went after the leaders around the far turn and Santana waited a little longer to make his move. Goodall took the lead before the quarter pole and had a two-length advantage in midstretch but Sippin Pretty ran her down inside the sixteenth pole for the victory.
Santana said he spoke to Brian Hernandez Jr., who rode Sippin Pretty in the Eight Belles, and was told the filly never grabbed the bridle in that race. He confirmed that Wilkes’s instructions were simple.
“Ian said, ‘Santana, the only thing you need to do is break and she’s going to do the rest,’ ” said. “And she did it.”
Sippin Pretty, a daughter of Yaupon owned by Randall Block, Six Column Stables, Mike Davis, and Gene Rice, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.59 and returned $55.18 as the third-longest price on the board. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94.
Prat said Goodall ran her race, “the other one just ran me down.”
A Fine Chardonnay, who was last through the opening half-mile, came with a wide bid in the stretch but was beaten 4 1/2 lengths. She finished 2 3/4 lengths in front of Sneaky Good, who was followed by Carmel Coast, Peach Tie, Tessellate, Mythical, Iron Orchard, and Tommy Jo. Iron Orchard and Tommy were Grade 1-winning 2-year-olds who were making their seasonal debuts.
Wilkes said Sippin Pretty, who is based in Kentucky, will return to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 8. That race will also be considered for A Fine Chardonnay, Wilkes said.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.