Shine Upon Edges Rivals in Dreamy Mimi to Stay Perfect
Photo: Adam Coglianese
Shine Upon, a three-year-old chestnut daughter of Congaree, survived a battle down the length of the stretch to keep a nose in front of Speightful Affair for a victory in Aqueduct’s Thursday feature, the one mile and seventy yard $60,000 Dreamy Mimi Stakes. The win is Shine Upon’s third victory in as many starts and boosts her earnings to $84,600.
Owned by Blue Bison Stable and Stewart Hoffman, Shine Upon won her debut by four lengths at Aqueduct in November for trainer James Jerkens, running six furlongs in 1:12 flat against state-bred maidens. After a transfer over to Michael Hushion’s barn for the winter and brief freshening, in another outing at six furlongs in early February she defeated six restricted allowance rivals by more than six lengths (1:12 2/5). On Thursday, visibly on her toes in the paddock and sporting blinkers for the first time, Shine Upon showed that she was more than game enough to make the leap to two turns, open company and a stakes race.
Ridden for a second time by NYRA’s second leading jockey David Cohen, Shine Upon broke from post three after the scratch of two fillies to her inside. She pressed the pace-setter (and eventual third-place finisher) Anchorage from the rail through a half mile and, at the head the stretch, found herself on even terms with Anchorage and Speightful Affair. This began her determined and gritty stretch run. Anchorage yielded late, but Speightful Affair continued to fight on until Shine Upon prevailed at the wire. In each of her three starts the filly has been the post time favorite, going off on Thursday at odds of 1.45-to-1.
Sired by Congaree, who stands at Highcliff Farm in Delanson, Shine Upon was bred by Berkshire Stud. Her stakes-placed dam Look Upon, a Berkshire Stud homebred sired by Carson City ($144,960), has produced all winners from three foals to start, including one of the top New York-bred female sprinters of 2009, Keep the Peace, who has, to date, placed in seven graded stakes and earned $323,553. Look Upon’s progeny have now earned $413,716.
Source URL: http://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2010/03/11/shine-upon-edges-rivals-in-dreamy-mimi-to-stay-perfect/