Yawkey Way Overcomes Trouble to Strike Again in Ann Clare Stakes

by Sarah Mace

In the first of two New York-bred stakes races on Saratoga’s Wednesday card, the $70,000 Ann Clare overnight stakes for two-year-old fillies, heavily-favored Yawkey Way hardly had the smooth trip she enjoyed in her debut victory, but managed to overcome traffic and then make up a deficit in early stretch to dominate once again, winning the six-furlong contest by 3 ¾ lengths and establishing her career record at a perfect two-for-two with earnings of $66,000.

Campaigned by Klaravich Stables, Inc. and W. H. Lawrence, and trained by Chad Brown, Yawkey Way began her career impressively, leaving a strong field of six state-bred two-year-old fillies 5 ½ lengths in her wake on July 25^th at Saratoga. The test on Wednesday of course was to get the six-furlong distance in the company of four other early bloomers, three of them with comparable Beyer Speed Figures. The relatively small field, moreover, proved to be no insurance against traffic troubles.

Readygetsgold practically went down to her knees at the break and lost ground recovering, but the four other fillies proceeded up the backstretch in a closely huddled group. Breaking on top and leading the way at the rail under Ramon Dominguez was Watkins Glen, third in her Saratoga debut and still a maiden. Queen’s Harbor, owned and trained by Rick Violette and winner of her debut in a $50,000 claiming race for state-bred fillies at Saratoga on August 2^nd, pursued the leader off the rail under Shaun Bridgmohan. Rosa Salvaje, a debut winner from Penn National, stuck to the rail just off the heels of the leader, and Yawkey Way ran a close fourth, up between Rosa Salvaje and Queen’s Harbor. Toward the end of the run up the back stretch, Yawkey Way needed to check several times under pilot Javier Castellano (also aboard for her debut win) to keep from getting tangled up in traffic and lost momentum. Eventually, however, as Rosa Salvaje came up the inside, enough room opened up for the four to line up side-by-side through the turn and into the top of the lane, with Yawkey Way in the three path. Watkins Glen shook clear in the two-path at the three sixteenths marker, but shortly had to yield lead to Yawkey Way, who capitalized on clear running room to make up the deficit, pass and then open up on her rival by 3 ¾ lengths. Queens Harbor fought back to get third. Rosa Salvaje and Readygetsgold completed the order of finish. After fractions of 22.61 and 46.03, Yawkey Way completed the six furlongs over a fast track in 1:11.79.

Yawkey Way is a dark bay/brown filly by Grand Slam bred by Richard Simon’s New Dawn Stud LLC. She sold first as a Saratoga Preferred Yearling to James Barry for $50,000 and then went through the ring as the second highest-priced New York-bred at the OBS February Select Sale, where she was purchased for $165,000. She is the first registered NY-bred offspring, and second winner from three foals to start, from Is Kylie Good (Touch Gold), who scored both her career wins at two.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2010/08/25/yawkey-way-ann-clare-stakes/

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