Photo: Stephanie Van Minos/Tom Cooley
Flying Zee Stable’s Lady Vi had little to apologize for after her maiden start at Saratoga just eight days earlier when she finished second for trainer Phil Serpe to a solid winner. On Monday, however, she exceeded expectations, breaking her maiden professionally at odds of 13-to-1 with a 1 ¼-length victory in the $139,225 six-furlong Lady Finger Stakes for New York-bred two-year-old fillies.
One of only two maidens in the race – the other being an ambitiously spotted debut runner She’s Saephansound, trained by Charlton Baker – Lady Vi did look green in her 5 ½-furlong debut under Jose Lezcano. She needed to be steadied early, went wide in the turn and was erratic in the stretch, but did show good energy passing horses to get the placing. To judge from her performance on Monday, the experience did her a world of good.
After the break, post time favorite Funky Munky Mama – a recent seven-plus-length winner in a $50,000 maiden claimer for state-breds at Saratoga in her second start for Gary Gullo – made the lead from her outside post. Letshootpool tracked in second, followed by Freuds On Holidays. Lady Vi, with Pedro Rodriguez in the irons, ran fourth in the three path and looked very much on the muscle. After a first quarter in a sharp 22.09, Funky Munky Mama moderated the pace to run the half in 45.70. As Lady Vi passed Freuds On Holidays going into the turn, the running order up front remained unchanged, with Letshootpool prompting the pace. Lady Vi cornered professionally setting up in the three path for the stretch drive and began the work of closing the gap to the two front runners.
Photo: Stephanie Van Minos/Tom Cooley
At the furlong pole she still had three lengths to make up, but found another gear, and just after the sixteenth marker, as Letshootpool passed the tiring Funky Munky Mama, Lady Vi cruised by them both. Opening up a length and a half by the wire, she stopped the clock at 1:12.91. Three lengths separated Letshootpool from Funky Munky Mama. Completing the order of finish were: Freuds On Holidays, Higher Desire and She’s Saephansound. The maiden-breaking stakes win turned Lady Vi into a $91,535-earner.
Lady Vi, a daughter of Tale of the Cat, is the single winner of three starters from Dixieland Achiever (Dixieland Band). She was bred by Nustar Breeding, LLC and foaled at Highcliff Farm in Delanson. Her dam has a Pure Prize yearling filly, no foal this year, and has been bred by Eddington.
