NEWS: RACING

Lady Bling draws off to take grassy debut going long at the Spa

Friday, August 15th, 2014
Adam Coglianese

Adam Coglianese

by Sarah Mace

Lady Bling (3-1), a 2-year-old dark bay filly by Pioneerof the Nile owned by John Behrendt, Charles Marquis and Brian Cornell and trained by David Donk, got her career off to an impressive start at the Spa on Friday, winning a state-bred maiden special weight going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Though reluctant to join the field at the starting gate before the beginning of the race, requiring the assistance of an outrider to get to the gate, Lady Bling broke in good order under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and settled in sixth, getting a ground saving trip around the clubhouse turn.

Unhurried on the backstretch, but asked for more run rounding the far turn, Lady Bling maneuvered out four wide at the head of the stretch. She rallied on the outside and took over with a furlong to go before drawing off to to a decisive 3 1/2-length victory.

Bebop Raindrop (5-2) closed to finished second a neck ahead of 2-1 favorite and pacesetter Ten Penny Princess in third. After a half-mile in 50:03 and mile in 1:38.92, Lady Bling stopped the clock after 1 1/16 miles over the good Mellon turf course at 1:45.04. [VIDEO]

Trainer David Donk explained the reasoning behind his choice of a turf route for the Lady Bling’s debut. “I breezed her last week – Irad breezed her – and he said ‘long on the turf.’ I said ‘Oh my God another one?’ Then I went back over the pedigree. Pioneerof the Nile broke his maiden on the grass, and then won the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and then won the stake at Hollywood on the synthetic. I felt better. And the mare’s by Kris S., so here we are.”

Donk said he never worked Lady Bling on the grass. “It’s a little bit old school,” he said, “In the old days, Woody and them, they never breezed on the grass until they stepped on it. [Horses] either like it or don’t.”

As for where she might be pointed next, Donk said thought that he would be left with the predicament of having no place to run her besides open company, but added, “That’s a good problem to have.”

Bred by Grapestock LLC and foaled Vinery NY at Sugar Maple in Poughquag, Lady Bling is out of Spangled (Kris S.), a Florida-bred stakes-winning turf router in France whose only other foal to race, Spangled Star, is Grade 3 placed. Spangled is a half-sister to Anklet, a Grade 3 winner, and stakes-placed Awe That, also a stakes producer.

John Behrendt purchased Lady Bling at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale last year from the Vinery Sales/Millennium Farms consignment for $115,000. At the same sale this year, her yearling half-sister by D’ Funnybone brought $67,000.

 

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