NEWS: RACING

Myfourchix secures Seeking the Ante prize from off the pace

Sunday, August 24th, 2014
NYRA/Adam Coglianese

NYRA/Adam Coglianese

by Sarah Mace

Clear Stars Stable’s Myfourchix (Henny Hughes), favored in her unveiling at Saratoga on July 30 when she finished a solid second after setting the pace, got the job done – and then some – when she won the $200,000 Seeking the Ante for state-bred juvenile fillies from a stalking position on Sunday’s inaugural Saratoga Showcase card.

Myfourchix (8-1) broke well from post five of six and settled two lengths off favored Hard to Stay Notgo, who had overhauled early leader Evrybdymstgetstonz. Following sharp fractions of 21.66 for a quarter-mile and 45.61 for a half, the filly moved up on the turn when asked by jockey Cornelio Velasquez.

Myfourchix advanced in upper stretch and passed the front-runner in the final furlong before going on to win by three lengths, stopping the clock after 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:20.34. She was followed across the line by Hard to Stay Notgo, Nonna Jo, Evrybdymstgetstonz, Quick Reward and Graeme Crackers. [VIDEO]

Winning jockey Cornelio Velasquez reported, “I had great position. I wanted to wait until the quarter pole. I had a lot of horse. She’s a nice filly. The horse in front just stopped, but my filly tried hard. Very professional.”

Trainer Rick Schosberg started with a quip, alluding to the runner up – a horse trained for the Bromans by Jimmy Jerkens, whose runners V.E. Day and Wicked Strong ran 1-2 in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on Saturday. “Sorry to have to stop the Jimmy Jerkens train, but it had to stop somewhere.”

Schosberg then said, “[Myfourchix] got beat in her first start, no fault of her own. She broke a little slow from the rail and she rushed up, probably went in :21 and change, and fought as hard as she could. I said after the race, when we were a little bit disappointed, ‘You’ll never be disappointed in this filly again.’

“The post position today helped and Cornelio rode a perfect race. The first quarter-mile in :21 and change helped us out a lot. For 2-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs is like an older horse going from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. It’s a long way home and I think we showed that; it took us a while to get there. But time doesn’t matter to us now. She’s a really good filly, and I think you’ll be hearing more of her when we get to [Empire] Showcase Day [Belmont Park, October 18].”

Bred by C. Kidder and N. Cole and foaled at Keane Stud in Amenia, Myfourchix is the second foal and first winner out of Stellaluna, an unraced daughter of Tapit. Stellaluna’s dam is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Fairbanks and she issues from the family of Darn that Alarm and Afleet Again.

Myfourchix sold as a yearling to The Duke Stable at the Keeneland September sale for $35,000. Clear Stars Stable went to $90,000 to purchase her at this year’s OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds in training after she posted a ten flat work.

 

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