NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Capping a trio of stakes placings earlier this year, Tri-County Stables homebred Storied Lady (Read the Footnotes) broke through with a victory on her final official day as a 3-year-old, winning Aqueduct’s inaugural running of the Bay Ridge Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the New Year’s Eve Card.
Bet down to 6-1 odds the competitive field of 11 fillies and mares, Storied Lady was forwardly placed from post ten after the break, got a four-wide trip around the clubhouse turn and settled in fourth/fifth for the backstretch run. Asked for more after a half-mile she made her way into contention around the far turn – again four-wide.
Offering a direct challenge midstretch to Miss Da Point, who had taken over the lead from early longshot pacesetter Little Rocket, the bay filly gained the lead with a sixteenth of a mile to go and kicked away to a two-length victory under a vigorous hand ride.
Miss Da Point had to settle for second, while a length back Macha, Jcs American Dream, Royal Suspicion and Hot Rendezvous crossed the wire less than a length apart. Rounding out the finishers were Miss Narcissist, Carameaway (half of the favored entry with Dreaming of Cara), Flipcup, Little Rocket and Dreaming of Cara. After a half-mile in 48.06, the final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:47.05. [VIDEO]
Winning jockey Jose Ortiz said, “She broke great, I had great position along the backside and at the half-mile pole I asked her for a little bit more and she got going. I tried to hand ride her in the stretch, but when I hit her with the whip she responded and gave me another good run.”
Storied Lady added blinkers two starts back on November 22 for the seven-furlong Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Stakes series, where she finished a close-up fourth under Javier Castellano. On December 14, paired for the first time with Ortiz, she won a second level state-bred allowance going 1 mile, seventy yards by four lengths with the equipment.
John Hertler, who trains the filly for Tri Country, said, “We put blinkers on her [two starts back] and that seemed to move her up. She quieted down and got her act together. She ran a good race with Javier [Castellano that day] and got beat 1 3/4 lengths and then next time she turned it on.”
As to Storied Lady’s immediate future, Hertler added, “I don’t know what’s next for her; the owners want to give her a break, but we’ll see what happens.”
Storied Lady, who was foaled at Keane Stud in Amenia, is one of seven winners and two stakes winners out of Wide Barrel, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Broad Brush. Love Abroad (Not For Love), who earned more than $250,000, also won a stakes race routing at Aqueduct and Barrel of Love, a turf runner by the same sire, is a black type performer who has earned nearly $300,000.
Storied Lady, who raced 13 times in 2014, now has four wins, a second and four thirds in 15 career starts and $242,636 in earnings.
