SV Photography
By Sarah Mace
Owner/trainer Tim Murphy’s 3-year-old Fingerpainter (Nobiz Like Shobiz), 6-1 fourth choice in a field of six older fillies and mares, swept to the front with a late run to capture the six-furlong, $50,000 Arctic Queen Stakes and record her second Finger Lakes stakes victory of the year.
Driving winner of the Niagara Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by a head on August 20, Fingerpainter failed to hit the board in her next start, the New York Oaks, but has since turned in three very sharp performances, including two wins and a close second. Given her running style, Fingerpainter’s supporters would expect her to be able to make some noise late in the speed-laden field.
After the break, Fingerpainter settled well off the pace in sixth place, while 6-5 favorite Court Dancer hooked up for an early tussle with Awesome News though an opening quarter mile in 21.94.
Fingerpainter was still unhurried at the back of the field and raced with more than eight lengths to make up entering the far turn, but a second battle was shaping up for Court Dancer, who had dispatched her first rival, and was about to be faced with 8-5 second choice She’s All Ready who had moved up into contention from a stalking third.
Fingerpainter began her charge for the wire while rounding the bend and moved up into third on the grandstand side. By the time Court Dancer and She’s All Ready reached even terms around the sixteenth pole, Fingerpainter was going full bore. She came barreling past within the final hundred yards with good momentum and drew off to a 1 1/2 length victory. After a quarter mile in 45.51, the final time was 1:11.59 over the “good (sealed)” racing surface.
She’s All Ready got a neck in front of Court Dancer to secure the place, and Sweet Sweet Afleet, The Lost Tigress and Awesome News fill the remaining positions. [VIDEO]
Fingerpainter, whose bankroll now stands at $134,987, with six wins and three seconds from 14 starts, was bred by Richard and Kay Zwirn and foaled at their Rainbow Fields Farm in Gansevoort. She is one of four winners from five foals to start out of Twinkie Zone, a New York-bred homebred for Very Un Stable who was purchased by the Zwirns for a mere $1,000 at the 2008 New York mixed sale. The mare currently has a 2-year-old filly by Cosmonaut and was bred in the spring of 2016 to Big Brown.
