SV Photography
By Sarah Mace
Gold Star Racing Stable, Matthew Hand and Brian McKenzie’s sophomore filly I Still Miss You (Majestic Warrior) collected her third straight win on Monday afternoon – and third career stakes victory – when she won the 19th edition of the $50,000, 6-furlong Arctic Queen Stakes under a tactically-minded Jaime Rodriguez.
Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, I Still Miss You has been looking to build on a strong juvenile campaign, where she won three of six starts, including the open Astoria Stakes at Belmont Park and, in her November 24 season finale, Aqueduct’s Key Cents for state-breds.
The dark bay filly kicked off 2018 by finishing unplaced in two relatively ambitious spots: Aqueduct’s open Mizdirection Stakes on April 15 and the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. I Still Miss You then moved her tack to Finger Lakes and, in three subsequent races, improved with every start.
Fourth to Arctic Queen rival Crashing Connie in the Niagara Stakes for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies on June 18, she followed up with back-to back victories in conditioned allowance races against elders in July and August. In both sprints I Still Miss You battled for the lead before drawing away to open-length victories. These confidence-builders seem to have done the trick.
Breaking from post two to face elders again as the 5-2 second choice, I Still Miss You rushed up to join the group tussling for the lead, but then deferred, letting Royal Inheritance establish a one-length lead through an opening quarter in 22.22 and taking back into the third.
Rodriguez whose mind was in the game from start to finish, switched I Still Miss You one path out on the backstretch, regained second and set up in a stalking position vis a vis the frontrunner.
With a length still to make up, I Still Miss You angled out for clear running in the lane and began to wear down her rival. Steadily eroding the leader’s advantage, I Still Miss You gained the front inside the final furlong and kept to business to ward off a rallying Timely Tradition.
Home safe by a head, I Still Miss You stopped the clock at 1:12.16 after six furlongs over the “good” main track. Timely Tradition in second finished one length ahead of Royal Inheritance. Frosty Margarita, the 7-5 favorite finished another 1 1/4 lengths back in fourth. Completing the order of finish were Satin Frost, She’s Quiet, Pachamama and Crashing Connie.
I Still Miss You, who has earned $263,047 from six wins and a second in 12 starts, was bred by Emcee Stable, LLC and foaled at Hickory Hill Farm Thoroughbreds. She is the first foal out of Maryland-bred Lion’s Terms by Lion Hearted who won 16 races for Englehart and Gold Star Racing Stable and earned $235,042.
Lion’s Terms has a juvenile colt by Blame who brought $100,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling. With a weanling filly by Congrats this year, she has been bred to Flatter.
