Mrs. Orb runs down Trolley Ride to win Sunday’s Caesar’s Wish at Pimlico, her third career stakes victory. Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club Photo.
By Tom Law
Mike Miceli and the other owners of Mrs. Orb nearly sold the New York-bred mare in January.
Nobody would fault the group, which also includes Ruggeri Stable, Richard Coburn and Script R Farm, considering the daughter of Orb was coming off her second career stakes victory after a consistent run during the second half of 2020. They hung onto Mrs. Orb and she’s since rewarded that decision with a placing on Big Apple Showcase Day following a winter freshening in Florida and a victory over open company in Sunday’s $100,000 Caesar’s Wish Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
“She’s a tough gal and not the easiest to train, but you don’t mind when they can run,” Miceli said after Mrs. Orb ran down Trolley Ride to win the 1 1/16-mile open stakes by a half-length. “She’s a little temperamental and you’ve just kind of got to cater to her needs. If you do that, it goes a long way.”
Mrs. Orb, bought back on a final bid of $295,000 late in the opening session of the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale that came eight days after her win in the La Verdad Stakes at Aqueduct, improved to 7-for-25 in the Caesar’s Wish to go with eight seconds and four thirds for $523,520 in earnings.
Stretched out to 1 1/16 miles and around two turns for the first time since her runner-up finish in the Bay Ridge Stakes Dec. 13 at Aqueduct, Mrs. Orb and jockey Horacio Karamanos went to the post the 2-1 favorite over six others in the Caesar’s Wish. They stalked in fourth early while Artful Splatter took the field of fillies and mares through uncontested early splits of :23.52 and :46.63
Trolley Ride made a big middle move to reach contention through 6 furlongs in 1:10.99, running past Mrs. Orb at one point while still trailing Artful Splatter and His Glory.
Trolley Ride took the lead in upper stretch and led by 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong to run before Mrs. Orb continued to gain ground on the outside. Mrs. Orb took the lead in deep stretch to edge Trolley Ride, who held second and was 2 1/2 lengths clear of Sweet Sami D. Mrs. Orb won in 1:44.17 over the fast main track.
“She’s done that before,” Miceli said of Mrs. Orb dropping back 10 lengths after the opening half-mile. “Usually she’s kind of a position-type mare, and today she was a little farther back. But she can come from that far back. It’s just how the race unfolds for her.”
Bred by Rhapsody Farm and a $30,000 purchase at the 2017 OBS June 2-year-olds in training sale, Mrs. Orb is the second foal out of the Silver Train mare Gypsy Angel.
A half-sister to stakes winners Hakeem and Let’s Go Cheyenne and Heatherdoesntblufff, the dam of Grade 1 winner Killer Graces and Grade 2 winner Chocolate Ride, Gypsy Angel is also the dam of two other winners. Her first foal, the Kentucky-bred Unbridled’s Song mare One Call Away, won one of seven and was sold in foal to Raison d’Etat for $22,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Her second foal, the 4-year-old Central Banker filly Quantitativbreezin, put her name in the win column May 31 at Belmont Park.
Gypsy Angel is also the dam of an unraced 3-year-old Anchor Down gelding Transport, a $50,000 buy at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale currently in training at Churchill Downs; and an unnamed 2-year-old filly by Bird Song. She also delivered a colt Jan. 31 by Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit.
