Jemography edges Flying Emperor late to win Monday’s George W. Baker Stakes at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.
By Tom Law
Windylea Farm’s Jemography found a home – and success – running at Finger Lakes for 10 straight starts from August 2019 to October 2020. He won or placed in seven of those races for trainer Jonathan Buckley, then ventured back to the NYRA circuit with Mark Hennig and the good efforts followed.
The 5-year-old Big Brown gelding finished second twice then won three in a row this winter, before a four-race losing streak capped by a seventh in the John Morrissey Handicap July 29 at Saratoga Race Course.
Hennig sent Jemography back to Finger Lakes for a wakeup call in Monday’s $50,000 George W. Barker and the gelding returned to his winning ways with a strong run down the lane for his first stakes victory.
Ridden by Dylan Davis, aboard for the three straight wins this winter at Aqueduct, Jemography caught the front-running Flying Emperor in deep stretch to win the 6-furlong Barker by a neck in 1:10.82. The first two were well clear of Tommy the Torch 7 1/4 lengths back in third with Heyitsnricopalazo fourth in the field of six.
Flying Emperor took the early initiative in the Barker, opening up a 1-length lead on the backstretch to the opening quarter-mile in :22.60 while the trio of Runningwscissors, Jemography and Heyitsnricopalazo chased. The field stayed that way to and through the turn with Flying Emperor and jockey Emanuel De Diego along on the lead, opening up by 2 lengths through the half in :45.59. Jemography saved ground around the turn, angled out turning for home, passed Runningwscissors in the lane and was still 2 lengths back at the eighth pole. Davis stayed busy inside the furlong marker and despite drifting out a bit, Jemography got up in time.
Bred by Golden Goose Enterprise and foaled at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains, Jemography is the sixth foal and the leading earner out of the winning Menifee mare Liza Lu. Seven of the mare’s eight foals to race are winners, including the stakes-placed Scat Daddy gelding Good Intent and the Big Brown filly Big Time Lady.
Jemography sold for $22,000 to Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale. He raced for Sanders and Hirsch and trainer Joe Sharp before being claimed for $25,000 by Windylea and trainer Bruce Brown out of a runner-up effort in a maiden race May 12, 2019. He broke his maiden 15 days later, this time for a $40,000 tag.
Jemorgraphy ran twice for Brown at Belmont and Saratoga, finishing second and fifth in claiming races, before heading to Finger Lakes and Buckley in August 2019.
Jemography is a half brother to a Central Banker filly bred by Spruce Lane, Mashnee, McMahon of Saratoga and partners and foaled Feb. 14 and a yearling colt by Oscar Performance purchased by Begg Racing for $55,000 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale.
McMahon and Hill Bloodstock purchase Liza Lu in foal to Big Brown for $26,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale. The resulting foal was Big Time Lady, a filly who brought $100,000 at the 2019 Saratoga New York-bred sale and finished third in last fall’s Tepin Stakes at Aqueduct for Repole Stable and trainer Rudy Rodriguez. She also finished fourth in the Aug. 4 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Saratoga.
