After saddling the winners of top-level races across the globe as an assistant, coach Joseph Lee lastly seized his second within the limelight when Might Day Prepared pulled off a gutsy victory within the Oct. 4 $350,000 Jessamine Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.
“It isn’t an excessive amount of completely different, it is simply my identify in this system now,” Lee mentioned.
The final month has been a whirlwind for the horseman, who at the moment manages a five-horse secure at Belmont Park. KatieRich Secure’s Might Day Prepared handed Lee his first black-type stakes winner Sept. 8 within the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes and sweetened the deal by giving the coach his first graded stakes win on Friday.
“She’s a pleasant filly and I’ve identified that for fairly some time to be sincere with you,” Lee mentioned. “It was a troublesome week of preparation for us with all of the rain up there.”
Lee had initially entered Might Day Prepared within the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack, which was rescheduled resulting from torrential rain storms. The coach modified his plans earlier this week and vanned the Tapit filly all the way down to Kentucky on Tuesday after morning coaching.
Might Day Prepared was eager after being jostled round throughout the opening phases of the Jessamine, however settled properly off the tempo below Frankie Dettori, who had ridden the filly in all three of her begins. Shaezafunkydrummer led the cost, sustaining a size benefit on the sphere as she carved out fractions of :23.06, :48.41, and 1.13.11.
Weaving her method between horses, Might Day Prepared superior powerfully as the sphere turned for dwelling. Bregman Racing’s Completely Justifiable, making the most of an inside stalking journey, slipped previous the tiring frontrunner and surged to the entrance with the closers scorching on her heels.
Might Day Prepared quickened simply as she had at Kentucky Downs, collaring Completely Justifiable on the wire in a blanket end with a fast-closing Destino d’Oro to the skin. The three 2-year-olds hit the wire in unison, with Might Day Prepared being declared the winner. Completely Justified was a nostril again in second, one other nostril forward of Destino d’Oro.
“I believed we obtained beat to be sincere. I believed we obtained third and that she ran properly. Earlier than the race Frankie (Dettori) mentioned if she runs properly right here ‘We will the Breeders’ Cup’,” Lee mentioned.
Might Prepared Prepared ($10.80) clocked the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.10 over a agency turf course. By successful the Jessamine, a Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence: ‘Win and You are In’ occasion, the bay earned an all-expenses paid berth to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Coach Rusty Arnold admitted he had no thought who had initially received, however counseled the trouble by Completely Justifiable, who was coming off a rating within the Aug. 29 P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
“It was powerful. She had an excellent journey,” Arnold mentioned of the Justify filly. “She’s obtained to determine a couple of issues out. It appears to be like like when she makes the lead and hangs a bit. She did it at Saratoga too however they got here to her early and she or he stayed on. After they got here to her late it seemed like she was coming again. It was an excellent race.
“If all the things stays good we’ll undoubtedly go on to the Breeders’ Cup.”
A $325,000 acquisition at this yr’s Ocala Breeders’ Spring Sale of 2-Yr-Olds in Coaching, Might Day Prepared will attempt to do even higher than her dam on racing’s Championship day. Nemoralia, a daughter of Extra Than Prepared, ran third within the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
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