Fine efforts!
It’s never fun finishing second. But if you do have to play bridesmaid, at least do it valiantly, and in that regard Stidham’s two big race runners over the weekend showered themselves with glory.
In the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at Keeneland Saturday, Godolphin’s Micheline didn’t get the best of trips, was shuffled out wide at an important stage of the race, and yet still fought her heart out down the lane to grind out a valuable second place finish under Florent Geroux.
Over at Belmont Park, Godolphin’s young pretender Mystic Guide showed himself yet again a colt right out the top drawer with a grizzled performance in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes. Indeed, at one point down the stretch, Mystic Guide inched a nose in front, only to be headed again by the wire.
There’ll be more days for both of these splendid horses.
The Stidham stable didn’t walk away from the weekend empty handed. Dare to Dream Stables’ 2-year-old Upstart colt, Starburst, looked tremendously exciting indeed when positively bolting up on his debut under Trevor McCarthy at Laurel Park.
And now for the rest of the week’s entries:
Tuesday
Presque Isle
Channel Stuffer – Race 7, Claiming $12,500
Wednesday
Keeneland
Call On Mischief – Race 7, Allowance Optional Claiming $100,000
Monmouth Park
Hull’s Heroics – Race 3, Maiden Special Weight
Wilton – Race 3, Maiden Special Weight
Delaware Park
Ananroad – Race 5, Maiden Special Weight
Thursday
Presque Isle Downs
Rumpus – Race 3, Maiden Special Weight
Embossed – Race 8, Allowance Optional Claiming
Laurel Park
Carbis Bay – Race 5, Maiden Special Weight
