July 4, 2016
Early scratches of T S Razor and Plucky Elmo reduced the field in the Grade II Princess Rooney Handicap down to only three starters and T S Devil had enough gumption in the final furlong to run down a loose-on-the-lead Balais Bruit and record her fourth win in five starts this year. From one of the final crops from One Timer, she has been excellent in races over an off-going and now sports 11 career wins and more than $640.000 in lifetime earnings, while earning a repeat trip to the BC with her guaranteed birth from victory here.
Because of the good main track, a field of five was scratched down to a field of three for the Princess Rooney and that led to a very lackluster first quarter-mile as Balais Bruit (5.35) broke on top and moved inside of a sluggish Silk Houses (*0.05) to take the lead, with T S Devil (21.15) holding the rail. The overwhelming favourite dropped well back through the initial split of 23.57 as the two leaders moved into the far turn and Balais Bruit looked really comfortable through the first half-mile in a solid 46.87, given the conditions. Unfortunately for her owner, despite the fact that she had no pressure to her outside or inside, she drifted out into the two-wide path and that allowed T S Devil to move inside at the head of the lane and from there, the race was on. It looked like the pace slowed considerably in the final quarter-mile as the track took its toll and T S Devil came up in the final strides to nab the win at 21-1 over Balais Bruit and a closing Silk Houses, who ended up dead-heating for second to each earn some money.
Multiple Grade III winner T S Devil was completely dismissed against her two rivals in the Grade II Princess Rooney but wound up with her second straight win over an off-track by running inside of the loose speed. The next logical step would be the Honorable Miss at SAR although she might simply await a race like the Grade I Ballerina or the Grade III Seaway over her preferred track, with an entry in the BC F&M Sprint guaranteed after her win here.
Congratulations goes out to owner Triple K and their five-year-old mare T S Devil, an inside winner of the Grade II Princess Rooney Handicap at GP!
Prediction Balais Bruit / T S Devil / Silk Houses
Winner T S Devil
Five-year-old black mare
One Timer-Delightful Devil (Devil)
Owner Triple K
Time 23.57, 46.87, 1:10.95, 1:23.68
Overall
T S Devil 21.15 inside run, through on rail, just up
Silk Houses *0.05 dropped back, wide into lane, up for co-second
Balais Bruit 5.35 set pace, faded
Triple T Racing 🙂
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
