Pocahontas (Grade 3)- $300.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies Two Years Old
One Mile on the Dirt
September 14, 2024

Sometimes, a young horse will just have a bad race. For Escapist, that is probably all the Adirondack was. After being purchased in private sales for $350.000, Escapist struggled at SAR for the Adirondack but came to CD hoping to escape what happened there in the Grade 3 Pocahontas. It was also her first chance to run long, and after stalking the leaders for much of the race, she would do precisely what she did not do last time out: take control of the race in the stretch. For trainer Williams9, that had to be very soothing to see, not only that his filly was about to win a Grade 3, as that’s exciting enough. But to step up where she couldn’t before only added to that excitement. She went off as a 10/1 longshot, as a recent work seemed below average to the competition, but works just that, and Escapist got it done on race day, giving Williams9 and jockey L Saez their first Pocahontas victory. Congratulations to them! The time of win was 1:36.09, which is middle of the road when comparing it to past editions run at a mile. Let’s take a look at it now:

(1/4 Mile- :23.14)- Out front early, TwinTowersRacing’s Absent Friends and Mb Stables’ The Lioness are the first out of the gate and go back and forth in deciding who would officially be the early leader. Absent Friends has the edge at this point. Right behind them, the race’s eventual winner, Williams9- owned Escapist, stalks the top two while running to the inside. Center Of Gravity is a length back for Alydar Stables, and it is another length to Maxmillion Farm’s Letsgoflyakite. Further back, Sea Sholes (Big Guns Stables) and Bad Blood (D J C Racing Stables) aren’t interested in running with the leaders.

(½ Mile- :46.91)- Heading down the backstretch, Absent Friends is ahead of The Lioness by a neck as these two continue to show the way. Escapist is positioned very nicely here, running directly behind Absent Friends, but with no one else near here, she will have no excuses when L Saez decides it is time to make a move on them. Center Of Gravity runs behind Escapist but has not shown interest in making a move on her, or the others. Letsgoflyakite runs to her outside, but a length back. So far, Sea Sholes and Bad Blood are content to remain at the back.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Absent Friends and The Lioness are still the leaders while running around the turn, but it does not seem like that is going to last much longer. While rounding the turn, the top two left a lane along the rail for Escapist to take advantage, something that L Saez and Williams9 had to be thrilled to see. Approaching the stretch, Escapist would indeed capitalize and was within a length for the stretch run. However, her work was not done, because the top two also left room for Center Of Gravity and she was poised to seize this chance. Otherwise, Letsgoflyakite was simply running evenly, and Sea Sholes was kicking it into gear towards the inside. Bad Blood was hoping to do to the same, but with an outside path.

(Finish- 1:36.09)- Early in the stretch, The Lioness showed that she was not going to be easy to pass, and was looking good, but no one was better than Escapist. That filly gradually got closer as the stretch wore on and was in front with a furlong to go. But still, Center Of Gravity was coming on as well, Escapist could not let up at all until they got to the wire. Ultimately, Escapist would get the job done, winning by half a length over Center Of Gravity. Good run by that one as well, but she could never make up that length that she conceded to Escapist right from the starting gate. The late running Sea Sholes nipped The Lioness at the line for show, and the rest of the order will read Letsgoflyakite, Bad Blood, and Absent Friends.

About The Winner- Escapist, trained by Williams9 and ridden to victory by L Saez, is a two year old filly by Bold Ruler and is out of Into The Wind. She was bred by Fractious as a yearling in California, and was acquired by Williams9 for $350.000 in private sales this July. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her second in four starts, and first stake win. Her career earnings are now $258.600.

Track: Fast
Time: :23  :46⁴  1:11¹  1:36

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 3 Paid 36.30
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 3 – 1 Paid 933.40

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES