The Mother Goose (Grade 2)- $250.000 Purse
AQU- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
October 28, 2023

The field for the Grade 2 Mother Goose seemed to be a balanced one, and that would end showing on the odds board. It would also be apparent at the finish line, as three of them hit the line together, and you had to wonder if the stewards were going to a declare a dead heat between two of them, if not all three. In the end, they would be able to determine a winner and that would be Childe Girl, who was running in just her third race for Nakamura Stables. Safe to say that the trainer is very happy with his $7.110 auction purchase from earlier this year. It’s the first win in the Mother Goose for Nakamura Stables and for her jockey, V Del-Cid. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:48.50, and since it was the first edition of the race to be run at AQU, we can’t compare it to anything equitably. What we can do, is take a look at the race, so let’s go!

(1/2 Mile- :46.98)- Swiss Chocolate is sent to the race lead for Riggins Racing, and for a moment it looked like she may open up by two to three lengths. Eventually, while rounding the turn, she would settle in a bit and lead by a length. Muddy Buddy holds the second spot for Mb Stables, and beside her on the rail is Victorious Secret, for Acber Farms. Not A Fighter, trained by Grimley, leads the next group, and that is where we find our eventual winner, Childe Girl, for Nakamura Stables. Running with her is her stablemate, Soviet Spy. In Progress runs to their outside for TwinTowersRacing, as well. Next comes her stablemate, Be Exceptional. After a gap of two length, its Twilight Time (Fractious) and Wasabi (D J C Racing Stables).

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.19)- Down the backstretch, and early into the turn, Swiss Chocolate continues to lead the race, and she is still in front by nearly two length. The main action during this portion of the race was by Not A Fighter, who came forward on the outside to take over the second spot by a head over Muddy Buddy and Victorious Secret. Running in the middle of the field, Childe Girl looks for her lane, and it appears as though it will be a four wide move. This will mean that Soviet Spy and In Progress will be even further wide. Be Exceptional is still a length and a half back from them. Twilight Time is looking very ambitious early in the turn and looks as though she will have something to say at the end of this. Wasabi continues to trail.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Entering the stretch, Swiss Chocolate is still the leader and maintains her length and a half lead. No one has taken a run at her yet, though it is Not A Fighter running second and she has put away the likes of Muddy Buddy and Victorious Secret. Also passing them is Childe Girl, as she handled the turn well and seems to have plenty of energy left for the stretch run. Soviet Spy was not able to keep up with her, and In Progress was not doing much better. Be Exceptional was lacking response, but that’s certainly not true for Twilight Time who continues to push forward, but still has a lot of ground to make up. Wasabi had a lot more work to do.

(FInish- 1:48.50)- In the stretch, Swiss Chocolate looks like she might have enough to hang on for the win, but Childe Girl and the hard charging Twilight Time were not going to concede that. They would get closer and closer as we got nearer to the finish, causing fans to be on the edge of seats for the looming tight finish. A collective virtual cheer would happen as they hit the wire together, in a finish that was too close to call. The three-way photo would show Childe Girl getting the head bob on Twilight Time, who did the same to Swiss Chocolate. It’s a length and a half to the fourth place Not A Fighter, who defeats Wasabi, Victorious Secret, In Progress, Be Exceptional, Soviet Spy, and Muddy Buddy.

About The Winner- Childe Girl, trained by Nakamura Stables and ridden to victory by V Del-Cid, is a three-year-old filly by Man Childe, and is out of Scared Rat. She was bred in New York as a yearling by LionKing Stables, and was acquired by Nakamura Stables, via Mb Stables, in the March 2023 auction for just $7.110. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her fourth in 10 starts, and her first stake win of any type. Her career earnings are now $240.360.

Track: Fast
Time: :46⁴  1:11   1:36   1:48²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 8 Paid 208.00
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 8 – 6 Paid 757.30

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES