TC of America (Grade 2) (BC)- $250.000 Purse
KEE- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
October 3, 2015

Distant Cousin did not have her best race in the Grade 1 Cotillion three weeks ago.   It was a tough performance that had followed a string of good runs that included an IA Oaks win.  Trainer D J C Racing Stables did not worry and called an audible in regards to his plans for the Iditarod Diademe filly.   He would shorten her up and send her to KEE at the beginning of October to see if she could stick around all month and race on Halloween.  Distant Cousin would reward that vote of confidence, and would have no problems with the shorter distance.   This was really only a minor concern, as she had won at this distance before.  We did not have her on top, but we did have her as one of our top picks, so it is a little surprising to see her go off at 13/1.   It is the second year in a row that J R Velazquez has ridden the winner of this stake, and the first time that D J C Racing Stables has won it.   Congratulations to both of them!  Let’s take a look now at how she punched her BC ticket.

1st- 2- Distant Cousin (13/1)- Our eventual race winner from D J C Racing Stables got off to a good start and would assume a stalking position in the early going.  Handled the turn well, still running about a length from the leader, but the gap between the top three was growing and growing.  At the top of the stretch, Distant Cousin looked to make the move to the outside of Dashboard Rahy though also had Bally Z to her outside wanting to get by.  Dashboard Rahy was determined to hold everyone off, and only in the final half furlong did Distant Cousin capture the lead.   She was strong to the wire and needed to be in order to hold off her rivals.  The end result is a victory in the TC of America, a win that will send her to the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint!  The competition will be tough, but Distance Cousin showed that she had a lot of heart today.  The time of the victory was 1:09.07, and you can mark that down as a new stake record!  Distant Cousin is a three year old filly by Iditarod Diademe and out of Myra (part of the Mordred/Die Laffin line).  She was bred in New York by D J C Racing Stables, the only trainer for which she has ever known.  Congratulations to all the connections!

2nd- 8- Dashboard Rahy (5/2)- The betting favorite was the quickest out of the gate for Australia Wide, opening up by about a length and a half over the backstretch, setting the opening quarter in :22.70.  Continued to lead the field as they moved around the turn taking the opening half in :45.38.  At the top of the stretch, it looked as though both Distant Cousin and Bally Z where going to get by pretty easily, but Dashboard Rahy did not make it easy.  The five furlong time with her still on the lead was :56.98 which shows how strong she was still running at this juncture.  Dashboard Rahy did everything she could, it was simply Distant Cousin’s day.

3rd (dh)- 3- Bally Z (9/1)- The Diablo Diablo entry started pretty well, staying about a length or two from the pacesetting Dashboard Rahy while running in the third position.  With Distant Cousin running to her inside, Bally Z made a push to the lead at the same time and closed in on Dashboard Rahy. For a moment it seemed as though she would have the better chance to win the race. While Distant Cousin was able to make the pass, Bally Z did not quite have enough power in her stride to get by and drifted a bit, allowing Millyon Mama to catch her for a share of third.

3rd (dh)- 5- Millyon Mama (12/1)- Needing to have a bounce back race, the Pumpkin Racing entry started midpack while along the rail in the early stages.  She would maintain this position during the turn, and seemed to be rather content biding her time about 3-4 lengths from the lead. Began to inch closer as the stretch run began.  Her progress to the lead was very gradual, and thanks to that she was able to get around the likes of Don’t Stop and Natural Beauty.  She would emerge a little quicker then Bally Z to catch him at the wire and earn a share of third.

5th- 12- Natural Beauty (16/1)- The Ekli Stable entry got off to a rather average start, beginning in the middle of the field.   She was able to move into the fourth lane pretty quickly, so her outside post never would play a factor here.  Maintained the same distance to the leaders throughout the turn and as the stretch run began.  In the stretch there was never a push for the lead out of her, but she did very well in standing her ground and gamely ran to the wire.  The trainer should be happy with her general performance, though fifth in a race like this is always bittersweet.

6th- 11- Mischief Made (5/1)- Our pre-race selection did not do much to make us look good, and did not start well for Mb Stables.  Only Ryder was worse at the immediate start, but Mischief Made did try to advance a bit as they began the run into the turn.  Made an aggressive move while exiting the turn and looked to pour it on for a move in the stretch.  While in the stretch, she did indeed run well, but had conceded too much ground to the frontrunners, and they did not tire out the way that she would need them too.

7th- 7- Ambient (5/1)- Found herself midpack early for Mb Stables, maintaining a three wide position with Millyon Mama and Princess O Princess. As they moved into the turn, Ambient began to find herself in a traffic jam as neither Don’t Stop or Natural Beauty were going to budge or allow her to sneak on through.  Ambient had two stablemates to her outside, so she had a difficult time getting out of this jam.  Eventually, she could get some running room but it was too late at that point.

8th- 4- Don’t Stop (10/1)- Got off to a pretty good start for Spankys Barn, starting in a position about two lengths from the lead while running about four wide into the turn.  Once there, she would begin to drop back a little bit, putting herself into a position where she ran with the pack. In the stretch, she seemed to settle for this fate as there was no push to move forward, but at the same time she had enough to hold off a few others.

9th- 10- Ryder (17/1)- The Mb Stables entry got off to a rather dismal start, almost looking as though she was running backwards, finding herself last and 8 lengths off the lead for the turn.  Continued to trail the field, possibly only due to the lack of running room, as they moved around the turn.  She looked to shoot up the middle during the stretch but there was not enough roo for her to progress as much as she might have been capable of with a clean trip.

10th- 9- Helping Hand (18/1)- The final entry from Mb Stables did not start as poorly as did a couple of her stablemates, but she too found herself well off the pace at the start of the race.  Exited the turn well with an interest on moving forward, and ironically it was a couple stablemates that hindered her the most: Mischief Made advancing in the lane to her outside and Ambient trying to move down in front of her and cut her off.  She did not recover and fizzled out in the stretch.

11th- 1- El Gran Cuffed (31/1)- The other D J C Racing entry was sluggish out of the gate, and found herself near the back of the pack pretty quickly.    Did not show much while in the turn, or at any point thereafter.  Fortunately for her, the trainer was watching his other entry!

12th- 6- Princess O Princess (50/1)- Our longest shot on the board from Oval Express Farms was midpack to start the race.   Began to drop out of it as the field approached the exit of the turn, and she would eventually be passed by the entire field.

Track: Fast
Time: :22³  :45¹  :56⁴  1:09

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 8 Paid 218.70
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 8 – 3 Paid 365.20, 2 – 8 – 5 Paid 365.20

Scratched: The Rock Of Monaco

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES