Humana Distaff (Grade 1)- $300.000 Purse
CD- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
May 5, 2018

The field for the 15th running of the Humana Distaff was impressive, making it one of the highlights of the KYD’s undercard. There would be rain, and it would cool off Gottahotone enough to where that one would be scratched. Even without her, we were left with a talented field, which included several that had previously experienced success on off tracks. For Dreamin Of Lys, this would be something new, and she didn’t seem to mind it one bit. The four year old filly that is by El Gran Broomstick would prevail in an entertaining stretch battle to pick up the win for trainer Smokey Stover and give him his first career win in the stake. Aboard the winner was I Ortiz Jr, and he too wins the Humana Distaff for the first time. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory over the muddy track was 1:24.81. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :23.07)– As the race begins, Dashboard Rahy, out of John Henry, and Temple Of The Brave, from Crocker Ggs, are quick out of the gate and assert themselves as the race leaders after a quarter mile. They are side by side, and have opened up a two length lead on Stone Creek Farm’s You Are My Sunshine. Just behind her, and along her inside is where we would find our eventual race winner, Dreaming Of Lys, from Smokey Stover. Natural Zone (Mb Stables) was another length and a half back in fifth, and then it was way back to the two trailers, Lady Opus (Smokey Stover), and Baby Goes To Rio (Aml Racing).

(Top Of Stretch- 2F To Go, ½ Mile- :46.71)- The field was pretty much unchanged after half a mile. Down the backstretch and moving into the turn, we did not see a lot of action, but midway through the turn, You Are My Sunshine picked up her stride and looked to make a three wide move for the lead. At the front was still Temple Of The Brave, who was hoping to give Crocker Ggs his second Grade 1 win in as many days, and she pulled ahead of Dashboard Rahy by a length moving into the stretch. You Are My Sunshine was third. On the rail is where Dreamin of Lys would remain. She was holding her line and keeping in striking range. Entering the stretch, she had two lengths to make up, and was running fourth. Natural Zone was creeping into the picture here as well while neither Baby Goes To Rio nor Lady Opus were making up any ground.

(Finish- 1:24.81)- With a furlong to go, Temple Of The Brave was struggling to hold on, and had rivals coming at him from every direction. On the inside, Dreamin Of Lys was gradually chipping away at the advantage, while on the outside, both You Are My Sunshine and Dashboard Rahy were applying pressure. Then there was Natural Zone, who had a little more ground to make up, but was full of run. While it was clear that Temple Of The Brave would be caught, any of these other four had a great shot. Dreamin Of Lys simply ran gracefully and consistently to the wire. There was no emphatic power move, and instead, she just methodically and professionally took care of business to get the win. You Are My Sunshine, who drifted out very late, barely holds on to second over Natural Zone. Temple Of The Brave gets fourth as she holds off Dashboard Rahy. As for Baby Goes To Rio and Lady Opus, someone forgot to tell them it was race day.

About The Winner- Dreamin Of Lys, trained by Smokey Stover and ridden to victory by I Ortiz Jr, is a four year old filly by El Gran Broomstick, and is out of Kirky. She was bred in New York as a yearling by M.b.o. Racing Stable, and acquired by Smokey Stover via Angelos Stable in late February in a $175.000 private sales transaction. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her eighth in 16 career starts, and her fourth graded win. It’s her first Grade 1 win. Her career earnings are now $715.880.

Track: Muddy
Time: :23   :46³  1:11³  1:24⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 2 – 4 Paid 208.40
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 4 – 6 Paid 375.80

Scratched: Gottahotone(L)

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES