The Phipps Stakes (Grade 1)- $750.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies And Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
June 9, 2018
The field for the 13th running of the Phipps Stakes was stacked. It was an impressive assortment of the top older females in the game, five of whom ran in the BC Distaff last year. A sixth horse took the Fillies and Mares Turf path. The betting public leaned towards Shake It Off, but this would not be one of the best races of her career. Our pick was Whispering Nurse, who eventually went off at odds of about 5/1. The second place runner from the BC Distaff was still on a run of excellent form, and was coming off a win in the La Troienne. Now, she has done it again, winning the Phipps Stakes for her trainer, D J C Racing Stables. It was a pretty good weekend for D J C at BEL, a track in which victory may be a little more special for. It is the second time he was won the Phipps, doing so in 2016 as well with Distant Cousin. J R Velazquez is the winning jockey, taking the race for the third time. His last win came in 2014 with Hehehe. The time of the win was 1:41.29, the third quickest in the history of the stake, but the quickest time when the race was restricted to four year olds and up, and did not include three year olds with a weight allowance. Congratulations to them! Here’s a look at it.
(1/4 Mile- :23.35)- Breaking first out of the gate would be Eviction for Nakamura Stables, and on the outside we see Dirty Deeds, from Aer Stables running well to go up along her outside, about a half length off. On the inside with a good start herself is our eventual winner from D J C Racing Stables, Whispering Nurse. These three race in close proximity to one another while a stalking position was grabbed by Viking Vania, from Delta Farms. Behind her, were Wicked Heat (Mb Stables) and The Reaper (John Henry). They were within two and a half lengths as well. After them is where we saw our first gap in the field, though a small one, to the final three, who were running three wide: Shake It Off (Smokey Stover), Conspiring (Mb Stables), and Therapy (TwinTowersRacing).
(½ Mile- :46.98)- Change is minimal as they complete the backstretch trip. Evicton is still the leader, and slightly increased her lead over Dirty Deeds and Whispering Nurse to be nearly a full length, but they were each holding strong on each side of her. Viking Vania lost about a length to them over the second quarter of the race, and was falling into the clutches of The Reaper and Wicked Heat who maintained their midpack position. Further back, Therapy looked to have thoughts of making a wide run as they moved into the turn while Shake It Off and Conspiring seemed to be waiting for their time to strike. Five lengths separated first from last.
(Top Of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- As they made their way around the turn, both Whispering Nurse and Dirty Deeds methodically made their way around Eviction, going by on each side of the former pacesetter. At the top of the stretch, these two were matching strides and we seemed to be in store for a great battle between them. Viking Vania was unable to push forward, and neither The Reaper or Wicked Heat seemed to be about to make a run. The three closers were now within four lengths, with Therapy seeming to have the best lane. Something was going to have to open up for either Shake It Off or Conspiring.
(Finish- 1:41.29)- In the stretch, it becomes a showdown between Whispering Nurse and Dirty Deeds. Each ran well, and with a furlong to go it looked like it might be Dirty Deeds, but in that last furlong to the wire, Whispering Nurse was at her best. She would have more for the final strides, and picks up the victory by about half a length. Dirty Deeds runs second. Things were very tight behind them as Conspiring did well to shoot through a gap created between Eviction and Wicked Heat, and after examining a three-way photo between them, Eviction and Conspiring were ruled to have been in a dead heat for third, just ever so slightly ahead of fifth place Wicked Heat. Viking Vania was a half a length behind that photo. Therapy, Shake It Off, and The Reaper round out the finish.
About The Winner: Whispering Nurse, trained by D J C Racing Stables, and ridden by J R Velazquez, is a four year old filly by Catch A Rising Star, and is out of Outlaw Angel. She was bred in Ontario by Sarah Stables and acquired by D J C unraced in private sales back in June 2016 for just $20.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her ninth in 17 starts, its her sixth graded victory, and five of them have been Grade 1’s. Her career earnings are now $2,595.780.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | |||
|
Whispering Nurse | D J C Racing Stables | Velazquez J R | 4.85 | 13/4 | 1:41.29 | — | |||
|
Dirty Deeds | Aer Stables | Ortiz I Jr | 4.50 | 21 | 1:41.45 | — | |||
|
Eviction | Nakamura Stables | Roman E A | 10.30 | 3no | 1:41.78 | — | |||
|
Conspiring | Mb Stables | Gallardo A A | 19.20 | 3no | 1:41.78 | — | |||
|
Wicked Heat | Mb Stables | Bejarano R | 5.40 | 51/2 | 1:41.80 | — | |||
|
Viking Vania | Delta Farms | Pennington F | 8.15 | 63/4 | 1:41.90 | — | |||
|
Therapy | TwinTowersRacing | Lanerie C J | 18.45 | 7no | 1:42.05 | — | |||
|
Shake It Off | Smokey Stover | Albarado R J | 2.35 | 8no | 1:42.06 | — | |||
|
The Reaper | John Henry | Desormeaux K J | 12.45 | 9 | 1:42.08 | — |
Track: Fast
Time: :231 :464 1:103 1:411
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 2 – Whispering Nurse | 11.70 | 5.50 | 4.50 |
| 9 – Dirty Deeds | 5.20 | 4.30 | |
| 6 – Eviction | 3.00 | ||
| 7 – Conspiring | 28.80 |
$1 Exacta: 2 – 9 Paid 37.00
$1 Trifecta: 2 – 9 – 6 Paid 247.50, 2 – 9 – 7 Paid 740.60
Scratched: None
Winner picked by NS
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
