The Prioress (Grade 2)- $250.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies Three Years Old
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
September 2, 2018

It was a bit of a surprise to see Covert Operation go off at fairly high odds, although the Prioress did not have a real clear favorite. That part made sense, since the field did seem balanced, but for only two horses to be longer shots on the board then her, despite being picked to win in the SRF, was a little surprising. To make it even more exciting for longshot betters, one of the two with slightly longer odds was the one she needed to catch in the final strides to get the win. At the end of this six furlong event, Covert Operation and Team 7 Illusions are your winners. This is an impressive horse that looks like she has plenty of racing to do and accolades to attain. Team 7 Illusions is a now a two time winner of the stake, but you’ll need to go all the way back to 2007 and at another track (BEL) to find his prior win in the Prioress, with Beauty In Bombay. Jockey D Saenz is a first time winner of the race. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:09.50, tied for the third quickest edition of the stake when held here at the Spa. Here is a look at how it happened!

(1/4 Mile- :23.16)- Hipposin, running for Our Athletes, is the quickest of them all out of the starting gate, and opens up an advantage of half a length through the backstretch, as he does have some company there in the form of Flying Squirrel, the Angelos Stable filly that rides the rail into the turn. Diplomatic Chaos runs third, in a nice stalking position for Winning Link Stables. It’s another length to Out Of Wedlock, for D J C Running Stables. In the middle of the field we will find both our eventual winner, Covert Operation for Team 7 Illusions, and Candy Broomstick (Night Rider Stables) running side by side. They only had three and a half lengths to make up. Next comes Confidently In Love (Mb Stables), and the trailer is Line Drive, from Our Athletes, who was as eager to go to the back as her stablemate was to go to the front.

(½ Mile- :45.93, 1.7F To Go)- Hipposin looked to pick up the pace while rounding the turn. She looks good and smooth at this point. Flying Squirrel is still running with her, but the lead has been extended to a full length. Our Athletes had to be happy with how things were looking at this point, but there was plenty of time left. We just didn’t really know who that big challenger coming from behind was going to be yet. Out Of Wedlock had emerged as the third place horse, moreso because Diplomatic Chaos was, very surprisingly, coming up quite flat while round the turn. Confidently In Love seemed to be the best bet for a push forward, as she moved four wide and advanced her position a bit. Candy Broomstick was not pushing forward on the rail. This left Covert Operation, who at this stage of the race looked like she was going to be in trouble. Simply put, it looked like she was going to be boxed in and unable to make a run even if she was going to have it coming. Something would need to open up for her, somewhere. Line Drive looked more like a weak pop fly.

(Finish- 1:09.50)- Even with a furlong to go, it just did not seem like Covert Operation was going to get this victory. Only now was some space opening up for her, as she was able to get to the inside of Out Of Wedlock. Surely, she had room to advance her position, but to have time to get up there and get the win? That seemed a lot harder, as she three lengths to make up with 0.9 furlongs to go. Then, we were simply amazed. Perhaps, it helped a little that Hipposin and Flying Squirrel were slowing, but Covert Operation was absolutely determined not to fail in the stretch, and in the very end, somehow, someway, she gets the headbob in the final stride to win over Hipposin and third place Flying Squirrel. Confidently In Love gets the fourth place check, ahead of Candy Broomstick. Line Drive finally started moving at the top of the stretch but a wide move only saw her get 6th, slightly ahead of Out Of Wedlock. Diplomatic Chaos eventually finished, as well.

About The Winner- Covert Operation, trained by Team 7 Illusions and ridden to victory by D Saenz, is a three year old filly by Lettucerocku, and is out of Chai Licious. She was bred in New York as a third quarter two year old by Team 7 Illusions, the only trainer for which she has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her third in seven starts, with all wins being in stakes. Two of them are graded. Her career earnings are now $348.580.

Track: Fast
Time: :23   :45⁴  :57²  1:09²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 7 Paid 96.50
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 7 – 3 Paid 238.60

Scratched: Are We Dreamin

Winner picked by NS

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES