Debuting filly My Conquestadory surprised eight male rivals with a big stretch move to capture the $205,544 TVG Summer Stakes (Can-IIT) by 3 1/4 lengths Sept. 14 on the turf at Woodbine (VIDEO).
The daughter of Artie Schiller is the first starter out of the multiple stakes-placed mare Golden Artemis, by Malibu Moon . My Conquestadory, owned by Conquest Stables, is trained by Mark Casse and was ridden to victory by Eurico Rosa Da Silva.
Conquest Stables paid $240,000 for My Conquestadory at the Ocala Breeders Sales Company's 2-year-old select sale in March as part of the Eisaman Equine consignment after the filly flashed a 10-second flat furlong in the preview show. Bred in Kentucky by Paul Tackett, she was originally sold for $70,000 as a Keeneland September yearling to Biltmore Mansion Racing.
The Summer Stakes is a Breeders' Cup "Win & You're In" race, providing My Conquestadory with an automatic fees-paid berth in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park.
Casse entered My Conquestadory in the Natalma Stakes (Can-IIT) two races earlier on the card as well as the Summer. But with three other fillies already in the Natalma, the trainer opted to run her against males. In spite of her lack of experience, My Conquestadory ran the one-turn mile in 1:34.81, more than a second faster than the winning time of 1:35.89 in the Natalma.
School On a Hill, a sharp debut maiden winner, was made the slight 3-1 choice in the field of promising juveniles but was never a factor. Tropic of Artie, breaking from the rail, went to the front under pressure from Phenomenalmoon and Asserting Bear while My Conquestadory found a nice stalking position in fourth, a couple of paths off the rail.
Tropic of Artie showed the way through solid fractions of :23.27, :46.29, and 1:10.89, reaching the quarter pole a head in front of Asserting Bear with My Conquestadory closing quickly to be just half length back in third. My Conquestadory hit the front at the three-sixteenths pole, opening up through the lane and holding sway under good handling from Da Silva.
Go Bro, last for the first half mile, battled the rest through the stretch at 27-1 for Tyler Pizarro to get up for second by a head over another willing closer, Matador, ridden by Luis Contreras. Dig Alittle Deeper was fourth, followed by Tropic of Artie, Grom, School On a Hill, Asserting Bear, and Phenomenalmoon.
Casse, who had expressed confidence in My Conquestadory's training coming into her initial start, won the Summer for the first time.
Da Silva never doubted the talents of the impressive filly.
"I didn't think about losing the race. It never came to my mind that she could be beat," he said. "I had great confidence in her and the whole (Casse) team said how nice she is. She's a great filly."
My Conquestadory, who earned $115,908 for the victory, paid $12.90, $8, and $6.20 as the fourth choice. She received a three-pound filly weight allowance, carrying 119. Maiden Go Bro returned $21 and $10.70 as the second longest shot on the board, completing a $321.80 exacta. Matador, also a maiden for Casse and owner John Oxley, paid $3.90 to show.
The filly Spanish Flower, who ran second in the Natalma, was scratched.