Even-money choice Marketing Mix, given a clean trip on the outside, mowed down the leaders in the stretch to win the $344,627 Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT) on a soft Woodbine turf course June 2 (VIDEO).
Jockey Julien Leparoux kept Marketing Mix clear of traffic and the 4-year-old filly by Medaglia d'Oro did the rest, rallying from fourth to get up by 1 1/4 lengths over Roxy Gap. Second choice Inglorious, winner of the Woodbine Oaks and Queen's Plate last year, was bottled up on the inside and failed to mount a late charge. She finished fourth.
The winning time for the one-turn mile was 1:37.74.
Marketing Mix, trained by Tom Proctor for Glen Hill Farm, won for the second time in three starts this year. She defeated Inglorious in a one-mile turf allowance at Keeneland April 11 and was coming off a fourth-place showing in the Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIT) on a good Churchill Downs turf course May 5.
The dark bay/brown filly, bred in Ontario, Canada by Sean Fitzhenry, won both the Pucker Up (gr. IIIT) at Arlington Park and Churchill's Mrs. Revere (gr. IIT) last fall. She also captured the final jewel of Canada's Triple Tiara for 3-year-old fillies last year, the 1 1/4-mile Wonder Where Stakes.
Six fillies and mares contested the Nassau, with 52-1 shot Fantastic Cousin showing the way over Roxy Gap. Inglorious and Marketing Mix stalked the easy leader through fractions of :24.71, :49.69, and 1:13.55.
Roxy Gap, ridden by Patrick Husbands, launched her bid rounding the turn and took the lead from Fantastic Cousin in upper stretch. Marketing Max advanced into third on the outside with Inglorious lacking room at the rail for Luis Contreras. Marketing Mix continued to gain ground and flew home in the final furlong as Inglorious attempted to split horses. But she was off heels and lost ground as Marketing Mix overtook Roxy Gap and won with authority.
Leparoux was impressed with how his filly, who left from post 7, relaxed in the early stages of the race as Fantastic Cousin set the early tempo.
"We got a good post, so we could do whatever we wanted," he said. "I just wanted her to leave there and be relaxed. That's why we dropped off the pace a little bit.
"The long straight here helped her a lot. We just kind of tracked and she finished good for me."
Craig Bernick, president of Glen Hill Farm, was also happy with the result. He said Marketing Mix will be staying at Woodbine.
"She was very impressive because she had to give four pounds and six pounds to those horses," said Bernick, noting Marketing Mix's 122-pound impost. "She's going to stay up here (at Woodbine) and run in the Dance Smartly, then hopefully come back (home) later. It's a great series of races here (at Woodbine) for older mares and we hope to run in all of them."
Roxy Gap finished second by a half-length over Indian Pond, with Eurico Da Silva aboard. Inglorious was 1 1/2 lengths farther back in fourth, followed by Fantastic Cousin and Forest Uproar .
Marketing Mix, a $150,000 Keeneland September sale yearling in 2009, earned $207,468 for her sixth win in 12 lifetime starts and has now banked $793,600 in her career. The winner is out of Instant Thought, by Kris S.
Marketing Mix paid $4, $2.70, and $2.30. Roxy Gap, switching to turf after graded sprint stakes wins in the Whimsical (Can-III) and Hendrie (Can-II) over Woodbine's Polytrack this spring, returned $3.60 and $2.90. The exacta was worth $11.90. Indian Pond, in her first race since finishing third in the 10-furlong Maple Leaf Stakes at Woodbine in October, paid $5.10 to show.
Skylara scratched.