Shipped north to Prairie Meadows for the June 26 Iowa Oaks (gr. III) (VIDEO) off a big win in the Dogwood Stakes (gr. III) last month at Churchill Downs, Hightap delivered again, taking the $200,000 race by three-quarters of a length over Sweet Relish.
Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Gainesway Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen, Hightap has now won four of six starts and has earned $246,365. Prior to her victory May 30 in the one-mile Dogwood, Hightap won an allowance race at Fair Grounds in her sophomore debut in February and then ran a dull seventh in the Honeybee Stakes (gr. III) during the Oaklawn meeting.
At Prairie Meadows the gray/roan daughter of Tapit was sent off the 2-1 second choice under Shaun Bridgmohan. Rating while three wide early in the 1 1/16-mile race behind swift fractions of :23.83 and :46.53, the team moved four wide into the stretch and rallied to get the lead and then battled to the line with Sweet Relish and Peach Brew, who finished a neck back in third. The six-furlong split was 1:10.61. The final time of the race was 1:44.00.
Hooh Why, the Ashland (gr. I) winner and 8-5 favorite in the Oaks, finished fourth and was followed by Mein Fraulein and Don'ttalktome.
Hightap paid $6.40, $3.40, and $2.60. Sweet Relish paid $4 and 3.40. Peach Brew paid $3.60. The 7-2 exacta returned $19.80.
Bred by Springland Farm, Hightap is out of the Regal Classic mare Don’tellmichelle.
Tapit, the leading first-crop sire of 2008, is also the sire of last year’s champion 2-year-old filly and Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) winner Stardom Bound, grade I-winning filly Laragh, and Silverbulletday Stakes (gr. III) winner War Echo. The son of Pulpit stands at Gainesway Farm near Lexington.