The cutback in distance didn’t seem to bother George Strawbridge Jr.’s homebred Winter View, as the daughter of Thunder Gulch came from last at the top of the stretch to run them all down in the $150,000 All Along Stakes (gr. IIIT) (VIDEO) June 20 on the Colonial Downs turf.
A 5-year-old mare trained by Jonathan Sheppard, Winter View entered off consecutive 12-furlong wins at Keeneland. She had never won at the All Along’s nine-furlong distance, but is clearly in the best form of her career.
It was an eventful All Along, which went to post with a field of 10 fillies and mares. Longshot Kitty Cat Express took the field around in splits of :22.91, :47.38 and 1:11.38 while Precious Princess chased her. Also close up were Sales Tax, Julia Tuttle, Astrologie, and favored Indescribable.
Kitty Cat Express still led as they cut the corner, but got tangled up with Precious Princess and Astrologie at the top of the lane and gave way to a host of rivals that had all begun to make their bids. Julia Tuttle was the first one to make a serious move, as she slipped through along the hedge and took a brief lead in upper stretch. Tejida and Corey Nakatani also came from between horses and seemed to have the best chance to get to the wire first, but Winter View and Julien Leparoux were thundering down the middle of the racetrack and nailed Tejida by a head.
The final time on the ‘firm’ turf was 1:49.56. Tejida settled for runner-up, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Dyna's Lassie.
Winter View, who is out of the Nureyev mare No Matter What and races for Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable, had won just once in 15 starts in France to begin her career, but has now scored four of six starts since arriving in the states. Last out, she garnered her first graded stakes when taking the Bewitch (gr. IIIT) April 23 on Keeneland’s lawn. She has now earned $296,379.
The winner paid $9.80, $5.80, and $4.80. The exacta (10-3) returned $66.20 and the trifecta (10-3-6) was $665.80.
Astrologie finished fourth, folowed by Julia Tuttle, Precious Princess, Sales Tax, Indescribable, and Kitty Cat Express.