RISKAVERSE RECAP; Thursday, September 2

Thursday, September 2, 2010

 

 

RISKAVERSE TO “QUEEN” AS LISA’S BOOBY TRAP RUNS LAST; AWESOME MARIA WINS RACE’S FIRST DIVISION

 

By Jenny Kellner

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Queen of the Creek made it two in a row at Saratoga Race Course, going wire-to-wire to win the $75,000 Riskaverse as the fairy-tale story of previously undefeated Lisa’s Booby Trap ended with a last-place finish in the one-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies.

 

Lisa’s Booby Trap, who had won four straight on the dirt, never appeared comfortable on the grass under Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, tucked away fourth early on the rail behind Queen of the Creek and then fading through the stretch to finish 10^th, beaten nearly 17 lengths by the winner.

 

Owned by her trainer, Tim Snyder, who bought her for only $4,500, Lisa’s Booby Trap nonetheless received a warm round of applause from the crowd of 9,589 when she returned from her losing effort.

 

“A lot of people are prepared for the win, and not prepared to be disappointed,” said Snyder as he led the filly back to the barn. “I was prepared to be disappointed.

 

“This is no big deal,” he added. “It was her first time on grass.”

 

Queen of the Creek, a daughter of Theatrical who fetched $140,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sales, covered the mile in 1:33.94 under Julien Leparoux as she scored her first stakes victory in the Riskaverse, which was run in two divisions.

 

Earlier, the Todd Pletcher-trained Awesome Maria held off Snow Top Mountain to win the first division of the Riskaverse by a half-length, returning $4.70 in her 2010 debut as she ran the mile in 1:35.06.

 

The Tom Proctor-trained Queen of the Creek, winner of a July 26 optional claimer at the Spa, paid $10.40 to win as the second choice in the field of 10 behind Lisa’s Booby Trap, the sentimental favorite as well as the betting favorite.

 

From the moment she arrived at Saratoga, blind in one eye and named after both Snyder’s late wife and a gentlemen’s club in Miami, the story of Lisa’s Booby Trap captured the imagination of racing fans across the country. Following her victory in the Loudonville on the main track on August 6, Snyder decided to try her on the grass to keep his options open for the gangly filly, but it did not work out.

 

“She was never comfortable,” said Desormeaux, who had been aboard for the big filly’s Loudonville win. “Not two feet out of the gate. She was grunting and making noise. I’m sure she didn’t enjoy the going at all. This doesn’t take anything away from her for me. She’s already a superstar.”

 

Snyder, whose sister, daughter and mother-in-law all came to Saratoga Springs for the race, and who was followed throughout the day by a crew from Dateline NBC, said he was disappointed with the loss but glad for the experience.

 

“It was a great experience for her,” he said. “She’ll go back to my mother-in-law’s farm in Syracuse.”

 

-30-