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COUNTESS CASHMERE WINS PURPLE VIOLET STAKES
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (June 7, 2014) – John Carver’s Countess Cashmere wore down the front running Richies Sweetheart in the final few yards to prevail by a half-length in the $85,125 Purple Violet Stakes on Saturday at Arlington International Racecourse. C. H. Marquez Jr. rode the homebred daughter of Bellamy Road for the victory in 1:37.83 for the mile on Polytrack.
Richies Sweetheart, ridden by jockey Tim Thornton, took the field of nine sophomore fillies through fractions of 23.52 seconds for the quarter mile, 46.80 for the half-mile, a three-quarter mile split of 1:11.68 and seven furlongs in 1:24.55 before grudgingly being overtaken in deep stretch.
“Last time I rode her it was three-quarters and she’s never been (a mile), so obviously she was going to be a little rank early but I managed to get her to sit off Timmy’s filly and she finished well,” said Marquez who had ridden the winner’s sire, Bellamy Road, as well as her grand sire, Concerto. “I let Timmy go. I didn’t want to go head and head because we’d burn each other out and set it up for somebody else. I was able to get outside quick. I sat there and waited as long as I could. When I asked her, she responded. Both fillies were giving their all and my filly just got the edge on her the last part.”
The winner is trained by Tom Swearingen, who also won last week’s Springfield Stakes, the open counterpart to Saturday’s headliner, with I Got It All. She earned $49,032 to more than double her bankroll to $79,932 while improving her overall record to two wins, a second and a third from four starts.
“I didn’t think she was going to get the distance,” said Thornton of the runner-up. “It was going to be tough to stretch her out a mile. I thought I got an easy enough lead and got her to relax. I thought it was a slow enough pace. She ran well but couldn’t hold up late.”
Countess Cashmere paid $13, $5.20 and $4.20. Richies Sweetheart returned $3.60 and $2.80. Brazyn Appeal finished third and paid $5.60.
Cabana, Sunshine Caris, Pistols Drawn, Lakotadreamcatcher, Bellarada and Gabio completed the order of finish.
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