**This is part of a series profiling the top New York-based contenders heading to the Breeders’ Cup. Please see the attached photo of Rightly So. Credit NYRA,
Friday, October 29, 2010
Contact: Maggie Wolfendale
“She has always been a consistent and very intense and determined filly,” explained Tony Dutrow, who trains the New York-bred filly for Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Stables, LLC. “When she leaves the gate she runs as fast as she can for as long as she can. She is on go at all times.”
Although she came a half-length short of finding the winner’s circle in her first start, Rightly So showed New York what she was made of on January 25, 2009, when she broke her maiden against state-breds by 10 ¼ lengths at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“Honestly, I was so surprised that she didn’t win her first race,” said Dutrow. “I thought there was no way she would lose against New York-breds, but she came back the next time and showed them what she was about.”
The daughter of Read the Footnotes continued her winning ways, running her streak to five straight and wrapped up 2009 in style with a pair of state-bred stakes victories including the Iroquois on
“After she won that race there wasn’t even a question in my or Mr. Z’s mind that the Breeders’ Cup would be her next start,” said Dutrow of Rightly So, who is being supplemented to the Filly & Mare Sprint for $90,000. “How could we not take her there after that performance?”
Never worse than third in her career, Rightly So will likely line up at Churchill Downs against a full field for the seven-furlong race, a distance at which she is 3-for-3. Having led at every call in all but one of her victories, there won’t be much discussion between Dutrow and jockey Cornelio Velasquez about race strategy.
“Of course it won’t be good if she goes out to the lead and duels with another horse,” said Dutrow. “But there is really no sense in me looking at the race, because I’m not going to try and change her running style; just going to let her do what she does best.”
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