Saturday, June 9, 2012
TAPITSFLY EARNS GRADE 1 IN LONGINES JUST A GAME
By Jon Forbes
ELMONT, N.Y. – The 5-year-old Tapitsfly, who earned her first graded stakes victory in March, scored at racing's highest level Saturday at Belmont Park with a front-running, stakes-record victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game for turf fillies and mares.
Ramon Dominguez prompted Tapitsfly, a Frank L. Jones, Jr. homebred, to take a clear lead from the rail, and the gray daughter of Tapit set honest fractions of 23.47, 46.44, and 1:09.48 as Wallis tracked in second. After Wallis capitulated at the top of the stretch, Tapitsfly extended her advantage, then turned back the stretch run of even-money favorite Winter Memories to prevail by 2 ¼ lengths.
"Looking on paper, there was no speed," noted Dominguez. "I was pretty happy when I got to the paddock and Dale said to me 'Try to put her on the lead.' It worked out beautifully. She relaxed for me. Turning for home, she gave a great kick. She was moving right along. I'm assuming the turf course is a little bit on the firm side, which contributed to the fractions to not being as slow as you would have thought. She came home very fast, and I guess the final time was very fast, too. In a race like this, you cannot underestimate
Off as the 3-1 second choice, Tapitsfly returned $8.40 for a $2 win wager and completed one mile on turf in 1:32.34. The previous stakes record of 1:32 2/5 was set in 1995 by Caress. Elusive Quality established the Widener course record of 1:31.63 in 1998.
Tapitsfly's most lucrative win to date came in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, a $1 million race which was ungraded at the time. She placed in three graded events before her breakthrough triumph in the Grade 2 Honey Fox in March at Gulfstream and entered Saturday's race off a third in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on April 14 at Keeneland and a second to
"This year has been good," said winning trainer Dale Romans, who will saddle Dullahan later today in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes. "She's won a Grade 2 and a Grade 1. She really needed a Grade 1 and deserved a Grade 1. We were thinking about running at Churchill, but I knew we needed to take on the big girls. Very impressive."
"Hopefully this is just a set up for things to come later in the day."
Tapitsfly, 6-6-4 in 21 starts, became a millionaire in the Longines Just a Game, with the $300,000 winner's share pushing her earnings to $1,253,836.
The win was particularly gratifying for Romans, who purchased and trained Tapitsfly's dam, Flying Marlin, for Jones. During her racing career, Flying Marlin won four of 17 starts and earned $146,051.
"Frank Jones, my father trained for him when I was born, so it's always good to win for him," said Romans. "Plus I bought her mother for him as a race filly. It's been good. She's like a member of the family."
Romans said Tapitsfly likely will join his string at Saratoga Race Course.
Up In Time was fourth, followed home by Sylvestris, Wallis, and Dancinginherdreams.
-30-
