Wednesday, July 18, 2012

ZO IMPRESSIVE TAKES ON PLETCHER PAIR IN TVG CCA OAKS (G1)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

 

Contact: Jon Forbes

jforbes@nyrainc.com

 

ZO IMPRESSIVE TAKES ON PLETCHER PAIR IN TVG CCA OAKS

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Zo Impressive, a resolute winner of the Grade 1 Mother Goose in June, will attempt to continue her forward progression when she takes on five opponents in the Grade 1, $300,000 TVG Coaching Club American Oaks on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

 

The TVG Coaching Club American Oaks, a 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-old fillies, will serve as a rematch between Zo Impressive and Mother Goose runner-up Disposablepleasure, who will be joined by stablemate In Lingerie, heroine of the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan.

 

In the June 23 Mother Goose, Zo Impressive raced in third before inheriting the lead when the pacesetters capitulated, then resisted Disposablepleasure’s outside rally to prevail by three-quarters of a length and register her first stakes win.

 

“She was training exceptionally well going into the Mother Goose,” said trainer Tom Albertani. “She was doing well at the right time, and she came out of the race just as good. This is the best I’ve seen her.”

 

In two previous stakes tries, Zo Impressive, a Live Oak homebred, was second in both the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks in March and the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont in June. Like the TVG Coaching Club American Oaks, the Gulfstream Park Oaks was contested around two turns at 1 1/8 miles.

 

“She ran around two turns at Gulfstream and didn’t have any problems,” said Albertrani. “I don’t think the extra distance should be an issue as she was edging away from Disposablepleasure in the last 50 yards of the Mother Goose.”

 

Rajiv Maragh will ride Zo Impressive, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, from post position 5.

 

Glencrest Farm’s Disposablepleasure will try to turn the tables on Zo Impressive in Saturday’s race. She already has won going 1 1/8 miles, having won the Grade 2 Demoiselle around two turns last November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

 

“For a moment, I thought she was going to get there [in the Mother Goose],” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “She just couldn’t get past Zo Impressive. It was another improved effort. Each race this year she has gotten a little better, and hopefully she’ll continue to move forward and maybe knock one of these down one of these days. I think a mile and an eighth suits her well.”

 

Disposablepleasure entered the Mother Goose off a second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths, to stablemate In Lingerie in the Black-Eyed Susan on May 18 at Pimlico. In Lingerie, unlike Disposablepleasure, is unraced since that start.

 

“She kind of grabbed herself when she left the gate, and we just needed to make sure that healed up properly,” said Pletcher of In Lingerie. “If we came back in the Mother Goose, that probably would have put her in position where we would have had to skip [either the TVG Coaching Club American Oaks or Grade 1 Alabama on August 18]. Coming off the big effort we figured the Mother Goose was the logical one [to bypass], and hopefully if things go well we can run her twice here.”

 

In Lingerie, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber, also has a six-length win in the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks in March over Turfway Park’s artificial surface to her credit.

 

Disposablepleasure, who will carry Rosie Napravnik for the first time in her career, drew post 2 at 4-1 on the morning. In Lingerie, 5-2, will depart from post 6 with Javier Castellano aboard.

 

Questing steps up in class off a 3 ¾-length optional claiming score on June 24. She received a Beyer Speed Figure of 105 for the effort, the best lifetime figure of all six TVG Coaching Club American Oaks entrants. After carrying the Darley Stable colors in her previous starts, she’ll run in Godolphin Racing blue on Saturday.

 

Prior to the optional claiming win, Questing made a pair of starts on turf, finishing fifth on May 11 at Belmont and fourth on March 14 at Gulfstream. In her North American debut, she was fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies after arriving from England.

 

“She obviously ran huge on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup and for us the other day, so we’re entering,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who won the 2011 TVG Coaching Club American Oaks with Godolphin’s It’s Tricky. “It’s a big step up from an allowance to a Grade 1. It looks like a short, quality field. It’d be great if we could hit the board. We wouldn’t have minded if it was a week later, but we decided to give it a try. She’s a very nice filly.”

 

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Questing, 3-1, from the rail.

 

The field also includes Yara, winner of the Grade 2 Davona Dale earlier in the year and third in Calder’s Leave Me Alone in her most recent start, and Funny Proposition, eighth in the Grade 3 Regret on turf.

 

The field for the Grade 1, $300,000 TVG Coaching Club American Oaks:

PP

Horse

Jockey

Wgt

Trainer

Odds

1

Questing (GB)

I Ortiz, Jr.

121

K P McLaughlin

3-1

2

Disposablepleasure (KY)

R Napravnik

121

T A Pletcher

4-1

3

Yara (FL)

J Rosario

121

J C Guerrero

15-1

4

Funny Proposition (KY)

S Bridgmohan

121

M E Casse

8-1

5

Zo Impressive (KY)

R Maragh

121

T Albertrani

2-1

6

In Lingerie (KY)

J Castellano

121

T A Pletcher

5-2

 

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