2:26 pm: Sorry about that, Capital OTB players. We needed one of the 2-3-4 finishers in the F&M Turf and I didn't like Lahudood at all, so we're all down to a single $192 backup ticket.
I thought Lahudood ($25.40) was lucky to win the Flower Bowl at 21-1 last time but she didn't need a hole to open on the rail today. That's what Nashoba's Key needed, as she was bottled up for the entire race and settled for fourth, losing for the first time in eight career starts. Honey Ryder turned in her usual honest run to get up for second, beaten three-quarters of a lengths, with Passage of Time a neck behind in third.
It was the third straight BC victory for the winner of a Belmont prep race: Indian Blessing won the Frizette and Juvenile Fillies, War Pass the champagne and Juvenile and now Lahudood the Flower Bowl and F&M Turf.
The race was marred when Simply Perfect bolted on the clubhouse turn, taking Arrvalae and Precious Kitten out of the race before being pulled up.
Lahudood was one of two fillies Shadwell farm sent to trainer Kieran McLaughlin earlier this year along with Makderah, who appeared to be the better of the two, winning the New York Handicap before being injured. Lahudood became her second, and scored her first graded stakes victory in the Flower Bowl. Clearly her European breeding (Singspiel, from an Arazi mare) helped her handle the soft course today. The time for the 11 furlongs was a very slow 2:22.75.
Lahudood, ridden by Alan Garcia, topped a $167.60 exacta, $769.80 tri and $2371.20 super.
