LOUISVILLE, Ky. - More Than Pretty got a crafty trip before swinging out under Calvin Borel and posting a 19-1 upset Saturday in the $117,700 at Churchill Downs.
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More Than Pretty finished a length ahead of Handlewoman, who was compromised by an awkward start. Bratt'sstablestar finished third, while Serena's Cat, the even-money favorite in a field of 10, had no apparent excuse when finishing eighth in the five-furlong turf race for 3-year-old fillies.
More Than Pretty, a More Than Ready filly owned by Naveed Chowhan, returned $40.60 with her third victory from 14 lifetime starts. Bernie Flint is the trainer of More Than Pretty, who was making her turf debut.
Before an ontrack crowd of 11,504, and in overcast and unseasonably chilly weather, More Than Pretty broke swiftest but was allowed to settle in sixth while saving ground. Into the stretch, Borel deftly angled his mount out for the drive, and she responded with the best effort of her career.
"I had a lot of horse under me, but I went ahead and let her settle down," said Borel. "Turning for home, she jumped up into the bit a little quicker than I thought, so I said, 'Let me get out.' "
More Than Pretty finished in 57.14 seconds. The turf condition was listed as "good" after steady rain in previous days, resulting in two earlier turf races being transferred to the main track.
Flint and Chowhan got a kick afterward when talking about how Flint had made an oversight when nominating horses for the Open Mind and inadvertently left out More Than Pretty, which cost Chowhan a $5,000 supplementary fee. "That's fine, as long as this is the result," said Chowhan.
* Earlier on the card, jockey Rafael Bejarano rode three winners, including Mining for Silver ($5) in a $27,000 starter-allowance route. Bejarano and apprentice Julien Leparoux, who tied for riding honors at the Keeneland spring meet last month, once again are locked in a neck-and-neck duel for the Churchill riding title.
