‘She’s a little superstar.’ Filly becomes American Pharoah’s first Grade 1 champ.
Few distinctions in the Thoroughbred racing industry have eluded legendary Triple Crown champion American Pharoah. Following weekend stakes action at Keeneland, cross one more achievement off the list.
Harvey’s Lil Goil forged a commanding lead in the upper stretch and held off Micheline by three-quarters of a length at the wire to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on Saturday. With the victory, the 3-year-old filly became the first offspring of American Pharoah to win a Grade 1 race.
“We were pretty confident with her,” Kenny McCarthy, assistant to Harvey’s Lil Goil trainer Bill Mott, said. “She ran a super race for us at Kentucky Downs (finishing second to Micheline in the Sept. 10 Dueling Grounds Oaks) in her last out and had trained really well in between. She’s a little superstar. She pretty much goes on any surface for us.”
Going off as the 7-2 third choice under jockey Martin Garcia, Harvey’s Lil Goil settled behind 5-2 second choice Sweet Melania early. The duo hit the top of the stretch as a team before Harvey’s Lil Goil burst ahead.
Magic Attitude, the 8-5 favorite, made the first run at Harvey’s Lil Goil before 11-1 Micheline charged to grab second.
The 1 1/8-mile turf victory was worth $300,000 and increased Harvey’s Lil Goil’s earnings to $561,529 with a record of 4-1-1 in eight starts.
Harvey’s Lil Goil paid $9.20, $5.20 and $3.20. Micheline, ridden by Florent Geroux, returned $9.20 and $4.40 and finished a half-length in front of Magic Attitude, who paid $2.40 to show under Javier Castellano.
European champ to make U.S. debut at Keeneland
Great Britain-bred Ziyad will make his U.S. debut Thursday when he headlines a field of 10 in the 26th running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland.
The 1 1/2-mile turf contest for 3-year-olds and up is the eighth race on Thursday’s nine-race program with a post time of 4:57 p.m. Trained by three-time Sycamore winner Graham Motion, Ziyad will be making his second trip to North America. Last year he ran third as the favorite in the Grade 1 Pattison Canadian International at Woodbine.
In his most recent start, Ziyad ran sixth in the Grade 2 Qatar Prix Foy at Longchamp in France. On Thursday, Ziyad will be ridden in the Sycamore by Manny Franco and break from post position 10.
Other top contenders in the Sycamore include Aquaphobia — winner of the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth in July who will be making his first Keeneland start since April 2017 — and Bill Mott-trained Red Knight, who most recently came off a seven-month layoff to run second in the Grade 3 Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 12.
Horseman Barry Abrams dies
Longtime trainer and horseman Barry Abrams died of respiratory failure in Pasadena, Calif., on Friday after a lengthy battle with throat cancer. He was 66.
Born in Belarus, Abrams emigrated to the United States in 1963. He earned his Thoroughbred trainer’s license in 1993 after beginning his foray into the horse industry as a trainer of standardbreds. During a training career that included 688 wins, Abrams’ horses amassed more than $30 million in career earnings.
Abrams was also a successful breeder and owner. His horse Unusual Heat, whom he co-owned along with Harris Auerbach and his mother, Madeline Auerbach, became one of California’s most well-regarded and successful sires.
“He was an incredible horseman who had a real connection with the horses,” Harris Auerbach said after Abrams’ death, according to Tracy Gants of BloodHorse. “He taught me a lot about horses and the business of racing.”
Keeneland 2020 Fall Meet
When: Through Oct. 24 (no spectators allowed)
Race days: Wednesdays through Sundays
First post: 1:05 p.m.
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 7:31 PM.
