Acoma wins Spinster Stakes at Keeneland

She already had multiple graded stakes wins to her credit and victories over all three surfaces — credentials that easily backed up her pedigree and could have gotten her a date with virtually any stallion of her connections' choosing.

There was one reason, however, Acoma was left in training for her 5-year-old season. And in what was likely her last shot at earning the Grade I win that had eluded her, the daughter of Empire Maker justified every bit of that gamble.

If the Grade I, $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster is indeed Acoma's swan song, the bay mare could not have left a better last impression. Under Alan Garcia, Acoma forged to the lead at the top of the stretch and held off a bid from Milwaukee Appeal to capture the 11⁄8-mile test by half a length at Keeneland for her first career win at racing's top level.

Acoma owned graded stakes wins on dirt and turf prior to this year. But her connections said they felt that if the sometimes quirky mare could get her head and her ability right at the same time, Grade I glory could be hers.

Then Acoma finished seventh in the Grade I Beverly D. on Aug. 21. So the Spinster was a gutsy call that looks downright brilliant now, thanks to Acoma's performance.

"We always knew she had this kind of ability. It was just a question of getting it done on the day," said Helen Alexander, who owns Acoma with her mother, Helen Groves. "It's huge; she's been so good to us. I think it's probably likely this is it for her.

"She's trained like this for a long time, and you just hope they run their best race on the day that you want them to."

For trainer David Carroll, Sunday's outing is at the top of his professional list for best day ever. It was also the first Grade I win in his 18-year career.

"To win my first Grade I at Keeneland for these people (Groves and Alexander), I mean, unbelievable," Carroll said. "In our eyes, she's been a Grade I-winning filly since the moment we got her, and it's taken this long to win one. When she shows up, she's very, very good."

Acoma ended 2009 with a win in the Grade III Cardinal Handicap on the turf at Churchill Downs, but her losses in three previous races this year prompted bettors to dismiss her at 23-1 — the longest shot in the 10-horse Spinster field.

After settling off the pace in sixth while Rinterval carved out a half-mile in :47.34, Acoma angled out four-wide and began to reward the backers she did have when she motored past Tizaqueena, who was making a bid of her own between horses.

Runner-up Milwaukee Appeal gamely tried to rally along the rail, but Acoma wouldn't budge, driving down the middle of the track and hitting the wire in 1:48.77 with race favorite Hot Cha Cha getting up for third.

"She took a breather from the quarter pole to the eighth pole, and I said 'I'm going to win it,' " said Kent Desormeaux, jockey of Milwaukee Appeal. "She made a second effort."

The Spinster marked Acoma's ninth win in 18 career starts and put her over $1 million in earnings.

In the Grade III Bourbon for 2-year-olds on the turf, the Ken McPeek-trained Rogue Romance unleashed a huge last-to-first kick to win the 11⁄16-mile test by 2½ lengths and earn a possible next start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs.

Four of Acoma's seven graded-stakes wins have come at Churchill — including three on the grass — a tempting carrot should her owners have second thoughts about her retirement plans and opt to take a shot at the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

For the moment, though, those closest to Acoma just plan to savor the fact that she has finally become everything they believed she was.

"I know she likes Churchill, but that's a lot to ask," Alexander said. "When she came out of her mother, she was beautiful. She was a beautiful yearling, and you have such high hopes for those kind. But you never know."

This story was originally published October 11, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Acoma wins Spinster Stakes at Keeneland."