Darley Stable’s DUBAI ESCAPADE (Awesome Again) rebounded from her lone defeat
on the dirt and capped off an incredible week for her owners in romping home an
8 1/2-length winner of the $240,000
Ballerina Breeders’ Cup S. (G1) at Saratoga
on Sunday.
Breaking like a shot beneath Edgar Prado, the Eoin Harty charge was soon
clear and deflated the hopes of her competitors by the time she reached a
half-mile in :45 2/5. As the four-year-old turned for home, she spurted away to
an even more convincing lead and poured it on late under little encouragement,
stopping the timer for seven furlongs in a solid 1:23 as she posted her initial
Grade 1 tally.
“It has been a career weekend for Darley and Godolphin,” Harty said. “To come
here and dominate like that is a terrific effort. There are several options to
take with her. I have to talk to Sheikh Mohammad to find out what direction they
want to take. The most important thing was to get the Grade 1 race.”
Sent off as the 6-5 choice, the speedy four-year-old miss gave back $4.60,
$3.20 and $3.10 while topping the $27.20 exacta and $132 trifecta (4-2-3).
Nothing But Fun (Dixie Union) sat last early but showed some good energy
through the lane in garnering the place spot, paying $4.70 and $4.10 at 5-1.
Stormy Kiss (Arg) (Bernstein) rated off the pace early and ran quite well to
secure the third spot another 1 1/2 lengths back. The 9-1 shot was worth $4.50.
Indian Flare (Cherokee Run) was next and trailed by High Button Shoes (Carson
City), 2-1 second shot Malibu Mint (Malibu Moon) and Grecian Lover (Friendly
Lover).
Dubai Escapade moved her career mark to 8-6-0-0 with earnings of $427,050
following the win, more than atoning for an off-the-board finish in Calder’s Princess Rooney H. (G1) last out. The scarily fast bay earlier captured the
Vagrancy H. (G2) and Madison S. (G2).
“She’s a supremely fast horse,” Harty said. “At Calder, I don’t think she
handled the track and she appeared confused when another horse went by her. I
just threw out that race and started from scratch.”
Bred in the Bluegrass State by Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds and James
Blackburn, the winner fetched a bid of $2 million at the 2004 Barretts March
Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Produced from the multiple stakes winning Sassy
Pants (Saratoga Six), and preceded in stakes glory by Grade 1-winning sprinting half-sister Madcap Escapade (Hennessy), Dubai Escapade counts an unraced
two-year-old colt named Real Estate (High Yield), an unnamed yearling colt by
Empire Maker and a 2006 filly by Giant’s Causeway as half-siblings.