Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s APPEALING ZOPHIE (Successful Appeal) was never
headed en route to a dominating 5 1/4-length victory in the $250,000
Spinaway
S. (G1) at Saratoga on Sunday. Getting out to the early lead under jockey
Shaun Bridgmohan, the dark bay juvenile maintained a 2 1/2-length
advantage through splits of :22 1/5 and :45 3/5 before opening up in upper
stretch to six lengths through three-quarters of a mile in 1:10 2/5. The Scott
Blasi trainee was never challenged in her run to the wire, stopping the
clock on the seven-furlong event in 1:23 3/5 over the good track.
Sent off at 9-2, the winner gave back $11.60, $4.70 and $3.10
while keying a $33.60 exacta and $78 trifecta (2-4-6). The real battle was
for second, with 2-1 favorite Cotton Blossom (Broken Vow) taking the runner-up
spot by a head to return
$3.50 and $2.70. X Star (Pulpit), who had raced in second throughout, was just
beaten at the wire, paying $2.50 at 2-1 for the bronze position. Post
Invader (Salt Lake) was 6 1/2 lengths farther back in fourth, followed by
Cool the Economy (Mazel Trick), Pro Pink (Touch Gold), Ruby Crown (Awesome
Again) and My Favorite (Favorite Trick).
Bred in Florida by Luann Baker, Appealing Zophie is out of the winning
Hawkster mare Zophie, whose latest foals are an unnamed yearling colt by Tour
D’or and a 2006 colt by Trippi. The winner was purchased by her current owners
for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale at
Calder.
Appealing Zophie wired her career debut at Keeneland by 10 1/2 lengths despite stumbling
at the break, and was second best in the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies S. last
out. The $150,000 winner’s share boosted her bankroll to $193,350 and advanced
her career line to 3-2-1-0.