Godolphin Stable’s MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy) got the jump on Kentucky Oaks (G1)
queen Proud Spell (Proud Citizen) entering the stretch of Saturday’s $237,500
Mother
Goose S. (G1) and easily pulled away to capture her stakes debut by 3 1/2
lengths under Javier Castellano. Sent off the 8-5 second choice, Music Note paid
$5.30 and $11.60 while keying the $36.40 exacta (4-3) after show wagering was
canceled.
“We fully expected that she would run a big race, but we knew it would be a
tough race with the Oaks winner in the field,” trainer Saeed bin Suroor said. “I
told the jockey (Castellano), just keep her close. She’s got a good turn of
foot. Right now, we’ll keep our options open with her, see how she comes out of
the race and look for another Grade 1.”
The drama began when the gates opened, with only Never Retreat (Smart Strike)
getting a clean break. Proud Spell practically fell out of the gate, going to
her knees, while Hamsa (Fusaichi Pegasus) to her inside and Music Note on the
far outside stumbled badly. Considering she was the only who kept her hooves under her
at the start, it was a foregone conclusion that Never Retreat would get the
early lead. Music Note raced up to her outside while jockey Gabriel Saez settled
Proud Spell just behind and to the inside.
Never Retreat maintained her advantage through splits of :24 4/5 and :48 3/5
without much changing in terms of position behind her. Nearing the turn, Castellano urged
Music Note on and the bay lass responded, getting up to the leader’s throat
latch through six furlongs in 1:13. Proud Spell was still racing along the
rail but suddenly found herself shutoff entering the lane, with Saez forced to
take up sharply and swing her to the outside. The little filly wouldn’t give up,
though, trying to make up ground on Music Note while drifting back and forth.
Right before the wire, she drifted out into Never Retreat on her outside, but it
was too late as Music Note finished up the 1 1/8-mile affair in 1:49 3/5 on the
fast dirt.
“I had a beautiful trip, even though she stumbled at the start,” Castellano
said. “I tried to position myself; I did not want to be on the lead. It was a
pretty tight trip. I wanted to be in position to just push the button. She
galloped out good, and I don’t think she will have a problem going farther.”
Proud Spell finished 3 1/2 lengths behind Music Note, Never Retreat was
another 1 3/4 lengths back in third and Hamsa completed the order under the
wire, 2 3/4 lengths back. The stewards posted the inquiry sign soon after the
finish, eventually disqualifying Proud Spell to third for interfering with Never
Retreat in the stretch and promoting that filly to second. Backers of the dark
bay miss were happy with the decision, as she paid $20 as the 10-1 third pick in
the four-horse field.
“From the start, we was against it,” trainer Larry Jones said of Proud Spell.
“She looks like she’s OK; she didn’t grab a quarter or nothing. From the
beginning, it looked like it wasn’t going to be our day. When we needed
somewhere to go, we had nowhere to go. And when it was time to go, we weren’t
going.”
Music Note began her career as a Darley runner, finishing fourth in her
career debut prior to breaking her maiden at Aqueduct by 7 1/4 lengths in
November for trainer Tom Albertrani. She was subsequently moved up to
Godolphin’s operation and sent to bin Suroor’s barn. Making her 2008 debut in
the royal blue silks, Music Note continued to improve, recording a seven-length
allowance victory on May 22 at Belmont, and she improved her mark to 4-3-0-0,
$218,000, with the prestigious Mother Goose.
Bred in Kentucky by Gainsborough Farm, Music Note is out of the unraced Note
Musicale (GB) (Sadler’s Wells), making her a half-sister to 2003 French One
Thousand Guineas (Fr-G1) and 2004 John C. Mabee H. (G1) heroine Musical Chimes
(In Excess [Ire]). Note Musicale is herself a daughter of 1978 champion
two-year-old filly It’s in the Air (Mr. Prospector), who captured of
back-to-back runnings of the Vanity H. (G1) as well as the Ruffian H. (G1),
Alabama S. (G1) and Delaware Oaks (G1) during her career.
Other notables in Music Note’s female line include 1994 Irish Derby (Ire-G1)
queen and highweight Balanchine (Storm Bird); multiple Irish Group 1 heroine
Saoirse Abu (Mr. Greeley); multiple Grade/Group 1 victor and stallion Storming
Home (GB) (Machiavellian); and Group 2-winning sire Romanov (Ire) (Nureyev).
Music Note’s trainer mentioned the August 16 Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga
as a possible next start.