Stronach Stables’ homebred GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) stalked the pace on
the outside during Saturday’s $300,000
Ogden
Phipps H. (G1) at Belmont Park, took over entering the stretch and easily
scored her fourth Grade 1 victory for trainer Bobby Frankel. With Rafael
Bejarano aboard, she was 7 3/4 lengths in front of her nearest rival on the wire
and ran 1 1/16 miles on the fast dirt in 1:42 1/5.
“They talked about retiring her last year, but I said, ‘She’s pretty sound.
Why not keep her in training?'” Frankel admitted. “She’s not the prettiest filly
in the world, but she’s got a heart the size of an elephant and that’s what
counts.
“She had a quarter-crack about three weeks ago, but it came together very
well. Today, she ran like she trained.”
Mistical Plan (Game Plan) sprinted to the front from her rail post when the
gates opened, recording splits of :23 2/5, :46 4/5 and 1:10 4/5. Meanwhile,
Ginger Punch was just to her outside, moving up from third to settle just off
the pacesetter’s flank in second through the first three-quarters. Bejarano gave
her nudge entering the turn and Ginger Punch began quickening, taking over
through a mile in 1:35 3/5 and going on to take her second straight graded
score.
“She’s getting better day by day,” Bejarano said. “Today, I tried to follow
the speed. At the five-eighths (pole), I wanted to get into position and by the
three-eighths the race was done.”
Sent off the 1-2 favorite, Ginger Punch paid $3, $2.20 and $2.10 while
starting the $7.80 exacta and $44.20 trifecta (1-4-2). Golden Velvet (Seeking
the Gold), who was racing just in behind Ginger Punch, moved up to take second
by a length and gave back $2.90 and $2.30 as the 3-1 second pick. It was another
length back to Mistical Plan, who was the second longest shot at 24-1 and
returned $4.20 in third. Cowgirls Don’t Cry (Pure Prize) followed in fourth,
while Moon Catcher (Malibu Moon) and Spectacular Malibu (Malibu Moon) completed
the order under the wire. Spring Waltz (Silver Charm) was withdrawn.
Ginger Punch exploded onto the scene last year, running second in the Madison
S. (G2) before showing up to just miss by a neck in this race to defending
winner Take D’ Tour. The chestnut would not taste defeat in her next three
races, taking the First Flight H. (G2), Go for Wand H. (G1) and Ruffian H. (G1).
She finished third in the Beldame S. (G1) prior to wrapping up the Eclipse Award
for champion older mare with a determined neck score in the Breeders’ Cup
Distaff (G1).
Ginger Punch was given some time off following that game win, and returned
this year to add scores in the Sunshine Millions Distaff and Louisville H. (G2)
to her line, with a third in the Apple Blossom H. (G1) to up-and-coming star
Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) sandwiched in between those two races. The
five-year-old reigning champion now sports a 18-10-5-2 career mark and has
earned $2,555,603.
The Adena Springs Florida-bred is out of Grade 2 winner Nappelon (Bold
Revenue), who is also the dam of an unraced three-year-old filly named Gold
Revenue (Touch Gold) and an unraced two-year-old filly named Helena Handbasket
(Red Bullet).