Dancing House Leads 1-2 Finish for McLaughlin in G2 Barbara Fritchie
Dancing House Leads 1-2 Finish for McLaughlin in G2 Barbara Fritchie
LAUREL, MD – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin shipped two horses to Laurel Park Saturday with the specific purpose of earning graded-stakes credentials for Dancing House and Clothes Fall Off in the $300,000 Barbara Fritchie (G3), and he came away with a 1-2 finish in the seven-furlong stakes for fillies and mares.
Godolphin Racing’s Dancing House ($10.80) pressed the pace before drawing away to win by 1 ¾ lengths over the late-closing Cheyenne Stables, Southern Equine Stable and Hat Creek Racing’s Clothes Fall Off in the feature of Saturday’s nine-race card that kicked off Laurel Park’s Winter Carnival Weekend.
“That was fabulous. I was very excited. It was a very tough, tough race. Both fillies ran great. I’m very, very happy to be first and second,” said McLaughlin by phone from Gulfstream Park, where he saddled Godolphin Racing’s Penwith for a victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Royal Delta Stakes (G2).”
Dancing House, who was Grade 1 stakes-placed over Saratoga’s main track in 2013 before being switched to turf, earned her first graded-stakes victory in the Barbara Fritchie. The 5-year-old daughter of Tapit, who won two of six starts on turf without a stakes win, had returned to dirt in her two starts prior to Saturday’s victory, capturing a Keeneland allowance race in April and finishing second behind Eclipse Award champion La Verdad in the Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct Jan. 9.
Dancing House recovered from a slight bobble at the start to press the pace set by Hot City Girl, a New York-based filly and half-sister to La Verdad who had finished second in the La Brea (G1) at Santa Anita last time out. Hot City Girl, the 9-5 second choice ridden by Jose Ortiz, set fractions of 22.87 seconds and 46.34 for the first half mile while being pressed by Dancing House and jockey Kendrick Carmouche along the backstretch and around the far turn. Turning into the homestretch, Dancing House edged away from a tiring Hot City Girl to take the lead while encountering a serious bid to her outside by defending champion Lady Sabelia, the 3-2 favorite ridden by Horacio Karamanos.
The McLaughlin-trained mare responded to Carmouche’s urging and drew away through the stretch, completing seven furlongs in 1:25.23.
“Kiaran does not usually give instructions to the jock. He expects a professional ride every time. She stumbled a little bit out of the gate, but we were able to gather ourselves,” Carmouche said. “She was in great shape and training well coming into the race. She really ran a nice race.”
Clothes Fall Off, who saved ground under jockey Jevian Toledo, split rivals in the stretch and rallied to finish second in her graded-stakes debut, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Lady Sabelia.
“Clothes Fall Off ran big and she’ll have her chance down the road. She ran very well stepping up to a Grade 2 stakes,” McLaughlin said. “Dancing House, it nice to get her a Grade 2 win because she was Grade 1 stakes-placed before. It was a great, great day. She was third in the Spinaway as a 2-year-old and then we went turf. We went back to dirt and she’s 2-for-3 now and second to La Verdad.”
While scoring her first graded-stakes victory Saturday, Dancing House earned $180,000 to push her career earns to $449,825 with her fifth career start in 11 starts.
“No [plans]. We’ve been pointing to this for a while with both. We’re really happy to win this,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll look ahead, but we’re real happy to be first and second. I thank Laurel for running today.”
