Rymska Makes Triumphant Return in $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks (G3)
Rymska Makes Triumphant Return in $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks (G3)
First of Three Graded Turf Stakes on ‘Class on the Grass’ Program
LAUREL, MD – French-bred filly Rymska, unraced since becoming a graded stakes winner in early February, made a successful return to competition by rallying with a powerful move down the center of the stretch to capture Saturday’s $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks (G3) at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Commonwealth Oaks for 3-year-old fillies was the first of three graded events and one of eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses as part of Commonwealth Day’s 12-race ‘Class on the Grass’ program. It was joined by the $200,000 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup (G2) and $200,000 Commonwealth Oaks (G3) as well as five $60,000 stakes restricted to Virginia-bred/sired horses.
Sheep Pond Partners, Alain Jathiere, Tom Coleman and Norton Herrick’s Rymska ($6.80) went off as the 2-1 favorite in a competitive field of 10 despite not having run following her three-quarter-length victory in the Sweetest Chant (G3) Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park, her third North American start.
Under jockey Feargal Lynch, Rymska ran 1 1/8 miles over a firm Fort Marcy Turf Course layout in 1:46.94, finishing three-quarters of a length ahead of Chad Brown-trained stablemate Taperge, making her graded debut out of an optional claiming allowance win Aug. 17 at Saratoga.
It was another half-length back to I’m Betty G in third, followed by In the Lee, Flower Fashion, Proud Reunion, Canny, Chubby Star, Charged and Fly By. In the Lee was attempting to give owner Stuart Janney III and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey their third consecutive win in the Commonwealth Oaks following Onus in 2015 and My Impression in 2016.
“I watched the replay of her race down in Florida when she won the stake last time at Gulfstream, and [jockey] Joel [Rosario] did the same thing and sort of dropped her in,” winning jockey Feargal Lynch said. “She was going nicely down the back but as soon as I got her to the outside, she had such acceleration.
“You don’t want to get stopped in her run. My only instructions were she’s got a huge acceleration so when she kicks, don’t get in her way,” he added. “She just picked it up from there.”
Rymska broke outwardly, bumped with Canny out of the gate and got shuffled to the back, leading only one horse while saving ground on the inside as I’m Betty G rolled through a quarter-mile in 23.46 seconds, a half in 47.38 and six furlongs in 1:11.43 chased closest by Chubby Star and In the Lee.
Lynch swung outside and began to get into Rymska as they rounded the far turn, gradually picking up horses before being set down for the drive into the stretch, where she steadily gained ground to pass In the Lee and a front-running Taperge approaching the wire for her second straight graded stakes win.
“Her breezes at Belmont have been very good, so we were very hopeful,” Dermot Magner, assistant to New York-based winning trainer Chad Brown said. “Both fillies got different trips. One got shuffled back and the other got the great trip. The winner came wide. Both fillies ran huge races. We’re very happy with both of them.”
Said Taperge’s jockey, Nik Juarez: “Chad’s other horse was just much the best, but I couldn’t have asked for a better trip.”
