Simply in Front – Music City S. – Coady Media
After conceding a length lead in the opening few yards, Simply in Front (Summer Front) had to race from slower to faster, navigate traffic and finish with energy to defeat Pipsy (Ire) (Kodiak (GB)) in the tricky finale of the Music City Stakes G2T ($2,000,000), a 6 ½ furlong race for three-year-old fillies that was part of an exceptional day at Kentucky Downs that included six selective races totaling $12 million in prize money. Luis Sáez’s riding was decisive in the victory of Eddie Kenneally’s pupil, who closed with a 6-1 odds in the betting.
Simply in Front fell back in the early yards, as did Buttercream Babe (Twirling Candy), although the latter was compromised at the start. Meanwhile, Pipsy took the lead, closely followed by Regulatory Risk (Omaha Beach). A length and a half behind was Kairyu (Ire) (Kuroshio (Aus)), with Visually (Enticed) and Gavea (Ger) (Gleneagles (Ire)) trying to keep up. The eventual winner barely led three rivals at the far turn, but gradually improved. The first partial times were 22.78 (¼ mile) and 46.72 (½ mile).
Pipsy continued to make a strong run, reaching the long, decisive straight with a slight advantage over a group of new rivals that included, in addition to the winner, Buttercream Babe, Time to Dazzle (Not This Time) and Vive Veuve (Collected). The race became very complicated and it was difficult to predict the winner in the final 200 meters. Pipsy defended herself gallantly, responding to the demands of her jockey, but Sáez had managed to overcome the poor start of her rider, who went on the outside in the final 100 to finish half a length ahead of her fierce rival. Vive Veuve finished strongly to finish third, 1 ¼ lengths behind. Time to Dazzle and Kairyu completed the top five. The winner recorded a time of 1:16.01 for the 6 ½ furlongs.
Simply in Front thus earned her third win in nine starts, her first in a Graded event. She is a granddaughter of Blame, bred in Kentucky by William Harrigan and Mike Pietrangelo and races for Colebrook Farms, for whom she has earned $1,412,788, including $1.2 million in this race.
