Eye of the Leopard and Gozzip Girl Win
Races Also Featured Presious Passion and Sam-Son Farm Fifth Queen's
Jul 21, 2009
Sam-Son Farm gained its fifth Queen's Plate victory behind the sizzling effort of Eye of the Leopard over Mr. Foricos Two U in the stretch at Woodbine in June. After losing key personnel, Sam-Son Farm, a leading Canadian breeding and racing operation, won the $883,816 Queen's for three-year-old Canadian-breds with an A.P. Indy offspring who also captured the Plate Trial takes in May.
Zipping past thirteen rivals, Gozzip Girl romped by 3-1/4 lengths in the $700,000 American Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1) on turf at Hollywood Park July 5. Presious Passion scored with a record-breaking performance in the $750,000 United Nations Stakes (G1) on the turf at Monmouth Park on Independence Day.
Sam-Son Farm's Fifth Queen's Plate
Winner of nine previous Sovereign Awards as outstanding owner and seven Sovereign Awards as best breeder, Sam-Son Farm of Canada took bows at Woodbine as their A.P. Indy--Eye of the Sphynx son crunched through the final furlong to gain a neck victory over Mr. Foricos Two U, who beat out Milwaukee Appeal by a head for second money.
With Stewart Elliott of Smarty Jones fame up, Milwaukee Appeal took third easily by 2-3/4 lengths over Tasty Temptation.
Eye of the Leopard, guided by Eurico Da Silva and trained by Mark Frostad, won his third event from four posts. His earnings shot to $650,678. His time in the 1-1/4 miles Queen's was 2:03.84. Eye of the Leopard's dam, Eye of the Sphynx by Smart Strike, was named 2004 Canadian Three-Year-Old Champion Filly.
Sam-Son Farm's Ernie Samuel died in 2000. Liza Samuel died in March of 2008, and the couple's daughter, Tammy Samuel-Balaz, passed away in January of 2008. Tammy's husband, Rick, and two Samuel children, Mark and Kim, continue to run the farm.
The Samuel's previous Queen's winners included Regal Intention (1988), Dance Smartly (1991), Scatter the Gold (2000), and Dancethruthedawn (2001).
Gozzip Girl Zips to American Oaks Title
A Dynaformer daughter out of unraced Temperence Gift, Gozzip Girl is owned by Myron Miller, whose family is fond of a television program named Gossip Girl. Temperence Gift is by Kingmambo.
The 2009 edition of the American Oaks had entries from England, New Zealand, and Ireland, as well as from the American states of New York, Kentucky, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Gozzip Girl, who lost in the Ashland Stakes (G1) by a neck on Keeneland's Polytrack surface to Hooh Why, became golden on the Hollywood Park turf.
Gozzip Girl was bred in Kentucky by Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. She is trained by Thomas Albertrani, the successful conditioner of 2006 Preakness Stakes and Travers Stakes (G1) champion Bernardini. Jockey Kent Desormeaux briefly left New York for an encore victory with Gozzip Girl.
The three-year-old dark bay filly increased her career earnings to $782,194 with her fifth lifetime win in eight starts. She ran the 1-1/4 miles American Oaks in 2:00.22.
Well Monied, a Maria's Mon--Queen of America, by Quiet American offspring, went second, and Lexlenox of Ireland ran third.
Presious Passion Breaks United Nations Record
A Royal Anthem son out of Princesa's Passion, by Marguetry, six-year-old Presious Passion continued his passion for racing by breaking the course record in the United Nations by almost two seconds. In two well-gained lengths over Lauro of Germany, Presious Passion's performance broke the old speed record of 2:12.78 with a run of 2:10.97.
Owned by Patricia A. Generazio and trained by Mary Hartmann, Presious Passion was bred in Florida by Joseph and Helen Barbazon.
The chestnut gelding had led the 1-3/8 miles United Nations by as many as twenty lengths before Lauro gave game chase. It was Presious Passion's second consecutive win in the United Nations.
Jockey Elvis Trujillo enjoyed the speedy win. His mount had yet another gear in the stretch when Lauro began to gain ground, Trujillo told post-race interviewers.
Round Table was the first to win two runnings of the United Nations. He accomplished the feat in 1957 and again in 1959. Mongo, (1962-1963), Noble Dancer (1978-1979), Manila (1986-1987), and Sandpit (1995-1996) all won back-to-back editions of the race.
Presious Passion's lifetime earnings rose to $1,842,018 with twelve victories from thirty-nine career starts.
