Ginger Punch, Hystericalady Roll
Five-Year-Olds Cruise to Seven Length Wins in Phipps, Fleur de Lis
Jun 15, 2008
At Belmont Park, five-year-old mare Ginger Punch cruised past her competitors June 14 in 1:42.37 in the $300,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap, while counterpart Hystericalady romped at Churchill Downs, winning the $321,900 Fleur de Lis Handicap in 1:50.88 on the same day.
2007 Champion Older Female Ginger Punch
Last season, the Bobby Frankel-trained Ginger Punch won the Eclipse Award for Champion Older Female. She won the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Ginger Punch punched in with her third win in four starts this season, winning the Phipps by 7-3/4 lengths with rider Rafael Bejarano.
The performance improved her lifetime winnings to $2,555,603 with 10 victories in 18 starts.
Five challengers, including Mistical Plan, who controlled the early pace, were no match for the chestnut mare, as she eagerly put away Cowgirls Don't Cry on the turn, and dragged Bejarano into the stretch to chase Mistical Plan.
A few powerful strides later, it was over. Ginger Punch surrounded Mistical Plan and moved off smartly. Golden Velvet caught up to Mistical Plan to gain second place.
Stronach Stables owns Ginger Punch. She is a Awesome Again mare out of Nappelon, by Bold Revenue.
Hystericalady Maintains Dirt Track DominanceWith nine wins in 15 starts on conventional dirt surfaces, Hystericalady may be trained up to the Breeders' Cup Distaff. But the mare has not won in four trys on synthetic tracks, and the Cup is scheduled for Santa Anita's Cushion Track. The mare finished second twice, and third, once, on artificial surfaces.
Hystericalady, if entered in the Cup, would attempt a reversal of fortune in a rematch with Ginger Punch. The two mares clashed as four-year-old fillies in that contest, with Hystericalady taking the runner-up spot at Monmouth Park behind champion Ginger Punch.
In the Fleur de Lis, Hystericalady boosted her winnings to $1,510,556 with a commanding 7-1/2 length victory. Out of the Chilean champion Sacramentada, by Northair, Hystericalady is owned by Rancho San Miguel, her trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, Tom Clark, and George Todaro. Her sire is Distorted Humor.
Garrett Gomez rode Hystericalady for the first time in the Fleur de Lis, and he reported the mare is capable of more than he had expected. The mare's explosive turn of foot mounted a rundown of Initforthekandy, who went second, and Kathleens Reel.
2008 Wins of Ginger Punch, Hystericalady
This season, Hystericalady last won in the Azeri Stakes, grade III, at Oaklawn Park on dirt. Ginger Punch captured the Sunshine Million Distaff Stakes and the Louisville Stakes, grade II.
