Moonlit Garden breaks through in Summer Colony
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » It took Moonlit Garden a dozen tries to break her maiden, which she finally did most emphatically – by 91/2lengths – on March 17. Three subsequent starts leading up to Sunday’s $100,000 Summer Colony Stakes included an allowance win and a tough beat in a listed stakes at Monmouth.
With Moonlit Garden sent off as the 2-1 second choice in the field of four older fillies and a mare, jockey Jose Ortiz elected to try to take the group on the front end. Breaking first and ticking off regular 24- second quarters, the Town and Country Racing homebred extended her lead to two lengths after three- quarters in 1:12.35. Favored Awestruck (3-2), after saving ground the entire way, loomed a threat as the field prepared to wheel into the
stretch. But Moonlit Garden cornered best of all and, with Awestruck having lost her momentum, passed the furlong pole with a threelength advantage. A Place to Shine made up ground late but was a length and a half short of Moonlit Garden at the wire. The winner was caught in 1:50.02 for 1 1/8 miles over a fast main track in recording her first stakes victory.
“Jose is the man, and he gets the job done,” said winning trainer Christopher Davis. “Maturity has helped [Moonlit Garden] improve. She was always a big, strong horse, but mentally she was slightly behind. She needed her mind to catch up to her body, and the more she’s running, it’s really starting to click – especially after she won her first race.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Davis continued. “We’ll make sure she comes out of this fine, but we’re headed back to Keeneland.”
Forever Liesl crossed the line 3½ lengths behind A Place to Shine for third money. Awestruck finished fourth and was followed by 2017 UAE Oaks (G2) winner Nomorerichblondes, who was a distant fifth and last.
Ortiz had ridden Moonlit Garden in her first start against winners in a Keeneland allowance, which she also won gate-to-wire.
“It was perfect,” Ortiz said of his trip in the Summer Colony. “I probably didn’t expect it to go that easy, but it went really well.”
The winner’s share of the Summer Colony boosts Moonlit Garden’s lifetime earnings to $206,073 and improves her record to 3- 4- 4 from 16 starts.
The Summer Colony recognizes the $1.4 million earner of the same name who won a half- dozen graded races – including the 2002 Personal Ensign (G1) – during a four-year career in the early 00s.