Perfect Alibi wins Spinaway
2-year-old filly again tops favorite Frank’s Rockette after being 5-1 4th choice
In her last start, a 2-year-old filly named Perfect Alibi won the Grade II Adirondack by a half length at odds of 6-1.
The favorite in that race, the 3-5 Frank’s Rockette, was second.
Fast forward to Sunday, the final weekend day of the summer season at Saratoga Race Course. The Grade I Spinaway, like the Adirondack, for 2-year-old fillies, was the headliner.
Despite getting beat the last time, Frank’s Rockette was again made the favorite, this time at 9-5, by the jumbo-sized crowd of 46,494, most of them at the track to get their hands on the final giveaway, the hooded sweatshirt.
Perfect Alibi went off in the $350,000 race at seven furlongs as the 5-1 fourth choice in the field of seven. Talk about a lack of respect! So, all Perfect Alibi did was win again. The daughter of 2002 Hopeful Stakes winner Sky Mesa showed her fight and determination and won the race by 1¼ lengths over Frank’s Rockette.
“She has a lot of heart,” said winning rider Irad Ortiz Jr. after the trophy presentation in the winner’s circle (which was presented by former NYRA track announcer Tom Durkin). “She showed she had a lot of fight in her last time, too.”
Mark Casse, who trains Perfect Alibi, wasn’t going to get into the lackof-respect dialogue when this was over.
“No, it’s OK,” Casse said. “As long as she keeps running!”
And that is what the dark brown filly has been doing since starting her career back in May. She broke her maiden by 9½ lengths in her first career start at Churchill Downs. Then it was on to Belmont where she was second in the ungraded Astoria on the Thursday of Belmont Stakes week.
That brought her to Saratoga and she has flourished.
In the Adirondack, Ortiz and Perfect Alibi allowed early pacesetter Mundaye Call to swift fractions (22.65 seconds for the first quarter mile and 45.45 for the half mile). Perfect Alibi settled into fifth place at that point.
“I knew going down the backstretch that they were rolling,” Casse said. “I said to Jamie (Begg, his assistant trainer) that they are going to come back.”
He was right. Perfect Alibi and Frank’s Rockette, who had moved into second place behind Mundaye Call, hooked up in the stretch. Perfect Alibi was on the inside and Frank’s Rockette on the outside.
For a time, it looked like they might battle all the way to the wire, but Ortiz and his mount inched ahead and won going away. The final time was 1:23.44. Perfect Alibi paid $12.40, $4.70 and $3.30.
Figure of Speech, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Javier Castellano, finished third.
“She’s game,” Ortiz said. “She likes to fight and she has a strong kick. Everything worked out good for her.”
Frank’s Rockette is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and was ridden by Julien Leparoux. Leparoux would offer no excuse.
“She ran a good race,” Leparoux said. “So far, it looks like she might want to go a little shorter (distance). Maybe keep her at six, six-and-a-half (furlongs). She can do seven, but she got a little tired.”
Casse has no such concerns about his filly. The more distance she gets, the better she thinks she will be. Next up for Perfect Alibi will likely be the Grade I, $400,000 Alcibiades at Keeneland on Oct. 4. Casse was also talking about possibly running her in the Grade I, $400,000 Frizette, also at 11/6 miles, at Belmont Park on Oct. 6.
Since owner Tracy Farmer is from Kentucky, the Alcibiades is probably the more likely spot.
“This filly just keeps on coming,” Casse said. “Hopefully, if all goes well, we’ll head to the Breeders’ Cup. I think she has proven she at least deserves the chance.”