Photo: CDI
Clark Brewster’s Cherokee Queen,
unhurried early, rallied outside the leaders when set down for the
drive and got up in the final strides to be best by a neck at the wire
in the
$75,000 Blushing K.D. Handicap, last of three open stakes scheduled on the
Santa Super Saturday program at the New Orleans oval.
“That was pretty exciting,” said winning rider
Shaun Bridgmohan, who was
accomplishing his fourth of five wins during the afternoon and became
the first rider to post five wins on a single racing program this
season. “This is a very nice mare. She’s been around
a long time and she was a very nice ride.” Bridgmohan was aboard
Cherokee Queen for the first time in her 33 trips to the post as she won
the 10th race of her life.
Cherokee
Queen, making her first start for her new owner – who purchased her
primarily as a broodmare prospect – returned $9.20, $5.20 and $5.20
and increased her career earnings to $568,312.
Steve Asmussen’s
Pleasantly Blessed finished second, paying $6.60 and $4.40, while a neck back in third was Hal Snowden Jr.’s
Bet On the Blue, who returned $6.20. Wertheimer et Frere’s
Weekend Party made the pace with fractions of 23.88 and 49.24 before weakening to fourth in the late stages.