Dance Card’s victory in Saturday’s Gazelle capped a
high-quality year for Godolphin Racing, becoming the outfit’s fifth
winner of a Grade 1 in 2012. The 3-year-old Tapit filly joined the
Kiaran McLaughlin-trained Emcee (Forego), Alpha (Travers), Questing (Alabama, Coaching Club American Oaks) and It’s Tricky
(Ogden Phipps Handicap) in capturing some of the most prestigious
events on The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit.
Through Saturday, Godolphin runners were 14-6-9 from 49
starts and earned nearly $3.6 million, with 11 of those wins coming in
graded stakes.
“If you put Darley and Godolphin together, it would be $7
million, almost,” said McLaughlin. “It was a pretty good year from
only 40-odd starts.”
For Dance Card, the Gazelle was her fourth straight
victory and first in a graded race, and was accomplished despite
drifting out in the stretch.
“If someone acts up in the gate, you take them to the
gate in the morning and school them, and watch them get better,” said
McLaughlin. “When they don’t do anything wrong in training, and they do
it the afternoon of the race, it can be very frustrating, but not so
bad if they’re five in front. Now that she’s won a Grade 1, we may
tinker a bit with her equipment.”
McLaughlin said that Irsaal, who
finished seventh in the Grade 2 Remsen, returned from his efforts in
good shape and may move to the turf this winter in Florida.