Making her first start since finishing 10th in
the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, Devil May Care stalked the pace and held sway in
the stretch to take the 54th running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Mother
Goose for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday at Belmont Park.
Her win gave trainer Todd Pletcher the perfect gift on his 43rd
birthday.
Heroine of the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont
as a 2-year-old, Devil May Care rebounded from a fifth-place finish in the
Grade 3 Silverbulletday at the Fair Grounds in her sophomore debut to draw off
to a 2¾-length victory in the Grade 2 Bonnie Miss at Gulfstream
Park in her final start prior to the Derby.
Devil May Care settled in third up the backstretch in the
Mother Goose as Katy Now carved honest fractions of 22.81 and 45.59, with Connie
and Michael pressing the leader in second. After claiming the lead at the top
of the stretch as the early leaders began to fade, Devil May Care needed only
hand urging in the stretch to defeat a resurgent Connie and Michael by 1¼
lengths.
“She broke a little sharp today, a
little close to the pace,” said winning jockey John Velazquez. “I didn’t want
to be that close to the pace, but with blinkers on, she was very aggressive. I
had to play with her down the backstretch, give and take a little bit. Down the
lane, I let her do her thing, she took the lead, and it was good enough
today.”
Biofuel, who loomed menacingly on
the outside with a furlong left, finished one length behind Connie and Michael
in third. Katy Now and Ailalea, both trained by Pletcher, completed the order
of finish.
Bred in Kentucky by Diamond A. Racing Corp., Devil
May Care earned $150,000 and returned $3.90 for a $2 win wager as the 4-5
favorite. The daughter of Malibu Moon sports a record of 4-0-0 from seven
starts and has earned $549,000 to date for owner Glencrest Farm.
The Grade 1 Betfair TVG Coaching
Club American Oaks on July 31 and Grade 1 Betfair TVG Alabama on August 21,
both to be run at Saratoga,
are on the agenda for Devil May Care, according to Pletcher.
“It was a big race from her, and
I’ve always felt she was the best filly in her generation,” said Pletcher. “She
had shown us every sign that she was as good as she had ever been. She trained
brilliantly, like she always does. Aside from losing a little bit of weight in
the Derby like most horses, colts or fillies, will do, she came out of it
really well. It was just a matter of making sure we gave her the proper time.”