Caroline
Forgason’s Somali Lemonade, last in the field of 12 in the early going,
swept past Sweet Cat just inside the eighth pole and went onto win the
21st running of the $150,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G3) for 2-year-old fillies by 1¾ lengths before a crowd of 8,608 on Thursday afternoon at Keeneland.
The
victory earned Somali Lemonade a spot in the starting gate for the $1
million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G2) to be run November 4 at
Churchill Downs.
Trained
by Michael Matz and ridden by Alex Solis, Somali Lemonade remained
undefeated in two grass starts and increased her earnings to $120,000
with Thursday’s $90,000 check.
Somali
Lemonade, who completed the 1 1/16 miles on yielding turf in 1:45.39,
is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Lemon Drop Kid out of the Nureyev mare
Chic Corine.
Falconess
led the field through fractions of :22.31, :47.50 and 1:13.72 while
Solis bided his time at the rear of the field with Somali Lemonade.
Solis began to pick off horses leaving the backstretch, swung six wide
entering the stretch and, with clear sailing, ran down Sweet Cat, who
had opened a clear lead at midstretch.
Somali
Lemonade returned $4.40, $3 and $2.40. Sweet Cat, ridden by John
Velazquez, returned $5 and $3.40 with Emerald Gold finishing nine
lengths back in third under Garrett Gomez and paying $2.60 to show.
Completing
the field in order were Spring Eclipse, Grace for Grace, Falconess,
Honey Talk, Quick Silver Song, Soonerette, Piskacha, Charming Vixen and
Bless My Halo.
Racing continues Friday with a 10-race program that begins at 1:15 p.m. (ET). Highlighting the card is the 15th
running of the $100,000 Buffalo Trace Franklin County for fillies and
mares going 5½ furlongs on the turf. Post time for the Buffalo Trace
Franklin County, the ninth race on the card, is 5:23 p.m.