War Like Goddess bewitches at Keenland
Tarnawa, ridden by Christophe Soumillon, crosses the finish line to win the Breeders Cup Turf at Keenland on November 7, 2020 in Lexington, Kentucky.
George Krikorian's favoured, War Like Goddess (Julien Leparoux 2-5), startled viewers when coming right off a hot pace to carry Keenland's Bewitch. Bill Mott's fantastico filly, finished 3.75 lengths ahead of stablemate Delta's Kingdom, covering 1.5 miles in 2:29.21.
This was Bill's fourth clutching of the Bewitch as a trainer. Three Flamingos led eleven runners in formidable fashion, until Julien allowed War Like Goddess to fly away from Delta's Kingdom (Luis Saez 2-1), Pass the Plate (Rafael Bejarano 4-1), Kalifornia Queen, Dalika, Domiga, and then Three Flamingos, who had pulled too hard for any energy reserves.
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Already delayed by a provincial stay-at-home order, Woodbine has been rocked again by another outbreak of the Covid-19 Virus, forcing closure of Barn 33. Horses in that barn have been shipped out temporarily, and all associated personnel are in quarantine.
Several other workers have shown positive tests, causing increased monitoring. It is a critical period now as has been seen unceremoniously in India, where alarmingly ridiculous rates of infections are not under control. It means Woodbine may not recuperate in time for the May 20 opening.
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Alenquer (Tom Marquand 25-1), decided to land a sweet shock in the 365 Classic Trial at Sandown, holding off the Charlie Appleby-trained pair, Adayar (James Doyle 8-1), and Yibir (William Buick 4-1). Lone Eagle (Sean Levey 7-2), could not handle 1.2 miles, clearly needing a shorter trip.
Tom has just returned from a marvelous stint in Australia, where he teamed up with Alenquer's companion, Addeybb, to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. It took 2:12:1/10 for Alenquer to conquer the Classic Trial. Adayar is a force to be reckoned with - now setting his sights on a Cazoo Derby.
