Trainer Kenny McPeek turned 58 on Sunday. He is in Saratoga for the stellar meet at The Spa, and had only one horse on the card for the day. McPeek sent out a two year-old filly in the first race named Simply Ravishing.
By freshman sire, Laoban, who is an Uncle Mo offspring, Simply Ravishing was not getting much attention from most bettors….well, except maybe yours truly. The longest shot (14-1) on the board intrigued me for a number of reasons.
Kenny McPeek can get a two year-old first time starter ready to roll, especially on the turf. Also, he likes to go long. Short races have never really been his forte. This was a mile and a sixteenth on the grass. Perfect! Finally, I glanced down at the breeder’s name, and she happens to be a friend I respect and admire.
Meg Levy is an excellent horsewoman. She owns Bluewater Sales, a highly successful thoroughbred consignment company. Consequently, she understands the breeding game as well as anyone in the country.
When the filly walked out on the track, she looked like a typical McPeek sale selection, so I assumed he chose her for his long-time client, Harold Lerner. She looked fit and she was well behaved. I placed my wager and waited.
The track at Saratoga is known as the “graveyard of favorites” and had been living up to expectations all weekend. I felt the horses who were most successful in recent days had been sitting right off the frontrunners, then making a move at the top of the stretch.
When the gates opened, a filly named Uyuni took the lead. Simply Ravishing stalked her, sitting right off the pace, and then made her move at the top of the stretch. I knew immediately that jockey Luis Saez had plenty of horse underneath him to win the race.
