JIBBOOM EXPLODES IN LEXUS RAVEN RUN
Jibboom captures her first graded stakes in the Raven Run at
Keeneland.
By Claire Novak
Juddmonte Farms’ Jibboom came into the Lexus Raven Run (gr. II)
(VIDEO) off two seconds in allowance company, was making just her
fourth career start, and had to run down 12 other fillies. But Oct.
20, going seven furlongs over Keeneland’s Polytrack, the filly won
her first graded stakes event with a bang.
Under Robby Albarado, the 3-year-old daughter of
MIZZEN MAST raced fourth, followed Exciting Justice
and Her Majesty as they battled through early fractions of
:22.61 and :45.69 with Seaside Affair close in third. At the
head of the stretch, she split horses three wide and took the
lead, increasing her advantage with every stride. West Coast
Swing was well back in second, while Mini Sermon finished third.
The final time was 1:22.01, with a winning margin of 4 1/2
lengths.
Trained by Bobby Frankel and saddled by assistant Scott Hansen,
Jibboom returned $33.60, $11.80, and $6.80, while West Coast Swing
brought $3.80 and $3.20, and Mini Sermon paid $5. Look Deep, Over
the Edge, Exciting Justice, Quota, Swiss Diva, Her Majesty, High
Cholesterol, Seaside Affair, Shesa Little Flirt, and My Fair El
completed the order of finish.
Jibboom, a daughter of the Gone West mare Palisade bred in
Kentucky by Juddmonte, had been entered in the Oct. 19 Pin Oak
Valley View (gr. IIIT), but only made the also-eligible list and
did not draw into the race.
“I guess fate worked out perfectly,” said Juddmonte Farm Manager
Garrett O’ Rourke. “We’ve always had a very high opinion of this
filly, who is out of our own stallion Mizzen Mast, which made it
doubly delightful.”
Jibboom broke her maiden at first asking at the Fair Grounds
Jan. 14, and ran second a month later before being sidelined until
a second-place finish at Belmont Park in September.
“She hasn’t run a bad race,” O’Rourke said, “but while her form
was impressive, there was nothing in there to suggest she was this
good. She exceeded my expectations today, but she deserved
something big like this. She’s a very talented filly who had a few
issues, nothing really serious. Sometimes fillies like that can
miss the boat, so it’s neat when you can aim for the big race like
this and give her a chance to redeem herself, which she did
today.”
O’Rourke said he did not know where the filly’s next start would
be, but mentioned stretching her out to longer distances and racing
her next year.
“We’ll have to let the owners decide, but it looks like she
could be something special and come back longer next year,” he
said.
Date:
20 October 2007