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Take D'Tour with Eibar Coa up takes her walk down Victory Lane

2007 Ogden Phipps Handicap Results

Date: 06/16/2007

The $300,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares was contested at Belmont Park on Saturday afternoon. A field of six contested the 1 1/16 mile trip around one turn of the main track, with defending champion Take D'Tour sent off as the even-money favorite off of two consecutive runner-up finishes in the Apple Blossom in April and the Sunshine Millions Distaff in January. In to challenge the 6-year-old mare were 7-2 second choice Ginger Punch, second in the Madison at Keeneland two starts back and an allowance winner on the Kentucky Derby undercard, and 5-1 third choice Miss Shop, who has not won since the Mother Goose almost a year ago.


Take D'Tour out front in the stretch
A three-horse pace battle ensued up front as the field exited the chute, with 7-1 Teammate on the rail being challenged by Take D'Tour and 6-1 Bushfire through an initial quarter in 23.07. Bushfire dropped back 3 lengths off the pace midway down the backstretch while Teammate and Take D'Tour continued to run side by side through a half in 44.97. Rounding the turn, Teammate began to tire from the hot pace and dropped out of contention as Take D'Tour inherited the lead after 3/4 in 1:09.34. Take D'Tour opened up a 3 1/2 length lead with a furlong to go, but Ginger Punch, who had raced in midpack fourth early and took the turn wide to pass tiring horses, put in a very strong rally from the outside. However, she was left with too much ground to make up, as Take D'Tour held her off in the final 1/16 to prevail by a neck in 1:41.39 over the fast track. It was a long 8 1/4 lengths back to 24-1 longest shot Promenade Girl in third, 5 more to Miss Shop in fourth, and 4 more to Bushfire in fifth. Teammate faded badly and was last, 22 lengths behind the winner. Take D'Tour became the third repeat winner of the Ogden Phipps Handicap and is only one of two 6-year-old winners of the event.

Pgm  Horse            Jockey      Win  Place  Show
 4   Take D'Tour      Coa        4.10   2.50  2.10
 1   Ginger Punch     Flores            3.70  2.90
 6   Promenade Girl   Luzzi                   5.70

Winning Time:  1:41.39

$2 Exacta 4-1                14.40
$2 Trifecta 4-1-6            95.00
Results Chart


Take D'Tour heads to the winner's circle. Her trainer David Fawkes said, "I was so happy to see her break the way she did. She was going easy the first eighth of a mile, then Eibar (Coa) said that has soon as she got eyeball to eyeball with the other horse (Teammate), they both went. Once she shook off that filly, she had a little opportunity to get a breather. She had a little kick left at the end. It was nice to win this race the first time, and it is a thrill to win it a second time. We decided to stretch her races out this year and give her more time between starts. She runs so hard. I think that is what cost a chance to go to the Breeders' Cup last year. She ran too many hard races."


Take D'Tour in the winner's circle. Her jockey Eibar Coa said, "I always have a lot of confidence in her. The last two times she ran in California and Oaklawn, she just couldn't handle the post parades. She just wasted herself. Today, she was still a little bit bad, but she handled herself better. This was a big performance. She ran really fast. In my mind, I never thought I was going that fast, but with her, you never know. I was very happy sitting outside of Teammate. She walked nice to the end of the tunnel and then was a monster to the starting gate."


Take D'Tour heads back to the barn after the race. She will start next in the Molly Pitcher at Monmouth as a prep for the Breeders' Cup Distaff over the same track.


Second place finisher Ginger Punch returns after the race. Ginger Punch is still winless in two stakes starts. She improves her career record to 3 wins, 5 seconds, and 0 thirds in nine starts with earnings of $201.279 for trainer Bobby Frankel and owner Frank Stronach.


Third place finisher Promenade Girl heads out to the track before the race. Promenade Girl was outrun early but stayed on to hold third at the end. She has not won since the Molly Pitcher at Monmouth last August. Her record improved to 8 wins, 1 second, and 6 thirds in 18 starts for trainer Murray Lawrence and owner Sondra Bender, with earnings of $549.390.

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