It is probably fitting that a mare named Beach Bomb would love South Florida and Cayton Park Stud’s talented 5-year-old demonstrated her affinity for Gulfstream Park with her second consecutive graded stakes victory in Saturday’s Gr3 Orchid Stakes.
In a sweetly-timed confidence booster for SA-breds and the Graham Motion stable ahead of Isivunguvungu’s bid for glory in the Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup card on Saturday 5 April, Beach Bomb went from pillar-to-post to stave off a hard-charging Silvology and La Mehana (FR) to win by a head.
Beach Bomb hangs tough to beat Silvology a neck on Saturday (Pic – Lauren King/NYRA/Herringswell Stables)
The Orchid was the longest route Beach Bomb has attempted since coming to Herringswell 10 months ago.
The www.horseracingnation.com website reports that in a repeat of her seasonal debut last month, Beach Bomb jumped to an early lead and dug in when tested late for a front-running head victory over Silvology in the $165 000 Gr3 Orchid for older fillies and mares going 1 1/2 miles on the Gulfstream Park turf on Saturday evening.
The 5-year-old mare, already a dual Group 1 winner in South Africa, is now a two-time stakes winner in the USA.
Ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Graham Motion and the Rupert family’s Cayton Park Stud, Beach Bomb covered the distance in 2:24.29 over a firm turf course four weeks after scoring a one-length gate-to-wire triumph in Gulfstream’s 1 3/8-mile The Very One, also under Saez.
Sitting in outermost post 6 following the early scratching of Virginia Oaks runner-up Early On, Beach Bomb broke alertly and immediately found herself on the lead through splits of 24.19 seconds, 48.56 and 1:13.33, pressed to her outside by 40-1 longshot My Brazilian Girl with Queen Regent in third along the rail.
Beach Bomb, favoured at 8-5, rounded the far turn still in front as La Mehana swung outside to make her bid and Silvology squeezed through along the rail to make things tight at the finish, with Silvology a neck ahead in second. It was the second straight victory for Beach Bomb after going winless in three starts last summer and fall upon coming to the U.S.
“I left it up to (jockey) Luis (Saez),” trainer Graham Motion said. “She was drawn on the outside, so it was perfect. He could make the call what he wanted to do. I didn’t really give him any instructions. After last time, what was I going to say?”
Motion said horses from South Africa have been tested by the circumstances of their transportation to the United Stakes.
“I think people don’t realize what these (horses) went through last year,” he said. “They came a year ago and they spent two months locked up in a small quarantine barn, so I think having a little break after Breeders’ Cup really allowed them to grow up and kind of be themselves. I think the time has done them a lot of good. I really do. Congratulations to Cayton Park and breeders Drakenstein Stud on another outstanding win!”
Bred by Drakenstein, Beach Bomb is by deceased War Front stallion Lancaster Bomber out of Dynasty’s champion daughter, Beach Beauty.
