Garry Simms

Barry King’s Flashy Lassie, winner of the Grade III Debutante Stakes here in June, will return to the main track Sunday when she faces 11 rivals in the 43^rd running of the Grade II, $150,000-added Pocahontas for 2-year-old fillies at a mile on the main track.

The Pocahontas and the $100,000-added Iroquois (GIII), for 2-year-old colts and geldings at a mile, share the spotlight on Sunday’s “Stars of Tomorrow I” card with all races for 2-year-olds to kick off the 21-day Fall Meeting that runs through Nov. 27.

The Pocahontas will go as the 10^th race on Sunday’s 11-race program with a 5:02 p.m. EDT post time. First post time Sunday is 12:40 p.m.

Trained by Garry Simms, Flashy Lassie ran second in the Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies after her Debutante victory and in her most recent start ran 12^th over Polytrack at Keeneland in the Darley Alcibiades (GI). Corey Lanerie has the call Sunday on Flashy Lassie, who will break from post position two.

Two other Grade III winners are in the field: Brereton Jones’ Believe You Can and Georgie’s Angel, owned by Sheffer Racing Stable, Ronald Stocks, Betsy Wells and Kelly Weitsma.

Believe You Can, trained by Larry Jones, won the Tempted at Belmont Park in her most recent start. Gabriel Saez has the mount on Believe You Can, who will break from post position eight.

Georgie’s Angel, owned by a partnership headed by Louisville attorney Ronnie Sheffer and trained by Todd Pletcher, scored an impressive victory in her racing debut at Churchill Downs on July 4, then shipped to Saratoga to win the Schuylerville (GIII).  In her most recent start Georgie’s Angel was third behind Believe You Can in the Tempted. Javier Castellano has the riding assignment Sunday on Georgie’s Angel, who will break from post position three.

The field for the Pocahontas, from the rail out, is as follows: My Due Process (Manny Cruz, 120 pounds), Flashy Lassie (Lanerie, 123), Georgie’s Angel (Castellano, 123), On Fire Baby (Joe Johnson, 118), And Why Not (Garrett Gomez, 118), Glinda the Good (Julien Leparoux, 118), Taxi Dancer (James Graham, 118), Believe You Can (Saez, 123), Bet to Win (Rajiv Maragh, 118), Aubby K (Robby Albarado, 118), Heart of Destiny (Edgar Prado, 118) and Golden History (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118).

Barry King’s Flashy Lassie, the longest shot in a field of seven 2-year-old fillies, charged through the Churchill Downs stretch, caught Five Star Momma inside the eighth-pole and edged clear late to win Saturday’s 111^th running of the Grade III, $109,300 Debutante Stakes by a widening length.

Flashy Lassie, trained by Garry Simms and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, returned mutuels of $37.20, $14.20 and $6.80 as she scored her second victory in as many starts. Terry Allen’s Five Star Momma was second returning $5.80 and $4.40. and Stoneway Farm’s Queen Teuta rallied to finish more than eight lengths back in third and returned $4.60 to show.  Bred in Kentucky by Mr. & Mrs. Hugh G. King, Flashy Lassie completed the six furlongs on the fast main track in 1:10.89.

The victory marked the first stakes win beneath the historic Twin Spires for Simms, who has waged a battle with melanoma since early 2010.

“I’ve had two bone marrow transplants and stem cells since December, but I’m doing well now,” Simms said. When asked how this win makes him feel, Simms responded by saying, “All the pain leaves!”

Flashy Lassie collected a graded stakes victory in just her second career start and picked up a winner’s check worth $66,411 to increase her bankroll to $77,211. Her other win was a nine-length romp in a race for $20,000 claiming horses at Churchill Downs on May 13.

Flashy Lassie was reserved in sixth position in the early going as Gold Mark Farm LLC’s Culotte, the 8-5 post time favorite, led the strung out field through fast fractions of :21.57 and :45.16. Desormeaux began to move with the daughter of Flashy Bull at the three-eighths pole and set his filly down for the drive at the top of the stretch. Flashy Lassie closed with a furious run on the outside and caught Five Star Momma, who was more than two-lengths clear in mid-stretch, near the finish and quickly drew clear.

Priscilla Vaccarezza’s My Due Process finished fourth in the Debutante and was followed in order by Tippy Toes, Culotte and Shocktime. Defy Gravity was a late scratch.

The six-furlong Debutante is the nation’s first graded stakes event for 2-year-old fillies and has been won by such accomplished runners as champions Bewitch, Alcibiades and Silverbulletday.

Racing continues Sunday at Churchill Downs with a 10-race program highlighted by a Pick 6 carryover of $98,241 that begins with Race 5 at 2:51 p.m. EDT. First post Sunday is 12:45 p.m.

DEBUTANTE STAKES QUOTES

Garry Simms, trainer of Flashy Lassie (winner): “I have to give all the credit to (jockey) Kent (Desormeaux). They were flying up front and he just took his time. I told him not to pay any attention to that maiden 20 (thousand dollar claiming) win because, believe me, she could have won a maiden special (weight). She’s a nice filly, has a ton of heart and does everything right. She’s smart. I bought her for $4,000 so this is a blessing.”

Q: On his battle with melanoma: “I’ve had two bone marrow transplants and stem cells since December, but I’m doing well now.”

Q: Well, how does something like this make you feel? “All the pain leaves! That’s what I tell everybody, ‘There’s nothing like winning a horse race.’”

Kent Desormeaux, jockey of Flashy Lassie (winner): “For a second-time starter, she was very mature and very professional. She was very well trained and I think that’s why she won today. I asked a lot of her for her second start. I took her back and she got dirt kicked in her face for the first time. She never hopped at all; she stayed flat and level and gave me a true ride. She laid it out there. She didn’t want to catch that filly the last eighth of a mile and I had to really get into her. She was fully extended.”

Corey Lanerie, jockey of Five Star Momma (second): “I had a good trip and she sat right off (the leaders) – just perfect and in a good position. When I got to the quarter pole I was on cruise control and sat her down. Maybe just before the sixteenth pole she started to get a little late with me and that’s when the winner ran me down.”

Calvin Borel, jockey of Queen Teuta (third): “She ran good. I was very impressed. I thought she finished up a little bit but they went quick early and backed ‘em up at the half (mile pole). She ran good, though.”

Robby Albarado, jockey of My Due Process (fourth): “She broke a little tardy, but I didn’t rush her. I got a good pace in front of me and drafted as much as I could. On the turn for home, she gave me a little run but it ended up being minimal.”

Leandro Goncalves, jockey of Culotte (sixth as the 8-5 favorite): “She broke out of the gate really fast and was a little fresh today. I tried to get to relax but she had way too much speed and she had company. After that, she just didn’t finish.”

Bret Calhoun, trainer of Shocktime (seventh as 5-2 second choice): “The two favorites (Culotte and Shocktime) went out there too fast, but (jockey) Miguel (Mena) did a good job of switching out. They were still rolling, though. The pace and probably coming back in two weeks was probably too much to ask.”

Team Kentucky’s Gandolph Finch, ridden by Leandro Goncalves, took the lead leaving the backstretch and cruised to a 1 ¾-length victory in Sunday’s featured $49,280 Morluc Purse at Churchill Downs.

            Trained by Garry Simms, Gandolph Finch covered the five furlongs on a firm Matt Winn Turf Course in :57.74 to record his fourth victory in 19 starts.

            A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Sunday Break, Gandolph Finch rewarded his backers with mutuels of $18.60, $8 and $4.20. Echo in Eternity rallied for second under Shaun Bridgmohan to return $5.20 and $3.80 with Western Prospector finishing third in the field of nine under Calvin Borel and paying $3.20 to show.

            The victory was worth $30,580 and increased Gandolph Finch’s earnings to $68,881.

            Racing at Churchill Downs resumes Thursday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:45 p.m. EDT.

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(June 21, 2008) – Burr Travis Racing II’s Itsallaboutthechase, the longest shot in the field of seven allowance runners, held off a late bid from favored Cowtown Cat to win Saturday’s $50,400 Xavier University Musketeer Race at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Bill Troilo, Itsallaboutthechase swooped to the lead at the head of the stretch with a three-wide move and had enough left to hold off Cowtown Cat by 1 ½ lengths in covering the mile on a fast track in 1:35.50.

Trained by Garry Simms, Itsallaboutthechase returned $34.60, $13.40 and $4.40. Cowtown Cat, now winless in seven starts since capturing the 2007 Illinois Derby, returned $3.40 and $2.20 under Miguel Mena. Save Big Money, ridden by Larry Melancon, finished another 4 ¼ lengths back and paid $2.60 to show.

The victory was the fifth in 22 lifetime starts for Itsallaboutthechase, a 5-year-old son of Devil His Due, who raised his lifetime earnings to $197,232.

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