Fioretti Returns to Winner's Circle with Open Mind Upset

Sep 17, 2016 Coady Photography Darren Rogers

Two Hearts Farm LLC and Don Janes’ Fioretti tracked the pace down the backstretch, gained a slight advantage at the top of the stretch and stubbornly held on to win Saturday’s $100,000 Open Mind for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Anthony Hamilton Jr. and ridden by Sophie Doyle, Fioretti, sent to post at odds of 14-1, won by a half-length over 23-1 outsider Ramona’s Wildcat in covering the six furlongs on a muddy track in 1:10.67 in the eighth running of the race.

This was Fioretti’s first win since taking last fall’s $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (Grade II) at Keeneland. She also won last summer’s $68,817 Roxelana at Churchill Downs.

Puntsville led the field of eight through a first quarter mile in :21.79 before Fioretti took over at the half in :45.30. Ramona’s Wildcat, who also was in close pursuit early, fought hard between horses but couldn’t catch Fioretti, who dug in under left handed urging by Doyle.

The victory was worth $60,140 and increased Fioretti’s earnings to $405,628 with a record of 29-6-7-2. Fioretti is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Bernardini out of the Cherokee Run mare Move Clickly.

Fiorettti rewarded her backers with mutuels of $30.80, $13.80 and $8.80. Ramona’s Wildcat, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., returned $19 and $8.20 with Mayla finishing third 1 ¼ lengths back under Miguel Mena and paying $5.40 to show.

It was another 2 ¼ lengths back to I’m a Looker, who was followed in order by $1.30-1 favorite Spelling Again, Unbridledexplosion, Kathballu and Puntsville. Athena was scratched.

Saturday’s race saluted the late Eugene Klein’s Hall of Fame filly Open Mind, the D. Wayne Lukas-trained winner of the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) at Churchill Downs who returned to the Louisville track the following spring to win the Kentucky Oaks. The New Jersey-bred filly was an Eclipse Award champion at ages two and three. A winner of 12 races and $1,844,372 in 19 starts, the daughter of Deputy Minister was enshrined in Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2011.

OPEN MIND QUOTES

ANTHONY HAMILTON, JR. trainer of FIORETTI (winner): “She loves this track and if you look back at her past performances a lot of those big races had a little bit of moisture in the race track so we felt pretty good coming in here. The idea was that if she put up a big race here we would definitely eye the ($300,000) TCA (at Keeneland on Oct. 8) so that’s where we will likely head next”

SOPHIE DOYLE, jockey of FIORETTI (winner): “It was brilliant to be reunited with her again, it’s just nice to have that reconnection and that something that, going into this race, I was hoping for. As long as I could pick back up that reconnection with her, hopefully the both of us could get the best out of each other. She loves it here and I do too. I did my homework this time pretty thorough this time and we got it.”

RICARDO SANTANA, JR., jockey of RAMONA’S WILDCAT (runner-up): “She ran hard and she was getting into it. If she was running straight I think she would have won it. He’s a really nice filly.”