Lady Lowery Makes Successful Stakes Debut in $100K Beyond The Wire
Maryland Jockey Club Press Release
LAUREL, Md.— Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable’s Lady Lowery, making just her third career start and first in a stakes, led every step of the way pulling clear of her rivals late to register a three-length victory in the $100,000 Beyond The Wire for 3-year-old fillies.
Ridden by Jack Gilligan for trainer William Walden, Lady Lowery ($5.60) was racing for both the first time on dirt and around two turns after a pair of sprints over the all-weather surface at Turfway Park. Unraced at 2, the Munnings filly graduated by 2 ¾ lengths Feb. 15.
“To be honest, we were actually looking at this race for a different filly in our stable. We worked them both last week and just felt like Lady Lowery was doing a little bit better and this spot would fit her well,” Walden said. “It’s five weeks from her last run. We wanted to answer the dirt and the distance question. We didn’t necessarily know how it would go, but we were confident that it would go well.”
Favored at 9-5 in a field of six, Lady Lowery broke running and found herself comfortably on the lead through a quarter-mile in 24.54 seconds and a half in 48.10 pressed by Cairo Sugar, a winner of her two previous starts including the Feb. 19 Maddie May last out. The top two entered the stretch together before gaining separation down the lane, finishing up in 1:39.29.
Happy Clouds was a clear second, 2 ½ lengths ahead of Cairo Sugar, who edged Cats Inthe Timber by a nose for third. Voodoo Mama Juju and We’ll See completed the order of finish, while Pharoahs Baby Gyal was scratched.
Walden said Lady Lowery could come back in the seven-furlong Eight Belles (G2) May 5 at Churchill Downs.
Run as the Caesar’s Wish through 2017, the Beyond the Wire was renamed to recognize the founding of an industry-wide initiative between the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Maryland Jockey Club, Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland jockeys to facilitate safe and enriching placements for retired Maryland-based racehorses.