Todd Pletcher-trained Thankful takes out Sunday’s Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct
The Todd Pletcher-trained Thankful (4 m ex Beholden by Cat Thief) won Sunday’s Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct (9f), becoming the 14th stakes winner for Coolmore’s American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile).
Thankful came into Sunday’s race having finished third in the Comely Stakes (Gr 3, 9f) as a three-year-old last November. Having her first start at four, she finished three quarters of a length in front of Miss Marissa (He’s Had Enough) whilst Ujjayi (Smart Jones) was a close third.
“We always thought she wanted to go two turns. I was happy to get it done for [owner] Ramona Bass,” said Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes. “She’s starting to run up to her talent level in the morning, which is exciting. She was late developing, but once she started putting it all together, she really started putting it on.”
Thankful was bought by Steve Young for US$625,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and has now won three of her six career starts and placed on two further occasions. She is a half-sister to six winners including stakes winners Brazen Persuasion (Indian Charlie) and Behold De Buy (E Dubai) being out of the two-time winning Cat Thief (Storm Cat) mare Beholden.
American Pharoah’s 14 stakes winners are headed by two Group / Grade 1 winners in Harvey’s Lil Goi and Van Gogh. He had 18 lots sell at last week’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for an aggregate of $3,845,000 and average of $213,611 with Sheamus Mills Bloodstock buying the most expensive of these when he secured the colt out of Group 3 winner Ennis Hill (Fastnet Rock) for $625,000.
