Photo: Adam Coglianese
Chorus Music, who knocked hard on the door in her first stakes attempt – finishing second to You Go West Girl in the Ticonderoga on the Belmont Inner Turf last October – got the job done second time around on the Widener Turf, winning the featured $60,000 Irish Linnet Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares on Belmont’s opening day.
Chorus Music is a six-year-old chestnut daughter of former New York stallion Strategic Mission. Campaigned by a partnership of Curragh Stables and Gary Juster and trained by John Terranova, the mare has been an ultra-consistent performer on turf at the allowance level, with 12 on-the-board finishes in 17 starts and four wins. Despite not yet having won a stakes race, and coming off a five-month vacation following a starter allowance win last November, Chorus Music, who was partnered with Alex Solis for the first time on Friday, was favored to win the mile-long contest at odds of 2-to-1. She owned the best last race Beyer Speed Figure of the seven fillies and mares signed on for the race (87), and had already won twice in four tries at a mile on turf.
Chorus Music had already met several of her rivals in the field Irish Linnet in the Ticonderoga, among them second choice Akilina at 5-to-2, a multiple restricted stakes winner who finished fourth in on Showcase Day. Third choice was a four-year-old daughter of Freud, In Te Domine (also 5-to-2), on the board six times in seven starts with three wins, including the Statue of Liberty Division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series. Fourth in the betting at odds of 4-to-1 was Exclusive Scheme, winner of two restricted stakes on turf last year (the William B. Fasig Stakes at Saratoga in July and John Hettinger Stakes at Belmont in September) and third in the Ticonderoga.
After an even start for all, Exclusive Scheme won a brief standoff with Lady Gracenote for the lead, but was joined in no time by a very headstrong In Te Domine, back off a seven-month layoff and battling fiercely with jockey Jose Lezcano for her head as she ran right up on the pace. Meanwhile Solis settled Chorus Music at a comfortable spot on the rail in fifth.
As Exclusive Scheme ran a quarter in 25.58 and picked up the pace slightly to run a half mile in 50.12, she and the still over-eager and repeatedly-checked In Te Domine traveled four lengths in advance of the rest around the far turn. Chorus Music, still in fifth and stuck behind Lady Gracenote and Paraiba, was forced to seek room by moving out to the four path while coming out of the turn. In Te Domine dropped out of contention in upper stretch, while Chorus Music with a rapid advance, overtook Exclusive Scheme at the furlong pole and scooted easily on ahead to win by 5 ½ lengths under a hand ride. Akilina got the show, three quarters of a length behind Exclusive Scheme. The final time for the mile over the yielding turf was 1:38.71. [VIDEO]
Chorus Music’s first stakes win improved her record to 5-6-2 from 18 starts. Her share of the purse gave her lifetime earnings a nice boost to $190,113.
Bred by Lynn M. Scace and foaled at Dutchess Views Farm, Chorus Music is the eleventh foal from Philharmonia by Caerleon. One of ten starters and eight winners, she is the first to earn black type and is now her dam’s top earner. Philharmonia last changed hands at public auction when she sold to Questroyal Stable and Barry Ostrager for $11,500 at the 2000 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages sale. Chorus Music has never been offered at public auction.
