Gio Ponti and Court Vision duke it out to the wire in the G2 Virginia Oaks
Anyone watching the Grade 2 Viriginia Oaks yesterday saw a thriller when former Triple Crown hopeful Court Vision and Gio Ponti – a 3-year-old son of Tale of the Cat.
With roughly one lost furlong to go, Court Vision and Gio Ponti looked each other in the eye went to war down the stretch. The finish was as close as could be with Gio Ponti pulling out the win by a nose to return $5.20 for the win.
Baltimore Bob broke well and set the early pace. A the field turned for home Baltimore Bob was backing out of the race, and Gio Ponti moved forward for the lead. Court Vision had to come through in between horses to take on Gio Ponti but was able to do just that as they battled it out to the wire. In all honesty, Court Vision appeared to have a slightly worse trip than Gio Ponti as he was looking for running room before splitting horses. When he did split them – it seemed for a moment that he would fly right past Gio Ponti. However, Gio Ponti had something left and simply refused to be defeated.
Sailor’s Cap – who was the beneficiary of much of the pre-race focus due to his victory in the Colonial Turf Cup back on 6/21/08. Had Sailor’s Cap been able to capture the Virginia Derby, he would’ve been half way home to achieving the “Grand Slam of Grass.” Still, even his connections had indicated before the race that the odds of a horse (even theirs) sweeping the Grand Slam were extremely thin.
Sailor’s Cap didn’t turn in a clunker at all – he was looming large (albeit wide) turning for home and looked like he might have a shot. Utlimately he just couldn’t quite get to Court Vision and Gio Ponti – and Gio Ponti looked stubborn in the stretch refusing to go down in defeat. Sailor’s Cap wound up completing the trifecta finishing 3rd. The final time for the Viriginia Derby was 2:02.22.
In the “other” feature race of the day at Colonial Downs, the Virginia Oaks, I Lost My Choo ran down a streaking Julia Tuttle who had openend up by as many as 20 lengths on the rest of the field before fading badly down the stretch.
It was so neat to see Court Vision fighting back. I loved his gut-wrencher last December against Atoned. Maybe he’s a really late developer, if he keeps fighting that way, he might yet be able to make a statement this year.