Proud Spell was able to turn the tables on Music Note in Saturday’s 129th running of the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga Race Track. The two main rivals locked horns down the stretch and provided a thrilling finish that came down to the wire.
In the pre-race handicapping, I had assumed like many that Music Note was a shade too strong for Proud Spell to overcome. Proud Spell, however, had other things in mind as she sought to revenge her defeat at the hands of Music Note in the Mother Goose earlier this year at Belmont.
The Godolphin Stables duo of Music Note and Little Belle attempted to tag team Proud Spell out of a victory. LIttle Belle, a 3-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy, was able to get out to the lead in the early going and set easy opening fractions of 24.97 and :50.22.
Turning for home, jockey Gabriel Saez urged Proud Spell forward and was able to get ahead of Little Belle. Almost instantly the challenge of Music Note materialized next. The final furlong of the 1 1/4 mile Alabama saw Proud Spell and Music note going head to head in all-out drives for the wire. In the end Proud Spell was able to keep her head in front at the wire.
The win marked yet another strong performance for jockey Gabriel Saez and trainer Larry Jones, who are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to 3-year-old fillies. Proud Spell, as you may recall, was at one point being considered for the Kentucky Derby as well. Instead Jones opted to run her in the Kentucky Oaks, a race she won by 5 lengths over Little Belle, and send Eight Belles to the Kentucky Derby. We all know what happened next.
With a victory in the Alabama, Proud Spell makes a serious claim to be considered the top 3-year-old filly in the nation. Entering the race that honor seemed to lie with Music Note due to their previous head to head matchup in the Mother Goose. However, Proud Spell was disqualified and placed 3rd in the Mother Goose after battling through a trip from hell. The Alabama was a much more even race for the two competitors, and it appears to me that when all things are equal, Proud Spell is indeed the better horse - if only by a head.
Now we’ll have to wait and see what the future plans for Proud Spell and Music Note are. I’m also interested in finding out if Proud Spell cracked a 100 Beyer figure for the first time in her career? The final time for the Alabama was 2:04.08.
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