A pair of juveniles foaled and raised at Hidden Brook Farm figured prominently on the rich December 16 stakes card at Remington Park.
Cowgirls Like Us was the handy winner of the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes for trainer Bret Calhoun while New York stakes winner Bankit ran a big second in the $400,000 Springboard Mile, earning points for next spring’s Kentucky Derby (G1).
It was the third stakes win in a row for the Cowgirls Like Us who broke her maiden August 15 in the Darby’s Daughter Division of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes.She followed that effort with a victory in the La Senorita S. as the odds-on favorite. The filly by My Golden Song went off as the second choice in the Trapeze and scored by 3 1/4 lengths in the colors of her breeder Douglas Scharbauer. The Scharbauer family has raced the likes of dual Classic hero and Horse of the Year Alysheba.
Bankit (pictured, pink saddlecloth) shipped in for the Springboard Mile off of a nearly 6-length tally in the October 20 Sleepy Hollow Stakesat Belmont Park. His owners, Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC Willis Horton Racing, are no stranger to the spring Classics and Bankit’s performance may have them thinking roses, Black-Eyed Susans and carnations.
The Central Banker colt was last of 11 at the 3/4 pole before unleashing a furious late rally. Deftly guided in and out of traffic by Ricardo Santana Jr. he made one final lunge at stablemate Long Range Toddy in deep stretch falling just a head short. Both Bankit and Long Range Toddy are trained by Steve Asmussen.
Daily Racing Form writer Jay Privman was duly impressed, writing after the race:
Bankit officially earned 4 qualifying points for the May 4 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. He was bred by Hidden Brook Farm in partnership with Blue Devil Racing and sold by Hidden Brook at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton New York Preferred Yearling auction for $85,000.
