Country Comforts Rolls To Easy Middle Flower Win

It was over before it was over.

Five furlongs into the Black Middle Flower Stakes, it was pretty clear that Country Comforts had established a lead she wasn’t going to relinquish, as she went on to win the $250,000 Grade 2 Black Middle Flower Stakes in Maryland this weekend.

And a new shooter would continue the trend of coming in here and taking the second leg of the Triple Tiara–a trend that started in 2009 and looked like it was never in any serious danger of being broken here this Saturday.

The speedy Country Comforts, who’s got Tabasco Cat and Bold Reasoning back there in her scratch-bred pedigree, can just about call her shots now, as to where she wants to go next. Will the 11^th-ranked filly in her division head for the third leg of the Tiara–the 8-furlong Chestnut Stakes–in three weeks in New York? Or will she wait for something a bit longer.

No filly has ever won the second and third legs of the Triple Tiara in the fourteen runnings of the event. The closest filly to come to pulling off that Black Middle Flower-Chestnut Stakes double was Free Carson, who in 2004 won the Black Middle Flower but finished second in the Chestnut Stakes.

To say the outcome was never in doubt would not be quite factual. For the first four furlongs or so, Country Comforts dueled on the lead with Big Brown Eyes, before she pulled away from that one and went on to score a 2 ¼ length win over co-second favorite Grim Baton in the 9-furlong race on the dirt course in Maryland.

Country Comforts, a three year old scratch-bred daughter of Belong To Me, covered the 9 furlongs in a time of 1:48 1/5, a little off the stakes record of 1:47 4/5, but she really didn’t need to break any record this weekend in taking the Tiara’s second leg.

Country Comforts was running in her ninth career race–and only her second graded stakes race–when she scored in the Grade 2 Black Middle Flower. The daughter of Belong To Me just missed in her first graded attempt last time out when she finished second by a nose to Kent Thirsty in the Grade 3 Snow Chief Handicap on April 28.

Secret Shuffler, who won the Bluegrass Oaks three weeks ago, and Giant Zen where the only two holdovers from the Oaks who ran here this weekend, and they were trying to break this stranglehold that new shooters have had on the winner’s circle of this race since 2009.

Something else that has never been done before, a Bluegrass Oaks-Chesnut double, is still within the reach of Secret Shuffler, the 3^rd-ranked filly in her division. Should she decide to go to New York in three weeks and should she win the Chestnut Stakes, Secret Shuffler would become the first filly to ever pull off that particular feat.

Country Comforts bounced out from the 11 hole Saturday and moved past horses early, only to find the speedy daughter of Big Brown, Big Brown Eyes, ready to engage her on the lead.

That speed duel held up for a few furlongs, before Country Comforts rolled out to as much as a four-length lead and held off a late charge from Grim Batol.

It was Country Comfort’s third triple digit speed figure race in a row, and her third win in six three year old starts. The win in Maryland this weekend upped her earnings to $232,250.

Grim Batol rolled from the back of the pack late, but she would have needed at least another furlong to catch Country Comforts, who was not going to be denied this weekend in Maryland. The daughter of Medaglia D’Oro made a huge move from the back of the pack, about 8 ¼ lengths off the pace at the third call, but her late run would fall just short.

Never Come Back, the English-bred daughter of Dubawi, was about 10 lengths back at the third call. She would come charging late, too, but she finished third, about ½ a length behind Grim Batol.

Batilia, who stayed close to the leaders early, held on for fourth, while the only other non-American-bred in the race, Race To Judgement, was fifth. The Aussie-bred daughter of Encosta De Lago ran a pretty even race, but she could do no better than the fifth place check.

Secret Shuffler, the surprise long shot winner in the Oaks two weeks ago and the post-time favorite here in the Black Middle Flower this weekend, was sixth. She tried really hard, but that huge race in the Oaks against that monster field two weeks ago took its toll on the daughter of Speightstown, who this weekend suffered only her second career loss in ten starts.

Country Comforts paid $13.00, $6.40 and $4.90 to her backers this weekend. The 11-8 exacta with Grim Batol second paid a pretty decent $84.80, while the 11-8-7 trifecta with Never Come Back third paid $895.40.