The Cardiac Comeback, Armed With Talent
Heart-attack comebacks are nothing new in the Sim, but when you’re Armed With Money, the best tonic is a come-from-behind victory, which is what she pulled off on Saturday, storming from more than sixteen lengths off the lead to pull off an upset in the $2,000,000 Breeders Bowl Distaff, holding off a late rally by K’s Joan Bach to win by just over two lengths and covering the mile-and-an-eighth in 1:47 3/5 and earning a speed figure of 109.
The race shaped up as expected, with the three main speeds—Corzaffair(IRE), Indy’s Giant(IRE) and Otto History—setting out on a sturdy pace in the early furlongs. But it was Otto History, from post #14, who captured the lead in the early stages and drew out to a three-length lead with a half-mile left to run. Corzaffair(IRE) did all that she could but could only shadow from a discreet distance. Meanwhile, Armed With Money dropped like a stone, falling sixteen-and-a-half lengths behind through the opening half-mile. As the leader began to weaken, the middle movers and stretch runners began to hit their full stride at the half-mile marker, with Swift Kick beginning to look like a repeat champion as they approached the stretch. Armed With Money began a late rally towards the front of the field with about a half-mile left, but was still about eight lengths behind entering the stretch.
With Swift Kick rolling gradually on the leaders, others began some late drives of their own. K’s Joan Bach was ten lengths from the front approximately halfway through the race, but had begun her sprint early and gained momentum when the other speed fillies had begun their descent, and she was closely followed by Wild Cat Tales and Waki Notion. By the time they hit the stretch, they had gotten clear of the tiring speed, but Armed With Money rallied strongly as the field turned for home. With a clear path in front of her, the three-year-old got by the other potential closers, and accelerated past K’s Joan Bach and the now-depleted Otto History to hit the front in the final furlong. K’s Joan Bach tried to gain further inroads, but only managed to pass Otto History late and as the field crossed the wire, it was the stalwart late run of Armed With Money that scored in the Distaff. K’s Joan Bach was game but vanquished, while clearly second-best. Wild Cat Tales, who had some traffic difficulties impeding her stretch kick, wound up third, followed by pace-setter Otto History who faded to fourth, and wily veteran Waki Notion emerged in the lane to get up for fifth.
Armed With Money earned $1.2 million in winning her fourth race in a row, following up wins in the Grade II Cotton Handicap and the Grade III Little Evil Sophomore with her first victory against older horses, and doubling her bankroll (having come into the event with earnings of just over $1.2 million. She is now a leading candidate for top three-year-old filly honors, and her rally from sixteen lengths down should put her name into the annals of the finest Breeders Bowl comebacks. She is a brown homebred daughter of the stallion Military, out of a Shadeed mare, trained by the barn of monksfield. who now doubt is armed with the knowledge that he has trained an exciting three-year-old filly who has set the Sim afire with her hearty come-from-the-clouds comeback here.