Ellis Park 2-year-old spotlight: Fern Circle’s Classy Music

Ellis Park 2-year-old spotlight: Fern Circle’s Classy Music
McPeek-trained filly overcomes miscues to romp at a mile in second start
It wasn’t a flawless rendition, but the 2-year-old filly Classy Music was so good that she overcame a couple off notes to score a 4 3/4-length victory over the promising Reality Queen in a mile maiden race Friday at Ellis Park.

“I’m lucky I won and survived,” said jockey Channing Hill. “She came down onto her face leaving the gate. This filly has quite a bit of talent. Kenny’s only real instructions were not to screw it up. He’s pretty excited about this filly, obviously.”

Kenny is Kenny McPeek, who trains Classy Music for Paul Fireman’s Fern Circle Stables. The daughter of Maclean’s Music covered the mile in 1:40.53 and returned $3.20 to win as the 3-5 favorite in the field of six.

“She’s still a little green,” Hill said. “Stumbled away from there. Got a little rank with me down the backside, then settled nice. I was super happy. Just one of those things, you just have a better horse and you’re not too concerned sitting behind (others). But then when we got into the turn, she … drifted across (other horses’) heels. I mean, I clipped heels for three or four jumps. I’m glad she had the athleticism to keep herself up. When you see the head-on shot, you’ll see it.

“Definitely going into that turn, we had a few tense moments. It was just green stuff. She was sitting good. It was one of those spots that I had her close to heels, expecting her to switch right to her left lead when we got there, and she kind of wanted to go a little straight. Not getting out or anything bad. Just green, baby stuff. Then to regroup, then to step on the brakes again and come outside, then she kind of pulled herself up the entire lane — nice filly. Once she gets a little company to go with her, she’ll be much better…. She outclassed those fillies.”

Classy Music had raced once before, breaking tardily that day, rushing up and fading to third April 20 in a 4 1/2-furlong race at Keeneland. The winner, Buy Sell Hold, beat the boys in her next start to take the $100,000 Kentucky Juvenile two days before the Kentucky Derby.

“She’s a good filly,” said McPeek, who mentioned a logical objective being the $75,000 Ellis Park Debutante on Aug. 20. He remembers his instructions a little differently. “I told him, ‘Don’t try to ride him from git to go; it’s not going to work. Just be patient with her.’”

McPeek said Classy Music didn’t run again until now because the filly had backed off her feed after her debut. “We just took our time with her,” he said. “I did think she was a filly who wanted to go longer.”

The race was taken off the turf, which was fine with McPeek, who was looking for the mile distance rather than the surface when he entered Classy Music in this spot.

“The same thing happened with Daddys Lil Darling last year,” he said of his Kentucky Oaks runner-up who broke her maiden in an off-the-turf mile race at Ellis. “It also came off the turf. She got in trouble. Won anyway.”

The Mike Maker-trained Reality Queen and jockey Jon Court finished eight lengths in front of Tiz B B N.

“She did well,” Court said. “I tried to get a jump on that 3 (the winner), because I knew she was going to close on me. She finished up well, just second-best today.”

Sprinting out: Pride is on the line as jockeys jump aboard camels and ostriches Saturday for one of the meet’s most popular promotions. Riding the four camels will be 2015 camel titlist Calvin Borel (who missed last year’s race during his five-month hiatus from the track), Didiel Osorio, apprentice jockey Rogelio Miranda and Rito Almanza. Riding the five ostriches will be Osorio, Miranda, Almanza, Sergio Figueroa and the racing office’s Bailey Hare, who finished second in last year’s ostrich race despite, by his admission, spotting the field 40 pounds.

Other upcoming promotions: Brass Hat, who earned $2 million and legions of fans through seven years of racing, will return to Ellis Park July 16 to commemorate Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Day. Brass Hat will parade through the stretch (while ridden by Borel, who won Keeneland’s Grade 3 Sycamore at age 9 and Churchill Downs’ Grade 3 Louisville Handicap at age 8 on the popular gelding) and greet the public in the paddock midway through the card. Five-hundred commemorative Brass Hat posters will be given out, with Borel and Brass Hat trainer and co-owner Buff Bradley signing autographs. Other retired thoroughbreds will be on display throughout the afternoon, including Brass Hat’s buddy King of Speed, whose 111-race career included 15 starts at Ellis.

July 23 is College Day with full-time students having a chance to win a laptop or a $1,000 tuition scholarship via drawings after every race. The laptops are courtesy of the Kentucky HBPA, which represents owners and trainers at the commonwealth’s five tracks, with the scholarships a collaboration between Henderson County businesses and the Kentucky HBPA.

Kids on the Track: Kids 12 and under line up for foot races after the horses races every Sunday, with winners getting a pair of jockey goggles and all the fame they can stand.