Carter Pinske’s Tactical Landing pupil Mommamia Volo has blossomed over The Red Mile through her sophomore season and stamped herself a division staple after pulling off an 11-1 upset in the Kentucky Sires Stakes final. On Sunday, Oct. 8, she added a classic Grand Circuit victory to her card with an authoritative 1:51.3 charge to victory in the $320,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity.
Sent off as the 8-5 favourite, driver Todd McCarthy settled Mommamia Volo in sixth as Special Way forged forward through a first-quarter skirmish in :28.1. Special Way overtook Walner Payton to the backstretch and held an easy lead to a :56.3 half while Mommamia Volo tried to flush cover to the final turn. She found someone to follow in Secret Volo, who marched to within three lengths of Special Way going to three-quarters in 1:24.3, which still left Mommamia Volo a sizeable deficit to recoup.
Walner Payton angled outside for her attack rounding the final turn and put away a tired Special Way while McCarthy launched Mommamia Volo down the center of the track. Inch by inch, she ground down her peers and scooted clear to a two-length victory in 1:51.3 over Walner Payton. Blonde Bombshell, a 43-1 shot, rallied off a pylon trip to take third from Special Way and Bond closed for fifth.
“I was kind of worried there early [if] there was going to be an outside flow there the whole way,” said McCarthy. “We were able to get a helmet and a target for a lot longer than I thought we were going to be able to, and then we got a little bit of live cover late. I couldn’t have written the trip any better. Carter’s just had this filly so spot on and I had so much faith in her speed there down the lane.”
The stakes victory gave Mommamia Volo her fourth win on the season from 10 starts and her third victory in a row. The filly, who is a half sister to 2020 Kentucky Futurity winner Amigo Volo, grabbed cheques through the summer in the Kentucky Sires Stakes but grabbed attention when beating last season’s trotting freshman champion Special Way in the Kentucky Sires Stakes final on Sept. 17.
“She’s battled a bit of soreness, a bit of sickness stuff through the year and here recently she’s come on real good,” said Pinske. “Todd really protected her this year and it’s paying off for us. She’s just got a ton of speed if she has any cover. If she can have clearance at the head of the lane, she has a ton of closing speed.”
Mommamia Volo has now earned $536,882 for owners/breeders Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Jorgen Jahre Jr. She collected her sixth win from 16 starts in her career. The filly returned $5.32 to win.
Bravo Angel S took the $25,000 Kentucky Filly Futurity Consolation earlier on the card for trainer Jonas Czernyson and driver Tony Hall. The daughter of Readly Express, competing for owner Consus Racing Stable, kicked off cover from runner-up Heart On Fire to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:55 with pocket-sitter Warrawee Yes taking third. Bravo Angel S, a four-time winner from 16 starts, paid $12.86 to win.
The 2023 edition of the Kentucky Filly Futurity was sponsored by Crawford Farms.
(The Red Mile)