Lazy Daisy digs deep to win Pocahontas Stakes

Reiterating the strength of the juvenile fillies division in California, Lazy Daisy shipped east off a fourth-place finish in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and sprung a 7-1 upset in the $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Lazy Daisy never seriously threatened in the Debutante, when she rallied from off the pace to finish fourth by 9 1/4 lengths against the runaway winner Bast. But she found the competition a bit easier at Churchill Downs and joined her Doug O’Neill-trained stablemate Comical (winner of the grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga) as another California-based juvenile filly to ship across the country and nab a major prize.

Ridden to victory by Abel Cedillo, Lazy Daisy flashed speed in the Pocahontas Stakes and exchanged the lead with 43-1 shot His Glory through fractions of :23.99, :47.90 and 1:12.47. In the end they were the only runners to contend for victory. Portrait briefly loomed a threat before she flattened out in the homestretch, which left Lazy Daisy to gradually get the better of His Glory and pull away for a 1 1/4-length win.

“When I turned in the stretch, I put my filly close (to His Glory on the inside), and (His Glory) got a little intimidated. And that’s where my filly kept going and going. I got lucky there,” Cedillo said. “Doug has a lot of good horses, and he knows where to put his horses in a good spot, like a live mount.”

Owned by ERJ Racing, Great Friends Stable and Tom Mansor, Lazy Daisy stopped the clock for 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.89. In addition to the $120,280 winner’s share of the purse, Lazy Daisy received a “Win and You’re In” berth to the November 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), plus 10 qualification points toward the 2020 Kentucky Oaks (G1).

For the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, which will take place at Santa Anita in California, Lazy Daisy will have a home-court advantage. But her proven affinity for Churchill Downs will also be an asset if Lazy Daisy attempts to emulate last year’s Pocahontas winner, Serengeti Empress, with an Oaks win.

Both the Breeders’ Cup and the Oaks should be well within Lazy Daisy’s comfort zone from a pedigree perspective. Her resilience down the Churchill Downs homestretch can perhaps be attributed to her sire, Paynter, the classy Haskell Invitational (G1) winner who stayed 1 1/2 miles well enough to finish second in the 2012 Belmont Stakes (G1). And while Lazy Daisy’s half-siblings have primarily been sprinters, her damsire—Suave—had his fair share of stamina too, with three graded wins between 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/4 miles.

One thing is certain—with 10 qualification points already under her belt, Lazy Daisy has taken a big first step on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.