By Ron Mitchell
The seven-furlong, two-turn Oaks was expected to be a race between Mss Behaviour, a grade II winner, and Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s homebred Size, the Iowa Oaks (gr. III) winner trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott.
But when the gates opened, it quickly turned into a one-horse race as jockey Jevian Toledo took Miss Behaviour to the front, setting fractions of :23.09 and :46.43, with Executive Allure tracking in second three lengths off the pace. As the field neared the second turn, Miss Behaviour began to open up and the race was over, except for the final margin.
Miss Behaviour, trained by Phil Schoenthal, completed the distance in 1:24.69. She paid $4.20, $2.80, and $2.40. Maggi Moss’ Kiss to Remember was second, paying $4.80 and $3.40, with longshot Nesso third at $5.60. The finish was completed by Stormy Novel, Executive Allure, Saintly Joan, Size, Aqua Regia, and Pixie Dust.
Size, the 123-pound highweight who conceded five pounds to the winner, broke slowly and was steadied off the heels of Aqua Regia near the nine-sixteenths pole before making a mild bid and eventually leveling off for her finish position.
Schoenthal said there was no doubt about the game plan for Miss Behaviour going into the Oaks.
“We just told Jevian to let her go and see what happens,” said the trainer. “It’s wonderful just to have a horse of this quality. It’s surreal.”
Schoenthal said Miss Behaviour will be pointed toward the Lexus Raven Run (gr. II) Oct. 18 at Keeneland Race Course and then will take a break, with plans to race her again next year.
The victory by the 3-year-old daughter of Jump Start was her fifth in 11 starts, to go along with four seconds and a third. She has earned $790,000. The Pennsylvania-bred races for her breeders, Cal McWilliam and Neil Teitelbaum. The filly was coming off three consecutive runner-up finishes in graded stakes company in New York—Victory Ride Stakes (gr. III) at Belmont Park, and the Test (gr. I) and Prioress Stakes (gr. II), both at Saratoga Race Course. Before that run, Miss Behaviour won the Miss Preakness Stakes.
Successful Romance, a daughter of Successful Appeal who is the dam of Miss Behaviour, was purchased by McWilliam for $40,000 from the Oak Lodge USA consignment to the 2009 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.