Tarifa Edges Gun Song in Big A's Mother Goose

Godolphin's Tarifa may not have a grade 1 win to her credit, but she surely displayed a top-level amount of heart in posting her third grade 2 triumph of the year. The homebred daughter of the late Bernardini set the early pace in the $242,500 Mother Goose Stakes (G2) and then fended off a determined bid by the 4-5 favorite Gun Song to prevail by a head in the 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies Oct. 26 at Aqueduct Racetrack. "It was a big effort. We're proud of Tarifa," trainer Brad Cox said. The finish flipped the result of the Sept. 21 $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1), when Gun Song was second by a neck to probable 3-year-old filly champ Thorpedo Anna and Tarifa was another 3 1/2 lengths back in third. "I thought she ran a really good race in the Cotillion last time. Obviously we had to deal with Gun Song today, but (Tarifa) was very tough down the lane and (winning jockey Flavien Prat) did a good job. I want to congratulate the Godolphin team. I'm proud of the way she stepped up the last eighth of a mile and finished the job," Cox said. The win was the fourth in seven 2024 starts for the daughter of the Awesome Again mare Kite Beach. It tacked another dose of graded stakes laurels to a résumé that also includes wins earlier this year in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) that sent her off at 5-1 odds in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), when she never threatened and finished ninth in a rare dull performance. Up next? A 4-year-old campaign with high hopes for becoming a grade 1 winner. "This was her last opportunity to face straight 3-year-olds. She's had a great 3-year-old season. I think the goal would be at some point to win a grade 1 with her and we're hoping she'll get that opportunity next year as a 4-year-old," Cox said. In a field reduced to five by three scratches, Prat put Tarifa on the lead shortly after the break, something unusual for a filly who had typically been third or fourth early on. They led through fractions of :24.08 and :48.86 from the rail with Gun Song in closest pursuit. Turning for home, Gun Song and John Velazquez took aim at the leader in the stretch and stuck a head in front at the eighth pole. But Tarifa did not back down from the challenge and valiantly fought back to win by a head in 1:50.78 as the 2-1 ($6.10) second choice. "At the top of the lane it looked like I was beaten, but she showed some grit," Prat said. "It felt like she didn't want to give up." Including the narrow loss to Thorpedo Anna, R. Lee Lewis' grade 2-winning Gun Song closed out her 3-year-old campaign with three wins and four seconds in nine starts for trainer Mark Hennig. "It looked like she was going to edge away in the final eighth but then maybe she reacted to (the Cotillion)," Hennig said about the daughter of Gun Runner. "Maybe she came back a little quick, but I am proud of her. She had a helluva year. Everybody's done a great job with her. We'll give her a little break and come back with her next year." Three Chimneys Farm's Pretty Ana, a homebred Quality Road filly, turned in a strong effort to finish a fast-closing third, a head behind Gun Song, after being pinched back to last at the break. - Additional reporting by Molly Rollins