Lexington, KY — Favorites My Girl EJ and Rocket Deo both delivered power-packed performances to take their respective divisions of the $233,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial, sponsored by Diamond Creek Farm, on Sunday (Oct. 6) at The Red Mile.
My Girl EJ grabbed the lead after the quarter and exerted authority over her peers to post a 1:48.1 victory in the faster division of the Glen Garnsey Memorial.
Leaving from the pylon post, driver Dexter Dunn got underway with My Girl EJ out of third moving for a :26.4 first quarter and took over the lead from Direction (Todd McCarthy) in the backstretch. My Girl EJ cruised to a :54.2 half and by three-quarters in 1:22.2 before accelerating for the finish. Dunn kept My Girl EJ to task in the lane as Direction mounted a futile bid from the pocket to settle for second, beaten 1-1/4 lengths, while Sweet Gal (Andy McCarthy) rallied from near last for third and Capytreach (Andy Miller) took fourth.
A filly by Sweet Lou, My Girl EJ competes for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Ron Burke and Elizabeth Novak. Ron Burke trains the 12-time winner from 27 starts with $1,131,560 earned who paid $2.50 to win.
Rocket Deo jetted to a pillar-to-post victory in the first division of the Glen Garnsey Memorial, timed in 1:48.3.
Driver Andy McCarthy sent Rocket Deo to the top before a :26.4 first quarter and kept her foes in line on the approach to a :55.3 half. Disney (Todd McCarthy) floated off the pylons from fourth and flushed cover from Soft Shot (David Miller) moving for the final turn all while Rocket Deo remained strong on the controls to three-quarters in 1:23. Soft Shot folded off the turn and the backfield gave chase as Rocket Deo muscled to the finish to win by 3-3/4 lengths over pocket-sitter Canigetalouploup (Yannick Gingras) in second. Disney took third and Asweetbeachhere (Dexter Dunn) closed for fourth.
Brett Pelling trains Rocket Deo, a filly by Captaintreacherous, for owners Morrison Racing Stables and John Fielding. She won her 11th race from 18 starts, has now earned $441,701 and paid $3.18 to win.