Ceiling Crusher goes all the way on the lead in Cotillion

Ceiling Crusher goes all the way on the lead in Cotillion

By Anthony Affrunti

A strong, front-running pace was all Ceiling Crusher needed to capture Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Parx Racing. The California-bred daughter of Mr. Big employed that strategy to lead eight others from start to finish to win the 1 1/16-mile contest by a half-length on the sloppy, sealed main track in 1:45.69 under jockey Edwin Maldonado.

Under the lime green and white colors that represent Wonderland Racing Stables, Todd Cady, Tim Kasparoff and Ty Leatherman, Ceiling Crusher earned her first Grade 1 victory in her seventh lifetime start for trainer Doug O’Neill. The win was her second straight after winning the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar. That was her first start in open company after running vs. California breds in her first five starts.

Ceiling Crusher, no stranger to covering a lot of ground after shipping to Parx Tuesday from her home track at Santa Anita, an estimated trip of 2,709 miles, pleased her trainer.

“She brought everything that she was showing us back home on the road,” O’Neill said. “You never know. You never know until you pack your bags, and they have to stay in a hotel room and be away from home. She handled everything perfectly.”

Ceiling Crusher was urged to the front after the break under Maldonado, and was pressed through an opening quarter mile in :23.31. Pretty Mischievous and jockey Tyler Gafflione, in search of their fourth consecutive Grade 1 victory as the 2-1 favorite, gave chase in sixth in the early stages. They continued through the slop behind a cluster of soggy horseflesh belonging to Majestic Creed, Hoosier Philly, Defining Purpose, Foggy Night and Imonra while Ceiling Crusher led through the half-mile in :47.64 and 6 furlongs in 1:12.98.

Occult, launching her bid from last under Irad Ortiz Jr., swung wide and rallied into third behind the Brendan Walsh-trained Pretty Mischievous who, with her streak in jeopardy, made an impact through the turn to the stretch and was now desperate to catch the front-runner. Ceiling Crusher, still there after the mile in 1:39.16, held strong and held off her main foe. Pretty Mischievous settled for second while Occult finished third and Hoosier Philly checked in fourth.

She was followed by Defining Purpose, Foggy Night, Just Katherine, Majestic Creed and Imonra.

“Edwin has gotten to know her. She has no accelerator stuck to her at all.” said O’Neill. “She is not a run-off. Being in the two-hole, he did not want to get caught up in a lot of traffic. He rode her away from there and I just thank God no one else went on a suicide mission to stop her. She has that high-cruising speed, and she carried it all the way to the wire. She does not have a huge turn of foot. She has a high-cruising speed, a grinder, a lot of heart. He used all that to a T.”

Pretty Mischievous, the leading candidate to win this year’s Eclipse Award as top 3-year-old filly, left her connections with disappointment following her performance.

“Maybe she didn’t handle the track great, initially,” Walsh said. “Tyler said as soon as she switched her leads down the back, he kind of felt her way back into the race. But you know, Doug’s filly got the jump on us, and she was gone. That’s the way it goes, I’m afraid. Listen, she always gives it 110 percent. Anytime she has been beaten she hasn’t been beaten far. You can’t be disappointed in her, we’re just a little disappointed in the circumstances. Hats off to Doug’s filly, too. She took her opportunity, and she won the race. I’m not taking anything away from her.”

Ceiling Cruiser, who now boasts six wins from seven starts and earnings of $938,400, will return home before her next start is considered. O’Neill will leave the decision to the owners.

“She is not nominated (to the Breeders’ Cup),” O’Neill said. “It will be up to the guys and gals, if they want to write a big check. This was our Breeders’ Cup. We looked at this on the calendar months ago and the fact that is coming true … this was our Breeders’ Cup.”

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