Shayjolie fought a muddy track and five determined opponents to seal the victory in the second running of the $100,000 Cat Cay Stakes on the Gotham undercard at Aqueduct on Saturday, March 7th. Shayjolie shared her day with jockey, Sheldon Russell, who won his 1,000th race astride the big, bay Indian Charlie filly trained by Gary Contessa.
She broke well from post position 2, quickly settling in behind the front-running pacesetter, Holiday’s Jewel, as she took the field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.75 seconds and a half in 48.89.
Shayjolie tracked the pace and picked it up at the half-mile pole in the 1 1/16-mile muddy inner-track test. She charged forward, narrowly increasing her advantage and winning by 3/4 of a length over the pacesetter. Shayjolie completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:47:19, and returned $6.90 for her win and enhanced her bankroll to $309,943 for owner Sean Shay.
Bred in Kentucky by Peachtree Stable out of the Is It True mare, School for Scandal, Shayjolie racked up the third win of her career from 12 starts and brought her earnings to $309,943.
Shayjolie is a graduate of Barry and Shari Eisaman’s Eisaman Equine in Ocala. She sold as a 2-year-old for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2013 May sale, where Gary Contessa purchased her for Sean Shay.
“Honestly, I was not going to run her this month. But just like in any sport, you can call an audible at any time. I saw how this race was shaping up, and I thought, ‘I need to be in it. She needs to be a stakes winner.’ She’s got a great pedigree, she’s by Indian Charlie, and she wants to be a good horse. That could very well happen. She’s knocked at the door in some very big races. Maybe this could be her year.”
“I said to Sheldon [on winning his 1,00th career race] ‘You’ll never forget who I am. Long after I’m retired, you’ll remember Gary Contessa put you up on your 1,000th winner,'” Gary told the press in the Aqueduct winner’s circle on Saturday.
Sheldon Russell chimed in: “I got a really great trip. She has very good speed out of the gate, so I was able to get good position. She was smooth the whole way around; I had to move a little bit early when [Storied Lady] came to me on my outside, but she was always traveling well. Obviously, she likes this track a lot. It was a great trip, and a nice horse to get my 1,000th win on. I know [her connections] were very confident going into the race, I’m just glad she ran up to expectations.”
So much of the excitement of horse racing is the thrill of watching history unfold. Shayjolie won the 2015 edition of the Cat Cay Stakes, while the inaugural race in 2014 was won by millionaire racing royalty, Princess of Sylmar. If this race and the success of her predecessor is any indication of Shayjolie’s talent and the possibilities–Shayjolie will provide many more smiles for Gary Contessa, Sean Shay, Sheldon Russell and her fans in 2015.
http://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/videos/race-replay/AQD/2015/20150307/3/pan/
Media credits:
Photos of Shayjolie and of Marcelo Arenas, Gary C. Contessa, Sheldon Russell and John M. Diaz by Dan Heary.
Video courtesy of NYRA. (New York Racing Association)