Terra Promessa stings rivals in Honeybee
March 12th, 2016
The bay daughter of Curlin settled into the three path on the backstretch under regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr. as Cosmic Evolution recorded fractions of :23.33, :47.06 and 1:12.97 on the front end. That filly was closely tracked by 4-5 favorite Nickname and Marquee Miss, the latter of whom was seeking a third straight stakes win at Oaklawn after taking the Dixie Belle and Martha Washington.
Terra Promessa began moving nearing the second turn and ranged up to challenge while rounding the bend. The Steve Asmussen pupil easily grabbed command upon hitting the stretch and drew away to finish 1 1/16 miles over Oaklawn’s muddy, sealed main track in 1:47.14.
Nickname was runner-up for a second straight time after filling that same spot while making her seasonal bow in the Martha Washington on February 6. It was another 4 1/2 lengths back to Cosmic Evolution, who in turn was up three lengths on Dorodansa in fourth. She’s a Bootsy Too finished fifth while Marquee Miss was distanced after losing contact with the field on the far turn.
Terra Promessa debuts on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) leaderboard with 50 points as the Honeybee is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series of points races. The Kentucky-bred lass finished a half-length third in her initial outing while sprinting at Keeneland last October, then broke her maiden by a length at Churchill Downs in mid-November to close out her juvenile campaign.
Terra Promessa returned to action on February 5 at Oaklawn, easily scoring by nine lengths against allowance rivals. This win boosted her career line to 4-3-0-1 and she’s now banked $200,600 in lifetime earnings.
Out of the multiple stakes-winning Yes It’s True mare Missile Bay, Terra Promessa is a half-sister to stakes-placed Mio Me and comes from the same female family as Canadian champion older mare Magic Code.
Terra Promessa photo courtesy of Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography
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