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Harvey's Lil Goil runs big in $100K Busanda

by NYRA Press Office

Harvey's Lil Goil, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott for the Estate of Harvey A. Clarke and Paul Braverman, was a dominant winner of Sunday's $100,000 Busanda, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Harvey's Lil Goil proved her six-length maiden win at second asking on December 12 at the Big A was no fluke with a romping 7 1/2-length score in the Busanda, which offered 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

The strapping grey daughter of American Pharoah hopped at the start and provided the six-horse field a brief advantage as Fiftyshays Ofgreen marked the opening quarter-mile in 25.30 seconds under moderate pressure from Persisto and Truth Hurts on the fast main track.

Harvey's Lil Goil, who was forced wide through the opening turn under Junior Alvarado, settled three-wide in fourth position down the backstretch through a half-mile in 50.59. Alvarado asked his charge to step into gear midway through the turn and glided effortlessly to the lead. Persisto tried in vain to stay with Harvey's Lil Goil as Fiftyshays Ofgreen battled on and Water White angled off the rail for her late charge. But no one made up ground on Harvey's Lil Goil, who stopped the clock in 1:54.49.

Water White completed the exacta, 1 ½-lengths the better of Fiftyshays Ofgreen. Rounding out the order of finish were Persisto, Ankle Monitor and Truth Hurts. Quality Heat was scratched.

Alvarado, aboard for all three career starts, was full of praise for Harvey's Lil Goil.

"She was much the best. I was just the pilot," said Alvarado. "At the half-mile [mark], she switched gears and I let her run along there. She took over and didn't do much."

The veteran rider, who picked up his third stakes win of the winter meet, said his filly was a little immature at the gate.

"I didn't want to fight with her to make her stand properly, but then she hopped at the break a little bit," said Alvarado. "In a stakes race, that's not what you want, but she was much the best, so it didn't matter.

"I would have liked to be second early on. I would have caught the corner the first turn," he added. "She outclassed the [field]. We've always been pretty high on her and she showed up. She's more advanced physically than mentally, but eventually she'll catch up with that and hopefully keep moving forward."

Leanna Willaford, Mott's New York-based assistant, said she was impressed with the effort from Harvey's Lil Goil after shipping back to her care from Payson Park in Florida.

"She ran really well and to expectations, or possibly even better," said Willaford. "She came back up to us from Florida last week and has been here for a few days. She had been here prior from July until when she broke her maiden, so we know her well. She looks really about the same since she's left and is progressing well, so it's exciting."

Water White, a maiden winner at third asking for trainer Rudy Rodriguez, arrived at the Busanda from a fifth-place effort in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 7 at the Big A. Rodriguez said he was pleased with his filly's strong finish, but tipped his cap to the dominant winner.

"She ran well. It just looked like the other horse [Harvey's Lil Goil] was much better than us today," said Rodriguez. "She hung in there and was honest. She didn't disappoint me. She has to improve a little bit to compete with these horses, but we're happy with the results."

Harvey's Lil Goil, bred in Kentucky by the late Harvey A. Clarke, banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to two wins from three starts. The 3-5 favorite returned $3.50 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes on Thursday at the Big A with an eight-race card. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.