Change of Control Upsets Mamzelle

LOUISVILLE, KY – Roddy Harrison’s Change of Control, dismissed by the betting public, turned heads with an impressive victory in Saturday’s inaugural running of the $100,000 Mamzelle Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Breaking from post 8 under Gabriel Saez at 35/1, Change of Control sat off early while Raintree Starlet and Abyssinian dueled through opening fractions of :21.85 and :44.53. Charging hard as the field turned for home, Change of Control shot past the field and cleared away late under an impressive turn of foot. The Michelle Lovell trainee’s final time was :56.25 for the 5-furlong sprint over the firm turf course.

“It was a great effort by this horse and a great job of training by Michelle,” Saez said. “She broke well and I just tried to keep her in position around the turn. Once she got ahold of the ground, she really responded well late and surged to the front.”

Though unable to fend off the winner, the 6/5 favorite Abyssinian was 2 lengths Queen of Bermuda, who surpassed a weakening Raintree Starlet late for third. Catherinethegreat took fifth over Morisette, who necked out Play On for sixth. Shesomajestic never played a factor before completing the order of finish.

Chelsea Cloisters, Iva, Kim K, Midnight Fantasy, and Old and Costly were all trainer scratches.

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Change of Control’s win was her second in her last three starts, having just broken her maiden at Fair Grounds in March, and improved her overall record to 7-2-1-1. Harrison claimed the 3-year-old daughter of Fed Biz for $50,000 after making her career debut at Saratoga; she has since earned $99,487.

“I’m so proud of (Change of Control),” Lovell said. “We broke well from the gate, but I got a little worried when she dropped back in the field. Then, I could tell she really wasn’t getting a hold of the ground at first. Finally, around the turn, she really started to kick it into gear, and I thought, ‘We may have a shot here.’ Sure enough, she just exploded home. We’ve tried to get her on the turf in her last couple of starts, but the rain kept washing them off. I think we found out she really likes the turf.”

Change of Control returned $73.80 to win, $17.80 to place, and $7.40 to show. Abyssinian brought back $3.60 to place and $2.60 to show, while Queen of Bermuda paid $4 to show.