Claiborne raised, Phipps Stable homebred Surprisingly was anything but a surprise winner for bettors at Monmouth Park on Friday when the MASTERY filly lived up to her favoritism with a debut Maiden Special Weight victory.
The 5 ½ furlong dash saw the Shug McGaughey trainee break a step slow but she quickly made up for it to join the leaders after the first furlong. Racing on the rail for the first half of the race, she was piloted to the outside of horses by Paco Lopez as they turned into the stretch and she looked for a hole.
That hole opened with a furlong and a half to run and she made her move. The filly looked like she will love extra distance as she extended her lead in the end to an easy three quarters of a length with the top three runners over 13 lengths ahead of the rest of the field.
The fourth winner for her sire, Surprisingly gave indications she was a talented filly with strong works over the past month at both Saratoga and Belmont.
The filly is the first out of Arch mare Vagabond, who is a three-quarter sister to dual Grade 1 winner Pine Island and a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Great Island. The family also includes five-time Grade 1 winner Point of Entry, four-time Grade 1 winner Guarana, Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Pleasant Home and others.