MYSTIC LOVE got her first stakes win in one of racing’s most historic tests for 2-year-old fillies, the 83rd running of the Selima S. at Laurel Park on Saturday, Oct. 27. And she did it in spectacular fashion.
Breaking next to last in the field of 12, the dark bay daughter of Not For Love gradually settled into stride, then accelerated around the far turn and swept past her rivals to get up in time in the race worth $150,000, finishing 5½ furlongs over the firm turf in 1:02.23.
Trained by Frannie Campitelli for John Davison, who purchased the filly from the Dark Hollow Farm consignment for $21,000 at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale, MYSTIC LOVE upped her career earnings to $114,760 in three starts. She broke her maiden in her debut in September by 4 lengths on the turf – now with two wins from as many starts on the grass, her trainer notes, “She just loves it.”
MYSTIC LOVE is the second foal bred by Dark Hollow Farm out of Memories of Mystic, a winning daughter of Dixie Union also bred Dark Hollow. Second dam Mystic Dance, a stakes winner of $102,908, produced stakes winners Dance Fee ($336,100, Justakiss S, etc.) and Chancellor M. H. The family traces back Christiana Stables’ famed producer Obeah.
The family of SAFELY HOME continues to bring joy. Dark Hollow Farm’s homebred 2-year-old JOY, a direct descendant of Dark Hollow’s legendary foundation mare SAFELY HOME, got her first win with a frontrunning score on Friday, Nov. 2 at Laurel Park.
A chestnut daughter of Pure Prize, JOY took a clear lead into the stretch under Jeremy Rose in the one-mile maiden special weight and proved tough as she raced to the second wire, turning back favorite Classy Broad and six other rivals to win by three-quarters of a length. Trained by Graham Motion, the filly was making her third start, but her first going a distance as far as a mile.
JOY represents the third-generation of SAFELY HOME’s special family. She is the first foal for the winning Flatter mare SAFE JOURNEY, who is out of stakes-placed $114,923-earner Safe At the Plate. A half-sister to Eclipse Award-winning sprinter and Breeders’ Cup Sprint-G1 winner SAFELY KEPT, Safe At the Plate is also the dam of graded stakes-placed runners Cognac Kisses ($178,094) and Kettle Won ($113,606) and $361,313-earner Glide Home.
