One year after Temple City Terror rolled to a last-to-first victory in the Long Island Stakes (G3T) for trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Jose Ortiz, her younger half sister R Calli Kim pulled off the feat in nearly identical fashion Nov. 12 for the same connections.
Like Temple City Terror, R Calli Kim took the time to develop before finding her best stride. From winning for a $32,000 claiming tag at Saratoga in July to landing the $300,000 Long Island, the 6-year-old daughter of Revolutionary’s quick turnaround surpassed even Walsh’s wildest expectations Sunday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“She’s really exceeded expectations this year,” Walsh said of R Calli Kim. “We had to stop on her last year. We weren’t sure where she was going to go from there, but she came back and has gone from strength to strength through the year.
“To win a grade 3 like she did today—if you had told me six months ago she was going to do that, I’d have told you that you were absolutely crazy. But she’s gotten better and better as the year has gone on and my hat’s off to her.”
Exiting two straight allowance-level wins, R Calli Kim trailed the field behind soft early fractions of :25.14, :49.12, and 1:14.68 before charging six-wide around the turn for home. Taking command in mid-stretch from pacesetters Vergara and Whatlovelookslike , she continued to stride powerfully to the wire under little encouragement from Ortiz.
Clocking her final eighth of a mile in an impressive :11 1/5, R Calli Kim ($4.40) struck the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front of Rhombique in a final time of 2:14.14 for 1 3/8 miles over a firm turf course.
Vergara held on for third over Whatlovelookslike.
R Calli Kim and Temple City Terror were both bred by Upson Downs Farm and produced from the More Than Ready mare It Takes Two. Both fillies were bargain buys as yearlings, with R Calli Kim going to owner Richard Averill for $9,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale while Temple City Terror was a $22,000 Keeneland September purchase for Pocket Aces Racing.
“It’s pretty cool to win the same stake with two sisters, two years in a row,” Walsh said. “We had this race in mind as the long-term goal this year. She looks fantastic and is doing well, so I don’t know if we’ll want to stop on her right now. We might take a look at some of the longer races at Gulfstream over the winter. We’ll enjoy today and talk to the team, and come up with a plan.”
The Long Island was the first stakes win for R Calli Kim.
Christophe Clement-trained Atomic Blonde , fourth through the first six furlongs of the Long Island, was eased by jockey Joel Rosario into the stretch. The mare walked on the van after the race and was reported to have bled according to NYRA veterinarians.
Video: Long Island S. (G3T)
