Photo:NYRA / Adam Coglianese / Coglianese Photo
Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables brought the formidablemultiple graded-stakes winner McKulick as one of the favorites for the Grade 2,$500,000 Flower Bowl. But it was their 31-1 long shot Idea Generation who tookthem from gate to wire in Saturday’s 1 3/8-mile inner-turf test for olderfillies and mares at Saratoga.
The Flower Bowl awarded Idea Generation with a berth in theBreeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Nov. 2 at Del Mar as part of thewin-and-you’re-in challenge series, although winning trainer Chad Brown saidthat was an unlikely target.
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“That seems like a little bit of a reach. She had herground and her own way today,” Brown said. “I’m not going to get ahead ofmyself there. We’ll see how she’s doing. She’s unlikely to have soft turf atDel Mar. We know that. We’ll just enjoy this win and plan our future from here.When she gets around three turns on soft turf, she has a place in the barn,that’s for sure."
IDEA GENERATION is going to the @BreedersCup! She wins the Grade 2 Flower Bowl Stakes in a huge upset at 31-1 with @flothejock aboard for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/m9oWrw7Vri
— NYRA (??) (@TheNYRA) August 31, 2024
Idea Generation flipped the script of the 1 3/8-mile Waya (G3)in October at Belmont at the Big A, where she set the pace before being caughtin the stretch by stablemate McKulick. This time the 4-year-old daughter ofDubawi would not be denied, adding accolades of her own to her résumé with herfirst victory against winners.
Piloted by Florent Géroux, Idea Generation emerged well frompost 6 to lead the field of seven through the first turn and into the stretchfor the first time, marking the opening quarter-mile in 26.08 seconds over theyielding footing. Parnac tracked 5 1/2 lengths back in second, and McKulickremained under a tight hold from Irad Ortiz Jr. in third.
Brown said he felt confident in Idea Generation as the fieldpassed the stands for the first time.
“She had her ears up and was loving the ground,” Brown said.“We knew she liked the soft ground, but she was really looking comfortable thewhole way. I actually felt good on the final turn with everybody gettingcloser. I could see he was giving her a breather. Flo rode a great race. Theother good race she ran was with him last fall, so I was thrilled he wasactually here today. I was very excited to put him on the horse.”
Brown recalled when Géroux piloted Idea Generation to herpace-setting runner-up effort in the Waya over yielding footing and said heenvisioned a similar scenario.
“My instructions in the paddock were the same that day whenshe ran second at Aqueduct last fall. You’re here to set the pace, but you’realso here to win. Try to do both. Honest pace. She enjoys running along freely,but if you think you can win the race, by all means, try to win the race. Hedid it. He was clear,” Brown said. “He was setting an honest pace, but he usedgood judgment to try and win the race for himself, too. That’s what I do withmy speed horses.”
Idea Generation maintained her advantage through the secondturn and onto the backstretch as she marked splits of 51.92, 1:18.20 and1:43.58 with the running order mostly unchanged. That was before Ortiz gotmoving aboard McKulick into the final turn. Júnior Alvarado angled post-timefavorite War Like Goddess off the rail and wide around Eternal Hope to forge apath for the lead.
Parnac, last year’s Flower Bowl victor, faded along theinside as McKulick overtook second at the top of the lane, and the pair of WarLike Goddess and Eternal Hope charged down the center of the course. IdeaGeneration kept a comfortable cushion between her and her stablemate through 11/4 miles in 2:07.14. War Like Goddess provided some interest late as she drewnearer in the final sixteenth, but there was no catching Idea Generation, whocrossed the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front with a final time of 2:18.97.
War Like Goddess held second by two lengths over McKulick,who fended off Eternal Hope by a head for show. Verbier, who broke last, MillieGirl and Parnac completed the order of finish. La Mehana and Neecie Marie werescratched along with main track-only entrants Movie Moxy and Amanda’s Folly.
Bred in Ireland by Epona Bloodstock, Idea Generation debutedwith a nose second in a local maiden special weight in July 2022 that wasdeclared a non-wagering event and broke her maiden at third asking traveling 11/16 miles at Aqueduct. She entered off a closing fifth in a local allowancegoing the Flower Bowl distance July 25 off a nine-month layoff.
Idea Generation, who was bought for $485,808 out of book 1at the 2021 Tattersalls October yearling sale, banked $275,000 in victory whileimproving her lifetime record to 7: 2-2-0. She returned $64.50 on a $2 winticket.
