Munnings’ Finite On Road to Kentucky Oaks
Munnings’ Finite (2f Munnings x Remit, by Tapit) officially put herself on the Grade I Kentucky Oaks trail Saturday afternoon when scoring her first graded stakes victory in the Grade II Golden Rod Stakes as a strong favorite.
Stretching out to 1 1/16 miles for the first time at Churchill Downs, the filly broke sharply and was more than happy to sit a few lengths behind the leader with Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard. As the field entered the far turn, Santana Jr took his mount three wide to give her the room needed to challenge the leaders. Challenge she did, pulling even in the middle of the turn and taking the lead at the top of the stretch.
Finite showed that not only could she win at the distance but she could do it well even when pressured, repelling a challenge in late stretch to win by three quarters of a length for co-owner and breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds and co-owners Thomas Reiman, William Dickson, and Deborah Easter.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, who also trained her stakes winning dam Remit, it was the third consecutive victory for the filly. Finite broke her maiden on turf in September before switching to the dirt to take out the Listed Rags to Riches Stakes last month in preparation for this start.
"To show the style she ran today, it should be very effective going forward," Asmussen told Blood-Horse. "A great winner of the Golden Rod. I think now it will be a matter of spacing. Plenty of experience, 2-for-2 here at Churchill now. I would expect to want the Oaks to probably be her third run next year."
A $200,000 purchase by Debbie Easter from Randy Mills at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale earlier this year, Finite is a half-sister to Listed winner and Grade II UAE Derby third Reride. Their two-time stakes winning dam is a full sister to Grade II winner Tapiture and Grade III winner Rotation, with stakes horses under each of Finite’s first six dams.
Finite becomes the 13th graded stakes winner for value sire Munnings, who has 35 stakes winners and 55 stakes horses overall. She leads Munnings’ four 2-year-old stakes winners and eight juvenile stakes horses in 2019 with the stallion siring 26 2-year-old winners overall this year.