At Laurel, Queen of Song Wins Juvenile Filly Event

Asked to describe gray 2-year-old filly Queen of Song, trainer Mark Shuman said, "She's a huge being."

That huge being, however, is a bit temperamental and has breathing problems, but she is bred to be brilliant and yesterday flashed some of that potential. On an exhaustingly slow, muddy track, Queen of Song settled comfortably off the pace for jockey Jeremy Rose and pushed clear in the stretch to win the $50,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship at Laurel Park.

Only four horses contested the marquee event for Maryland-bred 2-year-old fillies after two late scratches by trainer Chris Grove. A horse that would have been the overwhelming favorite, undefeated Miss Charm City, suffered a suspensory injury in her left front foot earlier in the week. Queen of Song, however, brought some class to an event with a history of being won by top-class runners including stars Sham Say, Crowned, Wide Country, Star Minister and Gin Talking.

Bred by Baltimore philanthropist Robert Meyerhoff's Fitzhugh Farm, Queen of Song was sired by Unbridled's Song, who until recently stood in Kentucky for a stud fee of $150,000. Owner Town & Country Farms Corp. purchased the horse privately after it failed to sell at a Keeneland yearling sale.

Shuman took an unorthodox shot with Queen of Song in her debut, entering her in the $50,000 Gin Talking Stakes in September at Laurel, and she was fourth, beaten by 7 1/4 lengths by Miss Charm City. Two starts later, the filly easily broke her maiden by two lengths at Delaware Park.

"She was as good as any filly I had around the barn," Shuman said, explaining why Queen of Song ran in a stakes race in her debut. "She galloped out 20 lengths in front of the winner."

Before her career began, Queen of Song underwent myectomy surgery because she displaced the soft palate in her throat. Besides the breathing problem, she doesn't like to be ridden hard early.

"She's a finicky kind of horse," Shuman said. "You need to sit on this horse until the stretch; otherwise she falls apart or loses her action."

Shuman told Rose to let Queen of Song feel the bit in her mouth and not worry about the leader. When the gate opened, Graceful Ginger, who finished ahead of Queen of Song in the Gin Talking, went to the lead and opened up a two-length lead after a half-mile in 48.75 seconds.

Rose settled Queen of Song off the lead, and when he saw favored Prom Time disintegrating on the far turn of the 1 1/16 -mile race, he waited even longer than planned.

"Once I saw Prom Time was out of the picture -- she was either not firing or couldn't keep up -- I sat a little longer," said Rose, who has won 13 stakes races in Maryland this year. "I thought I had the two in front of me pretty well in hand and finished the last quarter."

When Queen of Song got into gear, Call of a Lion, who had taken the lead in the stretch, could not resist. Queen of Song won by five lengths in 1 minute 47.44 seconds and paid $6 for a $2 win bet.

Although Queen of Song did not beat any stars to win the Maryland Juvenile Championship, the victory in a stakes race markedly increased her worth.

"Her value as a broodmare is astronomical," Shuman said.

Racing Notes: Laurel will offer live racing only twice more this year, on Dec. 26 and 27. The final card features the $50,000 Maryland Juvenile Championship.

Tracks and off-track betting sites will remain open, except for Dec. 24 and 25.