Sometimes it's all in the genes.
Considering she is a full sister to an older brother who won his first graded stakes by 23 lengths at Belmont Park, the bloodlines said it was quite logical that Tap to Open would also notch her initial graded stakes win at the Elmont, N.Y., oval.
The track may be totally different than it was in 2022 when Charge It won the then-grade 3 Dwyer Stakes in Secretariat-like fashion. And the margin of victory may have been 19 3/4 lengths shy of her full brother's epic win.
But for the Whisper Hill Farm homebred, a 3 1/4-length triumph in the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G2) for 3-year-old fillies was a nifty way to gain graded stakes laurels and build some optimism for a productive 4-yeare-old campaign in 2027.
"Once she got two turns and an extended distance, she showed she's bred to go a mile and an eighth or more," said trainer Brad Cox, after the Nov. 7 stakes at Belmont. "This was a mile and a sixteenth around one turn today, but the more distance the better for her going forward. This was a good fit."
The daughter of Tapit came into the Mother Goose after rallying to finish a wide fourth behind Bodacious Bay in the Sept. 19 Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing. A winner of four of eight career starts, the daughter of the Indian Charlie mare I'll Take Charge won the listed Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx prior to the Cotillion.
Bodacious Bay was the 4-5 favorite in the Mother Goose, but she was unable to carry her speed as she did in the Cotillion.
She dueled on the front end with 17-1 longshot Iron Orchard down Belmont's long backstretch through a fast :45.94 opening half-mile.
Meanwhile, jockey Manny Franco kept Tap to Open reserved in fourth along the inside, 1 1/2 lengths behind.
Turning into the stretch, the pace pressure caught up with Bodacious Bay, who faded to fourth.
Taking advantage of an opening along the rail, Franco and 5-1 second choice Tap to Open ($12.72) quickly motored to the front by midstretch and drew off to an easy win in 1:41.72 for the mile and a sixteenth.
"We liked the idea of giving her a target. We figured out she responds better with horses in front of her in the lane. She was able to put it all together today and win stylishly," Cox said.
Emory Hamilton's Answered Prayers rallied from last in her graded stakes debut to grab second for trainer Bill Mott, who notched two stakes wins earlier on the card.
The daughter of Speightstown was 2 lengths ahead of Mathis Stable, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Shining Stables, Turf Express Racing, and BAG Racing Stables' Tahlequah, an Authentic filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.
Tap to Open is a daughter of I'll Take Charge, who also has a 2-year-old Into Mischief colt named Charge Me, who is entered in a Nov. 11 maiden special weight at Horseshoe Indianapolis for Cox, and a yearling Gun Runner colt.
Cox said he would likely target the Dec. 6 Comely Stakes (G3) at 1 1/8 miles for Tap to Open's next start.
As a point of reference, that race is at Belmont Park, where Charge It also won the 2023 Suburban Stakes (G2) for his second and final graded stakes victory.
Just pointing that out for genes fans.
