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Music breaks the Spell in Mother Goose Godolphin Stable's MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy) got the jump on Kentucky Oaks (G1) queen Proud Spell (Proud Citizen) entering the stretch of Saturday's $237,500 Mother Goose S. (G1) and easily pulled away to capture her stakes debut by 3 1/2 lengths under Javier Castellano. Sent off the 8-5 second choice, Music Note paid $5.30 and $11.60 while keying the $36.40 exacta (4-3) after show wagering was canceled. "We fully expected that she would run a big race, but we knew it would be a tough race with the Oaks winner in the field," trainer Saeed bin Suroor said. "I told the jockey (Castellano), just keep her close. She's got a good turn of foot. Right now, we'll keep our options open with her, see how she comes out of the race and look for another Grade 1." The drama began when the gates opened, with only Never Retreat (Smart Strike) getting a clean break. Proud Spell practically fell out of the gate, going to her knees, while Hamsa (Fusaichi Pegasus) to her inside and Music Note on the far outside stumbled badly. Considering she was the only who kept her hooves under her at the start, it was a foregone conclusion that Never Retreat would get the early lead. Music Note raced up to her outside while jockey Gabriel Saez settled Proud Spell just behind and to the inside. Never Retreat maintained her advantage through splits of :24 4/5 and :48 3/5 without much changing in terms of position behind her. Nearing the turn, Castellano urged Music Note on and the bay lass responded, getting up to the leader's throat latch through six furlongs in 1:13. Proud Spell was still racing along the rail but suddenly found herself shutoff entering the lane, with Saez forced to take up sharply and swing her to the outside. The little filly wouldn't give up, though, trying to make up ground on Music Note while drifting back and forth. Right before the wire, she drifted out into Never Retreat on her outside, but it was too late as Music Note finished up the 1 1/8-mile affair in 1:49 3/5 on the fast dirt. "I had a beautiful trip, even though she stumbled at the start," Castellano said. "I tried to position myself; I did not want to be on the lead. It was a pretty tight trip. I wanted to be in position to just push the button. She galloped out good, and I don't think she will have a problem going farther." Proud Spell finished 3 1/2 lengths behind Music Note, Never Retreat was another 1 3/4 lengths back in third and Hamsa completed the order under the wire, 2 3/4 lengths back. The stewards posted the inquiry sign soon after the finish, eventually disqualifying Proud Spell to third for interfering with Never Retreat in the stretch and promoting that filly to second. Backers of the dark bay miss were happy with the decision, as she paid $20 as the 10-1 third pick in the four-horse field. "From the start, we was against it," trainer Larry Jones said of Proud Spell. "She looks like she's OK; she didn't grab a quarter or nothing. From the beginning, it looked like it wasn't going to be our day. When we needed somewhere to go, we had nowhere to go. And when it was time to go, we weren't going." Music Note began her career as a Darley runner, finishing fourth in her career debut prior to breaking her maiden at Aqueduct by 7 1/4 lengths in November for trainer Tom Albertrani. She was subsequently moved up to Godolphin's operation and sent to bin Suroor's barn. Making her 2008 debut in the royal blue silks, Music Note continued to improve, recording a seven-length allowance victory on May 22 at Belmont, and she improved her mark to 4-3-0-0, $218,000, with the prestigious Mother Goose. Bred in Kentucky by Gainsborough Farm, Music Note is out of the unraced Note Musicale (GB) (Sadler's Wells), making her a half-sister to 2003 French One Thousand Guineas (Fr-G1) and 2004 John C. Mabee H. (G1) heroine Musical Chimes (In Excess [Ire]). Note Musicale is herself a daughter of 1978 champion two-year-old filly It's in the Air (Mr. Prospector), who captured of back-to-back runnings of the Vanity H. (G1) as well as the Ruffian H. (G1), Alabama S. (G1) and Delaware Oaks (G1) during her career. Other notables in Music Note's female line include 1994 Irish Derby (Ire-G1) queen and highweight Balanchine (Storm Bird); multiple Irish Group 1 heroine Saoirse Abu (Mr. Greeley); multiple Grade/Group 1 victor and stallion Storming Home (GB) (Machiavellian); and Group 2-winning sire Romanov (Ire) (Nureyev). Music Note's trainer mentioned the August 16 Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga as a possible next start.
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