BY BROCK SHERIDAN
In her first career stakes victory, Pine Book Farm’s Foggy Night upset the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at odds to 14-1 in the $300,000 test for 3-year-old fillies at Delaware Park Saturday. Ridden by Paco Lopez, Foggy Night raced in third down the backstretch about three-and-a-half lengths behind Opus Forty Two and 5-2 second choice Miracle before closing the gap on the two leaders with two furlongs to the finish. Foggy Night drew even with the two frontrunners while passing the furlong marker and raced clear to win by a length-and-three-quarters.
The Florida-bred daughter of Journeyman Stud’s leading Florida sire Khozan covered the mile-and-a-sixteenth in 1:45.87 while defeating Opus Forty Two, who was a nose faster than Miracle in third. Fireline was fourth with odds-on favorite Cover the Spread fifth. Florida-bred Balpool, Fast Tracked and Cats Inthe Timber completed the order of finish.
Crypto Mama and Promiseher America were scratched.
“[Foggy Night] showed it as a 2-year-old and the key is she can run a long way,” said trainer Robert Reid Jr., who also won the Delaware Oaks in 2020 with Project Whiskey. “We gave her a nice freshening over the winter. She got a little stale toward the end of the year, so we gave her a nice freshening and measured her right up to this race. After the layoff, we got a couple of nice seven-eighth races in her and this was her first time going a mile-and-a-sixteenth. It worked out.”
Foggy Night exemplified her talent in her second start against special weight maidens at Parx in October, winning by 11 ¼ lengths at a mile-and-70-yards. She was then second to Good Sam in the $150,000 Tempted at a mile on Nov. 6 at Aqueduct before finishing sixth in the Grade 2 Demoisel won by Julia Shining over a sloppy nine furlongs at Aqueduct on Dec. 3 to finish her year.
She started 2023 with a second to Talk to the Judge in a non-winners of two, $40,000 optional claiming on April 25 before winning by six lengths under those same conditons on June 5, both at Parx.
Reid is not sure where he will run Foggy Night next.
“I really have not thought much past this race,” Reid said. “We did take some stalls at Saratoga, so that is a possibility. Of course, the Monmouth Oaks is another possibility. But we will design the rest of the summer after this.”
Foggy Night returned $30.40 to win.
It was the third career win for Foggy Night, who also has four seconds in eight starts, and the $201,810 first prize increased her bankroll to $278,550. Out of Settling Seas, by Stormy Atlantic, Foggy Night was bred by Brent and Crystal Fernung. The Fernungs sold her from their Journeyman Bloodstock Services consignment for $20,000 to Pine Brook Farm at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale.
Foggy Night is the first stakes winner for Settling Seas, who has five winners from seven starters and eight foals. She also has an unraced 2-year-old colt, Show Boat, who is a full brother to Foggy Night. Settling Seas was bred to Journeyman Stud resident Uncle Chuck in 2022.
