Miss River Rat may have had only one prior start to her credit, but she never showed any signs of inexperience as she rallied from well off the pace to win the 6 ½-furlong Illinois Debutante Stakes by a length at Hawthorne Park on Saturday, 3 December.
In addition to making just her second start, the two-year-old daughter of Will Take Charge was also making her Stakes debut, and her first start on dirt. Regardless of the circumstances, Miss River Rat belied her inexperience to win quite easily.
Miss River Rat was bred in Illinois and races as a homebred for Timothy Keeley. Miss River Rat is out of Multiple Stakes winner Peyote Patty and is a half-sister to the Multiple Stakes-placed gelding, Wile E Peyote.
Will Take Charge, who will stand his first season at Darley Japan in 2023, was the Eclipse Award-winning Champion 3-year-old colt in 2013. He is the sire of There Goes Harvard, winner of the 2022 G1 Hollywood Gold Cup and G1 Kentucky Oaks third-place finisher, Will’s Secret. In addition, he is the sire of high-class Japanese international campaigner, France Go de Ina, and is already represented by four Black Type horses from just five runners in Japan.
