NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Chester and Mary Broman’s homebred, three-year-old filly Star Grazing hadn’t had any of the success of another Broman three-year-old home-bred filly Artemis Agrotera, who won the Grade I Frizette as a two-year-old last year and on Saturday captured the Grade I Ballerina against older fillies and mares.
In fact, Artemis Agrotera and Star Grazing made their two-year-old debuts in the same race at Saratoga last Aug. 16. Artemis Agrotera won by 11 3/4 lengths over Star Grazing, who finished a distant second. While Artemis Agrotera went on to glory, Star Grazing struggled a bit last year. She finished fourth in another maiden race on turf at Belmont Park. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens returned Star Grazing to dirt and added blinkers while asking her to take a huge step up in her third career start, the $150,000 Joseph A. Gimma Stakes at Belmont Oct. 19. Star Grazing finished fourth in the field of six.
Jerkens gave Star Grazing a nice rest for her three-year-old debut in a maiden race at Belmont Park July 4. She won by a length and a quarter. On Aug. 7, she made her next start in an allowance race at Saratoga and won by three-quarters of a length at 1-2.
Jerkens, whom you might have heard finished 1-2 in Saturday’s $1.25 million Travers Stakes, decided to take a shot in Sunday’s first running of the mile-and-an-eighth $200,000 Fleet Indian Stakes for three-year-old New York-bred fillies.
Rajiv Maragh had ridden Star Grazing in her last three starts, but he opted to ride Flipcup, who would go off as the 9-5 favorite in the field of seven contesting the Fleet Indian. Star Grazing went off the 4-1 second choice with Angel Arroyo aboard.
Alwaysinstilettos, a 14-1 shot on the rail, dictated the early pace, prompted by 6-1 Lucky Nancy E. Flipcup was well placed on the rail in third with 18-1 Canal Six alongside in fourth. Star Grazing was sixth as Alwaysinstilettos set a soft pace: a quarter in :24.50, a half-mile in :50.00 and three-quarters in 1:15.62.
Around the far turn and into the stretch, Flipcup was presented a gift. Alwaysinstilettos began to bear out as she tired and Flipcup had an opening wide enough for a tank on the inside. Maragh sent her through, and she struck the lead in mid-stretch. Arroyo, however, had Star Grazing rallying boldly and she kept coming. Flipcup tried to hold on, but couldn’t. Star Grazing won by three-quarters of a length in 1:53.40. Canal Six finished third, four lengths behind Flipcup, and 5-1 Storied Lady was fourth. [VIDEO]
Star Grazing is a daughter of Sky Mesa out of Unbridled Star by Unbridled. She now has three victories and a second in six career starts with earnings of more than a quarter million dollars.
“She had a nice prep a couple weeks ago, and having a race over this track means a lot,” Jerkens said.
