NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Chester and Mary Broman’s 3-year-old homebred Artemis Agrotera, dominant winner of the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga after a pace-pressing journey, captured the Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap at Belmont Park on Saturday with an entirely different kind of trip, closing from well back and getting up just in time to catch fellow New York-bred La Verdad at the wire. Willet finished with power to complete an Empire-bred trifecta.
In 2013 New York-bred Horse of the Year Cluster of Stars, undefeated in seven starts, paved the way by winning last year’s Gallant Bloom in her penultimate race.
Artemis Agrotera already has an appointment with the starter for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita Park by virtue of her Ballerina “Win & You’re In” victory, but trainer Mike Hushion opted for an interim race rather than training right though. “When she has good energy, that’s when she has performed well,” said Hushion. “I thought running in the [Gallant Bloom] would be better for her.”
Exiting the gate as the 2-5 popular choice, Artemis Agrotera must have given her backers pause when she seemed outrun early and settled back in fifth more than nine lengths off the pace, trailed only by confirmed closer Willet. Meanwhile, Ballerina pacesetter La Verdad absolutely shot out of the gate from her outside post, cleared the field and blazed though a testing first quarter mile of 21.61.
NYRA/Chelsea Durand
Making a widest-of-all bid in the far turn five paths out, in tandem with Willet who moved off the rail into the the four path, Artemis Agrotera set her sights on La Verdad, who still enjoyed an four-length lead at the top of the stretch. Finding her best stride in upper stretch and charging home with determination in the final furlong, the talented filly just got her head in front of La Verdad at the wire. Willet finished third only another length back. After six panels in a testing 1:08.70, the final time for six and a half furlongs over the fast track was 1:15.49.
According to Trakus, “Artemis” traveled farther than any filly or mare in the field, 28 feet farther than La Verdad and 24 feet further than Willet, who enjoyed a groundsaving trip in the early stages. [VIDEO]
Rajiv Maragh, who rode Artemis Agrotera first in the Ballerina said that his mount was not comfortable with the way the race unfolded. “She really didn’t enjoy being that far back. Early on, I tried to keep her in her rhythm. I had a lot of confidence in her and tried to be a good passenger and let her finish strong.”
Continued Maragh, “I assumed they were going that fast [a half mile in 43.78] because my filly is naturally quick, and if she’s 10 lengths off the lead, La Verdad had to be going fast to be that far in front of her. In the stretch, my filly found a second wind and a third wind. Even if she had run second or third it would have been a good performance. It shows what kind of filly she is to get up and win the race from where she was.”
Trainer Mike Hushion credited Maragh with adept handling of the unforeseen developments. “I didn’t expect [Artemis Agrotera to be that far back]. I did something very smart: I didn’t say anything to Rajiv. He’s riding like that – he’s making all the right decisions. I’d hate to have him think I wanted something, and he made a great decision here.”
Jose Ortiz lavished praise on the runner-up effort of his mount La Verdad, who had struggled at the Spa. “She ran two disappointing races in Saratoga. Today, she ran 110 percent. [Trainer] Linda [Rice] had her ready, and she ran her race. She went at a good pace and kept running. What can I say? Artemis Agrotera is a very nice filly, too.”
Rice who conditions La Verdad for Lady Sheila Stable, said, “We talked about it in the paddock. I said, ‘Go to the lead if you can; if you break a step slow and have to stalk the other one, do it.’ We just had to get her back in the game and let her run her race. The 43-[second] half might have got us beat at the wire, and that’s a very nice filly who beat her. I thought she ran great. We’re proud of her.”
Artemis Agrotera, who stalked and pounced to win the Grade 1 Frizette last fall at Belmont in just her second career start made the third and final start of her juvenile campaign with a tough-trip fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Returning to the races this year in June, she disappointed in the Grade 1 Acorn, finishing eighth, but regained her form and, perhaps, her confidence with a romp in a state-bred allowance at Saratoga on July 23 before putting together back-to-back graded victories in the Ballerina and Gallant Bloom.
Hushion said, “Now we have six weeks [to the Breeders’ Cup]. We can take our time. She has this under her belt. Like Rajiv said, he learned a lot about her today.”
Artemis Agrotera has five wins from seven starts and earned $943,800. She is out of Indy Glory by A.P. Indy, also bred and campaigned by the Bromans. A full sister to Grade 1 winner, millionaire and sire Stephen Got Even and to stakes winner Grand Merger, Indy Glory is a stakes-winning router with multiple graded placings ($283,422).
Indy Glory’s four winners include stakes-placed Time Squared by Fusaichi Pegasus, who brought $1.05 million at the 2006 Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds, and stakes-placed Submerge, a filly by the same sire. Indy Glory, who not had a foal since “Artemis,” was bred to Pioneerof the Nile this year. The Bromans purchased Indy Glory’s dam Immerse (Cox’s Ridge) at the 1997 Keeneland November sale for $350,000.
