International Star shines again at Fair Grounds with paint-scraping Risen Star victory

by Sarah Mace

Things may not have gone Upstart’s way at Gulfstream Park on Saturday afternoon, but the “stars” did align later on at Fair Grounds when Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus) catapulted himself to the top of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points leaderboard with a gutsy paint-scraping victory in the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes.

International Star was last seen winning the Fair Grounds’ Grade 3 LeComte on January 17 with a career-best performance under Miguel Mena. Reunited with the same rider on Saturday, International Star shipped in to New Orleans from Gulfstream Park having posted two strong works for trainer Mike Maker, the more recent, a best-of-39 five-furlong drill on February 14. By contrast with his rail draw in the LeComte, however – a cozy spot for a colt who likes to run inside – the bay faced the challenge of getting position from the outside post in a field of nine.

Out of the gate cleanly and sharply as the 7-2 third betting choice, International Star met the challenge presented by his post early, working his way deftly over into the two path under Mena by the time the field began rounding the clubhouse turn. He was then able to set up shop at the rail in sixth for the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile route.

After longshots St. Joe Bay and Hero of Humor vied on the front end through a first quarter-mile in 23.29 and half in 47.08, International Star began his bid on the far turn, making a big advance into third in relatively tight quarters just inside Bluff. Then, just past the quarter pole, he slipped through an extremely narrow opening to the inside of St. Joe Bay

Digging in at the rail, International Star shook clear of his rival inside the final furlong and drew off to secure a one-length victory. War Story closed into second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Keen Ice and St. Joe Bay, who finished heads apart. After three-quarters in 1:12.16, International Star stopped the clock after 8.5 furlongs at 1:43.82. [VIDEO[2]]

A confident Mike Maker said, “He was doing super and he ran as advertised. I wasn’t worried about the post. Realistically I thought we had an outside trip and we wound up having a trip like in the LeComte turning for home looked.”

Miguel Mena had a bit more concern about the set-up, but was impressed by his mount’s heart. “The post position worried me. You never know if you can get to the rail, where he wants to be. I was impressed because I moved at the five-sixteenths-pole to get through and he came through a tight hole and then another one at the quarter-pole and kept running and drawing away.”

Mena feels confident in the colt’s ability to keep moving forward. “I think more distance will be no problem. He rates well, he loves the rail; it doesn’t matter how tight the hole is – he goes for it. When I put him on the rail, he grabs the bit and when we come up to a tight hole, he just goes for it. Not many horses do it. The more you save, the more you’re going to get. He’s not much to look at it, but he has a big heart.”

Maker said that International Star will point next to the Louisiana Derby on March 28. “Not going to change routes for him; he loves it [at Fair Grounds] and there’s no reason to change course.”

International Star, whose third graded victory improves his career record to four firsts and two seconds from eight starts and swells his bankroll to $560,979, also brought his Kentucky Derby points total to a leaderboard-topping 71, which assures him a berth in the Run for the Roses.

In addition to picking up 50 points for the Risen Star, the colt earned 10 points for winning the Grade 3 LaComte, 10 points for winning the Grey Stakes at Woodbine last October and one point for his show finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.

Bred by Katharine M. Voss and Robert T. Manfuso and foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, International Star was purchased by the Ramseys as a yearling for $85,000 out of the Fasig Tipton select yearling sale in September in Timonium. His dam is Parlez, a multiple winner by French Deputy who has produced five winners in all, including stakes winner Fools in Love by Not For Love.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/02/21/international-star-risen-star/

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Isabelle makes it three straight with Broadway score

by Sarah Mace

William C Schettine’s Isabelle, a bay 4-year-old filly by Successful Appeal, scored her second career stakes victory and extended her winning streak to three with a win from off the pace in the $150,000 Broadway Stakes. The six-furlong sprint for older New York-bred fillies and mares was run as the Valentine’s Day feature Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Isabelle, who was 2-1 post time favorite under trainer Bill Mott’s go-to rider Junior Alvarado, got out of the gate well, but was forced to regroup and take back somewhat shortly after the break when the speedy Atlantic’s Smile to her outside crossed over to take the lead.

Racing evenly in fifth as Atlantic’s Smile carved out solid early fractions of 23.14 and 46.89 on an uncontested lead, Isabelle still had two lengths to make up approaching the quarter pole

Working her way out into the four path, Isabelle began picking off her rivals in late stretch. Inside the final sixteenth, she swept past Atlantic’s Smile on her way to a 1 1/4-length victory in a final time of 1:12.23. [VIDEO[2]]

Junior Alvarado explained the dynamics of the early stages of the race: “She broke good. I tried to send her a little bit but there was a fast horse outside of me; she brushed with the other filly and lost all her action. After that I just tried to get a good spot for her and make her comfortable without rushing her.”

Alvarado continued. “I thought it was going to be harder than that, but I had so much horse. Everything ended up easy for me. Turning for home I put her outside and she finished very good.”

Riley Mott, Bill Mott’s son and assistant, added, “She kind of got squeezed back at the break, shuffled back, and got dirt in her face. She overcame that and Junior rode a great race. The track was playing to speed all day, so the fact that she was able to come off the pace like that was impressive.”

According to Trakus data, Isabelle travelled 18 feet further in the race than Atlantic’s Smile and 23 feet more than Make the Moment, who charged home from last to finish a neck back in third. Vicki’s Dancer, Blithely, Uncle Southern and Pennymine completed the order of finish.

Isabelle began her career under the care of Lisa Lewis. Unplaced in her single start at two, Isabelle has run first or second in six of seven subsequent starts. A runner-up in her sophomore bow last April 6 at Aqueduct, she parlayed a twelve-plus length maiden breaking score in the mud at Belmont on May 9 into a victory in the Bouwerie stakes at the end of the month. She also won a state-bred allowance for Lewis last summer at the Spa.

Going out for the Mott barn for her first start of the year, Isabelle won a second-level open allowance race on January 29, before wheeling back sixteen days later in the Broadway. Her career record now stands at five wins and a second from eight starts with $281,400 in earnings.

Bred by Bluegrass Farm Partners in partnership with Jeffrey Tucker, and foaled at Tucker’s Stonebridge Farm in Gansevoort, Isabelle was purchased by Schettine at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton New York select yearling sale for $100,000. The bay filly’s dam is Florida-bred stakes-placed runner Merrill Gold, who has produced two other winners. The mare currently has an unraced 3-year-old filly by Harlan’s Holiday and a 2-year-old colt by Bellamy Road, both registered New York-breds. In 2015 she was bred to I Want Revenge.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/02/14/isabelle-broadway/

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Hard to Stay Notgo resumes winning ways in Franklin Square

by Sarah Mace

Hard to Stay Notgo (More than Ready), an impressive Saratoga debut winner for breeders Chester and Mary Broman and trainer Jimmy Jerkens, returned to the winner’s circle at Aqueduct Racetrack on Sunday afternoon after a frontrunning score in the inaugural $125,000 Franklin Square Stakes for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies.

Drawn in post seven (of nine), Hard to Stay Notgo (6-1 fourth choice) stumbled at the break, but also broke full of run, and once she got her feet back underneath her tugged her way to the front.

After blazing her way through an opening quarter-mile in 23.55 seconds and half in 46.97, the dark bay widened her advantage through the far turn and pulled away the stretch, crossing the finish line a 5 1/2-length winner. Her final time for six furlongs over the fast Aqueduct inner oval was 1:12.30. [VIDEO[2]]

Favorite Golden Gem finished second, followed in third by Graeme Crackers, 3 1/2 lengths back. Completing the order of finish were: Sonora, My Super Nova, Majestic Jessica, Saluda, Enduring Touch and Nonna Jo. Bernstein Flambe was scratched.

Angel Arroyo, aboard Hard to Stay Notgo for the first time for the filly’s fourth career start, said, “I had talked to the assistant trainer [Steve Moyer] before, and he just told me to get out in front and keep going and that’s just what the horse did. He was perfect.”

[3]Hard to Stay Notgo earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 75 for her good-looking open-length debut victory on August 6 at Saratoga, but her follow-up performances in two other juvenile outings were not as sharp as the debut promised: a second in the Seeking the Ante as the odds-on favorite and a well-beaten third in the muddy Joseph A Gimma, both awarded Beyers in the low fifties.

Jerkens’ assistant Steve Moyer commented, “[Hard to Stay Notgo]’s hit or miss, and she’s a little problematic to train, but she’s a vintage inner-track type filly. She’s naturally very fast; that’s all she wants to do.

Continued Moyer, “We liked her when she broke her maiden at Saratoga, and we loved her when she ran back in the [Seeking the Ante]. She trained really, really good coming into this race; the problem was there was never a New York-bred [allowance race] in the book. She couldn’t have been any better in the receiving barn and the paddock today, and before she wasn’t like that. We’re thrilled with her performance.”

The Franklin Square improved Hard to Stay Notgo’s record to two wins, one second and one third from four starts with and increased her purse earnings to $173,800.

Hard to Stay Notgo is out of Whichwaydidshego (Storm Cat), purchased by Chester Broman for $425,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November sale. The mare is a winning half-sister to the multiple Grade 2 winner Fed Biz and issues from the family of Minardi, Tale of the Cat and Johannesburg.

Whichwaydidshego has produced three winners, including multiple stakes-winning Broman homebred Mark My Way. She has a yearling colt by Bernardini and was bred back to the same stallion last year.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/02/01/hard-to-stay-notgo-franklin-square/

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