Sheriffa takes Critical Eye by storm

by Sarah Mace

Relatively ignored at 9-1 odds, Sheriffa, a 4-year old daughter of top New York sire Posse[2] (Rockridge Stud[3]), overwhelmed her competition with a frontrunning victory in the one-mile $200,000 Critical Eye Stakes for fillies and mares, the final stakes race on Belmont Park’s Memorial Day Big Apple Showcase card.

Off the board in her only prior stakes try, when she wrapped up her three-race juvenile campaign in 2013 with a division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct, Sheriffa has been an extremely consistent runner, finishing in the money in nine out of 15 starts with four victories. Last September she was claimed for $16,000 out of a winning effort in a Belmont sprint by trainer Linda Rice for Antonino Miuccio, the owner of Rice-trained Palace. In Rice’s care the filly has transitioned from a sprinter to a router.

Said Rice, who won last year’s inaugural running of the Critical Eye with La Verdad, “She’s really trained well, and really likes this distance. When I claimed her she was running short, certainly worth $16,000, but it’s really been the switch to route racing that’s really made the difference for her.” In six subsequent starts Sheriffa compiled a record of two wins, two seconds and third and a fourth.

Last seen finishing second in an open allowance race at 1 1/16 miles under Cornelio Velasquez, Rice thought the Sheriffa lost her best chance before the start. “She was acting up in the starting gate last time,” Rice said. Cornelio [Velasquez] told me he thought she should have won the race. She broke poorly, had stumbled away from there, so we spent a lot of time schooling her at the gate since then and in the paddock. She’s a high strung, high energy horse, and I think we had her nerves under control today.”

Partnered with Jose Ortiz for the Critical Eye and breaking from mid-pack in the field of 10, Sheriffa got out of the gate alertly and hooked up briefly with Carameaway. Shrugging off that rival through the first quarter-mile in 22.99, she continued unchallenged through a half in 45.77.

Extending her advantage to two, then three, then four, lengths through the turn, Sheriffa hit the head of the stretch completely in control after six furlongs in 1:10.25, at one point leading by as many as seven lengths. In the final furlong Saythreehailmary’s eroded her lead with a strong late move, but to no avail. Sheriffa kept her mind on business and achieved the victory by 2 1/4 lengths, completing one mile in 1:37.32. Saythreehailmary’s finished second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of 14-1 closer Easy Living. [VIDEO[4]]

Ortiz said, “The 10 horse [Carameaway] has a little bit of speed, but my filly’s best races are on the lead. I thought that if I broke well and decided to go, I would go. And my filly broke perfect and I sent her to the lead. We went a little fast but she held on. Linda has done a tremendous job with her.”

Bred by Colts Neck Stables LLC and foaled at Vinery New York in Hudson, Sheriffa is one of two winners produced by Smileforamile, a winning Virginia-bred daughter of Unbridled’s Song. Her filly by Orientate, Love Your Smile, has won seven races and earned nearly $200,000 sprinting.

Sheriffa’s record now stands at 5-3-5 from 16 starts with $339,500 in earnings.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/05/25/sheriffa-critical-eye/

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Lubash unleashes powerful late kick to win Kingston

by Bill Heller

A bit disrespected by the bettors, Aliyu Ben J Stables’ eight-year-old grass millionaire home-bred Lubash unleashed an incredible late kick to win the 37^th running of the $125,000 Kingston Stakes by a length and a quarter under Junior Alvarado on all New York-bred Showcase Day on Memorial Day Monday at Belmont Park. Sent off as the 4-1 third choice in the distinguished field of nine, Lubash won in 1:33.07 by running his last quarter mile in a shade over 22 seconds flat.

Kharafa, the 4-5 favorite under Javier Castellano, finished second, a long neck in front of front-running King Kreesa, who was ridden by Joel Rosario and went off at 7-2. Kharafa and King Kreesa are both six-year-olds.

Christophe Clement trains Lubash, a son of Freud out of Nasty Cure by Cure the Blues who was bred by Aliyuee Ben J Stable Inc.

These three New York-bred turf titans had met many times previously with mixed results as each had beaten the other two on separate occasions. In last year’s Kingston Stakes, Kharafa won by a length over Lubash. King Kreesa missed that engagement.

“It’s great for the New York-bred program,” Clement said. “They’re three really nice horses and all are very consistent. It’s nice that they last because fans get to know the horses and it’s fun for them.”

In the tale of the tape, at Belmont Park, King Kreesa was 5-for-12, Lubash 6-for-20 and Kharafa 6-for-13. At one mile, King Kreesa was 3-for-7, Lubash 2-for-12 and Kharafa 1-for-8. Collectively, Lubash, King Kreesa and Kharafa had earned $2.5 million. Combined with the other six horses in the Kingston, the Kingston field had amassed more than $4 million in earnings.

And, as they invariably do, King Kreesa, Lubash and Kharafa gave it their best. All three were making their second start of the year off useful preps. Kharafa won his, an open company allowance, by nearly four lengths as the 2-1 favorite. Lubash was third in an open $100,000 stakes. King Kreesa was sixth in a different open $100,000 stakes.

Breaking from the three post Monday, King Kreesa shot to the lead, while Castellano got Kharafa away second out of the nine post. Alvarado let Lubash alternate in third and fourth with 24-1 Captain Gaughen.

King Kreesa took the field to the quarter in :23.68 with a length and a quarter lead on Kharafa. King Kreesa stretched his lead to a length and a half in a :46.90 half-mile. Kharafa was still second, a length in front of Lubash, who had worked his way up to be a clear third.

Heading into the far turn, Kharafa got his cue from Castellano and made his bid for the lead. Alvarado moved Lubash three-wide, two lengths behind the top pair, for a clear shot after three-quarters in 1:10.46.

Kharafa took it to King Kreesa, but King Kreesa dug in as they dueled head-to-head. Behind them, Lubash was gaining with every stride. Lubash passed both his rivals with authority to win by a little more than a length. Kharafa out-gamed King Kreesa for second, but the bottom line was that these three turf stars delivered another incredible battle again.

“Turning for home, I had the chance to move him out, and when I asked him, he was there for me like he always is,” Alvarado said. “He gave me a nice kick and it was enough to get it done.”

Lubash is now 12-for-38 on grass with nine seconds and five thirds. He also has one win from three dirt starts and has now earned just under $1.1 million in his incredible career.

“Lubash is a nice horse; it’s not like he’s just a New York-bred,” Clement said. “I took him to Florida last year and he won a Grade 3. He can compete in open company. It just tells you how the New York-bred program has stepped up dramatically over the past few years.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/05/25/lubash-kingston-15/

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Quezon stays perfect in state-bred company with Bouwerie score

by Sarah Mace

Making only her fourth career start as well as her sophomore bow on Monday, Marc Keller’s Quezon (Tiz Wonderful) emerged as a much-the-best winner of the $125,000 Bouwerie Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs, chalking up a third victory in as many starts in New York-bred company at Belmont Park.

Last seen on November 29, when she finished fourth behind runaway winner Condo Commando in the Grade 2 Demoiselle, Quezon brought a sharp work tab into her first start of 2015, culminating in a three-furlong blowout on May 21 in :36 seconds flat.

Breaking from mid-pack in the competitive nine-horse field, Quezon settled off the pace in seventh position in the three path as The Lewis Dinner and Lakeside Sunset knocked heads up front through a challenging early splits in 22.58 and 45.73.

Quezon launched a big three-wide move in the far turn as the top two continued to vie on the lead, striking the head of the stretch on nearly even terms. At this point Quezon angled out yet wider for the drive.

Charging down the middle of the track, albeit on the wrong lead, Quezon swept past runner-up Lakeside Sunset in the final furlong and drew off to a decisive 3 1/4-length win. Temper Mint Patty closed into the third spot from midpack, followed across the line by Hot City Girl. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:23.17. [VIDEO[2]]

A six-length winner of her career debut on September 17, 2014, an off-the-turf six-furlong maiden special weight over a muddy sealed track, Quezon ratified that victory by winning the Maid of the Mist Stakes on Empire Showcase Day by the same impressive margin. From her three Belmont victories she has earned $322,292.

Winning trainer Bobby Ribaudo focused on room for improvement in this talented filly’s performances. “If you watch (Quezon’s) replays, she hasn’t changed [leads] yet,” said Ribaudo. “That’s what she did in the Demoiselle, too. We work on it [in the mornings], but in the heat of battle, it takes a little bit of concentration and she loses that little bit of concentration. We’re still working on it. I’d rather see her switch than not, but it hasn’t hurt her so far.”

Winning jockey Manuel Franco said, “I just followed the instructions Bobby told me, ‘Just try to relax her the first part, take her back and give her one move.’ She didn’t switch leads, but she always runs like that and I didn’t want her to lose her momentum, so I just let her run like that.”

Bred by Apache Farm LLC and foaled at Apache Farm North in Mt. Morris, she is the only reported foal out of Kalookan Dancer, a multiple stakes-winning California-bred daughter of Olympio, who last changed hands at the 2009 Keeneland November sale, going to Jane Moriarty for $20,000. Quezon was a $90,000 purchase by Riverside Stable at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale in 2013.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/05/25/quezon-bouwerie-score/

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Ostrolenka pours it on in Mike Lee

by Sarah Mace

Evidently Eric Fein’s homebred Ostrolenka (Musket Man) can do nothing wrong at Belmont Park, or at least hasn’t to date. In Monday’s Memorial Day edition of Big Apple Showcase Day, the bay colt ran up his record to a perfect four for four at the Elmont racetrack with a commanding victory in the $125,000 Mike Lee Stakes for state-bred 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

A homebred for Eric Fein and co-owned with Fein by Christopher McKenna, 7-5 favorite Ostrolenka got out of post two sharply and set up in a stalking position behind narrow second choice Wincoma, who shot to the front after breaking from post seven and proceeded to carve out testing fractions of 22.09 and 44.86.

Switching from the rail out to the two path along the backstretch, and biding his time through the far turn, Ostrolenka drew even with Wincoma at the quarter pole, threw down the gauntlet and took command in upper stretch.

The swift pace ultimately took its toll on Wincoma, who began to fade, but Ostrolenka only picked up steam. He opened up his advantage to a final, emphatic 2-length margin of victory in 1:23.65. Good Luck Gus (9-1) rallied to get second in his sophomore debut, while Battle of Evermore (6-1) got up for third. Completing the order of finish were Gypsum Johnny, Wincoma, Possessed, Regal Minister, Fleeting and Papa Shot. [VIDEO[3]]

Winning jockey John Velazquez reported, “I had a perfect trip; it worked out the way I thought it would with [Wincoma] going to the lead. I pressed him a little bit to make sure he didn’t go too easy on me, and after that my horse did it easily.”

A maiden-breaker in his second career start by more than 14 lengths at Belmont Park on September 28, Ostrolenka won the Sleepy Hollow on Empire Showcase Day next out. After faltering in a pair of graded stakes efforts in the Grade 2 Remsen and Grade 3 Jerome at Aqueduct, he got back on track in April and May with two strong state-bred allowance performances, finishing second at a mile two starts back and winning by four lengths at 1 1/16 miles on May 2.

Byron Hughes, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher, added, “[Cutting back to seven furlongs] helped him and it was also very impressive in how he did it. Not too many horses can keep that kind of speed up and run like he did when he came back like that.”

Hughes also thought the race tactics were key. “We knew [Wincoma] had sprinter speed and it worked out kind of ideal the way Javier [Castellano, on Wincoma] came down on the rail and we got the outside position on him. It kind of worked out better for us.”

A two-time stakes winner, Ostrolenka now sports a record of four wins and a second from eight starts and has earned $322,292. Foaled at Waldorf Farm[4] in North Chatham, he is one of five winners from five foals to start out of Pumpkin’s Pride, a winning sprinter by Louis Quatorze and half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Gesture (Italy). Pumpkin’s Pride is also the dam of multiple stakes-placed Great Gracie Dane, earner of over $344,000. The mare currently as a yearling filly by Malibu Moon and was bred to Flatter last year, with no foal yet reported.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/05/25/ostrolenka-mike-lee/

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Empire Dreams rallies from last to capture Commentator

by Bill Heller

Rallying from dead last in the field of six under Javier Castellano, West Point Thoroughbreds’ four-year-old gelding Empire Dreams wore down front-running Readthebyline to take the third running of the one-mile $200,000 Commentator Stakes by three-quarters of a length. Sent off at 4-1, Empire Dreams won in 1:35.42.

Readthebyline, who went off at 7-2 under Jose Ortiz, saved second by a nose over Saratoga Snacks, the 8-5 favorite ridden by Joel Rosario. Readtheprospectus, the 2-1 second choice with John Velazquez riding, finished fourth, five lengths behind Saratoga Snacks. Readtheprospectus won the initial running of the Commentator Stakes, named for trainer Nick Zito’s two-time New York-bred Whitney Handicap winner, by a length and a half in 2013, but finished seventh in last year’s edition to his stable-mate in trainer Chad Brown’s barn, Zivo.

Empire Dreams, a son of Patriot Act out of Ascended Dreams by Thunder Gulch who was bred by Pegasus Dream Stable and sold for $35,000 as a two-year-old in April, 2013, at Ocala, is trained by Tom Albertrani.

As a three-year-old, Empire Dreams captured the mile-and-a-sixteenth $161,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes by 2 ¼ lengths as the 1-2 favorite. He made two more starts last year, finishing seventh in the $250,000 Albany Stakes at Saratoga and ninth in the $300,000 Empire Classic at Belmont Park. Both those stakes were at a mile and an eighth.

Albertrani stopped with Empire Dreams and targeted the Commentator Stakes. Empire Dreams prepped for that assignment with a strong-finishing second by a length and three-quarters at 25-1 in the six-furlong $100,000 Affirmed Success Stakes on May 3^rd in his four-year-old debut under Irad Ortiz Jr.

“We just decided to give him some time off at the end of last year and gelded him,” Albertrani said. “He came out of his last race really well, and he was pretty sharp coming into this race.”

Empire Dreams got away last Monday as Readthebyline set a pressured pace under Jose Ortiz. Summer Place to Be, who went off at 10-1 under Manuel Franco, took a stalking position on Empire Dreams’ flank, three-quarters of a length behind in an opening quarter-mile in :23.44 and a half-mile in :46.15. Readthebyline led by a length after three-quarters in 1:10.26 before Summer Place to Be weakened and both Saratoga Snacks and Empire Dreams roared into contention, two-wide and three-wide, respectively.

Readthebyline dug in and gamely battled both of the closers through the lane before weakening in deep stretch. Empire Dreams proved stronger than Saratoga Snacks and got the hard-earned victory. “I believe it was a good set-up today,” Castellano said. “There was a lot of speed in the race, and I think he had the perfect trip today. He’s an off-the-pace horse and they went pretty quick with a decent pace, so I took advantage. He gave me a good run in the last part of the race. I was looking forward to the late kick and he gave it to me.”

Albertrani gave credit to Castellano: “I think Javier had them measured.”

Empire Dreams now has four wins, five seconds and one third from 13 starts with more than $450,000 in earnings.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/05/25/empire-dreams-commentator/

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Invading Humor sizzles in Mount Vernon

by Bill Heller

Benefitting from a blistering pace in front of her and a brilliant ride by Rajiv Maragh, Bloodlines Racing Partnership’s five-year-old mare Invading Humor won the 37^th running of the one-mile $125,000 Mount Vernon Stakes on grass at Belmont Park on all-New York-bred Showcase Day, Memorial Day Monday, by two lengths.

Sent off at 7-2 in the field of seven in an extremely even betting race, Invading Humor won in a sizzling 1:32.87, not that far off the Widener Course track record for one mile, 1:31.63, set by Elusive Quality on July 4^th, 1998. Three hours after Invading Humor’s victory, millionaire Lubash won the Kingston Stakes at the same distance in 1:33.07, and he’s one of the best New York-bred turf horses of the last decade.

Bruce Levine trains Invading Humor, a daughter of Invasor out of Very Funny by Distorted Humor who was bred by Dr. James Mcglinn.

Invading Humor was making her first start since Nov. 8^th when she set the pace and tired badly to ninth in the Grade 3 Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct. She showed five workouts for her return, including a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 at Aqueduct May 2^nd.

“She was pretty fit,” Levine said. “I knew she was running a mile and we had this planned for a while. I don’t think she needed one, but a race will help. She’s easy to train. Rajiv gave her a great ride, saved ground and they (the others) went after her (Laura Can Disco) and did the dirty work. I thought we would have to do that.”

Bettors respected Invading Humor, but also her rivals with all seven starters going off at single-digit odds. Old Harbor, who hadn’t raced since Oct. 18^th, went off the 5-2 favorite on the rail under Manual Franco. Invading Humor was the second choice at 7-2, followed by Laura Can Disco at 9-2 and both Unbelievable Dream and Mah Jong Maddnes, who won this stakes last year, at 5-1. Both Chrysolite and Lady Kreesa were 8-1.

Laura Can Disco, who had won both of her previous turf tries, broke sharply out of the outside post under Cornelio Velasquez and went right for the lead. But Old Harbor protected her rail position and made Laura Can Disco work to take a half-length lead on the outside in a first quarter in :22.43. Lady Kreesa was a three-wide close third under Javier Castellano and Invading Humor raced in fourth.

Laura Can Disco inched her lead out to three-quarters of a length over Old Harbor in a testing :45.22 half-mile. Lady Kreesa was a clear third. Invading Humor was fourth on the rail and Mah Jong Maddnes fifth on the outside.

Laura Can Disco finally cleared Old Harbor for the lead but had nothing left and was quickly passed by Old Harbor two-wide and Mah Jong Maddnes three-wide around the far turn.

Maragh kept Invading Humor on the rail and when Laura Can Disco tired, he shot Invading Humor to the lead while Mah Jong Maddnes advanced into second on the far outside. Invading Humor spurted clear and won comfortably. Mah Jong Maddnes was second, a half-length ahead of Old Harbor. Lady Kreesa finished fourth, a length behind Old Harbor.

“She settled in nice and she showed a big strong finish at the end,” Maragh said of the winner. “Originally, I was planning to track the leader, but when I got out of the gate and saw that they were going a little fast, I adjusted a little bit. We sat off and she was comfortable where she was, so I was pretty happy with that. And then it set us up really good for the late run.”

Invading Humor now has six wins, one second and one third from 12 turf starts. She also has one win from three dirt starts with combined earnings of just under $380,000.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/05/25/invading-humor-mount-vernon/

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