King Kreesa versatile in Forbidden Apple, attains millionaire status

by Sarah Mace

Gerald and Susan Kresa’s homebred King Kreesa (King Cugat), winner of his second Grade 3 Poker Stakes on June 13, usually sets off most of his fireworks on the front end, but earned his victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont Park after rating patiently under jockey Jose Ortiz behind a loose-on-the-lead Howe Great. The victory propelled the 6-year-old gelding over the million-dollar mark in earnings.

King Kreesa (6-1 fourth choice) broke on top from his outside post of six, but was overhauled shortly by Howe Great, who moved aggressively to the front and opened up as many as four lengths on his rival on the backstretch while carving out testing fractions of 23.42 and 45.49 for a one-mile race.

King Kreesa eroded Howe Great’s lead in the far turn and took over midway through. He entered the top of the stretch in the lead, but was dogged by odds-on favorite Reload, who had moved with him, and came up on nearly even terms.

After six furlongs in 1:08.87, King Kreesa still had more on offer for the final push. Reload wearied in the stretch, but the New York-bred kicked clear to win by 2 1/4 lengths in a blazing final time of 1:32.34. Wicked Strong closed to finish second, a half-length in front of Vyjack. [VIDEO[2]]

Ortiz reported, “The race didn’t start off like we planned. I just saw Cornelio [Velasquez] went off [aboard Howe Great] and I just let him go. My horse relaxed very well. At the three-eighths pole, I’m coming along with the favorite [Reload] and when we turned for home at the quarter-pole he switched leads and I hit him left handed and I knew we were going to win because he responded very well.”

Added Ortiz, “I want to thank the owners and all the connections for the opportunity. David Donk has done a tremendous job with this horse.”

Donk said, “Good horses are good horses. It was a good race for him last time. Today it looked like the pace scenario was going to set up, but then the No. 7 horse [Howe Great] went by him, and he rated nicely. Obviously Jose [Ortiz] gets along with him. But I was very impressed with the way he kicked on through the stretch.”

Donk harkened back to an earlier performance for the horse’s prior trainer. “If you go back on his form, when Jeremiah [Englehart] had him, in the [2013] Mohawk he laid second behind a speed horse, so I know he’s done it before. Good horses are not supposed to be one-dimensional. Even as a fan I was impressed today. Today was his best race for me; it was a pretty loaded field.”

Donk said he will look next at the Grade 2, $400,000 Fourstardave on August 15 at Saratoga Race Course. “Why not?” said Donk. “It’s Saratoga.”

An eight-time stakes winner, topped by a pair of victories in the Grade 3 Poker stakes, King Kreesa’s record now stands at nine wins, five seconds and four thirds in 25 starts with earnings of $1,075,370.

Bred the Kresas under the banner of Horse Partners (and given an extra “e” in his name so that their often-mispronounced surname would not extend to the horse), King Kreesa was foaled at Carlland Stables in Avon.

He is the most successful of four winners out of Storm’s Advance, a Florida-bred daughter of Storm Creek who was a multiple winner and stakes-placed on turf ($94,652). Another foal, four-year-old Lady Kreesa, by Stonesider, is a multiple winner and six-figure earner and has placed in a division of the New York Stallion Stakes series. Storm’s Advance currently has a 2-year-old colt by Malibu Moonshine named Moonsurge who has not started.

King Kreesa’s sire King Cugat, a multiple Grade 2-winner and millionaire by Kingmambo, stood in New York in 2008 and 2009 under the management of Questroyal Stud[4].

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/07/11/king-kreesa-forbidden-apple/

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Galiana continues Delaware Park reign with repeat in Dashing Beauty

by Sarah Mace

Galiana, top earner for her New York sire Stonesider[2] (Saratoga Stud[3], LLC), continued to dominate her home base of Delaware Park when she won the $50,000 Dashing Beauty Stakes for the second straight year with a strong late rally. The victory ran up her record to eight wins and a second from nine starts over the Wilmington main oval.

Owned and trained by Rodolfo Romero, the 8-5 favorite bided her time early under jockey Carol Cedeno, traveling in fifth behind a scrum of leaders through scorching early fractions of 22.06 and 44.47.

Swinging out as much as six- or seven-wide for the run to the wire, the 5-year-old mare simply rocketed home in the stretch on the grandstand side to win by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 1:09.35 for six furlongs.

Galiana, now five, has won 14 of 27 career races, including ten tries at six furlongs, and earned $571,621. In addition to a pair of victories in the Dashing Beauty Stakes and Sweet and Sassy Stakes at Delaware, she won the Primonetta and Skipat Stakes in back-to-back starts at Pimlico this year.

Bred by John T. Behrendt and Charles Marquis and foaled at Anne Morgan and Tim Little’s Mill Creek Farm[4] in Stillwater, Galiana is out of Baby Jess, an unraced Argentinian-bred daughter of Interprete (ARG). A full sister to Galiana has won in Argentina.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/07/11/galiana-dashing-beauty-15/

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