Sudden Surprise picks up fourth stakes victory in NYSS Great White Way

By Sarah Mace

Mike Repole homebred Sudden Surprise turned his sixth career start into a fourth stakes victory at Aqueduct on Sunday, when he wired the nine-horse field of the six-furlong $150,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series for eligible New York-sired juveniles.

Bet down to 30 cents on the dollar while conceding four-to-eight pounds to his rivals, and drawn in post four under regular rider John Velazquez, Sudden Surprise broke well and was urged immediately to the lead by the Hall of Famer, where he settled in with a comfortable one-length lead, pursued by 7-2 second choice Dr. Shane from post nine.

After clocking early fractions of 22.92 and 45.86, the bay colt was asked for a little more at the top of the lane. Even though Dr. Shane whittled the margin down slightly in deep stretch and Sudden Surprise drifted out somewhat, the pacesetter prevailed, securing his victory by a half-length in a final time of 1:11.38 over the “good” surface of the inner oval.

Following runner-up Dr. Shane across the line in third was Bluegrass Prevails and completing the order of finish were Gaming, Text Me, Guaranteed, Silent Waters, Benny and Alex and Zoo Yorker. [VIDEO[2]]

Velazquez, who made the trip north to take the mount, said, “I knew about [the race] three weeks ago. We knew he was going to run, and it’s an easy day down there in Florida so I might as well take the call here. I try to follow him so I don’t lose him.”

Continued Velazquez, “I’ve known [Sudden Surprise] for so long, so I know he’s nice and he’s going to be very game. I think this is probably his distance as well. He’s a really game horse, so whatever comes to him, he’ll put up a really good fight down the lane. It was a really good effort.”

Byron Hughes, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher, said, “We figured that [Nick] Esler’s horse [Dr. Shane] would be the second choice. He seems to be a nice little consistent horse and gave a little fight there at the end. The track’s been playing a little slow, so I thought the time was pretty good. We’ll see how he comes out of it and go from there, but we’ll keep him on the New York-bred trail.”

A bay son of Repole’s leading New York-based freshman sire Giant Surprise, Sudden Surprise broke his maiden at Saratoga in July and came back four weeks later to post a front-running victory in the Funny Cide at 6 1/2 furlongs. He followed up with a neck victory in the Bertram F. Bongard at Belmont on September 27. After an intervening sub-par performance, fourth behind even-money favorite Get Jets in the one-mile Sleepy Hollow, Sudden Surprise returned to the winner’s circle in the Notebook on November 21 at the Big A, winning by 1 3/4 lengths as the 3-10 favorite.

His five wins, including four stakes victories, have generated a hefty earnings bankroll of $416,300.

Foaled at Mill Creek Farm[3] in Stillwater, Sudden Surprise is the first foal out of Ready and Good, a placed Florida-bred runner by More than Ready, also trained by Pletcher for Repole, who had a lone career start. She has visited Repole stallions exclusively, and has a yearling filly by Overdriven and a weanling filly by Stay Thirsty. She was bred this year to Uncle Mo.

The winner’s sire Giant Surprise, who stands at Rockridge Stud[4] in Hudson, likewise won a lone start for Repole / Pletcher in a much-anticipated debut at Saratoga four summers ago during which he suffered a career-ending non-displaced condylar fracture.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/12/27/sudden-surprise-great-white-way/

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Absatootly holds on to capture East View

By Sarah Mace

Facing winners for the first time on Sunday and stretching out to two turns in Aqueduct’s $100,000 East View Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies, Newman Racing’s Absatootly (Mineshaft) delivered a winning performance for trainer Charlton Baker, showing the way from the bell and holding late to gain the victory.

Tabbed as the 2-1 wagering favorite, Absatootly established the lead a few strides after breaking from post two and clocked early fractions of 24.06 and 48.13, attended a half-length back by B Three. The front two traveled with relative positions unchanged along the backstretch and around the far turn.

Angling out at the head of the lane, Absatootly improved her advantage over B Three to a length by midstretch, but the race was not quite over. In the final moments, a late-charging Backwood Bay surged from fourth and almost snatched the victory, but Absatootly managed to hold the win by a nose. B Three finished third.

Completing the order of finish were Flatware, Riotworthy, Singsong, Eloweasel and Out of Nowhere. After six furlongs in 1:12.99 and a mile in 1:39.61, the final time for the 1 mile and 70 yards over the “good” inner track was 1:44.50. [VIDEO[3]]

Winning jockey Kendrick Carmouche was named to ride after regular pilot Jose Ortiz took off his mounts for X-rays on his left ankle following a spill in the first race. Carmouche said, “Charlie Baker has done a very good job with this filly. I was just the man who picked up the horse from Jose Ortiz. I’m glad he’s all right, that’s the main thing, but he’s pretty much done all the work on her. I’m just glad to get the victory.”

Carmouche continued, “Charlie just told me that I’m the controlling speed, just go to the lead and hold them off as long as I can and she did that. I didn’t look back, I was hollering for the wire to come, but she did everything perfect.”

Baker added, “I thought she would be able to handle stretching out a bit, but I think she’s better sprinting. The last stride I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to get beat like that!’ I think after this we’ll go back to sprinting. I don’t have anything in mind; we’ll see what comes up in the book.”

Following a runner-up finish in her Aqueduct debut going six furlongs on November 6, Absatootly graduated convincingly on November 25 at 6 1/2 furlongs before stretching out in the East View. With two wins and a second from three career starts the bay filly has now earned $104,000.

Bred by the late Donald Newman and campaigned by his son Richard, Absatootly is the second foal and second winner out of So N So (Freud), winner of the 2009 Lucy Scribner Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The mare’s first foal is multiple winner So Let It Be So (Sky Mesa). Absatootly was foaled at Fawn Ridge Farm in East Nassau.

So N So currently has an unnamed yearling colt by City Zip and a weanling colt by Desert Party.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/12/27/absatootly-east-view/

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Extinct Charm “out-games” rivals in Damon Runyon

By Sarah Mace

In the words of veteran pilot Aaron Gryder, Extinct Charm (American Lion) “out-gamed” his rivals in late stretch to win Saturday’s $100,000 Damon Runyon Stakes at Aqueduct, coming through in-between horses to get the victory by a neck as the first four finishers crossed the wire a half-length apart.

Extinct Charm, who is trained by Gary Contessa for a partnership of John Moirano, William Achenbaum, Month Foss and Steven Wecker, was the most seasoned in the five-horse field of the Damon Runyon, set to make his ninth career start.

The bay colt was also looking to put together back-to-back victories following a maiden-breaking effort in open company on December 3.  He bested a large field by five lengths at the $70,000 claiming level going one mile in an off-the-turf event. His form had taken a significant upturn after he stretched out from sprints to routes following his fourth career start.

Exiting post one at 12-1, the longest shot on the board, to go one mile and 70 yards, Extinct Charm settled back in third at the fence behind 4-1 Gehrig and 2-5 favorite Spooked Out through a half mile in 49.74.

Angling out as he approached the head of the lane, Extinct Charm moved into second and began to make up ground on new leader Spooked Out, but was destined to have plenty of company in the charge for home.

A quartet of rivals stacked up across the track straining for the wire in the final sixteenth, all apparently in with a chance. Extinct Charm dug in gamely, came through between horses and bested the remaining trio who finished heads apart: E J’s Legacy, who rallied from last, Taoiseach, who rallied from fourth and Spooked Out. Pacesetter Gehrig finished well back in fifth. After a mile in 1:40.61, the final time for the 1 mile 70 yards was 1:44.73. [VIDEO[3]]

Winning jockey Aaron Gryder said, “We were hoping there would be some speed, and there was. It set up nicely for him. I was able to save the ground, and get to the outside. It was a great horse race from the quarter pole home. He just out-gamed them.”

Trainer Gary Contessa focused on the stretch-out as key to Extinct Charm’s recent success. “He’s a two-turn horse, and that’s what it’s all about,” said Contessa. “He got two turns, and broke his maiden. We’ve just been waiting for this. He’s going to be a nice horse at the distance. He’s getting on a plane next week, and going to Ocala for the OBS Championship Stakes [January 26]. We’ve kept him eligible for that.”

Bred by Fountain Spring Stable and foaled at Silvernails Farm in Pine Plains, Extinct Charm is one of five winners, and the first stakes winner, out of Als Delight, a Pennsylvania-bred black type placed winner of over $113,000. With a record of two victories, two seconds a third from nine starts, he has earned $143,000. A $33,000 weanling purchase by Machmer Hall at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed sale, and RNA’d the following summer at the Fasig-Tipton Preferred New York-bred yearling sale, he was bought by Contessa for $55,000 at the OBS Spring sale.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/12/26/extinct-charm-damon-runyon/

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Frosty Margarita bests speedy PA Invader Behrnik’s Bank in NYSS Fifth Avenue

By Sarah Mace

Gabrielle Farm homebred Frosty Margarita (Frost Giant), dominant frontrunning winner of Aqueduct’s Key Cents stakes on November 22, won Sunday’s Park Avenue Division of the New York Stallion Stakes series for New York-sired juvenile fillies with a determined effort, overhauling Peter Kazamias’s brilliant New York-sired, Pennsylvania-bred Behrnik’s Bank (Bank Heist) in the stretch.

It seemed that Frosty Margarita was slated to have quite a bit to handle in the speed department in the Park Avenue. Behrnik’s Bank had opened eyes as the wire-to-wire winner of her first two starts at Penn National Race Course by a combined 31 1/2 lengths and was heavily favored to win the Park Avenue at odds of 1-4. Frosty Margarita, drawn immediately to her outside in post five of five, was the 5-2 second choice. The brothers Ortiz had the riding assignments: Irad on Frosty Margarita and Jose on Behrnik’s Bank.

What promised to be an entertaining match-up on paper began with a hearty tussle for the lead. Behrnik’s Bank won the first round, moving up in-between horses and taking control, posting early fractions of 23.37 and 46.96, while Frosty Margarita settled in second the best part of a length back.

As the pair separated themselves by five lengths from the rest of the field on the backstretch, Behrnik’s Bank still led Frosty Margarita by a half-length going into the far turn, but by the quarter pole Frosty Margarita had advanced onto nearly even terms.

Behrnik’s Bank opened up a little daylight in upper stretch, but Frosty Margarita never threw in the towel. Wearing the leader down, she poked a head in front within the furlong grounds and fought on doggedly to repel her tenacious rival.

Inching forward in the final sixteenth, Frosty Margarita garnered the victory by a neck. Following the top pair across the line twelve lengths back were Taken by Surprise, Trulamo and Crazy Love and the final time for six furlongs was 1:12.24. [VIDEO[2]]

Winning Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. said, “The way the track was playing today, you could see all the horses were close. I didn’t want to be too far back. Last time, my filly won on the lead [but] she will let me do whatever I want to with her. I wanted to be close to [Behrnik’s Bank]. My filly is a nice filly and she showed up today.”

Rudy Rodriguez, who conditions Frosty Margarita for Gabrielle Farm, said, “She’s been very, very good. It’s a plus with us, running right from home. She’s been training lights out over here. To beat that favorite [Behrnik’s Bank] is extra special for her. We were concerned about the favorite, that’s for sure, but Irad seemed very comfortable.”

Rodriguez also sounded very upbeat about his filly’s prospects. “She ran very good today and hopefully she will keep improving a little bit and go to the next level. Hopefully she can stretch out a little bit. That’s where the money is.”

A maiden breaker in her second start at Saratoga on August 24, Frosty Margarita is now a two-time stakes winner and twice stakes-placed. Never out of the exacta in six career races, the homebred has earned $285,800 for owner/breeder Chip Acierno of Gabrielle Farm.

Frosty Margarita was foaled at Saratoga Glen Farm[3] in Schuylerville and is a daughter of top-five New York sire Frost Giant. Her dam Mango Margarita, an unraced daughter of Not For Love also bred by Gabrielle Farm, has produced two winners from two starters and currently has a yearling filly by Freud and a weanling colt by Teuflesberg. She was bred this year to Central Banker.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/12/20/frosty-margarita-fifth-avenue/

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