NYRA/Chelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
Alpha Delta Stables’ lightly-raced Ancient Secret (Kantharos), undefeated winner of her first two starts against New York-breds, kicked home to collar Thundering Sky in the open, $100,000 Wild Applause, Sunday’s Belmont Park feature for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the Widener Turf Course.
Conditioned by Belmont’s leading trainer Chad Brown and 3-1 second choice in the field of ten behind stablemate Ava’s Kitten (2-1), Ancient Secret was teamed up for her third straight Belmont start with Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Out of the gate sharply from post four, Ancient Secret was taken back into fourth to rate behind early pacesetter Summer Reading (8-1), who posted a 23.21 quarter and 47.08 half.
Picking up momentum around the far turn, Ancient Secret angled out four wide and began to kick into gear. Charging hard for home to tackle new leader Thundering Sky (16-1), who inherited the lead from third, she got up in the shadow of the wire to win by a head. Welcoming finished 1 1/2 lengths back in third, a neck ahead of Ava’s Kitten in fourth. After six panels in 1:10.73, the final time for the race was 1:33.92. [VIDEO]
Jockey Ortiz, Jr. said, “She’s a very handy filly. She broke well and I just let her put me where she wanted to be. Chad told me she’s a New York-bred and she’s a nice filly. When I asked her, she had plenty of run. I think she’ll be able to go further.”
Brown’s assistant Cherie DeVaux also touted the filly’s prospects and New York-bred status: “I thought she ran great. She has always trained very well. We’ve had high hopes for her all along, so it’s nice to see her step up in open company in her third race. She really ran to the way she’s been presenting herself. Being a New York-bred and having her for the whole summer is exciting.”
Ancient Secret, a debut winner by three lengths at Belmont going six furlongs in October 2015, returned as a sophomore to win by four-plus lengths at seven furlongs against state-bred allowance horses on May 14. In each case, as on Sunday, she rallied from off the pace.
Bred by Lambholm and foaled at Cedar Ridge Farm in Pine Plains, Ancient Secret is the first winner and first registered New York-bred out of Privacy. The filly sold on the opening day of the 2015 OBS spring sale to Steven Young, agent, for $225,000.
Privacy, a winning Florida-bred mare by Notebook also bred by Lambholm. is a half-sister to stakes winner Admonition. Her 2014 foal by Posse named Hiding, is also a registered New York-bred.
