NYRA/Chelsea Durand
By Sarah Mace
Jules N Rome, who was claimed on July 27 from Midwest Thoroughbreds and trainer Danny Gargan for $62,500 by Rudy Rodriguez for owner Michael Dubb, overcame an outside draw to score a decisive first stakes win over nine rivals in the 1 1/8-mile, $100,000 Saratoga Dew Stakes at the Spa on Monday.
Partnered for the first time with Javier Castellano for her eighteenth career start, Jules N Rome (3-1 second choice) got away alertly and quickly made her way toward the inside to save ground through the first turn, traveling in fourth in the two path behind pacesetter Isabelle.
Getting back out to the three path on the backstretch and continuing to stalk the pace, the grey was asked for more late in the bend and swung out four wide into the lane. Advancing to second in upper stretch, Jules N Rome overhauled Isabelle in the final furlong and drew clear, to hit the wire a 1 3/4-length winner. After a half mile in 48.52 and a mile in 1:38.09, the final time for the race was 1:50.98.
Pacesetter Isabelle (10-1) finished second, followed 1 1/2 lengths back by Jc’s Shooting Star. Flipcup, the 9-5 favorite, finished fourth. [VIDEO]
Castellano reported, “I really like what this horse did last time [when she finished third going nine furlongs on July 27 at Saratoga]. Watching replays, it looked like she just got tired a little bit but still showed a good effort. Today, we had to overcome the outside post. I had to save ground the first turn to cover her up a little bit, and I think that was the key to winning the race. Once I put her back outside turning for home she really responded and took it to the field. Rudy told me it was a tricky post, being way outside, and not to use too much horse in getting position so she would have something left at the end. Thankfully, we got it done.”
NYRA/Adam Coglianese
Rudy Rodriguez said after the race, “I was concerned about the outside post, but Javier [Castellano] gave her a perfect ride. He was able to save ground early. She shows up all the time.”
Of the decision to claim the 4-year-old Dunkirk filly, Rodriguez said, “We always liked her. We looked at her for a long time; we wanted to claim her for $40,000 [last October] but a couple of the [potential] owners didn’t think she had the numbers. When they put her in for $62,500 [on May 30], we talked to Michael Dubb, and he said ‘Take her.’ That’s why he is who he is in this game.”
Bred in partnership by Harry L. Landry and Constancia Farm and Dunkirk Syndicate, Jules N Rome is out of Pretty Honoree, a chestnut Florida-bred winner who has produced two winners from three starters.
Jules N Rome, who is Pretty Honoree’s first stakes winner, has compiled a record of seven victories, five seconds and a third from 18 starts and earned $376,182. The filly changed hands twice at public auction. She was purchased by Kirk Wycoff for $19,000 as a weanling at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton fall mixed and horses of racing age sale. The following year she brought $77,000 when purchased by Xavier International at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale.
