Dublin Girl splits horses to capture Maddie May

By Sarah Mace

It took Joemar Racing Stables homebred Dublin Girl three tries to put it all together to break her maiden, but she handled the tough test of facing winners for the first time on Sunday like a true professional.

The blaze-faced chestnut stalked the leaders, spilt horses and drew off to capture the second running of the featured $100,000 Maddie May for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies, while giving her sire Dublin[2] (Keane Stud[3]) his first stakes winner.

Third in the slop in her October 22 Belmont unveiling, and second in early December at Aqueduct in another New York-bred maiden special weight sprint, Dublin Girl romped by four lengths in her two-turn debut on January 2. On Sunday, she was drawn in post three to go the same 1 mile and 70-yard trip.

Second choice in the betting at 5-2, Dublin Girl settled in fourth just to the inside of narrow favorite Bree’s Got Heart, while Treatherlikestar led the field through opening fractions of 24.89 and 50.71 pressed along by Bliss to You.

The configuration of the runners remained unchanged through the far turn, until Bliss to You went a little wide at the head of the lane, gained a narrow lead, but also opened up a gap between horses. Dublin Girl geared up and threaded the needle just past three-sixteenths pole.

Dublin Girl gained the front and drew off in the final furlong to post a one-length victory in a final time of 1:46.46. Toni Tools, winner last out of the NYSS Park Avenue division with a dramatic last-to-first run on December 18, closed with conviction to get second, while Bree’s Got Heart had to settle for third 1 3/4 lengths back. Rounding out the finishers were Cha Cha Heels, Bliss to You and Treatherlikestar. [REPLAY[5]]

“I was just sitting patient hoping something would open up. I was dedicated to the spot,” said jockey Kendrick Carmouche, aboard on Sunday and for the filly’s maiden win. “She ran on and I’d just like to say thanks to the owners for picking this spot out. It was very successful.”

Winning trainer Dominick Schettino commented, “She’s learning and maturing. She’s handled two turns very well. Her running style is to sit back and stay off the pace. I’m very happy with the race she ran well.”

The conditioner added, “I think the two turns helped her today and moved her forward. She handled the step up in class. It was a team effort.”

Dublin Girl, whose earnings total $110,000 from two wins, a second and third in four starts, is one of four winners, and first stakes winner out of Carson City Girl, a New York-bred winner of nearly six figures by Carson City.

Carson City Girl, who was purchased by Joseph Parisi for $200,000 at the 1999 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale, has a yearling filly on the ground by Alpha and was bred in 2016 to Giant Surprise.

 

 

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Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/01/29/dublin-girl-maddie-may/

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Broman homebred “hauls anchor” to win Gander Stakes

By Sarah Mace

Chester and Mary Broman’s Haul Anchor, comfortable wire-to-wire winner of the Damon Runyon Stakes at Aqueduct on December 29 at 1 mile and 70 yards, delivered an encore performance at the same trip on Saturday at the Big A with thoroughly convincing victory in the $100,000 Gander for New York-bred 3-year-olds.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and reunited with Runyon jockey Cornelio Velasquez for the afternoon, the Bernardini colt broke sharply from his inside post and established position at the rail. Favorite Bavaro, an undefeated Freud colt campaigned by Bill Parcells’ August Dawn Farm, also broke well and settled at Haul Anchor’s flank as the pair separated themselves from Carradine in third going into the first turn.

There was little change along the backstretch, as Haul Anchor maintained a three-quarter length lead over his rival and as the pair rounded the far turn, Haul Anchor began to draw off.

Haul Anchor kept steadily to his business in the lane, while Carradine, who had gained ground in the turn, took over second position in upper stretch. Carradine chased Haul Anchor persistently to the wire, but chased in vain as Haul Anchor garnered the win by 1 1/2 lengths. After solid fractions of 23.47, :47.14, 1:12.07, he stopped the clock at 1:38.95.

Bourbon Empire had leapt up at the start, hitting the gate, and trailed the leaders by more than 13 lengths after a half-mile. He finally got the chance to do some running in the stretch and got up for third. Bavaro was fourth. Caledonian, the field’s fifth horse was scratched. [REPLAY[2]]

“My horse is a free runner,” commented Cornelio Velasquez. “I didn’t send him but he went out to the lead, so I let him go. The other day [in the Damon Runyon], it was the same thing. He tries hard, but he likes to be out there [in front]. He goes easy on the lead, he can run second, but he doesn’t want to be choked too much.”

McLaughlin’s New York assistant Joe Lee said, “He’s really matured and come into his own the last couple of months, so this effort today was encouraging. The plan coming in was to just break well and get into a good position leaving the rest to Cornelio.”

Continued Lee, “Coming into the race, I thought we might get into a speed duel with some of these other horses coming out of sprint races but we were confident in the way he’s been training in the mornings, and the trip and ride worked out great for us today.”

Haul Anchor, who improved his record Saturday to three wins and three seconds from seven career starts with $203,000 in earnings, began his career with a pair of solid runner-up finishes at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course in July and August, before breaking his maiden going 5 1/2 furlongs at the Spa on September 1.

Back downstate, the colt dead-heated for second two lengths behind Mirai in the Bertram F. Bongard at Belmont, but then threw in a clunker in the sloppy Sleepy Hollow on Showcase day, fading after flashing early speed in his route debut. After a brief freshening, the colt rebounded to take the Damon Runyon in style.

Chester Broman purchased Haul Anchor’s dam Whichwaydidshego (Storm Cat) for $425,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November sale. A winning half-sister to the multiple Grade 2 winner Fed Biz, she issues from the family of Minardi, Tale of the Cat and Johannesburg.

Whichwaydidshego has worked out well for Bromans, already producing multiple stakes winners Mark My Way (Noonmark) and Hard to Stay Notgo (More than Ready). On the ground are a 2-year-old full sister to Haul Anchor named Turn and Bern and a yearling filly by Will Take Charge. The mare was bred to Malibu Moon in 2016.

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Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/01/28/haul-anchor-gander/

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Wonder Gal runs away with Ladies Handicap

By Sarah Mace

Friday afternoon’s 146th running of the $100,000 Ladies Handicap for older fillies and mares at Aqueduct Racetrack belonged entirely to Wonder Gal, who broke fastest and only improved from there. The 5-year-old daughter of Tiz Wonderful sailed home comfortably, a no-contest winner by double-digit lengths.

The one-mile, 70-yard race was rescheduled for Friday from last Saturday, when snow forced NYRA to cancel the Big A card. The same five horses showed up, but were shuffled around by the draw, and Wonder Gal, who has ample early foot, had the good fortune to move from post four right to the rail to run on a track that in recent days has favored inside speed.

The strapping dark bay mare, highweighted at 118 pounds and favored to win at odds of 3-2, broke on top after the bell. Charging confidently around the first turn, she opened up a length on her competition, then improved her advantage to two lengths on the backstretch.

At one point Always On My Mind tried to reel Wonder Gal in, but got no closer to her rival than three-quarters of a length. Wonder Gal spurted away in the far turn.

From this point on, it was all over but the shouting, as Wonder Gal opened up her lead to five lengths by the quarter pole, then 10 lengths and more in the stretch, finally crossing the wire all alone, a 13 1/2-length winner.

Chorus Line at 12-1 outfinished the other relative longshot in the field, New York-bred Jet Majesty, also 12-1, for the place. Rounding out the order of finish were Highway Star and Always on My Mind. After a half-mile in 47.73 and a mile in 1:38.04, the final time for the race was 1:42.45. [REPLAY[2]]

“I wanted to get to the front. I had the one-hole, and the best thing is to see if you can get position and see if everyone is scattering behind you,” said jockey Kendrick Carmouche, who was also aboard Wonder Gal for her two prior starts.

Carmouche continued, “Once I got to the half-mile and I heard the guys scramble back there, I just opened up. I said it was going to be a do-or-die situation. It worked out today. I just want to say congratulations to [trainer] Leah Gyarmati and her team.

Carmouche especially enjoyed being able to give Gyarmati, whose most recent win had come on October 9, a lift with the victory. “It’s tough when trainers go through a drought without winning and you really just want to pull that one through to make their situation better,” said Carmouche. “I’m just grateful for the chance to ride the horse. They canceled last week. Everything works out for a reason. They gave me the mount back and I made it successful.”

Wonder Gal has had a fairly demanding campaign since she came off the bench on September 2 to romp in a 6 1/2-furlong state-bred sprint allowance at Saratoga. In October she finished fifth after an outside trip in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom, in November finished mid-pack after getting mixed up with some traffic in the Grade 1 Breeder’s Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and then rebounded in December with a strong third-place finish in the Grade 3 Go For Wand Handicap, only a neck behind winner Highway Star. Campaigned up to that point by Treadway Racing Stable, Wonder Gal raced Friday in the colors of new owner Clearview Stable LLC, who purchased her privately.

Gyarmati said, “Obviously, her performance today was spectacular. She seemed like she did it so easily. She ran that big race up at Saratoga [on September 2] and she was training so well heading into that race. It kind of set her back a little bit, but going into this race she started having those same works as she did back then. I’m just so thankful for this performance.”

Wonder Gal was purchased by Jeffrey Treadway at the OBS March Sale of 2-year-olds for $210,000 after a :10 1/5 breeze. She was the top-selling New York-bred filly, and fourth highest-priced New York-bred juvenile overall at that auction.

The Ladies Handicap is Wonder Gal’s third stakes victory and first in open company, having previously won the Empire Distaff and Lynbrook Stakes. She has placed in eight additional stakes, including runner-up finishes in the Grade 1 Frizette and Grade 1 Mother Goose. She also ran third in the 2014 Grade 1 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies and Grade 1 Acorn Stakes. Overall, from four wins, two seconds and six thirds in 17 starts she has earned $887,145.

Bred by Apache Farm LLC and foaled at Keane Stud[4] in Amenia, Wonder Gal is out of Passe, an unraced Kentucky-bred daughter of Dixie Union. Out of stakes winner and graded stakes performer Gal on the Go (Irgun), Passe is a half-sister to Social Queen, a multiple graded winner by Dynaformer ($344,164). The mare has a 2-year-old filly by Jimmy Creed and a yearling colt by Tiznow. She was bred in 2016 to Palace Malice.

 

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Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/01/13/wonder-gal-ladies-handicap/

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