Gold for the King back to “old ways” in NYSS Thunder Rumble

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NYRA/Alysse Jacobs

By Sarah Mace

Francis Paolangeli’s homebred Gold for the King had a banner juvenile campaign last year, winning three of six starts, including the lucrative Breeders’ Futurity and Notebook Stakes. This year, after an auspicious start with a victory in the New York Stallion Stakes (NYSS) series Time Square division in April, the gelding finished well off the board in three of four subsequent starts.

On Wednesday, in the NYSS Thunder Rumble (rescheduled from November 19 when racing was cancelled at Aqueduct due to high winds), the “old” Gold for the King was back in full force, romping by more than seven lengths in the 7-furlong tilt for eligible New York-sired horses three and up.

“He’s always been a good horse,” said winning trainer Charlie Baker. “Last race, he had a lot of excuses. He looked good coming into the race, so I thought he’d run back to his old ways. He did it pretty comfortably. It was pretty much what we wanted to see. It was good to see him come back to his form.”

Drawn in the one-hole and sent off under Joel Rosario as the 5-2 second choice in the field of seven, Gold for the King stumbled slightly after the break and spent the opening quarter mile in sixth chasing early pacesetter and favorite Loki’s Vengeance who had gunned to the front from his outside post.

Gaining ground later the backstretch, by the far turn Gold for the King had made up the deficit at the rail and hooked up with Loki’s Vengeance to his outside.

After vying with his rival through the turn, Gold for the King gained control in upper stretch and never looked back, opening up at will to win by 7 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:26.12.

Sudden Surprise, near the pace throughout, got the place, while Fleet Irish closed from last to finish third. Loki’s Vengeance had to settled for fourth, followed by Cloud Control, Nobody Move and Becker’s Galaxy. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

“It was great,” said Rosario. “He broke OK. Then he stumbled a little bit. I had to tap him. But, there was not a lot of speed. On the backside, he wanted to get up there. It looked like they weren’t going very fast, so I just let him be up there. He just pinned his ears and was looking around.

“I was just trying to keep my spot, hold my position. He caught up with the horses very quick and I was there so I just kind of kept my position there. He is a big horse. He grabbed the bridle and took off. I was on the inside of the horse on the lead [Loki’s Vengeance]. I already got his spot, so I just had to be there and keep improving my position.”

Added Baker, “They weren’t going that fast, and it was inside, so you didn’t want to get trapped in there. I think Joel [Rosario] did the right thing trying to move up, because you don’t want to get trapped. Being in the 1-hole, it wasn’t the greatest post, but he did a great job.”

Baker plans to give Gold for the King plenty of time between races for now, indicating that he might not make his next start until January. Baker also commented on “Gold’s” affinity for Aqueduct, where he is three-for-three. “He likes it here, so we’ll keep shipping him over until he shows he doesn’t like it.”

Foaled at Keane Stud[3] in Amenia and now a $470,371-earner from five wins (including four stakes victories), two second and two thirds, Gold for the King is the second foal and one of two winners out of Gold for the Queen, a New York-bred multiple stakes winner of $239,136 bred by Pegasus Farms Inc., also campaigned by Paolangeli and trained by Baker.

Gold for the Queen currently has a yearling colt by Frost Giant named True Gold, was barren this year and bred to Super Saver in the spring.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/11/30/gold-for-the-king-thunder-rumble/

Fire Key unlocks competitive Autumn Stakes

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NYRA/Adam Coglianese

By Sarah Mace

Second generation Backwards Stable homebred Fire Key (Fresian Fire) posted her first stakes victory in convincing fashion at Aqueduct Sunday in the inaugural running of the co-featured $125,000 Autumn Stakes for filly and mare sprinters on the outer turf course.

Fire Key has had regular dates with the starter throughout her 4-year-old campaign in 2017, with 11 prior starts this year, and the results have been consistently good: three wins, four seconds and third. In her only prior stakes try, the Sensible Lady Turf Dash Stakes at Laurel Park on September 16, Fire Key finished second, and last out she fell just a nose short of victory in an open allowance at Aqueduct. She also came into the Autumn stakes in sharp form Beyer-wise, with figures of 90-92-90 in her three most recent starts.

Breaking from post two as the 5-1 third choice in the salty field of 12, Fire Key settled into the pocket in third/fourth for a ground-saving trip, while Mo’ne Davis (a half-sister to Barbaro, Lentenor and Nicanor), then Ultra Brat set the pace through brisk splits of 23.13 and 46.50.

Moving out for the drive at the head of the stretch, Fire Key agilely altered course inside the final furlong for completely clear running.

Passing new leader Ultra Brat, who was passed, in turn, by 5-2 favorite Stormy Victoria and close second choice First of Spring in the shadow of the wire, Fire Key opened up to a convincing 2 1/2-length victory. The next five finishers were separated by only 1 1/4 lengths, with Stormy Victoria collecting second, a neck ahead of First of Spring in third, who finished a neck ahead of fourth-place finisher Ultra Brat. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Jockey Paco Lopez said, “That was the first time I’ve been on her and I’m really happy for the opportunity. I know she is a quality filly.”

Added Lopez, “It looks easy when you’re on the best horse in the race. The trainer said, ‘Paco, do whatever you want. If you can make the lead easy, then make the lead. The filly doesn’t have to have the lead, she can put you behind horses and she’ll be perfect.’ Today, I saw a couple horses trying to rush [to the lead], so I moved down [to the rail] a little bit. Then I waited for the eighth pole and took her out of the hole and when I asked her to run, she gave me everything she had. She’s a very nice filly.”

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NYRA/Chelsea Durand

Winning trainer Pat Kelly said, “She’s really come on all year long. We just got nipped on Opening Day [November 3] on the turf. Paco rode a great race. She really finished today.

“We thought there’d be speed from the outside and we [planned] to sit in there and take advantage of the post position and hope she’d finished good, and she did.”

Kelly plans to give Fire Key the winter off in preparation for her 5-year-old campaign. “We’ll have her back next spring and have some fun, I think.” To date Fire Key sports a record of five wins, six seconds and one third from 17 starts and has earned $344,185.

Out of Backwards stable homebred mare U R Key and foaled at Sun Valley Farm in Ballston Spa, Fire Key is a third generation New York-bred thorugh the female family with Virginia roots. Her third dam, the Virginia-bred Shukey (Key to the Mint), produced second dam Sugar Key (Missionary Ridge GB), bred in New York by Jill Rich and Edward Michaels II.

U R Key (Albert the Great), Sugar Key’s daughter, was unraced but has already produced two winners from two foals to start For Backwards. Her first foal Masterkey (Will He Shine) is a Finger Lakes-based six-figure earner and, currently, she has a yearling filly by Emcee. Not bred in 2016, U R Key went to Micromanage this year.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/11/26/fire-key-autumn-stakes/

Sea Foam rallies, digs in to win Notebook Stakes

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NYRA/Chelsea Durand

By Sarah Mace

Fresh off a maiden victory on November 3 in his fourth try, Waterville Lake Stable homebred Sea Foam (Medaglia d’Oro), wasted no time in enrolling his name in the ranks of stakes winners Sunday when he stalked, rallied, then gamely held off a favored rival to win Aqueduct’s $100,000 Notebook Stakes for New York-bred juveniles at six furlongs.

Never worse than second in his four starts for trainer Christophe Clement while racing on or near the lead at every point of call, Sea Foam added Lasix for his stakes debut. With Nik Juarez, jockey for Sea Foam’s maiden win, in the irons, he was 6-1 third choice (of eight) by post time. Bettors favored Stoney Bennett (Bustin Stones) to the tune of 4-5.

After the starter sprang the gates, 9-1 Morning Breez showed the lead, while Sea Foam settled in second in the two-path1 1/2 lengths back. Stoney Bennett raced in third another length back. The order remained unchanged along the backstretch and round the turn through solid splits of 23.35 and 47.38.

Approaching the quarter pole, the top three closed ranks and stacked up three across the track: Morning Breez at the rail, Sea Foam between horses and Stoney Bennett three-wide. Once the trio straightened for home, Morning Breez had come out of the turn with an advanage, but his rivals to the outside were about to have their say.

Sea Foam, closing best, made his way to the front with a sixteenth of a mile to go, then dug in to hold off Stoney Bennett and secure the win by a length. A half-length back, Morning Breez had to settle for third. The final time for six furlongs was 1:12.79, and completing the order of finish were We Should Talk, Analyze the Odds, What a Catch and Mr. Pete. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

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NYRA/Adam Coglianese

“Sea Foam was coming off his maiden win and that time, I learned that when another horse comes to him, he gets really game,” said Juarez. “So, last week, we worked him, and he worked that same way. He had a horse laying off of him and he never let that horse get by.”

The pilot continued, “Today that was the same strategy. Just keep him right off the lead and when [Stoney Bennett] came to me at the quarter-pole, I thought he was going by, but Sea Foam really dug in. Hats off to Christophe’s team. They did a really great job.”

Christophe Lorieul, Clement’s assistant, commented, “The first time Lasix might have helped a little bit. He ran really well here the other day when he broke his maiden. It looks like he might like Aqueduct.”

Lorieul echoed Juarez’ assessment of Sea Foam’s fighting spirit and sees longer races in the colt’s future. “He was very game today. The big favorite was coming to him from his outside and he kept on going. He might want to go a little further. Coming into the race, Christophe said three-quarters might really not be his game, but it worked out today.”

From two wins and three seconds in five starts, Sea Foam has collected $131,600 in earnings. Foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, he is one of two winners out of Kentucky-bred Strike It Rich by Undbridled’s Song, purchased for John Meriwether’s Waterville Lake Stable by Clement for $350,000 at the Saratoga select yearling sale.

After going on to become a graded winner then retiring to broodmare duty, Strike It Rich has produced a pair of winners from three starters. She currently has a yearling filly by Kitten’s Joy, a weanling filly by Giant’s Causeway, and is anticipated to deliver a Hard Spun foal in 2018.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/11/26/sea-foam-notebook-stakes/

Control Group dominates Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Discovery Handicap

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NYRA/Robert Mauhar

By Sarah Mace

On January 20, 2017, 3-year-old Control Group (Posse) was claimed by Rudy Rodriguez for Michael Dubb and David Simon out of state-bred route run on the Aqueduct inner oval for $62,500.

Dangled for a tag twice more, the bay colt ultimately signaled on October 21 that he was claiming material no more with a solid second-place finish to the accomplished Twisted Tom in the Empire Classic.

At Aqueduct Saturday, Control Group cemented the deal with a dominating wire-to-wire victory in the co-featured Grade 3, $200,000 Discovery Handicap for 3-year-olds at nine furlongs.

Rodriguez did, however, explain that Control Group’s presence in the Discovery was more a matter of accident than design. “They said they needed horses,” said Rodriguez. “They only had four. [The racing office] was looking for another New York-bred, Broken Engagement. I said I don’t know about Broken Engagement because I don’t think he wants to go that far, but Control Group, he loves two turns, and that’s what we did.”

Bet down to 5-2 favoritism over five well-meant and well-matched rivals, and partnered for the first time with Joel Rosario, Control Group used his natural speed to clear the field from his outside post and grab a spot at the rail by the time the group entered the clubhouse turn. The other main speed horse, True Timber, chased two lengths back through moderate opening splits of 24.05 and 48.52.

By the far turn, as six furlongs ticked by in 1:13.29, Control Group had extended his lead to four lengths. Cruising solo to the finish line after leading by as much as five lengths in the stretch, the bay made his 3-length victory look easy in a final time of 1:52.83.

Senior Investment closed to take second, while Bonus Points finished third more than eight lengths back, a neck ahead of New York-bred Can You Diggit, who chased throughout. Wrapping up the field were Spieth and True Timber. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Jockey Rosario said, “I was just trying to stay where I was early and improve my position as it went. He handled everything fine. It looked like it was very easy for him.”

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NYRA/ Chelsea Durand

The pilot based his tactics to a combination of homework and instinct. “Rudy [Rodriguez] didn’t tell me much. We thought maybe [Spieth] or [True Timber], [or] someone like that was going to go. It looked OK and then we broke, and I had to make a decision to go or take back so I just decided to keep him going. In his other races, it looked like he liked to be up there, so I just let him do whatever he liked to do.”

Rodriguez said, “I told Joel [Rosario] to warm him up good, and see if we can clear the horses, he loves the two turns, that’s the key. When I saw 24 [seconds for the opening quarter-mile] I was very comfortable, 48, he was nice and controlled, and Joel looked very, very controlled, and at the three-eighth pole, I thought we looked very, very good. The farther they are, the better it is.”

Plan A for Control Group’s connections was to enter Claiming Crown at Gulfstream Park on December 2 and have a fresh horse for the $100,000 Alex M. Robb for state-breds on December 31. Now Rodriguez, Dubb and Simon have a graded win in the bank, and will have an even fresher horse for the Robb.

Bred by Colts Neck Stable and Alan Goldberg and foaled at Vinery New York at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, Control Group is the third foal, and one of two winners out of We Kept Her, an unraced Kentucky-bred daughter of Victory Gallop. The mare’s other winner We Did is a full brother to Control Group and six-figure earner. The mare has a yearling filly by Courageous Cat and a 2017 filly by Giant Surprise.

Control Group, a consistent runner, who has won five of 13 starts with three seconds and three thirds and earned $321,570, was never, as it happens, valued at his true worth at public auction. A graduate of the 2014 Fasig-Tipton New York fall mixed sale, he went to MRC Equine for $27,000. Then he RNA’d when offered as a yearling at the Saratoga New York-bred sale ($49,000) and again at two at the Midlantic spring sale of 2-year-olds ($19,000). Gary Contessa shrewdly picked him up for the bargain price of $15,000 at the 2016 OBS open horses of racing age sale.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/11/25/control-group-discovery/

I Still Miss You sharp winner of Key Cents Stakes at 11-1

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NYRA/Chelsea Durand

By Sarah Mace

Juvenile filly I Still Miss You (Majestic Warrior), who last visited the winner’s circle after winning the open Astoria Stakes at Belmont Park on June 8, resumed her winning ways on Belmont’s Black Friday card with a sharp front-running win in the $100,000 Key Cents Stakes for New York-breds.

Trained by Jeremiah Englehart for partners Gold Star Racing Stable, Matthew Hand and Brian McKenzie, I Still Miss You began her career with all systems on go, putting together back-to-back open-length wins in her Belmont debut and the Astoria within the span of 21 days. After running a solid second to Pure Silver in Belmont’s Lynbrook on July 16, however, she finished well out of the money in her next two tries, both New York-bred stakes, by a combination of more than sixty lengths.

Let go at odds of 11-1 in the competitive Key Cents field, I Still Miss You gave every sign before the race that she was on her toes, including a brisk, eye-catching warm-up under Manny Franco, who had the call for the first time aboard the dark bay filly.

Shortly after an even break for all, I Still Miss You from post five hooked up with 44-1 Stone Cold Flirt to her inside, and the pair clocked an opening quarter mile in 22.45.

By the completion of a half in 46.15 during which the top two traded the lead, I Still Miss You poked a head in front of Stone Cold Flirt for good, while 8-5 favorite and Grade 2 Adirondack winner Pure Silver waited in the wings in third.

Once Stone Cold Flirt began to fade, Pure Silver rallied into second but, by the wire, could get no closer than one length to the victorious I Still Miss You, who I stopped the clock after six furlongs at 1:12.98.

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NYRA/Joe Labozzetta

I Still Miss You’s better-regarded stablemate Indy’s Lady (3-1), who raced in last place, as much as 10 lengths off the lead in for the first half mile and more, came with a flying finish in the final furlong to edge Cause We are Loyal for fourth by a neck. Miss Mystique and Stone Cold Flirt dead heated for fifth, while Newport Breeze and Tayler’s the Boss completed the order of finish.

“I think she was comfortable in front, and some of her best races have come when she’s been in front,” said Franco. “I didn’t have many instructions. The pace helped because she was in control and when I asked her to go, she was there for me.”

“The race in Saratoga [the 6 1/2 furlong Seeking the Ante on August 25, where I Still Miss You finished last of nine] was a real headscratcher,” said Englehart. “We added blinkers with the thought that if she got in between horses again, maybe she wouldn’t worry about it as much. The last race [Maid of the Mist at Belmont on October 21 at one mile] was going long and I don’t think she wants to go long. Our plan was to keep the same level of horses and run her in a six-furlong race with the blinkers and see how it would help. Today, she ran back to her old self. She’s just more of a sprinter. I thought Manny did a good job of asking her to get into a good spot. He didn’t allow the race to come to her, he put her in the race and I thought that was the difference.”

I Still Miss You, who has earned $206,867 from three wins and a second in six starts, was bred by Emcee Stable, LLC and foaled at Hickory Hill Farm Thoroughbreds[3].

The filly is the first foal out of Maryland-bred Lion’s Terms who won 16 races for Englehart and Gold Star Racing Stable and earned $235,042. Lion’s Terms has a yearling colt by Blame who brought $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale this year. Without issue this year after being bred to Orb in 2016, she visited Congrats this spring.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/11/24/i-still-miss-you-key-cent/