JCGC winner Diversify rebounds with outstanding Commentator score

By Sarah Mace

A wire-to-wire winner of the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup last October and returning to state-bred company for the first time after a trio of graded races, Lauren and Ralph Evans’ Diversify was unquestionably the class of Monday’s $200,000 Commentator Stakes at Belmont Park.  Still, on paper at least, the 5-year-old Bellamy Road gelding did not appear to be a shoo-in to win the capstone of the Memorial Day Big Apple Showcase card at Belmont Park. What’s more, he had a big question to answer about his most recent effort.

First, the dynamics of the one-turn, one-mile race on paper seemed tricky for Diversify, whose most effective weapon is speed. He was destined to have plenty of company on the front end, with at least four rivals likely to come out gunning. Diversify did catch one break, however, with the race-day scratch of veteran Weekend Hideaway, who wired the last two runnings of the Commentator and beat Diversify by a nose in last year’s renewal.

Diversify also needed to prove that his performance last out in the Charles Town Classic on April 21, his first start back after a winter break, was a fluke. In his first experience with Charles Town’s “bull ring,” the gelding perplexed everyone by running dead last as the 6-5 favorite. Trainer Rick Violette found nothing wrong with him after the race and could only conclude, as he told NYRA commentator Maggie Wolfendale, that the 5-year-old was too smart for his own good. Unaccustomed to the 3-turn format of the race he appeared to rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. to have pulled himself up after two turns

Even with these factors at play, bettors made Diversify their 2-1 favorite and went to Pat On the Back, who was arguably the best closer in the field and going out for the first time for Jeremiah Englehart, as the 4-1 second choice

Partnered with the Jose Ortiz on Monday, Diversify did not have an auspicious start, stumbling after the bell. Recovering efficiently, however, he set up as a stalking third in the three path, tracking Jewel Can Disco at the rail and Mr. Buff in the two-path two lengths off the leader.

After the pacesetter clocked a half-mile in 45.22, just past the three-eighths pole Diversify pulled even with the front pair and gained a narrow lead, emerging at the quarter pole a half-length to the good and the horse to catch after six furlongs in a testing 1:09.33.

Ortiz knew the closers would be on their way and urged his horse to open up a little more ground as a cushion in upper stretch.

In the final furlong Pat On the Back closed menacingly on the outside, eating into Diversify’s lead with every stride and coming to within a half-length with a sixteenth to go.

Diversify’s answer was to dig in and give his all. His gameness was rewarded by a nose win after a fast mile in 1:34.34. Pat On the Back in second finished 4 1/4 lengths ahead of Uncle Sigh, who closed from midpack to finish third. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

“[Diversify] stumbled out of [gate],” said Jose Ortiz. “I didn’t want to take him out of his game. He relaxed pretty well. At the three-eighths pole, I went after them, and when he made the lead, he pricked his ears, so I knew he had something left in the tank. [Pat On the Back] ran a very good race. Any other day, we would’ve won by ten.”

Violette found the race a bit of a nail-biter even after the finish. “I thought we won it, then I watched the replay again and ‘whoa’.”

Continued Violette, “When [Weekend Hideaway scratched], it actually was a good scratch for us. That led to us to either having to take hold or commit if he had stayed in there, so it worked out well.”

The conditioner also pointed out that Diversify is more versatile than one would think: “He’s certainly very effective on the lead, but he doesn’t have to be there. The 1-2-3 all had pretty good speed, and with the post position, you see what develops, and if they tap on the brakes like everybody did last year, it works out well.”

As to the winning move in the far turn, Violette said, “I was worried about the whole [field] joining the fray. I thought, ‘well, it’s a little early,’ but Jose [Ortiz] was right, sometimes you got to let the horse do it.”

Violette will point Diversify next to the Grade 2 Suburban on July 7.

Bred by Fred W. Hertrich III and John D. Fielding and foaled at Majestic View Farms in Gardiner, Diversify is one of two winners out of Rule One, a placed daughter of Street Cry (IRE), whom Hertrich bought at the 2010 Keeneland November sale for $57,000. On February 16 of this year Rule One foaled a colt by More Than Ready.

Diversify is a graduate of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred preferred yearling sale, where he sold to Maverick Racing for $150,000. Unraced at two, Diversify flashed talent as soon as he got to the racetrack, opening his account in 2016 with four straight front-running route victories and earning a “TDN Rising Star” designation after September 22 allowance win for WinStar Farm LLC.

Offered as a racing prospect at the 2016 Keeneland November sale, Diversify was purchased by Lauren and Ralph Evans for $210,000 and opted to stay with Violette, the gelding’s original trainer.

Approaching the million-dollar threshold with $934,425 in earnings, Diversify has won eight times and finished second twice. The Commentator is his fourth stakes victory, to be added to the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Saginaw Stakes and Evan Shipman.

Diversify’s New York-based sire Bellamy Road[4], currently stands Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions[5] in Stillwater.

 

 

 

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/05/28/diversify-commentator-stakes/

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Offering Plan’s awesome rally gives Dubb his third Showcase win

By Bill Heller

If you look up “Good day at the racetrack,” don’t be surprised if there’s a picture of owner Michael Dubb there. Dubb scored his third New York-bred Showcase Day stakes victory Monday at Belmont with Offering Plan, the six-year-old horse he owns in partnership with Nantucket Thoroughbreds, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith, in the 40^th running of the one-mile $125,000 Kingston Stakes on grass. Rallying from last under Javier Castellano in early stretch, Offering Plan, who was the 4-5 favorite in the field of nine, won his second consecutive race and his second consecutive Kingston Stakes by a length and three-quarters in 1:35.11 on the “Good” Widener Turf Course.

Rapt, who was 21-1 with Manny Franco in the irons, also rallied to finish second, three-quarters of a length ahead of 19-1 Kharafa and Dylan Davis. Dot Matrix, who was 7-2 under Jose Ortiz, was just another neck back in fourth.

CW Swann & Cygnet Farm bred Offering Plan, a son of Spring At Last out of Rosalie Road by Street Cry who is trained by Chad Brown.

“This is a hard-hitting horse,” Dubb said. “We debated about racing him at Pimlico, but we made the decision to stay here where he’d be even-money. That was Chad’s wish. I leave everything to Chad. I just show up and take pictures.”

Through much of the Kingston, favorite bettors had to be wondering if Offering Plan was going to show up at all. He raced in next-to-last on the backstretch until Rapt passed him.

Up front, Fox Rules, who was 23-1 under Kendrick Carmouche, held a clear lead through a solid pace: a first quarter-mile in :23.16, a half-mile in :46.50 and three-quarters in 1:10.65. When Fox Rules tired late, the race was wide-open and the horse closing fastest of all on the far outside was Offering Plan, who made a spectacular run past the entire field. [VIDEO REPLAY[3]]

“If we keep him with state-breds, he’s supposed to be the boss,” Dubb said. “This time, I think we made the right decision.”

Castellano agreed. “When I asked him to run, he was there for me,” Castellano said. “He gave me a nice run.”

And Dubb is on the run of a lifetime.

Offering Plan is now seven-for-19 in his all-grass career with three seconds, three thirds and earnings of just under $575,000.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/05/28/offering-plan-kingston-2/

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Michael Dubb claim Analyze the Odds wins Mike Lee at 20-1

By Bill Heller

Talk about a quick return on an investment.

Michael Dubb, who plays the claiming game in New York as good as anyone, hit a grand slam with Analyze the Odds Monday on New York-bred Showcase Day at Belmont Park. On April 20 at Aqueduct, Dubb claimed Analyze the Odds for $80,000 when he finished fifth by 9 ¼ lengths as the 7-5 favorite under Manny Franco. Just 5 ½ weeks later in his debut for Dubb and new trainer Jason Servis, Analyze the Odds, who was eighth in mid-stretch under Junior Alvarado, rallied past Morning Breez and Javier Castellano to win the 39^th running of the seven-furlong $125,000 Mike Lee Stakes – named for the legendary turf writer for the Long Island Press – by three-quarters of a length at odds of 20-1.

Morning Breez, who was 6-1 in the field of eight, was a clear second, four lengths ahead of 3-1 Retonova and Jose Lezcano. Sea Foam, who was 5-2 under Joel Rosario, finished another head back in fourth. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Dubb made $75,000 in purse money with Analyze the Odds’ score, and he may have made up the remaining $5,000 on his investment at the mutuel windows.

Dubb and Servis had already won one of the five other Showcase Days when their five-year-old mare Feeling Bossy, whom Dubb claimed for $62,500 on Oct. 8^th, won the $125,000 Mt. Vernon Stakes on grass as odds of 8-1 off a seven-month layoff. She had finished seventh in the $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes on Oct. 21^st in her first start for her new connections before a lengthy rest that obviously paid dividends Monday.

And who knew that Dubb would get his third Showcase winner Monday a half hour after the Mike Lee when Offering Plan, whom Dubb owns with Nantucket Thoroughbreds, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith, scored in the $125,000 Kingston Stakes?

Heck, Analyze the Odds wasn’t even going to race in the Mike Lee. “When I claimed him, I was hoping for a two-turn, Saratoga type of three-year-old horse,” Dubb said. “I thought he needed a freshening, which was the plan. It wasn’t our plan to run him today, but he was doing so well, Jason said, `Let’s take a shot and see if we can get a piece.’ I never dreamed that piece would be the big piece. He’s really done an incredible job with the horse.”

Lansdowne Thoroughbreds bred Analyze the Odds, a son of Overanalyze out of The Sense Angel by Mineshaft who sold for only $15,000 in October, 2016. He had won a stakes race previously at Finger Lakes last September.

Alvarado, who was riding Analyze the Odds for the first time, let him settle in sixth as 24-1 Ultimate Enticement and Kendrick Carmouche and Aveenu Malcainu, who was adding blinkers and went off the 8-5 favorite under Jose Ortiz, dueled on the front end through a half-mile in a testing :45.07.

Aveenu Malcainu then took the front, but he couldn’t hold off Morning Breez, who rallied from fourth to take the lead. Morning Breez opened a three-length lead and looked home free until Analyze the Odds, closing furiously on the far outside, hit his best stride. “When I asked him to run, he was there for me,” Alvarado said. “He gave me a nice run.”

Analyze the Odds is now four-for-11 with one second, one third and earnings of more than $320,000.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/05/28/analyze-odds-mike-lee1/

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Midnight Disguise rings down curtain on “sister act” with late-charging Bouwerie victory

By Sarah Mace

Just two races after her older half-sister Holiday Disguise won a thrilling renewal of the Critical Eye Stakes on Belmont’s Big Apple Showcase Day, William B. Wilmot and Joan M. Taylor’s homebred Midnight Disguise was not to be outdone. With blinkers added, the filly unleashed her patented ground-gobbling late kick in the final furlong to record an open-length victory in the 7-furlong, $125,000 Bouwerie Stakes in a strong final time.

Winner of the Busanda Stakes in January and Busher in March in back-to-back starts, the towering 3-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute only managed fourth as the favorite in the Grade 2 Gazelle on April 7. The connections opted to bypass the Kentucky Oaks and regroup.

For the next race, trainer Linda Rice pointed Midnight Disguise to the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, but that start was compromised by a foot bruise.

“She ended up lame in the stall about two days before the race,” Rice told the DRF’s David Grening. “We had to pull a shoe on her, but with a couple days of tubbing and whatnot, it went away pretty quickly. So, it changed our course if only briefly. We’re hoping to get a good race into her.”

And a very good race it was.

In the early stages, 2-1 favorite Midnight Disguise settled in next-to-last place outside of horses after breaking from post eight of nine. Meanwhile while She’s Quiet showed the way through a first half-mile in 45.34.

Still bounding along and unhurried as she entered the far turn, Midnight Disguise began to build her momentum in the bend, gained seventh and worked her way to the outside of the pack under Ortiz.

Six paths from the rail at the quarter pole, Midnight Disguise still had work to do and her jockey shook her up.

Passing three horses and hitting her best stride in the final furlong, Midnight Disguise powered past her three remaining rivals with her huge strides and kept on going. She secured the victory by 2 3/4 lengths in a strong final time of 1:22.86 over the fast going. English Soul closed from midpack to finish second, while another closer Split Time got up for show honors. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Rice was thrilled with the performance. “It’s really exciting. We missed the Black-Eyed Susan with her. We came off a pretty lackluster performance in the Gazelle, so I just wanted to use this race to get her back on track.”

Regarding the equipment change, Rice explained, “We put blinkers on her to get her a little more focused. She’d look around quite a bit in her previous races. I think the blinkers were a good addition, and this, hopefully will set us up for the [Grade 2] Mother Goose [June 30].”

Jose Ortiz concurred about the blinkers. “It was good. Linda made a great call putting the blinkers on, she was a lot closer than we thought she was going to be. She’s a really big filly. It takes her a while to get her feet and get into her stride. I was in good position and the main thing was to stay clear so you don’t get stopped in traffic, because it would take her a long time to get her going again because she has a big stride.”

A winner of five races with one runner-up finish from seven starts, Midnight Disguise has earned $347,600, recording victories from six to nine furlongs. All she seems to need is a little pace to run into and lots of running room.

The dam of Midnight Disguise and Holiday Disguise is Wilmot and Taylor’s winning homebred Thin Disguise (Yes It’s True). This productive mare is a half-sister to millionaire and 2007 New York-bred Horse of the Year Naughty New Yorker. She currently has a 2-year-old colt by Verrazano a yearling filly by Tiznow and foaled a Bodemeister filly on April 20.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/05/28/midnight-disguise-bouwerie-victory/

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Holiday Disguise nips Highway Star in the Critical Eye Stakes

By Bill Heller

A showdown projected for the fifth running of the $200,000 Critical Eye Stakes couldn’t have been any more exciting on New York-bred Showcase Day Monday at Belmont Park: two outstanding horses battling shoulder-to-shoulder the final eighth of a mile. Irad Ortiz Jr. got Lady Sheila Stable’s four-year-old filly Holiday Disguise up in the final strides to win the one-mile stakes by a long nose over Highway Star in 1:36.12.

“I wasn’t sure until they made it official, but the crowd made it seem that she won,” Holiday Disguise’s trainer Linda Rice said. “She has no quit in her. She’s such a good racehorse. I’m thrilled.”

Holiday Disguise was the 2-1 second choice in the field of nine and Highway Star the even-money favorite.

Playinwiththeboys, who was 9-1 under Eric Cancel, finished strongly on the rail for third, a length and a half behind Highway Star while a neck ahead of 29-1 Might Be and Dylan Davis.

Dr. William Wilmot and Dr. Joan Taylor bred Holiday Disguise, a daughter of Harlan’s Holiday out of Thin Disguise by Yes It’s True who sold for $220,000 as a yearling at Saratoga. Holiday Disguise’s younger sister, Midnight Disguise, captured the Bouwerie Stakes two races after the Critical Eye Stakes.

Holiday Disguise was dropping off a third in the Grade 3 Vagrancy Stakes on May 12th as the 7-5 favorite. “The last race, Irad her down inside,” Rice told David Grening of the Daily Racing Form. “She wouldn’t relax down there. He thought it was a tactical mistake on his part.”

Bettors made her the second choice Monday, pounding Chester and Mary Broman’s home-bred Highway Star, who was making her first start in New York-bred company since a victory in a division of the New York Stallion Series Nov. 13th, 2016, to even money. The five-year-old mare had been racing in open stakes ever since, and she was also dropping off a brave second by a length in the Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes in her second start of the year May 6th. Highway Star had won five of her previous six starts at Belmont Park.

Both Holiday Disguise and Highway Star put on a terrific show, one which developed after a fast half-mile in :44.96 by front-running 11-1 Verdant Pastures and Manny Franco. Highway Star was fourth, a length and a half ahead of Holiday Disguise in fifth.

Then both fillies made their move. Highway Star moved up quickly and Holiday Disguise shadowed that move.

Highway Star took the lead after three-quarters in 1:09.90 but didn’t have time to enjoy it as Holiday Disguise drew even at the eighth-pole.

The two fillies battled head-to-head, dead even until the final 200 yards when Holiday Disguise finally gained the lead.

“I filly I beat is a fighter; she always tries hard,” Ortiz said. “When we got close, I knew my filly would fight, too, so I just kept riding.”

He rode her all the way to the winner’s circle.

Holiday Disguise is now six-for-nine in her brilliant career with one second, one third and earnings of just under $370,000.

Rice said she may point Holiday Disguise to the $500,000 Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 25^th as her summer objective. [VIDEO REPLAY[3]]

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/05/28/holiday-disguise-critical-eye/

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Feeling Bossy goes gate-to-wire in Mount Vernon for first stakes victory

By Sarah Mace

In a post-scratch field of seven with practically no speed signed on, an aggressive ride would appear the most likely route to victory in the $125,000 Mount Vernon Stakes that kicked off the stakes portion of Belmont’s Big Apple Showcase card on Memorial Day. Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard 8-1 Feeling Bossy got the memo. Sharp out of the gate, Feeling Bossy led throughout and had enough left in the tank, not to mention the courage, to hold off the closers in the final furlong.

A 5-year-old daughter of New York sire Courageous Cat[2] (Questroyal Stud[3]), Feeling Bossy came into the Mount Vernon off a seven-month layoff for Jason Servis, who trains the mare for owner Michael Dubb.

Dubb claimed Feeling Bossy out of her penultimate start of 2017 for $62,500 from her breeder Emily Wygod and trainer James Jerkens. The Mount Vernon was the second start for her new connections and was a turnback from the longer distances she raced throughout 2017.

Dubb explained that he claimed Feeling Bossy to fill a gap in his roster.

“Now I had Fourstar Crook for years, but Fourstar Crook has graduated to open company so I was really looking for a replacement for us to run respectable races… I thought the [New York-bred female turf] division was a little thin.”

“[Feeling Bossy’s former trainer] Jimmy Jerkens is a great horseman,” continued Dubb. “It wasn’t like we were going to move up from Jimmy Jerkens. We were thinking this horse was at the end of her [2017] campaign. We’ll freshen the horse. We put her in [one final] race because it was there [last October 21], but the real claim was to freshen her for the spring campaign.”

Sharp out of the gate to go one mile over the “good” Widener turf course, Feeling Bossy quickly opened up two lengths on Frosty Margarita, who was the putative lone speed on paper.

Maintaining a daylight lead several paths off the rail through a first half in 48.77, Feeling Bossy stayed in charge and saved ground through the far turn. In the bend Jc’s Shooting Star advanced into second, while odds-on favorite Fifty Five endured traffic and a bump down near at the rail.

In the home stretch Ortiz asked Feeling Bossy for her full effort. With a furlong to go, War Canoe loomed four-wide and Fifty Five overcame her troubles and threatened at the rail. Both were narrowing the margin to the leader.

Under pressure, Feeling Bossy hung tough, kept to her task and hit the wire a neck winner. After six furlongs in 1:12.77, the final time for the mile over the “good” grass was 1:36.42. [VIDEO REPLAY[5]]

Irad Ortiz, Jr., who appeared to have a choice of mounts in the race but opted to ride Feeling Bossy today for the first time said, “She’s like that [speedy]. She doesn’t rate. She took charge and took me the whole way, she made me feel like she’d work the whole way, and when I asked her turning for home she was there for me.”

Said Dubb, “She was competitive. We thought she was going to need one. Credit to Irad. He saw the opening he saw that nobody went to the lead, she was fit enough to gut out a mile against a really good horse. Peter Brandt’s horse [Fifty Five] is really good.”

A winner of six of 15 races coming into the Mount Vernon, Feeling Bossy had tried stakes company four times before without a placing.

Wins for Feeling Bossy have come in bunches. Breaking her maiden on April 21, 2016 at Aqueduct, she followed up the following month with a state-bred allowance score. Three consecutive allowance victories came in her last race at two, and her first starts at three against open company. From 16 starts, she has won six times and earned $351,790.

Bred by Emily Wygod, Feeling Bossy is out of Keep the Feeling, a winning daughter of Kris S. who has produced four winners from six starters. After Feeling Bossy, her most successful offspring is a Benchmark gelding Field Report, who earned over $200,000. The mare last changed hands at public auction in 2010 when purchased at Barretts fall mixed sale by King River Ranch for $15,000.

Feeling Bossy has a full sister Feeling Cathy and full brother, 3-year-old Feeling Courageous. Her most recent reported foal is a juvenile colt by Twirling Candy named Stupify.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/05/28/feeling-bossy-mount-vernon/

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