Therapist wins Spectacular Bid going away

By Sarah Mace

On paper, two-time open stakes winner and graded stakes performer Therapist (Freud) overlaid the 10-horse field that was signed on for 13th running of the $100,000 Spectacular Bid division of New York Stallion Series Sunday at Belmont Park. The only apparent cause for concern was an outside draw in a large field for a 7-furlong turf tilt. Ultimately the homebred for Lynn and Richard Leahy’s Oak Bluff Stables ran to his 1-2 odds, but that didn’t prevent things from getting interesting between gate and wire.

Partnered with regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., Therapist settled in midpack well off the rail from his wide post in the early going, but at this stage most eyes had to be on Belleville Spring, who had embarked on a mission. The 18-1 shot gunned to the front of the pack and opened up more than four lengths on his nearest competitor. The early splits were hot: 22.00 for the quarter and 44.34 for the half.

Patiently handled eight lengths off the pace, Therapist made his way toward the inside to save some ground going around the far turn, then moved back outward to get into a good position to get the first run at the pacesetter in the lane.

Belleville Spring still maintained a substantial lead at the quarter pole and did not show any sign of slowing down, but the days of his uncontested lead were numbered. Therapist advanced into second, erased Belleville Spring’s advantage in upper stretch and overhauled him in the approach to the furlong marker.

After cruising past his rival, Therapist won by two lengths going away in a final time of 1:21.07. Another closer, Collective Effort, got up for second after overcoming a poor start, while 2 1/4 lengths back Spectacular Kid finished third. Santo Antonio, closer up on the pace throughout, finished fourth. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Undefeated in three starts at two, including wins in the open Laurel Futurity and Awad Stakes, Therapist was voted 2017 champion New York-bred male juvenile. The colt returned this year with a pair of starts at Gulfstream. Following a solid third in the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes on March 3, he won the one-mile Cutler Bay stakes on 28 days later. Freshened briefly, he faced his toughest field yet in the Grade 2 Penn Mile, where he tired in the stretch to finish off the board for the first time in six starts. The cutback to seven furlongs and class relief on Sunday served him well.

“He’s a New York-bred and he finally gets to enjoy his New York-bred class and see how good he is,” said Irad Ortiz, Jr. “He’s competitive against open horses. He’s been running so good, he’s been right there with them. He’s won [against] open [company], finished third. He’s always done really good. Against New York-breds, he had it a little easier today, but he’s a nice horse. The way he was feeling today, I thought he was going to run the way he ran. I had a lot of confidence in him.”

Christophe Clement, who also co-bred Therapist with Lynn and Richard Leahy, commented, “Nice win, he’s a nice horse. He’s raced against some of the top 3-year-olds on turf already this year. He won at Gulfstream and came back and ran a touch flat at Penn National in the [Grade 2] Penn Mile. He was a little more anxious than what we like, he’s a pretty busy horse mentally and well named being Therapist by Freud, but he’s a lovely horse with a great turn of foot.”

The conditioner also gave a tip of the hat to the Leahys’ breeding program. “He belongs to Oak Bluff Stables who bred him with me and it’s a great credit to Mr. [Richard] Leahy because he has an amazing breeding program. He also bred Audible, who was in the same crop. Very small group of mares and I’m just lucky to train for him.”

Foaled at Berkshire Stud[4] in Pine Plains, Therapist is one of two winners out of Lady Renaissance, a winning Kentucky-bred daughter of Sharp Strike who was purchased by Oak Bluff Stables for $15,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November sale. Lady Renaissance has produced a yearling full sister to Therapist and foaled a Temple City colt on February 13, 2018.

Therapist’s career record to date is impressive, with five wins, including three stakes victories, and a third from seven starts and $308,725 in earnings.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/06/24/therapist-wins-spectacular-bid-going-away/

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Kreesie puts in a strong late run to win NYSS Cupecoy’s Joy

By Sarah Mace

Gerald and Susan Kresa’s lightly-raced sophomore filly Kreesie became a stakes winner in her sixth career start on Sunday at Belmont Park, when she came from well off the pace to win the 12th running of the $100,000 Cupecoy’s Joy, the first of two co-featured divisions of the New York Stallion Stakes series for eligible New York-sired horses. Kreesie is sired by former New York stallion Cosmonaut.

Kreesie, unlike several in the Cupecoy’s Joy field who were trying the green for the first time, was grass-meant from the start for trainer David Donk. Starting three times at two, including one rained-off contest, she missed breaking her maiden by just a nose in her 2017 finale going six furlongs at Aqueduct.

In her first start back this year at Belmont on April 27, the grey filly got the job done at the same 7-furlong trip as the Cupecoy’s Joy. She returned to face winners for the first time a month later (May 26) to finish a good third in an 11-horse state-bred allowance field after closing from well back.

Kreesie faced another robust field Sunday – 11 fillies strong – and was drawn far outside (post 10). For the first half mile she watched most of the action from behind as she settled in tenth in the three path under a patient Jose Ortiz. Longshot Baby Boss carved out rapid early splits of 22.20 and 44.74 while pressed along by odds-on favorite Mentality.

Angling out five wide at the head of the stretch, then maneuvering out another couple of paths to get into the clear, Kreesie was set down for the drive.

Kicking into another gear and charging down the middle of the course, Kreesie passed the bulk of the field by midstretch, overhauled new leader Mentality along with Baby Boss in the final sixteenth and cruised past the finish line a half-length to the good in a final time of 1:21.09.

Goodbye Brockley, who closed from midpack in company with Kreesie, got up for second, a length ahead of Mentality, who had to settle for third. First time turfer Wegetsdamunnys closed to complete the superfecta. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

“She ran well. I think the pace helped her a lot,” said Jose Ortiz. “They ran pretty fast for the first half of a mile. She was relaxed and comfortable. I was able to get a really nice trip. When I got to the three-sixteenths, I followed the 10-horse [Goodbye Brockley]. Everything came up perfect. Luckily, they came back to me.”

Ortiz is bullish on the filly’s future. “She’s improving. Some horses need some races to get it together. I think she’s put it together now and I think she’ll keep improving.”

Donk is enthused about Kreesie’s running style and maturing process. “You love to find those grass horses with a good turn of foot and she’s developing in making a great transition from 2-to-3 [years old]. I thought this was a very good race from her and she’s coming out of a spot in which she ran well last time out.”

Continued Donk, “Today, we were just hoping there was enough pace in the race. We wanted her to sit back. That’s kind of how she likes to run, and we like to teach them that. On the grass regardless of the level, you want them to have that nice turn-of-foot, and it’s fun when you get one that does.”

Donk believes that seven furlongs and one-turn races suit Kreesie best but will discuss the possibility of taking a shot in the one-mile NYSS Statue of Liberty at Saratoga on August 9 with the filly’s owners.

Bred by Frank Lodato and foaled at Carlland Stables in Avon, Kreesie is out of Florida-bred Three Emeralds, a six-figure earner by Three Wonders. As a producer, Three Wonders is a perfect three-for-three with winning progeny. Kreesie, he last report foal, is her first to achieve black type status and with two wins a second and a third has earned $120,700.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2018/06/24/kreesie-cupecoys-joy/

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