NYRA/Elsa Lorieul
By Sarah Mace
Five races after celebrating Highway Star’s Iroquois victory to kick off the stakes portion of Saturday’s Empire Showcase day card, Chester and Mary Broman had the pleasure of taking second trek to the winner’s circle when Surge of Pride – a homebred from the same family they co-own with Grey Fox Stable – won the $250,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies by a decisive 1 1/4 lengths.
Surge of Pride’s path to the Maid of the Mist, which was run at one mile over the Belmont main track, was, on the face of it, a little unorthodox, since her first two career starts came in turf sprints. Graduating by 1 3/4 lengths on debut at Saratoga on August 27 after going 5 1/2 furlongs over firm turf, she finished fourth over yielding ground in the Selima Stakes at Laurel Park on September 22.
As trainer Linda Rice explained it, “She had trained pretty well on the dirt, but there were things that made me think she might want to run on the grass. So, I breezed her on the turf and she breezed dynamite. Then all the wise guys – and myself – decided to put her on the turf in a maiden race, and she won impressively. Then she ran so-so at Laurel.
“I tried to find another turf race for her, but it was open company and a little short for her and I was a little disappointed in her effort. I then told Chester [Broman], ‘we don’t know if she can run on the dirt, but for $250,000, let’s find out.’”
Needless to say, the experiment panned out.
Out of the gate cleanly from post two in the full field of 11 fillies, Surge of Pride (15-1) settled near the rear of the field at the fence with plenty of room for clear running, while 5-2 favorite Cartwheelin Lulu carved out early fractions of 23.31 and 47.70, pressed along by Kept True. While Surge of Pride continued to save ground along the backstretch and around the far turn, presser Kept True challenged and passed Cartwheelin Lulu.
NYRA/Chelsea Durand
When Surge of Pride approached the quarter pole, she was still down at the rail, still behind horses and still had lots left to do. Junior Alvarado then made a winning decision, switching the agile filly to the outside and setting her down for the drive.
Kept True still maintained a narrow lead over a tenacious Cartwheelin Lulu, but Surge of Pride and Elegant Zip were coming to call. Surge of Pride gained the lead within the final sixteenth and sailed under the wire a 1 1/4-length winner. Elegant Zip finished second, while Kept True hung tough for third. After six furlongs in 1:12.70, the final time for the mile was 1:38.05. [VIDEO REPLAY]
Rice said, “Junior rode a beautiful race.”
Alvarado explained how the trip unfolded from his perspective
“She broke good. I thought I was in a good spot the whole way around, but at the three-eighths pole I was getting a little worried because I knew I had horse, but I didn’t have much room at that point. I was still saving ground, but at the same time I was trying to find a spot.”
He continued, “Turning for home, at the quarter pole, I tried to go inside but [Manny] Franco [on Elegant Zip] was a little bit in front of me and got the spot I wanted, so I had to wait. After that, I had to swing outside and hope she would give me what I was expecting, and she did at the end to win the race.
“The whole way I was pretty confident. It was just a matter of time if I could get into the clear to let her run. Once we got clear, she finished pretty nicely at the end.”
Surge of Pride, who has earned $184,750 from two victories, is the first foal out of Solar Surge, an unraced homebred for the Bromans by Bernardini out of Unbridled Star, who was purchased by Chester Broman for $115,000 at the 2002 Keeneland November Sale.
Unbridled Star has been highly successful producer. She is the dam of multiple stakes-placed Stolen Star (Cat Thief), dam of millionaire and multiple graded stakes winner Highway Star who added the Iroquois to her resume earlier on the card. Also among her offspring are Friend or Foe (Friends Lake), a multiple stakes winner and sire, and stakes winner Star Grazing (Sky Mesa).
