Holiday Disguise wins Broadway Stakes with patented closing rally

By Sarah Mace

Lady Sheila Stable’s Holiday Disguise got back to her winning ways Saturday when she parlayed her patented closing rally into an open-length victory in Aqueduct’s featured $100,000 Broadway Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares four-years-old and up at six furlongs.

A 5-year-old daughter of Harlan’s Holiday trained by Linda Rice, Holiday Disguise was last seen finishing a disappointing sixth in the Iroquois Stakes on Empire Showcase Day, a performance that belied the mare’s consistently outstanding efforts on the racetrack for the past two years.

On-the-board in nine straight races at three and four and, at one point, stringing together four straight wins, Holiday Disguise collected stakes victories in the Bouwerie Stakes and Biogio’s Rose – in back-to-back starts eight months apart – the Grade 3 Distaff Handicap and the Critical Eye Stakes for New York-breds. The top-earner in the intriguing Broadway field with history of running well fresh, Holiday Disguise was nevertheless overshadowed in the betting by Broman homebred Pauseforthecause, who was bet down to 4-5. Holiday Disguise was sent off as the 9-2 second choice.

After the break, Holiday Disguise settled in her customary position at the rear of the field while, up front, multiple stakes winner and confirmed speedster Filibustin battled for the lead with Absatootly, also a multiple stakes winner, through a testing quarter-mile in 22.31.

On the backstretch Holiday Disguise advanced between horses and, by the time the field was rounding the far turn, put herself into contention in fourth, a little earlier than usual.

Angling out at the top of the stretch and moving in tandem with stablemate Startwithsilver to her outside, Holiday Disguise started doing what she does best: gobbling up ground in the lane.

Passing Absatootly, now back into third, Holiday Disguise collared new leader Pauseforthecause with a furlong to go, and widened her lead to 4 1/4 lengths by the time she crossed the finish line. After a half-mile in 45.90, she stopped the clock at 1:11.13 for the six furlongs.

Runner-up Pauseforthecause finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Palladian Bridge (15-1), followed in short order by Absatootly and Startwithsilver. Further back, Filibustin, I Still Miss You and Queeb completed the order of finish. [VIDEO REPLAY[3]]

Winning jockey Jose Lezcano explained his game plan as follows: “[Holiday Disguise] looks like she’s more comfortable when she’s outside horses. She broke a little behind but picked it up and went behind [Pauseforthecause]. When I asked her, she kicked very good. There was plenty of speed and my filly can really finish.”

Linda Rice noted that while she thought Holiday Disguise was fit and ready, she was anxious about the race dynamics for her her late-running charge coming into the Broadway. “I was a little concerned because the track has been favoring speed for the last couple of days,” Rice said. “So, that was definitely a concern and also ‘Holiday’ really hasn’t had success [at the distance]. I don’t think she’s ever won a race at six furlongs, though she’s obviously capable of it.” Holiday Disguise has done her best work in longer sprints up to a mile and, coming into the Broadway, was winless in two tries at six panels.

Holiday Disguise was bred by Dr. William B. Wilmot and Dr. Joan M. Taylor and foaled at Gallagher’s Stud[4] in Ghent. She is out of Wilmot and Taylor’s Thin Disguise (Yes It’s True), a winning half-sister to millionaire and 2007 New York-bred Horse of the Year Naughty New Yorker out of star broodmare Naughty Natisha.

Thin Disguise has produced four winners from five foals to start. Midnight Disguise (Midnight Lute), Holiday’s Disguise’s talented younger sister, has three stakes wins to her credit, namely the Bouwerie Stakes (like her sister) and the Busanda and Busher Stakes. Currently, Thin Disguise has a juvenile filly by Tiznow, a yearling filly by Bodemeister and was bred to Gun Runner in 2018.

Holiday Disguise sold first as a weanling, purchased by John Greathouse for $70,000 at the Keeneland November sale. Rice bought her for Sheila Rosenblum’s Lady Sheila Stable the following year, going to $220,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale.

The mare’s fifth career stakes victory boosts her bankroll to $554,875 and improves her record to seven wins, a second and two thirds from 13 starts.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/02/16/holiday-disguise-broadway/

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Somelikeithotbrown seals the deal in John Battaglia Memorial

By Sarah Mace

Somelikeithotbrown came tantalizingly close to the winner’s circle on some very big stages as a juvenile. Most notably, he finished a game third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on November 2 at Churchill Downs after setting the pace, only three-quarters of a length behind winner Line of Duty.

In his sophomore debut Friday night the bay colt by New York sire and Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown[2] (Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions[3]) sealed the deal with a dominant performance in the $75,000 John Battaglia at Turfway Park.

Trained by Mike Maker for Harvey Diamond’s Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable of David Koenig and partners, Somelikeithotbrown hasn’t run a bad race since his Saratoga debut in an off-the-turf sprint contest. Making his second of three starts at the Spa he blew away eight rivals to break his maiden by eight lengths while stretching out all the way out from 5 1/2 to 9 furlongs, a race notorious for an error in the placement of the starting gate.

Somelikeithotbrown then launched the stakes portion of his career, coming up just short of Opry to finish second in the Grade 3 With Anticipation at Saratoga, then second by three-quarters of a length when collared in the Grade 3 Pilgrim, and the game third in Breeders’ Cup.

On paper Somelikeithotbrown had a class and talent edge over his Battaglia rivals and was bet down to even money accordingly. His main rival appeared to be The Mackem Bullet (3-2), a Group 1-placed filly in England and winner of her North American debut at Turfway by 10-plus lengths. The only open question for Somelikeithotbrown was whether, after a steady diet of grass races, he would take to the all-weather surface.

Bumped just after the break, Somelikeithotbrown quickly regrouped under Rafael Hernandez and tucked in behind a pair of dueling longshots – Dynamic Racer (29-1) and Maya Solomea (57-1) – for the run around the clubhouse turn and along backstretch.

In the approach to the far turn Somelikeithotbrown continued to draft in behind the leaders and maneuvered closer inside for a ground-saving trip around at the far turn, as the leaders ticked off reasonable splits of 24.08, 48.24 and 1:13.30.

As the field straightened away for the dash home, a gap opened at the rail and Somelikeithotbrown took full advantage. He scampered on through and dispatched Dynamic Racer, now alone on the lead, in upper stretch.

Drawing away in the late stages, Somelikeithotbrown drifted out, but was well clear of his competition, crossing the wire a 3 1/2-length winner.

Dynamic Racer hung tough for second, while Dabo, who found his best stride in the far turn, closed into third. The Mackem Bullet completed the superfecta. Next across the line were Over Protective, Maya Solomea, Kentucky Allstar and Zulu Legend. Echo Alpha Six was a late scratch after flipping in the gate. After a mile in 1:39.44, Somelikeithotbrown stopped the clock at 1:45.86 for the 1 1/16 miles. [VIDEO REPLAY[6]]

Bred by Hot Pink Stables and co-owner Sand Dollar Stable and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York, Somelikeithotbrown’s name is a clever amalgam. It pays tribute to the names of his sire Big Brown and dam Marilyn Monroan, while alluding both to the comedic masterpiece “Some Like It Hot” starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and a legendary dish served at Louisville’s Brown Hotel named the Hot Brown[7].

Marilyn Monroan, a Kentucky-bred placed runner by Tapit, has a juvenile colt by Mission Impazible, a yearling colt by Temple City and was bred in 2018 to Palace Malice.

In six career starts, Somelikeithotbrown has compiled a record of two wins, two seconds and third and earned $246,918.

 

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/02/16/somelikeithotbrown-battaglia-memorial/

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