Coglianese Photos
By Sarah Mace
On August 4, 2018, a jubilant crowd joined trainer Rick Violette, assistant Melissa Cohen and owners Ralph M. and Lauren Evans in a drenched winner’s Saratoga circle under a rainbow to celebrate New York-bred Diversify’s victory in the rained-delayed Grade 1 Whitney.
Everyone knew Violette was ill, but it would have been hard to imagine that less than a year later, on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, the racing community, friends and family would gather in the same winner’s circle – this time in the pouring rain – to pay tribute following the inaugural Rick Violette Stakes, a 6-furlong sprint for New York-bred juveniles. The race was won by EV Racing Stable’s Sky of Hook whose trainer Rudy Rodriguez felt the victory was extra special.
A lifelong advocate for New York horsemen and New York horses, Violette died last October after a years-long battle with lung cancer. Violette was a longtime president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. A founding member of the Board of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, he co-created of the TAKE THE LEAD Thoroughbred Retirement Program and co-founded TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program for retraining retired racehorses. Violette ruffled some feathers during his career of advocacy, but no one ever questioned his love for and commitment to the people and horses he fought for.
Run as the Rockville Centre Stakes for the past five years in the closing week of the Belmont meet, the renamed Rick Violette was the featured race on the first day of the extended Saratoga meet’s second week and attracted a talented field of five.
Sky of Hook (Tapiture) was drawn in post four, returning to the races 47 days after breaking his maiden by a head on May 10 going five furlongs at Belmont. That day, after being outrun early, Sky of Hook mounted a vigorous three-wide rally to just beat Violette Stakes rival Theitalianamerican to the wire at odds of 11-1. As a testament to the qulity of the inaugural Violette field, Sky of Hook was once again let go at generous odds as the longest shot in the field at 9-1 under jockey Luis Saez, who had the return call.
NYRA/Chelsea Durand
After the break, Sky of Hook settled in third three-wide, as Listentoyourheart set the pace, pressed along by odds-on favorite Mission Wrapitup through an opening quarter in 22.75 and half-mile in 46.60 over the sloppy going.
The top pair wrangled through the turn, but Listentoyourheart got the lead to himself by the head of the stretch. Fanning four-wide, Sky of Hook launched a determined and, given the track conditions, valiant stretch-long bid, and in the final sixteenth got up to win by a nose over Listentoyourheart in a final time of 1:13.17.
Theitalianamerican took third 5 1/4 lengths back, followed by Mission Wrapitup and Torres Del Paine. (VIDEO REPLAY)
Luis Saez reported, “The track conditions weren’t ideal, but he broke sharply and handled it well. When we came towards the stretch, I really knew he was game. He was trying his best. I knew I had enough to get there and thankfully we did before the wire.”
Rudy Rodriguez focused first on the race’s namesake. “It’s great to win a race like this that’s named after Rick for all the good things he’s done for the sport,” Rodriguez said. “We really miss him.”
As to Sky of Hook, who posted a series of regular works, including a move on the Saratoga turf training track, Rodriguez said, “We tried to get him ready and get him along without hurrying him. It worked out good. I thought he was in trouble because he was lagging a little bit. But to run like this in the slop, everything worked out perfect.”
The conditioner added, “He can handle the sloppy track, but he’s been working pretty good on the grass, too. We’ll see what we have to do there.”
Bred by EV in partnership with NC Corp and foaled at Clermont Farm in Clermont, Sky of Hook is the second foal and first starter out of Ambitious Dancer, a winning daughter of Latent Heat purchased by N. Chatterpaul for $5,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale with Sky of Hook in utero. She foaled a full brother to the Violette winner on February 21, 2019.
From his two victories Sky of Hook has earned $89,100. He is the first stakes winner for his freshman sire Tapiture.
