Five New York-breds entered for Breeders’ Cup

[1]Five New York-breds were entered Monday for the 39th edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this weekend at Keeneland Race Course, with four into the main draw of their races and another on the also-eligible list.

The action for the Empire State contingent starts with a pair of runners on the Future Stars Friday program – You’re My Girl and Curly Larry and Mo.

Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable and Hidden Brook Farm’s You’re My Girl, a daughter of Overanalyze bred by James G. Doyle, drew post 2 for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Second last time out in the Grade 1 Frizette, You’re My Girl is listed at 12-1 on the morning line with John Velazquez named to ride for trainer John Terranova.

George Sharp’s Curly Larry and Mo, a maiden winner Oct. 15 at Keeneland, drew post 2 for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Bred by Hidden Lake Farm and Donna Bernhard, the 2-year-old son of Mo Town will be ridden by Francisco Arrieta for trainer Caio Caramori.

Three New York-breds are entered for Championship Saturday – Sterling Silver, Dancing Buck and Red Knight.

Mark Anderson’s Sterling Silver runs early in the day in the third race, the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Bred by Mallory and Karen Mort, the 3-year-old daughter of Cupid drew post 9 of 13 for the 7-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint and is 30-1 on the morning line for jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Tom Albertrani.

J & N Stables and Diamond M Stable’s Dancing Buck, winner of the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint last time out, is on the also-eligible list for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Bred by J & N Stables and trained by Michelle Nevin, the 4-year-old War Dancer gelding could draw into the race with one withdrawal.

Trinity Farm’s homebred Red Knight goes in the next-to-last championship event, the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 8-year-old Pure Prize gelding picks up the services of jockey Luis Saez for the first time and is 20-1 on the morning line for trainer Mike Maker.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/10/31/five-new-york-breds-entered-for-breeders-cup/

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Arctic Arrogance leads Broman-breds in Sleepy Hollow; Les Bon Temps upsets Maid of the Mist

You expect Chester and Mary Broman to cast a long shadow on Empire Showcase Day, but breeding the top four finishers of a stakes race is impressive, even for them.

That’s what happened in the $200,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes for 2-year-olds Sunday at the Belmont at the Big A meeting, as all you needed to do to hit the superfecta was to box the Broman-breds.

The Broman-owned Arctic Arrogance, by Frosted out of the Uncle Mo mare Modest Maven, gave up the lead but rallied on the inside in the stretch and won the Sleepy Hollow by 4 1/2 lengths. Quick to Accuse, a son of Accelerate and half-brother to New York-bred champion Mr. Buff, got up for second over Starquist with Donegal Surges fourth.

“There’s no race in New York where you’re not going to find a Broman-bred horse,” said winning trainer Linda Rice. “They have a great program and I’m fortunate to be a part of it.”

Rice wins at only 10 percent with her first-time starters, so when Arctic Arrogance was bet down to 5-2 and won his debut on Closing Day at Saratoga Race Course, you had the feeling this horse might be a good one. He was sent off as the 4-5 favorite in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes Sept. 29, but was caught by longshot Jackson Heights in the stretch.

“He’s a hard horse to keep fit,” Rice said. “After he won at Saratoga, I let the weight get out of control and it cost us. I put more pressure on him (three 5-furlong works) than you would typically put on a 2-year-old, and it paid off.”

Rice attributed the win in the career debut to the horse being extremely fit, albeit green.

“We had a difficult time getting him to leave the gate,” she said. “He was fit enough to run three weeks before we ran him. I knew this horse had real talent and there was no reason he shouldn’t win first time out. I had to spend an extra few weeks with him, just to convince him we had to leave the gate. His gate schooling took much longer than usual. Hence, he was really ready to run at Saratoga.”

In the Sleepy Hollow, Starquist broke first, but Arctic Arrogance saved ground and led through a quarter-mile in :23.62 and a half in :47.93. Starquist took the lead on the far turn, but once the field straightened out, Arctic Arrogance put on a burst up the rail and won impressively.

“Today, going a mile, he doesn’t have to use his energy too early and he got more comfortable the whole way,” jockey Jose Lezcano said. “When I asked him, he took off very well. I got to the quarter pole and put my hands down and he acted very nice.”

Arctic Arrogance, who earned $110,000 for the win to pad his bankroll to $183,400, was foaled at Chestertown Farm in Chestertown and is the second foal out of Modest Maven. A $1 million purchase at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training, Modest Maven is also the dam of the 3-year-old Accelerate colt Overstep, who finished second in last year’s Sleepy Hollow. Modest Maven is also the dam of a yearling New York-bred filly by Frosted, bred by the Bromans.

– Paul Halloran

 

Les Bon Temps handles stretch out in Maid of the Mist

Les Bon Temps needed to improve off her first start in a new barn to succeed in the $200,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes and did just that, toppling nine rivals for her first stakes victory at 13-1.

Third behind Gambling Girl and Miracle last time out in the Joseph A. Gimma Sept. 28 at the Belmont at the Big A meeting, the 2-year-old daughter of Laoban handled the added distance of the 1-mile Maid of the Mist under Luis Saez. Les Bon Temps edged Miracle by a length after a duel with that foe for more than a furlong.

“It was pretty tough,” said Saez, who rode the winner for trainer Mike Maker and owners Deuce Greathouse, Cindy Hutson and Brett Setzer. “The horse on the lead [Miracle] didn’t want to stop and they fought until the end. But on the final jump, we got right there in time. It was an exciting race.”

Saez said stretching out to a mile “definitely helped” Les Bon Temps, who won her 5-furlong debut at Churchill Downs before three straight defeats at 6, 6 ½ and 7 furlongs.

“That was best for her. She gave me a good kick at the top of the stretch,” Saez said.

Miracle, the 4-1 third choice behind 9-5 favorite Gambling Girl and Im Just Kiddin, took the lead from the start and clicked off splits of :23.32 and :46.82 under Flavien Prat. Banterra and Les Bon Temps gave chase before the latter moved into second through 6 furlongs in 1:11.73.

Les Bon Temps swung four wide into the stretch and made a bid to the outside of Miracle in the lane. The two dueled from outside the eighth pole through the stretch before Les Bon Temps edged clear just before the finish. Miracle finished 13 ½ lengths clear of third-place finisher Silver Skillet with Gambling Girl fourth in the field of 10. Les Bon Temps won in 1:37.70.

Bred by Southern Equine Stables, foaled at Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater and out of the unraced Tapizar mare Winsanity, Les Bon Temps was purchased by Greathouse and Pura Vida Racing for $65,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. She made her first three starts for Norm Casse before being transferred to Maker, who prepped the filly out his Belmont Park barn.

Les Bon Temps is the second foal out of Winsanity, who also produced the winning New York-bred 3-year-old Bodemeister gelding The Man to See, and a yearling full brother to the Maid of the Mist winner and a weanling New York-bred filly by Honest Mischief foaled March 1. The latter two foals were bred by Cypress Creek Equine.

– Tom Law

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/10/30/arctic-arrogance-leads-broman-breds-in-sleepy-hollow-les-bon-temps-upsets-maid-of-the-mist/

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Let Her Inspire U lands first stakes in Empire Distaff

By Tom Law

The connections of Let Her Inspire U always held the daughter of Practical Joke in high regard. They paid $500,000 for her at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale – the co-third most for a filly at the boutique auction – and sent her to a Hall of Fame trainer for her racing career.

Let Her Inspire U took a bit to live up to the expectations – she lost her first three starts last summer and fall at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park – but now that she’s figured it out she’s proven tough to beat. That’s happened only once in five starts since and Let Her Inspire U added another victory to her ledger with a mild upset of the $250,000 Empire Distaff Stakes Sunday on Empire Showcase Day on the final day of the Belmont at the Big A meeting.

Owned by China Horse Club and trained by Todd Pletcher, Let Her Inspire U won the 9-furlong Empire Distaff by 2 1/4 lengths over last year’s winner Sharp Starr with Ice Princess third and Caragate fourth. Irad Ortiz Jr. rode Let Her Inspire U, who won in 1:51.88 over the fast main track.

Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the field of eight, Let Her Inspire U and Ortiz settled early behind Brattle House through opening splits of :25.12 and :49.93. They took command with about 3 furlongs to run and past 6 furlongs in 1:13.99, just ahead of Brattle House with Ice Princess, Caragate, Frost Me, Sunset Louise and Sweet Mystery chasing and Sharp Starr trailing.

“I got a beautiful break,” Ortiz said. “I just sat in second outside of Javier’s [Castellano] horse [Brattle House] and it was a very comfortable pace. At the three-eighths pole, I let her do her thing and she picked it up. When she made the lead, I kept letting her do her thing.”

Ortiz said Let Her Inspire U had plenty left turning for home, and she took off again in the lane to open up by 2 1/2 lengths in midstretch. Sharp Starr ran on from the back of the pack but never threatened the winner, while 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Ice Princess.

“Irad was riding her pretty confident and it looked like he had plenty of horse underneath him,” said Byron Hughes, assistant to Pletcher. “She responded to him and drew off at the end. It was a good win. She’s been very consistent in the mornings and is very pleasant to be around. She’s been consistent in the afternoons and we’re very pleased for the whole team.”

Bred by Pine Ridge Stables Ltd. and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, Let Her Inspire U sold for $90,000 to Knollwood Stables at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase.

She later sold through the Top Line Sales consignment at the Gulfstream Sale for $500,000, the same price paid for another New York-bred filly, a daughter of Bernardini and half-sister to My Boy Tate. My Boy Tate won the Hudson Stakes early on the Empire Showcase Day card.

Let Her Inspire U is out of the Speightstown mare Caribbean Lady, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and $672,872-earner Halory Leigh. Caribbean Lady is the dam of New York-bred winners Island Queen (by Super Saver) and Jamaica Joy (by Into Mischief) and the 2-year-old New York-bred Mendelssohn filly Caribbean Breeze, a $125,000 purchase at last year’s Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale who finished fifth in her debut Sept. 22 and is entered in the 10th race Friday at Aqueduct.

Let Her Inspire U earned $137,500 for the victory and boosted her bankroll to $350,800 from a record of 4-2-1 in eight starts.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/10/30/let-her-inspire-u-lands-first-stakes-in-empire-distaff/

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City Man overcomes rough trip in Mohawk; Runaway Rumour ends skid in Ticonderoga

By Paul Halloran

The odds board indicated City Man shouldn’t have much of a problem in the Mohawk Stakes on Empire Showcase Day Sunday on the closing day card of the Belmont at Big A meeting.

Then the gates opened.

Sent off at 2-5 from the rail, City Man found himself in extremely tight quarters once the field navigated the slight dogleg left turn in the early stages of the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes, as Luis Saez brought pacesetter Rinaldi over to the rail from the No. 7 post.

Joel Rosario was forced to check sharply, but he didn’t lose that much ground and it was a clean trip from there, as Rosario kept the 5-year-old inside throughout, took the lead in the stretch and ran to a 2 1/2-length victory.

“I had to take a little hold of him,” said Rosario, who won aboard City Man for the sixth time, in somewhat of an understatement. “He clipped heels a little bit with the horse in front of him, but he did great. He was really brave. He was the best horse in the race.”

Rinaldi set the pace through fractions of :24.11 and :49.33, with Cold Hard Cash second and City Man third on the rail down the backstretch and into the far turn. Rosario made his move as they straightened for home, and once they cleared the temporary rail in the stretch City Man took off and cruised to victory in a final time of 1:41.66. Cold Hard Cash got up for second and Sanctuary City was third, as City Man won for the eighth time in 25 starts and improved his career earnings to $871,800.

“I tried to ride the race the way it set up,” Rosario said. “At some point I thought I might go outside, but I didn’t have the chance so I took the opportunity to go inside. It looked like I had room (in the stretch) and we went for it.”

Rosario did not appear to be outwardly upset with Saez’ tactics, but winning trainer Christophe Clement seemed slightly less amused.

“I was a bit disappointed that happened, but the good news is that Joel was on him and was able to give him a great ride,” Clement said. “The horse was good enough to get out of it.”

Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Peter and Patty Searles and out of the City Zip mare City Scamper, City Man was bred at Moonstar Farm. A $20,000 weanling at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale, Dean Reeves bought him for $185,000 at the 2019 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training. He was in the second crop of Mucho Macho Man, whom Reeves campaigned to a victory in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

It was the fourth New York-bred stakes win and second in a row for City Man, who took the Ashley T. Cole Sept. 24.

“This is a wonderful horse,” Clement said. “I need to have more like him. It’s fun. It’s a great credit to the New York-bred program. He’s been going all year long and in open company and New York-breds. I’m just lucky to have him.”

City Man won the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple at Saratoga Race Course and ran second in the Grade 3 Bernard Baruch, before returning to state-bred company in the Ashley T. Cole. His 2022 stats stand at 4-1-0 in seven starts and he may not be done for the year, as the $250,000 Grade 2 Seabiscuit Stakes Nov. 26 at Del Mar is an option.

“There’s nothing left in New York, so I don’t know,” Clement said. “We’ll see how he comes out of it. There’s a stakes in California in late November out at Del Mar that could be fun. He needs a break, too, if you want him to be back next year. So, I’ll speak to Mr. Reeves and we’ll have a plan.”

 

Runaway Rumour returns to winner’s circle in Ticonderoga

When you lose 11 straight races, it’s time to tinker.

In the case of Runaway Rumour, the champion New York-bred turf female of 2021, trainer Jorge Abreu took the advice of jockey Flavien Prat and equipped the 4-year-old filly with cheater blinkers for Sunday’s Ticonderoga Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at the Belmont at the Big A.

The equipment change paid off as Prat kept Runaway Rumour closer to the pace than her previous race – a hard-closing third in the John Hettinger Stakes – and had just enough time to urge her to go by Finest Work and win the Ticonderoga by a head.

“After the last race, Flavien said she dropped herself back and had too much to do,” Abreu said. “The cheater blinkers helped her get more into the race. She was laying 5 off the pace, mid-pack, and I was feeling great. Turning for home, when she went, I knew that was her style. I didn’t think she was going to get there at one point, but then she kept on running.”

Runaway Rumour was in sixth until the far turn of the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes, but only 4 1/2 lengths off the pace set by longshot Mashnee Girl. She had advanced to fourth at the stretch call, but still had some work to do with 2 1/2 lengths to make up. Prat asked and she answered, catching Finest Work in the final strides, with Spungie third. The winning time was 1:42.11.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Goichman said. “It’s been awhile since she’s been a winner (June 26, 2021). We made a little tweak on the equipment. It seemed like her best efforts were when she was 5-6 lengths off the lead and it was too much to ask when she was 11-12 lengths back. With the blinkers she was within shouting distance and she responded well.”

Goichman credited Prat for coming up with the idea and his overall attention to detail.

“Flavien is not only an extraordinary jockey, he’s like a coach when he gets on a horse,” Goichman said. “He will tell you what he thinks, whether you like what he has to say or not. Some jockeys will get off the horse and say, ‘We’ll get ’em next time.’ Flavien makes you appreciate what a really good jockey can do for a horse.”

By Flintshire, Runaway Rumour is out of Elusive Rumour, a daughter of Quiet Rumour and the first broodmare Goichman bought in Europe. Runaway Rumour has become one of Goichman’s best horses, with $424,530 in earnings. Elusive Rumour has produced two other stakes winners bred by Goichman – Myhartblongstodady, whom he owns, and Scuttlebuzz, who sold for $160,000 as a 2-year-old.

Foaled at Edition Farm in Hyde Park, Runaway Rumour was a slow-developing filly who did not race as a 2-year-old, winning her debut in a turf sprint at Belmont Park May 9, 2021. She finished the year with a record of 3-2-1 from eight starts and more than $250,000 in earnings, finishing second in two Grade 2s – the Lake Placid at Saratoga and Sands Point at Belmont.

Her 2022 campaign started with a sixth in the Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, followed by three more off-the-board efforts. She ran second in the Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park Sept. 3, before the third in the Sept. 30 Hettinger.

“Today, she ran great and I think the blinkers were a big difference,” Prat said. “The trip was good. She broke well, got me into the race. I was happy where I was.”

Goichman is hoping it will be a big week for Elusive Rumour, as Goichman’s Lachaise, by Oscar Performance, will run in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Friday at Keeneland Race Course. Lachaise broke his maiden Aug. 4 at Saratoga and ran third in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes at Aqueduct Oct. 2.

“He knows how to run,” Goichman said. “It’s a 14-horse race and you need a lot of luck.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/10/30/city-man-overcomes-rough-trip-in-mohawk-runaway-rumour-ends-skid-in-ticonderoga/

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My Boy Tate, November Rein score Showcase Day upsets

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

More than a year removed from his last official victory at Parx Racing last fall, multiple stakes winner My Boy Tate returned to his winning ways Sunday with a win in the Hudson Stakes to kick off Empire Showcase Day at the Belmont at the Big A meeting.

Making his 20th start at Aqueduct in the 6 1/2-furlong Hudson, My Boy Tate broke among the leaders in the field before settling himself just over a length behind the pacesetting 8-5 favorite Wudda U Think Now in third.

Racing on the outside of the field throughout the backstretch run, My Boy Tate moved closer as the field entered the turn and prepared to strike. Just in front, Wudda U Think Now dealt with pressure from Perfect Munnings as they clocked the first quarter-mile in :22.77 and a half in :46.27. The winner drew even as they entered the final strides of the turn and quickly flew by the dueling leaders.

Wudda U Think Now tried to battle back when his lead evaporated but My Boy Tate was already in full stride and didn’t blink at the challenge. My Boy Tate finished 2 lengths clear of Who Hoo That’s Me, who came flying late to take second, with Perfect Munnings finishing a half-length back in third.

The Hudson was the sixth stakes victory for the 8-year-old gelding by Boys At Tosconova, who took his earnings to $812,288 with the victory. The winner of 11 of 35 starts, with 12 other on-the-board finishes, My Boy Tate is trained by his breeder and co-owner Michelle Nevin. Nevin owns the gelding with Little Red Feather Racing.

“He loves Aqueduct,” Nevin said. “He’s happiest here. I have his mom [Backslash], she’s one of my mares. She was always a sweetheart and I really liked her. And I used to gallop Boys At Tosconova. I just thought it was a good match. He’s like my grandson, pretty much.”

Nevin gave credit to her staff for the victory, admitting that the experienced runner is set in his ways and not the easiest to work with.

“I have to credit his morning rider and his groom, because he’s not easy to deal with,” she said. “Even at the fine age of 8, he’s still pretty rough to be around. We just try to stay out of his way. He has always done his own thing and has been on his own path. We’re just blessed that we’re lucky enough to have him.”

Foaled at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, My Boy Tate is one of two stakes performers out of Nevin’s winning Sharp Humor mare Backslash. The mare’s five winners from six runners also include the multiple stakes-placed Velvet Sister. That New York-bred Bernardini 2-year-old filly was purchased by Stonestreet Stables last year for $500,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale and subsequently placed second in two New York stakes last fall.

Backslash’s first foal, the Frost Giant gelding Linkappleyard, won three of nine starts for Nevin as breeder-owner-trainer. Nevin also trained and co-owned her third foal, a Bluegrass Cat horse named Charlie McCoy, who won three of 13 starts with five other top three finishes. In all, Nevin has co-owned and trained three of Backslash’s runners to make it to the track. She has co-owned two of those with Little Red Feather Racing.

Backslash also has a 2-year-old Frosted filly named Snowy Evening in training with Todd Pletcher for Steven Crist, Ken de Regt and Philip Gleaves. Placing in one of her two starts, the New York-bred Snowy Evening sold to Gleaves for $70,000 out of the Vinery Sales consignment at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Backslash is also the dam of a yearling filly by Congrats.

 

November Rein bounces back from Grade 1 try to win Iroquois

Ron Lombardi’s homebred November Rein registered her second stakes victory when she pulled a 19-1 upset in the $150,000 Iroquois Stakes on Empire Showcase Day.

November Rein was part of a large group vying for the lead right out of the gate in the 6 1/2-furlong stakes before ceding her challenge when Trevor McCarthy took her back to race alongside Gone and Forgotten in third. Leeloo was left with pacemaking duties, closely attended by Secret Love through the first -mile quarter in :22.30 over the fast main track.

Halfway around the turn, McCarthy started scrubbing on the winner with November Rein challenging for the lead as they hit the stretch. While November Rein was in front soon after, her win wasn’t assured with three rivals trying to chase her down. November Rein finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 2-1 second choice Bank Sting with Secret Love third and 9-5 favorite Betsy Blue fourth.

“She broke a little slower than I would have liked,” McCarthy said. “Her second, third or fourth stride is usually better for her. Once she got herself underneath her, she put herself in a nice, tactical spot just a few lengths off the lead. She liked the clean trip. I just left her out there and made a middle move with her. If they were going to beat me, they were going to beat me. They have to come get me. It was a good effort by her.”

Now the winner of two of her four starts in 2022 and four of her eight career starts, November Rein has won $333,350 in her career with three stakes placings in five stakes starts. She finished sixth, beaten 44 3/4 lengths, last time out in the Grade 1 Test Stakes Aug. 6 at Saratoga Race Course

John Attfield, assistant to winning trainer Kelly Breen, paid tribute to the filly after the victory. He noted that November Rein again shipped in to race at a track where she hadn’t trained. November Rein is part of Breen’s Belmont Park string.

“I can’t say enough about her,” said Attfeld. “She’s done nothing wrong, especially against New York-breds. She’s been really good to us. She’s the quirkiest thing you’d ever be around in your life. She’s so difficult and tough to handle in every respect. I was a little worried today because it was the first time she’s ever had to ship to run, but it worked out. I can’t give Trevor enough credit. That was a brilliant ride.”

Just like most Lombardi-breds, November Rein was foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham. The Street Boss filly is out of the Mr. Amore Stables raced Ju Ju Eyeballs, who Lombardi claimed for the racing branch of his operation for $15,000 as a 2-year-old.

Winning three stakes for her new owner the following two years, Ju Ju Eyeballs’ first foal in 2017 was a Palace Malice gelding named Walrus Gumboot who raced twice. Her third foal, November Rein, is her first winner.

Looking to represent Mr. Amore Stables in the near future is November Rein’s Union Rags juvenile half-sister Neigh Jude. Ju Ju Eyeballs has a yearling Laoban colt named Old Flat Top and a weanling Mission Impazible colt born May 8.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/10/30/my-boy-tate-november-rein-score-showcase-day-upsets/

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Dr. Blute wires Empire Classic field

By Tom Law

Gate open, game over.

The $250,000 Empire Classic Stakes was surely more than that, but not by much as Dr. Blute took the lead from the start and cruised all the way to a front-running victory in the co-headliner on Sunday’s Empire Showcase Day card at the Belmont at the Big A meeting.

Stretched out beyond a mile for the first time, Dr. Blute and jockey Jose Ortiz won the 9-furlong Empire Classic by three-quarters of a length over Curlin’s Wisdom with New York Derby winner Barese third and Sea Foam fourth. Dr. Blute, a 4-year-old son of Not This Time owned by Sean Flanagan’s Flanagan Racing, won in 1:51.95 over the fast track.

Dr. Blute added the Empire Classic to his victory in a 1-mile state-bred allowance Sept. 18 at Aqueduct. He finished second and third in two other starts for Saffie Joseph Jr., who took over the gelding’s training this spring.

“We thought he would stretch out and that two turns would work out for him, but you never know until you try it,” Joseph said. “We left it up to Jose. He’s always a horse that gets a little restless in the gate, but thank God he broke so sharp and got into a good rhythm.”

Dr. Blute improved to 3-for-3 at Aqueduct, with the first win coming in his debut Feb. 27, 2021 on a sloppy track for trainer John Kimmel. The Empire Classic marked just the second stakes appearance for Dr. Blute, who finished fifth in the Mike Lee Stakes on Big Apple Showcase Day in 2021.

The two-turn configuration of the Empire Classic – previously run around one turn when contested at Belmont Park – appealed to the winning gelding’s connections.

“Stretching him out was one of the key factors,” Joseph said. “The first time we ran him short. I talked to Sean after the first time I ran him and I said we didn’t have anything to lose by stretching him out. Since we’ve done it, thank God it’s worked out. He’s turned into a solid horse.”

Bred by Hidden Lake Farm and Axle Ahlschwede, foaled at Hidden Lake Farm in Stillwater and purchased by Flanagan for $100,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training, Dr. Blute is out of the unraced Friends Lake mare Truss. A half-sister to the dam of Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Bar of Gold, Truss is the dam of the winning New York-bred Freud mare Dulcita and the placed New York-bred 2-year-old Bolt d’Oro colt Gold Templar.

Dr. Blute earned $137,500 for the Empire Classic to boost his bankroll to $301,550 from a record of 3-2-3 in 11 starts.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/10/30/dr-blute-wires-empire-classic-field/

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The Empire Showcase Special

By Tom Law

Empire Showcase Day always packs a punch and Sunday’s renewal is no exception.

One of the biggest days of the year for New York-breds features eight stakes on the 10-race card, run this year at the Belmont at the Big A meeting due to ongoing construction at Belmont Park. The team at The Saratoga Special is again privileged to preview all of the day’s races, and more, with a special edition of The Empire Showcase Special.

The Showcase Special offers the perfect primer for anyone heading to Ozone Park for the day’s action, or those watching from home. And we’ve thrown in some of the popular features you see every summer in The Saratoga Special.

Here’s the primer for Sunday, Oct. 30. Safe trips to all and good luck.

By the Numbers
1: Defending champ back to defend title Sunday – Sharp Starr (Empire Distaff). She’s joined by last year’s runner-up, Ice Princess.

5: 2021 New York-bred champions entered Sunday – Venti Valentine (Iroquois), Runaway Rumour (Ticonderoga), Bank Sting (Iroquois), My Boy Tate (Hudson), Bankit (Hudson)

5: Horses bred or co-bred by Hidden Lake Farm entered – Forever Amy (first), Naughty Nan (first), Agility (second), Bankit (Hudson) and Dr. Blute (Empire Classic).

6: Horses bred by Chester and Mary Broman entered – Montebello (Empire Classic), Im Just Kiddin (Maid of the Mist) and Arctic Arrogance, Donegal Surges, Starquist and Quick to Accuse (Sleepy Hollow). The Bromans also own Im Just Kiddin, Arctic Arrogance and Starquist.

7: Horses entered for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the most of any trainer

7: Entries by leading New York sire Central Banker – Lady Quinn and Central Speed in the first, Bankit in the Hudson Stakes, Bank Sting in the Iroquois Stakes, Dream On Cara in the Maid of the Mist Stakes, Dream Central in the Ticonderoga and Thtwasthenthisisnw in the Sleepy Hollow.

8: Stakes on Empire Showcase Day.

38: Stallions that bred mares in New York in 2022, according to statistics from The Jockey’s Club’s Report of Mares Bred. The Empire State was one of only two states without a decrease in stallion population year over year.

99: Horses entered in the 10 races carded for Showcase Day.

119: Mares bred by Sequel Stallions’ Honest Mischief in 2022, most of any stallion in New York this year.

113: Mares bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds’ Central Banker, New York’s leading sire in 2021 and on the way to another title in 2022, this year.

85: Mares bred by the late Combatant, who previously stood at Rockridge Stud, in 2022, third most in the state.

973: Mares bred in New York in 2022, an increase of 2.6 percent from 2021.

1,189,655: Dollars earned by Hudson contender and last year’s champion older dirt male Bankit, the most of any runner on the card. The 6-year-old son of Central Banker also has the most number of starts of any runner on the card with 35.

1,762,000: Dollars in purses offered on Sunday’s 10-race Empire Showcase Day card, including $1.6 million in stakes purses.

 

Worth Repeating
“Empire Showcase Day reflects the quality, popularity and continued growth of the New York-bred program. The New York racing and breeding community looks forward to each of these showcase days on the calendar, and we thank NYRA for acknowledging and supporting New York’s Thoroughbred breeding ecosystem.”
Najja Thompson, Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

 

Names of the Day
Sandrone, second race. We can always count on the team at Bond Racing Stable to come up with a wine-themed name. And Italian wine, to boot.

Therapist, Mohawk Stakes. Easy one. The veteran 7-year-old gelding is by Freud.

Mosienko, Iroquois Stakes. An all-time favorite by the hockey-loving members of The Special, 5-year-old Hat Trick mare is named for the former Chicago Blackhawks legend who recorded said hat track in 21 seconds in 1952.

Marvelous Maude, Ticonderoga Stakes. Michael Dubb and partners’ 4-year-old Slumber filly is named for Maude Walsh, who did many things over the years at NYRA including work in the Horsemen’s Relations department.

 

As for the races …

Race 1. 12:35 p.m. Showcase Day kicks off with a full field of 2-year-old fillies for 7-furlong maiden worth $77,000 on the main track. Disription, a $250,000 buy at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, looks to improve off second to Stonewall Star last time in her third start while John Terranova unveils Central Banker firster Central Speed.

Race 2. 1:09. Switch to the grass for 6-furlong allowance over the outer course and – surprise, surprise – another big field of 12 vying for the $85,000 pot.

Race 3. 1:43. The $150,000 Hudson kicks off the stakes action. Last year’s champion male sprinter My Boy Tate makes just his second appearance in the 6 1/2-furlong event and takes on Bankit, who shortens up after three straight starts at 1 mile.

Race 4. 2:12. The $250,000 Empire Classic goes early on the card with a field of seven led by 3-year-old stakes winner Barese and 7-year-old veteran Sea Foam. Barese hasn’t been out since finishing second in the Albany at Saratoga while Sea Foam returns to the Big A, where he won the Alex M. Robb to end 2021. Dr. Blute, Brooklyn Strong and Montebello give the short field depth.

Race 5. 2:44. Back to the grass for $200,000 Mohawk. Great to have the turf stakes back on the card after they were moved to another weekend in 2021 because of wet weather. City Man goes for his fourth stakes victory of the season against familiar foes Sanctuary City, Cold Hard Cash and Jerry the Nipper – who chased him home last time in the Ashley T. Cole – along with veterans Rinaldi and Therapist. The latter makes his first start for George Weaver’s barn after racking up more than $775,000 with former connections.

Race 6. 3:16. Barry Schwartz’s homebred Bustin Stones filly Gone and Forgotten ventures away from Finger Lakes, where’s she’s been lights out her entire career, for the $150,000 Iroquois. Plenty of strong opposition await in 6 ½-furlong stakes, including last year’s dual New York-bred champion Bank Sting, stakes winner Venti Valentine, November Rein, Betsy Blue and Mosienko.

Race 7. 3:47. A warm welcome to the stars of tomorrow, starting with the $200,000 Maid of the Mist for 2-year-old fillies. The first four from the Joseph A. Gimma – Gambling Girl, Miracle, Les Bon Temps and Security Code – are here along with impressive maiden winner Banterra and last-out turf stakes runners Little Linzee, Im Just Kiddin and Recognize.

Race 8. 4:21. The champion female turf title hangs in the balance and the $200,000 Ticonderoga figures to go a long way in determining potential contenders. Runaway Rumour won the crown last year and looks for her first win of 2022 here against the likes of Mount Vernon winner Giacosa, Marvelous Maude, Finest Work and Dream Central.

Race 9. 4:53. Sharp Starr returns to defend her title with similar form that landed her a 3 ¼-length score last year. She’ll go two turns this time but has handled herself well at Aqueduct in 10 starts, finishing in the top three seven times. Brattle House returns to the New York-bred ranks and will be a top foe, along with Let Her Inspire U, Ice Princess and Sunset Louise.

Race 10. 5:23. Jackson Heights scored 24-1 win last time and tries to do it again in the $200,000 Sleepy Hollow for 2-year-olds. Son of New York-based Union Jackson takes on Arctic Arrogance and Donegal Surges, who chased him home last time, along with Canarsie, Starquist, Shadow Dragon and Quick to Accuse in deep field.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/10/28/the-empire-showcase-special-2/

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