Sweet Brown Sugar upsets East View

Richie Rich Racing Stable’s Sweet Brown Sugar made a significant improvement off her first try in stakes company on the New York Racing Association circuit with a victory in Sunday’s $100,000 East View for 3-year-old New York-bred fillies.

The daughter of Collected, fifth in the Franklin Square Stakes in mid-January for Finger Lakes-based trainer Paul Barrow, used a pair of preps in allowance-optional company for her second stakes victory Sunday. Sweet Brown Sugar won the 6-furlong East View under Jose Lezcano, coming up the inside on the far turn and drawing off by 4 lengths over Bernietakescharge.

“We’ve won a few stakes at Finger Lakes, but this is the first good horse we’ve had at NYRA,” said Barrow, celebrating his first stakes score on the NYRA circuit. “It’s unbelievable; it’s great. When you start training, you want to win these races. I’m a big New York-bred guy, so to win it with a New York-bred, it’s great.”

Sent off as the 6-1 third choice in the field of seven and just two weeks after winning an allowance-optional on a muddy track, Sweet Brown Sugar raced third early as Bustin Time and Bernietakescharge sparred through the opening quarter-mile in :22.48.

Lezcano kept Sweet Brown Sugar down on the inside heading into the far turn and slipped through an inside at the midpoint of the bend to take the lead. Sweet Brown Sugar led by a half-length after a half in :46.12 and spurted clear turning for home.

“She doesn’t like the dirt too much in her face, and I got lucky with [Bustin Time], she stayed way out and I was able to keep [her] face clean,” Lezcano said. “She responded and came up with a good race and is feeling very good. I had a lot of horse when I asked her.”

Sweet Brown Sugar, winner of the Shesastonecoldfox Stakes back home at Finger Lakes to closer her 2-year-old season, widened through the lane and won in 1:10.55. Bernietakescharge held second as the 4-5 favorite, a length in front of 8-5 second choice Caldwell Luvs Gold. Thirteen Red Flags, Bustin Time, Ruming and Soloshot completed the field.

Barrow was quick to credit Lezcano, aboard Sweet Brown Sugar in her last two races before the East View.

“If you watch the race, Jose did keep her very clean in the race,” he said. “It was key to her finishing. The rider made the difference in this case, and she’s improving. Masterful ride. When he’s on the inside like that, it’s very tough to keep them clean, but I thought he did a great job.

“My biggest concern was her getting trapped behind a wall of horses and the kickback and all that, for him to [have to] negotiate a way to get outside. But he was smart enough to stay inside and keep her clean.”

Barrow said he’d ship Sweet Brown Sugar back to Finger Lakes and “give her a little time off” after coming back on short rest to win back-to-back starts. Sweet Brown Sugar picked up $55,000 for the East View and boosted her bankroll to $150,500 from a record of 4-0-1 in six starts.

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman and foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Sweet Brown Sugar originally sold for $10,000 through the Sequel New York consignment at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. She was then offered as part of the Scenic Sales consignment at the 2023 OBS June sale and brought $32,000 from Nick Hines, agent for Richie Rich Stables.

Sweet Brown Sugar is the first and lone foal out of the Broman’s homebred Bodemeister mare Rachel’s Blue Moon, the winner of two of 11 starts and $97,096. Rachel’s Blue Moon is out of the Broman’s homebred multiple stakes-winning and Grade 1-place El Corredor mare Beautiful But Blue, who is also the dam of stakes-placed Montebello. Beautiful But Blue won five of 17 starts and earned $395,450. She’s out of the multiple stakes-winning Dixie Brass mare Beautiful America, who won six of 21 starts and earned $523,927 for the Bromans from 2002 to 2004.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2024/03/17/sweet-brown-sugar-upsets-east-view/

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Antonio of Venice dominates Damon Runyon

Antonio of Venice enjoyed a much smoother trip this time around and turned the tables on Mischief Joke in Sunday’s 49th renewal of the $93,000 Damon Runyon for 3-year-old New York-breds at Aqueduct.

Second by a length to that foe in the Rego Park in late January, Antonio of Venice took command shortly after the start and stayed in control through the 6-furlong stakes for his second stakes victory. Owned by Michael Imperio, Robert Cotrone, Hibiscus Stables and trainer Rudy Rodriguez, the 3-year-old son of former New York-based sire Laoban won by 9 1/4 lengths and improved to 3-for-8 with three placings in the Damon Runyon.

“He is a versatile horse,” winning jockey Manny Franco said. “He can do whatever you ask him to do. Today was a short field, I had to play the break and he broke that fast so I just went on with him, because I knew he could be on the front end, too. That is what we did. We got it done.

“You can see at the eighth pole that I just eased him down. I think I hit him once, but after that I did nothing. I just eased him down. He did it so easily.”

Antonio of Venice went to the post as the even-money second choice in the field of four reduced after the scratch of morning-line favorite Heavyweight Champs. Antonio of Venice and jockey Manny Franco led Mischief Joke by a half-length through the opening quarter in :22.96, with Mad Banker not far back and Aelfgar fourth of the quartet.

Antonio of Venice and Mischief Joke started to separate from the other two around the far turn and the former edged away from his rival after a half in :46.09. Antonio of Venice cruised from there, turning for home well clear, sliding past 5 furlongs in :57.81 and drawing clear late to win in 1:10.35 over the fast track. Mischief Joke finished second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Aelfgar with Mad Banker fourth.

“Those were the two best horses in the race,” Rodriguez said of Antonio of Venice and Mischief Joke. “I said to Manny, ‘if you hook up together, let it be,’ but I didn’t want to hook up with the one horse. When Manny asked him at the three-eighths pole, it looked like he had a lot of horse. I felt really confident when he asked him and he opened up half a length. He looked very comfortable.”

Bred by Cypress Creek Equine LLC, Antonio of Venice sold for $35,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale and for the same price at this year’s OBS March sale. Antonio of Venice is the third foal out of Stella Performance, who also produced winning full siblings to the Damon Runyon winner in New York-breds Modern Midas ($78,200 in earnings) and I’m Wide Awake ($144,228).

Stella Performance is also the dam of a New York-bred yearling colt by McKinzie and filly by Keepmeinmind born February 18 in New York, and both bred by Cypress Creek Equine LLC.

A maiden winner at Saratoga Race Course in his third start, Antonio of Venice finished off the board in his first two stakes tries before a victory in the $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes in mid-December. The victory in the Damon Runyon boosted his earnings to $425,744

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2024/03/17/antonio-of-venice-dominates-damon-runyon/

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