Minorinconvenience cruises to victory in Wednesday’s Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo.
By Julia Reedy
Trainer Amelia Green and co-owner Amanda Gillman sat side-by-side in their front-row clubhouse box, Green’s face obscured by her binoculars as she watched Minorinconvenience secure his second win in three starts in Wednesday’s Funny Cide Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds.
As soon as the race finished, Green shed both her binoculars and poker face and exchanged a smile with her longtime friend and co-owner.
“It’s amazing,” Gillman said of watching the New York-bred son of Mendelssohn win by 4 lengths. “I’m honestly struggling to find words. The first win was very cool, but (this win), I can’t put into words how cool it is. … He’s always been a little bit green, and to see him put it all together and do this, it’s very special.”
Bred by Steve Barberino and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, Minorinconvenience broke his maiden at Saratoga Race Course July 31. That off-the-turf win at 7 furlongs gave Green just enough confidence to run him back in the $139,500 Funny Cide at 6 furlongs, though she still had some reservations about the cutback in distance.
“I thought it was (a concern) going in, but with how sharp he broke – I told Amanda after the race when he hit the top of the stretch and put his nose in front, I was quietly confident, because I knew the further distance would be the best for him,” Green said. “I was pretty confident when he found his stride at the top of the lane, but maybe I didn’t look like it, because I was still nervous, and in a stakes race, you never know. But I was quietly confident.”
The 5-2 third choice in the field of five, Minorinconvenience won by 4 lengths over 5-2 second choice Fourth and One with 4-5 favorite Toga Twist third. Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., Minorinconvenience won in 1:11.56.
For Green and Gillman, watching their 2-year-old colt progress has been nothing short of thrilling, having purchased him as a yearling for $20,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. It doesn’t hurt that the New York-bred supplied Green with her first stakes win at Saratoga.
“Very exciting, especially with this horse,” Green said. “We’ve owned him since he was a baby and have spoiled him rotten. It was very exciting. …He’s come a long way. He’s actually still one I don’t think has clicked yet. He’s still a big baby. I still think he’s got a lot of learning to do. To see him run like this, when he still seems like a horse that’s still figuring things out is very exciting.”
Minorinconvenience is the third foal and the first to race out of the Mission Impazible mare Skyler’s Lil Cutie. He came after Skyler’s Lil Cutie produced New York-bred fillies Dorthys Speedstre (by Tale Of The Cat) and Aggie (by Exaggerator).
Barberino bred those fillies and also Skyler’s Lil Cutie’s yearling colt by Early Voting named Rocky’s Early Vote and her Virginia-bred weanling filly by Bolt d’Oro.
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/08/27/minorinconvenience-handles-business-in-funny-cide/
Wecanonlyimagine heads to victory in last week’s Princess Margaret Stakes at Century Mile in Alberta, Canada. Chris Tian Photo.
While their cohorts were in the spotlight in the Albany, Fleet Indian, Yaddo, West Point and Seeking the Ante last week at Saratoga Race Course, two other New York-breds took the spotlight more than 2,400 miles away in Canada at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta.
New York-breds Wecanonlyimagine and Playful finished 1-2 as the two longest shots in Friday’s $34,866 Princess Margaret Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
Wecanonlyimagine, a daughter of Omaha Beach bred by Cypress Creek Equine, improved to 3-for-3 in the 6-furlong stakes. Neville Stephenson rode the 5-1 Wecanonlyimagine to her 5 1/4-length victory over Playful, who earned her stakes-placing after a fifth last time out in the Kindergarten Stakes Aug. 2 at Century Mile.
Owned by her trainer, Jared Brown, and John Ganas, Wecanonlyimagine came into the Princess Margaret off a front-running win in the $36,489 Debutante Stakes at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She employed similar tactics in the Princess Margaret, vying for the lead early with 2-1 favorite Hiway Fortynine and holding a half-length advantage through the opening quarter-mile in :21.74.
Wecanonlyimagine opened up a 3-length advantage through the half in :44.55 and responded to the challenge of Playful to win in 1:11.11. Playful finished 1 ¼ lengths clear of Hiway Fortune.
Wecanonlyimagine earned $21,567 for her latest victory, boosting her bankroll to $52,532. Newtown Anner Stud Farm’s homebred Playful, now 1-1-1 in four starts for trainer Gonzalo Anderson, boosted her earnings to $22,239.
Brown purchased Wecanonlyimagine for $14,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. Consigned by C & S Thoroughbreds, the filly is the fourth foal and third winner out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Swimsuit Issue.
Playful, a daughter of Violence out of the winning Bernardini mare Pleased, was foaled at Jack’s Farm on the Hill in Millbrook. She went through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale but did not meet her reserve on a $39,000 bid.
Two of Pleased’s other foals are New York-breds and winners – three-time winner and $126,703-earner Wanna Winna and the $61,680-earner Mischief Motion.
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/08/27/new-york-breds-1-2-in-century-mile-juvenile-stakes/
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