Photo: Adam Coglianese
Spa City Princess, Adam Madkour’s homebred four-year-old daughter of Roaring Fever, wired the $60,000 Belle Born Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct. In sending five other older New York-bred fillies and mares to defeat, Spa City Princess secured her first stakes victory and gave her New York-based sire Roaring Fever his third stakes winner.
Big Brownie (Wheelaway), winner of the New York Stallion Stakes Series Staten Island on November 14, 2010, was heavily-favored for the Belle Born at even money. Trained and partly owned by Leah Gyarmati, the five-year-old mare was seeking her second career stakes score, and looking to turn things around after having to settle for third in the restricted Leecoo on January 13 following a poor trip. She had earned every right to improve on that performance and was set to break from the inside post.
Spa City Princess, however, went the gate with only lukewarm backing, sixth choice of seven at 6-1. The filly was making her second stakes start on the heels of a lackluster performance at fairly long odds in the restricted Jena Jena Stakes on December 17. Trainer Patrick Kelly had prepared Spa City Princess for her four-year-old debut with three even works at Belmont in January. Jorge Chavez, who had ridden Spa City Princess in all eight but one of her lifetime starts – and to three prior victories – had the call.
After the gates let the field loose into the rainy weather to navigate the “good/sealed” track for a mile, an early five-horse scramble for the lead sorted itself out with Spa City Princess on top, tracked by longshot Fivefifteen and Poppy Day. Eager Emma was close up in fourth off the rail and Laylaben ran fifth, while Big Brownie trailed the field. As was the case in the races run earlier in the day, the pace was extremely measured with a quarter run in 25.46 and a half in 50.97.
On the far turn Eager Emma moved up on the outside, and she and Poppy Day were within a half-length of Spa City Princess just before the leaders straightened for the stretch run, but Eager Emma alone offered the leader a serious challenge, pressing for the length of the stretch. In the end, Eager Emma could not muster enough kick to run down the leader and Spa City Princess stopped the clock at 1:41.51 with a half-length to spare. Laylaben finished third 6 ½ lengths behind Eager Emma. Completing the order of finish were: Poppy Day, Big Brownie, who never managed to get into the race, and Fivefifteen. Spa City Princess’ first stakes win and fourth career victory from nine starts brings her earnings bankroll to $133,149.
Spa City Princess, out of Lady Di Huntley (Shuailaan) and foaled at Advantage Training in Gansevoort, is a full sister to the like-named Spa City Fever ($150,793), a five-year-old gelding also bred and campaigned by Madkour and trained by Kelly. Spa City Fever has scored three victories on turf and made serious noise in Aqueduct’s restricted Mr. International Stakes on January 26, finishing second to impressive winner Inherit the Gold.
The “Spa City” siblings have already given their sire Roaring Fever two strong stakes performers in 2011. Roaring Fever, a stakes-winning son of Storm Cat, retired to stud in 2005 and has stood exclusively in New York for Questroyal Stud.
Lady Di Huntley, a twelve-time winner ($234,500), has now produced all winners from five foals to start including Roll the Di (Adios My Friend), who earned $234,132. The fourteen year-old mare last changed hands via the auction ring when purchased at the 2004 New York October Mixed sale for $6,500, and her progeny have earned $609,270.
