Brooklyn Strong, a $5,000 buy this year bred on a modest stud fee, rolls to victory in Saturday’s Sleepy Hollow at Belmont Park. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.
By Paul Halloran
What happens when you match a chemist with a dentist? You get the breeders of a New York-bred stakes winner.
In deciding to whom they should breed their Medaglia d’Oro mare Riviera Chic, Cheryl Prudhomme and her dentist husband Dr. Michael Gallivan landed on Wicked Strong due to his imposing physical traits.
“I put a lot of time and effort into the breeding selection,” Prudhomme said from Shamrock Hill Farm in Fort Edward, after watching Brooklyn Strong roll to a 2 1/4-length win in the $150,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park Saturday. “I wanted a big stallion, with leg and size. I liked Wicked Strong.”
The modest $5,000 stud fee also worked for Prudhomme and Gallivan, who have been breeding horses in New York for 18 years and currently have about 10 broodmares on their farm located about 15 miles northeast of Saratoga.
“We don’t go to expensive stallions,” Prudhomme said.
They sold Brooklyn Strong, who was foaled at Shamrock Hill, as a weanling for $30,000 in the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale. The colt was a two-time RNA (for $42,000 and for $6,000) as a 2-year-old, before Mark Schwartz bought him for $5,000 at the OBS April sale.
“The bidding started at $50,000, went down to $1,000 and I got the horse for $5,000,” a jubilant Schwartz said in the Belmont winner’s circle after the race. “This is very exciting for me. I enjoy horse racing so much.”
A New York native who relocated to Florida, Schwartz named the gelding for his favorite borough.
“I grew up in Brooklyn and I love it. Brooklyn will always be right here,” he said, pointing to his heart.
Brooklyn Strong, coming off a third in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes, sat fourth off a pace set by Eagle Orb. Jose Ortiz made his move on the turn and went by Eagle Orb in the stretch, covering the mile in 1:37.16. Breadman ran third.
The win completed a natural daily double for trainer Danny Velazquez, who also saddled Laobanonaprayer, an easy winner of the $150,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Bred by Christina Deronda and foaled at her Moonstar Farm in Hopewell Junction, Laobanonaprayer is by red-hot freshman sire Laoban, out of the Raffie’s Majesty mare Raffie’s Chance.
Laobanonaprayer sold for $17,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga October mixed sale. Velazquez bought him for $15,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale this year.
“She kind of fell into our lap,” he said.
Velazquez owns the filly in partnership with Schwartz and Larry Rush. The victory was the first stakes win in a career that has seen him saddle 170 winners with earnings of $4.3 million. He only had to wait about 35 minutes for his second.
“I went in with high expectations,” said Velazquez, who has spent the majority of his career at Parx Racing, but took a string to Delaware Park earlier this year. Laobanonaprayer had been beaten in two maiden races at Delaware. “I knew I was live, but I thought, ‘am I really going to win two stakes races?’ I was very confident in both horses.”
Laobanonaprayer had only one horse beaten down the backstretch, but Kendrick Carmouche asked for run on the turn and the filly answered, swinging six wide and going by favorite Frost Me and Chasing Cara in the stretch. The winning margin was 5 1/2 lengths in 1:38.06.
“What a way to break her maiden,” Velazquez said. “We added blinkers and that made all the difference. I was very confident that she would love the one-turn mile.”
Laobanonaprayer’s dam, Raffie’s Chance, is the dam of a yearling filly by Algorithms and a weanling colt born May 2 by Central Banker.
