Biogio’s Rose continues to relish Aqueduct’s main track in Sunday’s Biogio’s Rose victory. NYRA Photo.
By Tom Law
Espresso Shot returned to New York in late February after a near two-month stay in South Florida with plenty for her supporters to like in Sunday’s $100,000 Biogio’s Rose Stakes at Aqueduct.
The two biggest factors in the 5-year-old Mission Impazible mare’s favor were past success at the Big A and proven ability at the 1-mile trip. Espresso Shot proved those factors were more than just positive points on paper when she came away with her second stakes win in her last three starts with a 2-length score over Love and Love.
Espresso Shot won her fourth stakes in the Biogio’s Rose and improved to 4-for-11 at Aqueduct with two placings and 3-for-6 at the 1-mile trip. She also earned $60,000 to boost her bankroll to $474,105 for owners NY Final Furlong Racing, Maspeth Stables and Parkland Thoroughbreds and trainer Jorge Abreu.
“Home sweet home at Aqueduct, right?” Final Furlong’s Vince Roth said after Espresso Shot’s win in 1:39.10.
Espresso Shot added the Biogio’s Rose to her victory in the Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Series in late November. She finished third, beaten only 4 lengths by Mrs. Orb and Sharp Starr, in the La Verdad Stakes Jan. 3 before heading south.
Dan Zanatta, who runs Final Furlong Racing with Roth, said the trip to Abreu’s division at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., was by design. Espresso Shot breezed four times at Palm Meadows – three at 5 furlongs Jan. 31, Feb. 13 and Feb. 20 and once at a half-mile Feb. 6 – before returning to Belmont Park two weeks ago with the Biogio’s Rose the next target for 2021.
Matched against five foes after the scratch of morning-line favorite Lucky Move, Espresso Shot and jockey Eric Cancel went to the post the 8-5 second choice behind 6-5 favorite Wasp in her stakes debut.
Espresso Shot settled into a stalking position after a brief scrimmage between four of the five older fillies and mares, behind the pacesetting Love and Love and Dylan Davis. Love and Love led through solid splits of :24.28 and :47.94.
Espresso Shot’s connections celebrate another stakes win. NYRA Photo.
“We changed it up a little today,” Davis said of the decision to take the lead. “We wanted to come out running. I was very happy where I was. For a little bit, I thought we were going to win it.”
Love and Love gave Davis that feeling through the far turn, past 6 furlongs in 1:13.08 and when she cut the corner a length in front of Espresso Shot. The lead diminished from there, with Cancel staying busy to Love and Love’s outside before taking the lead inside the sixteenth pole to win going away.
“The plan was to sit stalking right there,” Cancel said. “It worked out well. Dylan went to the lead and we just had to follow. Once we got to the quarter pole, I had to ask her for everything, and she started running little by little.”
Espresso Shot improved to 5-for-19 overall with the victory. She won the East View Stakes at 2 and Busher Stakes against open company at 3 to briefly flirt with the Kentucky Oaks trail. She lost 10 straight – missing the board in all but two of those races – after the Busher but woke up a bit on Empire Showcase Day to give her connections reason to consider going on in late 2020 and into 2021.
“We almost retired her last year, but she showed some renewed form in the Iroquois,” Zanatta said of the mare’s fifth in that 6 1/2-furlong stakes. “We think anything from 6 1/2 furlongs to a mile is ideal for her. Once we figured her out and saw she was running back to form, we decided to campaign her as a 5-year-old. She was booked to Authentic but she earned herself a 5-year-old campaign.”
Espresso Shot’s next start could come on the Big Apple Showcase card May 31 at Belmont Park in the $200,000 Critical Eye.
“She’s been nominated as New York-bred (divisional champion) the past three years,” Zanatta said. “She’s never won that honor, so we’re hoping that this year we can bring home a trophy.”
Bred by Twin Creeks Farm and sired by New York-based Mission Impazible, who stands at Sequel New York in Hudson, Espresso Shot is out of the winning New York-bred Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold. Twin Creeks purchased Glory Gold for $125,000 at the 2013 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Final Furlong Racing bought Espresso Shot for $69,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. She was previously sold for $22,000 by Twin Creeks through Taylor Made Sales Agency as a short yearling at the Keeneland January sale.
Espresso Shot is one of three winners from four foals to race out of Glory Gold. She’s a half sister to the four-time winner Goldtown, a daughter of Speightstown who sold for $300,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale; and a full sister to Hokulea, who sold for $100,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream 2-year-old sale.
Final Furlong Racing purchased Glory Gold, in foal to Firing Line, for $13,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The subsequent foal, the now 2-year-old filly named Venti Valentine, was foaled in New York for breeders Final Furlong Racing and Maspeth Stable. Final Furlong and Maspeth are also the breeders of an Omaha Beach filly, foaled in New York Feb. 11.
