Leon Blue edges Smooth Breeze in Thursday’s Rick Violette Stakes at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo.
Leon Blue fended off odds-on favorite and became the latest headline maker produced by Alana’s Allure in the $145,500 Rick Violette Stakes during Thursday’s New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Race Course.
Leon Blue, under apprentice Chris Elliott, dug in and fended off several challenges from Smooth Breeze, under reigning Eclipse Award winner Flavien Prat, to win the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old New York-breds by a neck. Dismissed at 6-1in the field of five, Leon Blue improved to 2-3-1 from six starts with his first stakes victory for trainer Melanie Giddings and owners Paul Braverman, Al Gold’s Gold Square, AWC Stables and Scott Akman.
“It’s a really good group of people that own this horse and they’ve been super patient with him and let us do anything the horse needs – to take the time and be patient with him,” Giddings said.
Bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan and named for the late trainer and lifelong racetracker, Leon Blue is the second foal out of the unraced Shackleford mare Alana’s Allure. She’s out of the Group 2-place Chilean-bred Dancing Groom mare Bella Madame.
Alana’s Allure’s first foal, the 5-year-old Central Banker gelding Allure of Money, sports a record of 8-2-1 in 22 starts and $248,345 in earnings. Also bred by Prudhomme and Gallivan, Allure of Money won the 2022 Tin Cup Chalice Stakes to close his 2-year-old campaign and returned to win the New York Derby and Leon Reed Memorial Stakes, both at Finger Lakes, to earn a finalist nod for champion 3-year-old male honors in 2023.
Bloodstock agent Joe Hardoon purchased Leon Blue for Paul Braverman for $100,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. He went winless in three starts last year, but now sports two wins in three starts this year.
Leon Blue came into the Rick Violette off a runner-up finish by a nose to Outsource in a 1 1/16-mile state-bred allowance on the turf June 4 at Saratoga. After a brief duel with Sounds Like a Plan, Leon Blue settled into third behind that foe and Smooth Breeze into the first turn and through the opening quarter-mile in :23.29.
Sounds Like a Plan continued to lead around the turn and into the backstretch, with the field bunching up a bit to the half in :47.31. Sounds Like a Plan stayed in front through 6 furlongs in 1:11.08 with Leon Blue ready to take command in the stretch and Smooth Breeze poised a bit further out.
Leon Blue came wide into the stretch, forcing Smooth Breeze out just a bit and taking over. Smooth Breeze came in on Leon Blue at about the three-sixteenths pole but didn’t stop the eventual winner’s momentum. Leon Blue won in 1:41.34. Smooth Breeze, the 1-2 favorite after a win two starts back in a state-bred allowance April 27 at Aqueduct, finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Sounds Like a Plan with Outsource and I’m Due completing the field. Leon Blue won in 1:41.34.
“That was an unlucky head bob,” Giddings said of Leon Blue’s June 4 race. “Chris rode the horse perfect; the horse was just a little sharp going his first two turns off the layoff. He was bound to be fresh, and I think he got a little tired on him late. We made a couple of equipment adjustments today – cut back the blinkers a little bit and he was fitter today to go the two turns, so we knew we were sitting in a good spot.
Elliott liked where Leon Blue put him every step of the 1 1/16 miles.
“I was really confident in my horse. He was fighting back, he’s a fighter. He really gave me everything he had,” said Elliott, winning his first race at the proper Saratoga meet. “It’s unreal, this is the place to be. I am very fortunate to have gotten all of the support here. I really appreciate all the trainers and everyone who has given me the opportunity.”
Leon Blue picked up $82,500 and boosted his bankroll to $184,200.
Alana’s Allure might have more future winners in the pipeline after her third foal, the New York-bred Vekoma colt now named Kirkwood sold for $300,000 to the late Christophe Clement at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale. Kirkwood shows three breezes on his worktab, including a half in :50.01 July 14 on the Belmont Park training track. Alana’s Allure is also the dam of a yearling filly by Tacitus and a weanling filly by Cyberknife, both bred in New York by Prudhomme and Gallivan.
