Month: June 2022

Repole Stable's Fearless made his New York debut a winning one on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., coming from just off the pace under Luis Saez to capture the historic $400,000 Brooklyn Stakes, a mile and a half race that was first run at Gravesend racetrack in 1887.

Now a Grade 2 event, the Brooklyn's roster of winners reads like a Who's Who of the turf, ranging from Grey Lag and Exterminator in the 1920s to Discovery and Seabiscuit in the '30s, Whirlaway, Stymie, Gallorette and Assault in the '40s, Tom Fool in the '50s, Kelso, Buckpasser, Damascus and Nodouble in the '60s, and Riva Ridge and three-time winner Forego in the '70s. As speed replaced stamina as the apple of a Thoroughbred breeder's eyes beginning in the 1980s, the Brooklyn slipped in stature but remains one of the most important marathon races in North America. It has found a home on the undercard of the G1 Belmont Stakes, run at the same 12-furlong distance as the Triple Crown's final leg.

In this year's running, Fearless – a 6-year-old gelding by Ghostzapper out of the Street Cry mare, And Why Not – covered the demanding distance on a fast track in 2:30.45, winning by 2 3/4 lengths and paying $9.30 to win. Warrant finished second by a neck ahead of 7-5 favorite Lone Rock, who won the 2021 Brooklyn by 11 1/4 lengths. Portos finished fourth, with pacesetter First Constitution fifth in the field of seven.

Fearless, Portos and First Constitution are all trained by Todd Pletcher, who was winning the Brooklyn for the fifth time. Repole Stable was winning the Brooklyn for the second time after Pletcher-trained Coach Inge's victory in 2015.

Fearless began his career racing for the partnership of WinStar Farm and China Horse Club after being purchased as a yearling for $725,000. Trained by Pletcher he won 4-of-9 starts including the G2 Gulfstream Park Mile. Repole Stables purchased the horse from Fasig-Tipton's July Horses of Racing Age Sale for $205,000 in 2021, and he's never finished worse than second in seven subsequent starts, including victories in the G3 Harlan's Holiday and G3 Ghostzapper, both at Gulfstream Park.

Despite being in New York-based Pletcher's barn since his winning debut going six furlongs in December 2019, Fearless has never raced in the Empire State, his starts coming at Gulfstream Park, Fair Grounds, Oaklawn and Pimlico. He exited a runner-up performance April 23 in the G2 Oaklawn Handicap in Arkansas. The Brooklyn was also the longest he's competed, his previous races never going beyond 1 3/16 miles when third in the G3 Pimlico Special in 2021.

 “We anticipated he'd handle the distance,” said Pletcher. “Of course, you never know until you try it, but he's always given us that impression that he would keep grinding it out

“The track appears to be inside-speed favoring, but they've only run three dirt races all around one turn, so you don't want to get ahead of yourself. We drew post 7 with Fearless and we wanted to be in good tactical position and sacrificed some ground to do so.”

Saez had Fearless in the clear while three wide throughout the Brooklyn while just off the pace set by First Constitution and jockey Jose Lezcano. Lone Rock and Ramon Vazquez raced in between those two as First Constitution set fractions of :24.94, :50.06, 1:15.15 and 1:39.41 for the opening mile.

Those same three horses raced as a team rounding the far turn through 1 1/4 miles in 2:04.29. Turning into the stretch while still on the outside, Fearless edged to the front, increasing his margin in the final furlong.

“That was the plan to try to sit third behind the speed and he ran his race and got the job done,” said Saez. “He's way better going longer. We always thought he would like more distance. Today was perfect and he kept running.”

“The horse can go six furlongs to a mile and a half,” said owner Mike Repole. “He's a gelding, so as long as he's healthy he's going to be around awhile. He's a fun horse to own.

“What we do is we look at all our horses, put them in their spots, and whatever spots are left over, we throw Fearless in there and he fits in competitively,” Repole added.

“I owned Caixa Eletronica years ago, one of my favorites. He was a son of the most obscure stallion. He went six furlongs, he went longer distances, he did it all. This horse reminds me a lot of that horse.”

Pletcher said the G2 Suburban at 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park on July 9 “could be in play” for Fearless' next start.

 

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Tracking a quick early pace, Regal Glory unleashed a torrid closing rush in the stretch and won the $500,000 Longines Just a Game Stakes (G1) Saturday at Belmont Park.

The 6-year-old Animal Kingdom mare was one of a trio of runners, including In Italian and even-money favorite Speak of the Devil, trained by Chad Brown for owner Peter Brant, whose 1980 champion turf mare is the race's namesake.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Regal Glory was the star of the threesome Saturday, drawing away to win by 3 ½ lengths and finishing the one-mile race for older fillies and mares in a swift 1:32 on turf rated as firm.

Ortiz bided his time on Regal Glory, who relaxed several lengths back in third while Leggs Galore clocked quick fractions of 22:25 and :45.53 through a half mile with Regal Glory's stablemate In Italian in closest pursuit. Speak of the Devil was slow to start, trailed, and was never a factor.

Regal Glory edged closer around the turn and eagerly responded when Ortiz roused her nearing the quarter pole, where In Italian grabbed a short-lived advantage when Leggs Galore faded.

Uncoiling a ground-devouring stride, Regal Glory easily overtook In Italian with a furlong to run, shook clear, and had plenty of energy to get the win as Wakanaka, the longest shot in the field at 15-1, closed willingly to take second. Italian held for third, 1 ¼ lengths back in the field of five.

“She ran really well and was game to get the lead. Regal Glory is a very, very special mare,” Brant said after the race.

Regal Glory returned $4.80 as the 7-5 second choice.

In two previous attempts to win the Just a Game, Regal Glory was fourth both times, last year and in 2020. She is unbeaten in three starts this year, taking the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland April 16 and the TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational (G3) January 29 at Gulfstream Park, both at 1 1/16 miles.

“I was never concerned [about cutting back to one turn in the Just a Game],” Brown said. “I knew she likes Belmont and she's a versatile horse, especially when there's some pace in front of her.

“The first day I met him [owner Peter Brant] and I saw the trophy at his house and it was from Just a Game–it was the first thing I noticed. We had a conversation about it, and I said this is the one race I'm going to win for you one day. We got to talking about it this week. It's meant a lot to him, this race.

“My team working with her, her maturity; Mr. Brant making the call to race her this year was a brilliant move. It was really one of those situations where she's in her prime right now and some horses catch their peak window at different ages. For this horse, it's been at age 6.”

Overall, Regal Glory has a 12-4-0 record from 19 career starts, including her breakthrough Grade 1 win in the Matriarch Stakes (G1) last November at Del Mar, and $2,111,009 in earnings.

“She was headed to the breeding shed at the end of last year,” Brown said. “I told Mr. Brant, 'There's this Pegasus race, let's just send her down to Florida, run her, then breed her.' At first, it was my idea to run her there and then breed her. But then when she won, it was his idea to keep going.”

Ortiz said Regal Glory means a lot to him.

“It's very nice to ride a mare like this and she's getting better with age, but all the credit goes to Peter and Chad for keeping her in training. They could have bred her. She was supposed to go to Into Mischief and they waited one more year and it's paid off.

“I knew the [#1 horse, Leggs Galore] was going to go to the lead, but [Regal Glory] ran very good. I'm very happy.”

Joel Rosario aboard runner-up Wakanaka, said: “She ran well. She was coming and coming, but the winner was too tough. She ran her race and did everything I asked her to do. Too bad we couldn't get to the winner. She ran too good.”

Brant said that champion turf mare Just a Game was “special, very special. She was great mare. It's so nice having a race named after her and an honor to win this race.”

Regal Glory was bred in Kentucky by Paul Pompa. Her dam is the More Than Ready mare Mary's Follies.

The post Regal Glory Storms To Victory In Just A Game On Third Attempt appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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