Month: September 2023

Arnmore Thoroughbreds and Even Keel Thoroughbreds' undefeated graded stakes-winner Gala Brand puts her perfect record on the line in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

The Miss Grillo, carded as Race 5, is one of two Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” races slated for Sunday's 10-race card, and offers the winner automatic entry to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 3 at Santa Anita Park. The card also features the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim in Race 7, which offers automatic entry into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

Gala Brand, a chestnut daughter of Violence, was last seen scoring her first stakes coup when defeating males in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on August 31 at Saratoga Race Course, rerouting to that race after the P.G. Johnson was rained off the turf the day prior. Ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz, Gala Brand showed a strong turn of foot when rallying from last-of-7 in the 1 1/16-mile test, getting up just in time with an eight-wide move to best Carson's Run by a half-length. Carson's Run exited that race to win the Grade 1 Summer at Woodbine.

The With Anticipation victory gave Mott his second stakes victory in as many days that week at Saratoga, adding to a win the day prior with Magic Cross when the aforementioned P.G. Johnson was moved to the main track. Luckily for Gala Brand, Arnmore Thoroughbreds' CEO Megan Jones had encouraged Mott to nominate the filly to both the P.G. Johnson and the With Anticipation.

“She seems to be doing well,” said Mott. “It couldn't have worked out better this summer with her and Magic Cross. It was a great couple of days. Megan made sure we were nominated for both races and had that option. She was very smart.”

Gala Brand, who won her debut in similar fashion on August 6 sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs, has worked back twice since her breakout victory, most recently covering a half-mile in 50.85 seconds Saturday over Saratoga Oklahoma dirt training track.

A $30,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Gala Brand is out of the multiple graded/group stakes-winning Lord of England mare Olorda and is a half-sister to the stakes-placed James Aloysius.

Ortiz retains the mount from post 8.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will have three chances to secure his third win in this event as he saddles maiden winner Life's an Audible [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and the maiden pair of Appellate [post 1, Trevor McCarthy] and Later Darling [post 10, Dylan Davis].

Repole Stable's Life's an Audible enters from a rallying 1 1/4-length graduation at second asking on September 2 at Saratoga. The chestnut was 4 1/2 lengths back in fourth at the stretch call, but displayed a strong closing kick under Irad Ortiz, Jr. to inch clear down the lane and secure the victory. The effort garnered a 75 Beyer Speed Figure, a marked improvement from her debut in a one-mile off-the-turf event where she was given a 22 Beyer for a distant fourth-place finish.

Pletcher said he had originally considered the six-furlong Grade 3 Matron on October 8 here, but decided to try stretching Life's an Audible out for the Miss Grillo. Her sire, the Pletcher-trained New York-bred Audible, was a multiple graded stakes-winner on dirt at distances up to nine furlongs, while her broodmare sire, Data Link, was a multiple graded stakes-winner on turf up to nine furlongs.

“She stepped up nicely on the grass, although it was only five and a half [furlongs],” Pletcher said of her debut. “She seems to really enjoy the grass, so we'll see if she handles the mile and a sixteenth.”

Medallion Racing, Omar Aldabbagh, CMNWLTH, Mark Stanton, Lennie Rhoades and Barry Fowler's Appellate was defeated a head in both of her starts this summer at the Spa, most recently in a September 3 maiden tilt going the Miss Grillo distance. There, she tracked the pace a close second through the first half-mile and dueled with Weigh the Risks from the top of the stretch to the wire to come up just shy and garner a 62 Beyer.

The dark bay daughter of Constitution came from off the pace in her July 23 debut and briefly led in the stretch, but was nailed by returning foe Hard to Justify at the wire.

“We'll take a shot. If she had won by a nose, we'd be doing it,” said Pletcher. “I thought she ran well enough to earn a chance. In fairness, she ran hard and got beat by a couple of nice fillies it looked like.”

Appellate was a $250,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Grand Slam mare Leigh Court, the 2013 Sovereign Award-winner for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in Canada.

J and J Stables, It's All About the Girls Stable, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch's Later Darling finished a neck back of Appellate in the aforementioned September 3 maiden, closing from 9th-of-10 to secure show honors 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Sensing Flatter. The More Than Ready grey improved from a closing fourth in a key August 6 maiden that saw second and third-place finishers Weigh the Risks and It's Hot in Here graduate next out.

The $175,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase is out of the winning Rockport Harbor mare Froyo Star, a half-sister to the three-time Grade 1-winning millionaire Sweet Reason, as well as You Laughin, the dam of Group 1-winer Zenden.

R. T Racing Stable and Victoria's Ranch's Camila T [post 6, Carlos Olivero] was an impressive winner on debut for trainer Juan Avila, dominating a five-furlong maiden tilt on August 19 at Monmouth Park by 13 lengths. The Irish-bred No Nay Never bay led at each point of call under returning rider Carlos Olivero and drew off strongly down the lane to complete the course in 57.88 seconds. She was awarded a field-best 90 Beyer for the win.

Camila T sold for $115,309 at the 2022 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale and boasts a strong female family, with second dam being dual Group 1-winner Imagine. Along with Camila T's dam, the unraced War Front mare Just Imagining, Imagine has produced Group 1 winners Horacio Nelson and Van Gogh, Group 2-winner Viscount Nelson, graded stakes-winner Point Piper, and multiple group-placed Red Rock Canyon.

Completing the field are the stakes-placed Dancing Spirit [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche] for owner/trainer Adam Rice; maiden winners Sierra Sky [post 9, Javier Castellano] for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, Memorialize [post 7, Manny Franco] for trainer Graham Motion, Gold Lightning [post 4, Joel Rosario] for conditioner Brad Cox; the pair of debut winner Hard to Justify [post 2, Flavien Prat] and maiden Steel Lute [post 12, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Chad Brown; and the Cherie DeVaux-trained maiden Whimsically [post 11, Junior Alvarado].

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of Belmont at the Big A on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will team up with Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable with a pair of formidable contestants in maiden winner Agate Road and stakes-placed Triple Espresso for Sunday's 45th running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim for juveniles going 1 1/16 miles over the outer turf at Belmont at the Big A.

The Pilgrim, which honors the late Joseph Widener's winner of the 1919 Remsen, is carded as Race 7 and is a “Win And You're In” qualifier, offering an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on November 3 at Santa Anita Park. Sunday's program will also co-feature the Pilgrim's sister race in Race 5 – the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, which boasts “Win And You're In” status for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

Three of the last seven winners of the Pilgrim went on to capture the Juvenile Turf, including Oscar Performance [2016], Structor [2019] and Fire At Will [2020].

Agate Road made his debut on the main track, finishing a late-closing second beaten a nose to Trade Imbalance in an off-the-turf maiden special weight on August 5 going one mile at Saratoga Race Course. The bay son of Quality Road switched surfaces for his next effort on September 2 at the Spa, where he was placed toward the rear, went seven wide exiting the far turn and avoided a traffic jam when ninth at the stretch call, but was able to secure a neck victory.

Following his maiden score, Agate Road worked twice over the Oklahoma training track most recently covering a half-mile in 49.95 seconds on Sunday.

Pletcher will seek his third consecutive, and sixth overall, Pilgrim coup after saddling last year's winner Major Dude and 2021 victor Annapolis.

“His last breeze was very good. He's training well and came out of his race in good order,” said Pletcher, whose other Pilgrim winners include Seabhac [2017], Eskendereya [2009] and The Leopard [2007]. “He got a very wide trip, which maybe turned out to be a blessing with all that was going on at the eighth pole. Turning for home, I thought he had way too much to do, and he really kicked in late. He's had a little bit of experience, so hopefully that pays dividends.”

Bred in Kentucky by CHC, Inc., Agate Road was bought for $650,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the Grade 1-winning Gemologist mare Yellow Agate, who captured the 2016 Frizette over the Belmont main track.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. also will pursue his third straight Pilgrim win, and will guide Agate Road from post 3.

While Agate Road looks to build on his winning ways, Triple Espresso will seek his first trip to the winner's circle after a late-closing runner-up effort on debut in the Kitten's Joy on September 9 going the Pilgrim distance at Colonial Downs. The bay colt was 12th-of-13 from the start to the stretch call, but launched a devastating rally in deep stretch to finish second beaten 1 1/4 lengths and authoritatively galloped out past the victorious Tok Tok.

A victory would provide Triple Espresso's freshman sire Omaha Beach with his first graded stakes winner. He is out of the Indian Charlie mare Natural Rush, whose dam was multiple graded stakes-winner and multiple Grade 1-placed millionaire Lu Ravi. Triple Espresso was acquired for $350,000 from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables.

Jose Ortiz, who piloted 2016 winner Oscar Performance, will ride from post 7.

Trainer Christophe Clement will be in pursuit of his first Pilgrim conquest when sending out two-time starting maiden Spirit Prince [post 9, Joel Rosario], who was a last out third in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on August 31 at Saratoga.

The gray son of Cairo Prince raced an even fourth along the hedge and in behind horses and was five wide in pursuit at the top of the stretch, but could not stave off the outside rallies from one-two finishers Gala Brand and Carson's Run. Gala Brand, a filly, is entered in the Miss Grillo, and Carson's Run was a next out winner of the Grade 1 Summer on September 16 at Woodbine Racetrack.

Spirit Prince sported blinkers for the first time in the With Anticipation, which came following a runner-up effort at the Spa where he finished a half-length in arrears to Noted – the next-out winner of the main-track Sapling at Monmouth Park.

“It was a good race. He's had two starts and he ran well both of those times,” Clement said. “He's a touch immature and the blinkers were to allow him to mature. There wasn't a huge difference, but it seemed to help him a little bit.”

Purchased for $110,000 out of the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Spirit Prince is out of the Curlin mare Dottie's Spirit. He is owned by Oakwood Stables, Scott D. Krase, Donarra Thoroughbreds, Kenneth G. Beitz and Gail P. Beitz.

Starlight Racing and Mark B. Grier's Fulmineo [post 8, Flavien Prat] enters from a triumphant turf debut at Colonial Downs for trainer Arnaud Delacour.

The son of second crop sire Bolt d'Oro made his career debut in July going 5 1/2 furlongs over the Delaware Park main track, finishing third behind next-out Grade 1 Hopeful winner Nutella Fella. He tried turf and two turns for the first time next out at Colonial Downs, coming from seventh-to-eighth early on to win by 2 1/4 lengths.

Bred in Maryland by Country Life Farm and Starr of Quality LLC, Fulmineo is out of the stakes-winning First Dude mare Starr of Quality and is a direct descendant of Reine de course mares Natashka, Vagrancy and Frizette.

Shadwell Stable's Kentucky homebred Tifareeh [post 4, Declan Cannon] enters from a triumphant turf debut on September 3 going one mile at Kentucky Downs. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the Speightstown bay was a distant eighth as the favorite on debut at Ellis Park before making the surface switch and winning by 3 3/4 lengths.

Tifareeh is out of the Tapit mare Azm, whose dam is dual Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Marketing Mix.

Completing the field are two-time starting maiden Liam's Journey [post 1, Manny Franco] for trainer Mike Maker, four-length maiden winner Tropandhagen [post 2, Tyler Conner] for trainer Dimitrios Synnefias, the Linda Rice-trained last-out maiden winner B D Saints [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche], and Carem Stables' Grade 3 With Anticipation fourth-place finisher Get Spooled [post 6, Jose Lezcano] for Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of Belmont at the Big A on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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