Month: September 2023

Clement: Options For Flower Bowl Winner Parnac Include Breeders’ Cup, E.P. Taylor

Trainer Christophe Clement enjoyed his eighth stakes conquest of the Saratoga Race Course meet on Saturday when West Point Thoroughbreds and Dream With Me Stable's Parnac posted a gate-to-wire upset score in the Flower Bowl (G2).

Piloted by Dylan Davis, the 4-year-old French-bred daughter of Zarak was in control throughout the three-turn event and maintained her command in spite of a stretch surge from 2-5 favorite McKulick to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Parnac earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

Clement enjoyed previous Spa stakes success this meet with Roses for Debra, who stuck gold twice when capturing the Caress (G3) on July 22 and the Smart N Fancy on August 25 – both 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints – as well as Silver Skillet, who captured the August 16 Suzie O'Cain for New York-breds. Clement captured the John's Call on August 23 going 1 5/8 miles with Tawny Port. On the August 27 New York Showcase Day, he saddled a trio stakes winners in New Ginya [Yaddo], Drake's Passage [Albany] and fan-favorite City Man [West Point presented by Trustco Bank].

“They've been running very well. We've been winning sprinting, dirt, turf, mile and five-eights, so we've been all over the place,” Clement said. “We're extremely lucky to have great owners and a great team. I'm a lucky man.”

Parnac entered the Flower Bowl from a close third-place finish in the Robert Dick Memorial (G3) on July 1 going the Flower Bowl distance at Delaware Park which followed a victorious 11-furlong debut over Belmont's inner turf on June 11.

“She looked well this morning,” Clement said. “I'm delighted and still enjoying the win from yesterday. Dylan gave her a great ride on the lead. She's been improving all year long if you look back at her form. It's nice when it works out.”

Parnac could have plenty of options moving forward from her Flower Bowl triumph, where she earned an automatic entry into the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) in November at Santa Anita. The Filly and Mare Turf is among those options according to Clement, who also mentioned the $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya (G3) on October 7 going 11 furlongs at Belmont at the Big A, the E.P. Taylor (G1) on October 8 going 10 furlongs at Woodbine and the Long Island (G3) in November at Aqueduct Racetrack as potential targets.

“We'll enjoy this for a few more days and start thinking about her next start. There's the Breeders' Cup, the Waya, the Long Island, the E.P. Taylor. No need to make a decision now,” Clement said.

Clement also saddled Moyglare Stud Farm's Amazing Grace to a third-place finish in the Flower Bowl. The 5-year-old German bred Protectionist mare ran an even fourth throughout most of the running before making up ground to round out the trifecta and finished 1 1/2 lengths in arrears of her stablemate. She entered the Flower Bowl from a troubled third behind McKulick in the Glens Falls (G2) on August 3 going 1 1/2 miles at Saratoga.

“She also ran a really good race. A longer stretch would probably help her a little bit,” Clement said of Amazing Grace. “Her last two races I thought she ran really well, she was just a touch unlucky in both races because of the pace scenario yesterday and in the time before that she got squeezed at the three-eighths pole. She's a good mare and something good is going to happen. One day will be her day. I think a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half she's fine. She just needs pace and a clear trip.”

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‘We’re Finding The Right Spots For Him’: Stage Left Wires Monmouth’s Rumson

Veteran trainer David Jacobson said it only took a couple of “tweaks” to get Stage Left to the point he is now, eight starts after coming into his care.

The 7-year-old gelding emerged from a speed-filled opening quarter and survived everything his five rivals threw at him before going on to a one-length victory in Sunday's $100,000 Rumson Stakes at Monmouth Park.

The winning time for the five furlongs was :57.81.

The victory was the second stakes win and third win overall since the Kentucky-bred son of Congrats was transferred to Jacobson's barn.

“I got him from a very capable horseman (Mertkan Kantarmaci) over the winter,” said Jacobson. “He's just a very sound, very good horse, and when I got him he was in very good condition. I just tweaked a few things – not much – and I got him running good. We're finding the right spots for him.”

Ridden by Paco Lopez, Stage Left was involved in the early speed battle with Little Vic, Twisted Ride, and Feast through an opening quarter of :22.17. By the three-eighths, Lopez shot the rail and Stage Left, the 8-5 favorite, started to draw away. Spun and Won rallied from the back to get second, 1¼ lengths ahead of Twisted Ride.

“It's five furlongs. You don't want to be too far behind in case they go 23 (seconds) or slower for the first quarter,” said Lopez, the runaway leader in the jockey standings as he looks to collect his 10th Monmouth Park riding title. “He got out nicely and rated nicely. At five furlongs you're going to get pressure. You worry if it's 21 seconds and you're under pressure. But this was 22 seconds and change so I could do what I had to do with him. I didn't want to wait too long. He told me when he wanted to go and he did it very easily.”

The victory was the 11th in 38 career starts for Stage Left, pushing his career earnings to $612,483.

“Today was a little different change of pace for him going five-eighths. He's not use to that or the pressure he took today,” said Jacobson. “The instructions were just to get him out. It looked like everyone was feeling everyone else out in this race. The only one who had a plan was Paco Lopez. He's amazing.

“I think the Vosburgh Stakes (G2) (Sept. 30 in New York) is what we will point him to next. The horse will tell me by the way he acts and how he comes out this race.”

Stage Left was bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds, who sold him to Wesley Ward for $15,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. His dam is graded stakes winner Diva Delite, by Repent.

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Daughter of Outwork Remains Undefeated in Spinaway

It was always billed as a potential match race in Saratoga's closing weekend feature for the 2-year-old fillies. And so it came down to GIII Adirondack winner Brightwork (Outwork) and 'TDN Rising Star' Ways and Means (Practical Joke) in a stretch duel. In the end, experience won out and Brightwork kept her perfect record intact with a gusty effort to win Sunday's GI Spinaway S.

A flashy maiden winner at Keeneland over G2 Queen Mary S. winner Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), Brightwork earned her next win in stakes company with a half-length score in Ellis's Debutante S. July 2. She immediately moved up into graded-stakes company at Saratoga and was a no-doubt winner in a five-length roll to take the GIII Adironack S. Aug. 6. Drawn outside of her main rival in Sunday's contest, the 3-1 chance raced just ahead of Ways and Means up the backstretch with the pair coming into tight quarters as Flavian Prat had to check his filly back off of heels to avoid disaster. Sugar Hi (Twirling Candy) had a clear trip to the lead from an inside gate and led the compact group alongside Lemorian (Coal Front) through a quarter in :22.40. Brightwork stayed outside of that pair but was quickly joined by Ways and Means as the fillies went four across the track midway around the far turn as the half ticked by in a brisk :45.09. The top two wagering choices hit the quarter pole together but Brightwork always seemed to have the measure of the 1-2 favorite, turning back her challenge to pull out the win.

“There are really no words to describe it,” said winning owner Bill Simon of WSS Racing. “I'm so proud of Johnny and what he's done with the horse; Jared [Hughes], who picked her out; Daniel Ortiz, Johnny's brother, has been living up here with Brightwork for the summer and they deserve all the credit. It's just a phenomenal feeling. There were some great horses in this race trained by some great trainers, and we won. It's really special.”

“The horse beside me [No. 10, Lemorian], last time she broke from the one-hole at Indiana but she outbreak everybody and I know she's going to be quick,” added Irad Ortiz, Jr. “So, I say, maybe I let her go and stalk there and maybe I can bide my time and I know the horse I have to beat is the horse inside of me [Ways and Means]. That's what I tried to do and it worked out perfect.”

Pedigree Note:

Brightwork becomes the second-straight daughter of WinStar stallion Outwork to take the Spinaway following Leave No Trace's victory last year. She is out of a half-sister to several stakes winners but most notably to the dam of GSW/MGISP Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) and GISW and successful young sire Girvin (Tale of Ekati). Clarendon Fancy saw her yearling Volatile filly bring $285,000 at last month's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and she reported a Yaupon filly this spring.

Sunday, Saratoga
SPINAWAY S.-GI, $300,000, Saratoga, 9-3, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:23.17, ft.
1–BRIGHTWORK, 122, f, 2, by Outwork
                1st Dam: Clarendon Fancy, by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Catch My Fancy, by Yes It's True
                3rd Dam: Walk Away Rene, by Gold Alert
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($95,000 Wlg '21 FTKNOV). O-WSS Racing,
LLC; B-Wynnstay Inc. & H. Allen Poindexter (KY); T-John
Alexander Ortiz; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $165,000. Lifetime Record:
4-4-0-0, $444,051. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Ways and Means, 120, f, 2, by Practical Joke
                1st Dam: Strong Incentive (SW, $123,568),
                                by Warrior's Reward
                2nd Dam: G G's Dolly, by Comic Strip
                3rd Dam: Parfait, by Kingmambo
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK 
TYPE. 'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown. $60,000.
3–Wonder Ride, 120, f, 2, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Wonderment (GSW, $394,870),
                                by Cosmonaut
                2nd Dam: A Wonder She Is, by Three Wonders
                3rd Dam: Video Devil, by Devil's Bag
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. O-Walking L Thoroughbreds, LLC; B-Walking L
Thoroughbreds LLC & Fest Miles (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.
$36,000.
Margins: HF, 6 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 3.00, 0.45, 31.75.
Also Ran: Alys Beach, Closing Act, Sugar Hi, Lady Moscato, Lemorian, Miz Sense. Scratched: Becky's Joker.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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Alpine Princess Arrives Just in Time at Spa

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In their first two starts, at Saratoga Race Course, horses owned by Full of Run Racing finished last and last. Sunday, members of the Louisville-based partnership posed for pictures in the winner's enclosure with the 2-year-old filly Alpine Princess (Classic Empire) they co-own with Madaket Stables.

A few minutes later, managing partner Dann Glick said he was starting to breath normally again.

In her second career start, a seven-furlong maiden special weight contest, Alpine Princesss made a wide late run under Manny Franco and scored by a head over Nikitis (Audible). Three-quarters of a length back in the charge to the wire was Caitlinhergreatness (Omaha Beach), who was a neck in front of Snow Dance (Commissioner), the early pacesetter.

“We expect a lot from this filly, but to win like that was fun,” Glick said. “She looked like she wants to go longer. We don't have sprinters. We look for horses that will go forward.”

That's what trainer Brad Cox sees in the bay out of the Curlin mare Le Moine. Cox said she is likely headed to a stakes in Kentucky this fall.

Full of Run Racing was formed in 2004 as a claiming outfit, Glick said. The current version, Full of Run Racing Too, which has 22 members, has a different approach, stocking the roster through sales.

“I needed to keep building and we built and we bought more 2-year-olds this year than we ever have. More yearlings and 2-year-olds,” Glick said.

The stable has eight horses in training, six with Cox, who it has worked with since 2012. Madaket came in as a partner after Full of Run acquired Alpine Princess for $190,000 at Keeneland September.

“Loved her from the start,” Glick said.

Alpine Princess was prepped by the races at the de Meric training center in Florida.

“They loved her. They said she was really straightforward,” Glick said. “We got her to Brad and his team and they right away said that she's good, that they liked her. Brad liked her enough to bring her up here. So we were tickled.”

Alpine Princess ended up third, beaten 9 1/2 lengths in her debut on July 23 at Saratoga.

“She ran OK. She didn't get away as well as we'd hoped,” Cox said. “She showed a lot this summer in her works at Churchill. That's why we brought her up here. She's been pretty steady since that first run. The goal was to get away a little better. She did. I think she really showed today with her race, coming off the turn as wide as she did and getting up late that she's asking for more ground based off her pedigree. We're excited about her moving forward.”

Alpine Princess reached the wire in 1:24.05 and paid $8.90 to win.

“We were obviously excited about her this summer to bring her up here,” Cox said. “They've got to show you something to put them on a van to bring them to Saratoga. Hoping she comes out in good order and we can move forward. We're going to look at a stakes next. Not sure which one, but we'll see.”

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:24.05, ft, head.
ALPINE PRINCESS (f, 2, Classic Empire–Le Moine, by Curlin) raced greenly to be a well-beaten third in her six-furlong debut at Saratoga July 23. Sent off at 3-1, the bay filly rated off the pace behind fractions of :22.54 and :45.63. She ranged up six wide into the stretch and closed relentlessly down the lane to get up in the final jump to win by a head over Nikitis (Audible). Alpine Princess was a $190,000 KEESEP yearling. Le Moine, a half-sister to graded-placed Another Miracle (American Pharoah), has a yearling filly by Mitole and was bred to Game Winner this year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $70,350.
O-Full of Run Racing Two and Madaket Stables LLC; B-Betz/DJ Stables/Peter V. Lamantia/Classic Empire Syndicate (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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