Bobby Flay's Kentucky homebred Pizza Bianca stamped her ticket to Royal Ascot with an off-the-pace score in Friday's Hilltop at Pimlico Race Course.
Trained by Christophe Clement, the Fastnet Rock sophomore rallied from 16 lengths off the pace under Jose Ortiz to notch a 1 3/4-length score in the one-mile Hilltop.
Clement said Pizza Bianca, who entered the Hilltop from a runner-up effort in the Memories of Silver in her seasonal debut in April at Aqueduct, will now point to the Group 1 Coronation at one mile on June 17 at Ascot.
“I thought she ran well. She had a nice trip and settled well,” Clement said. “We'll see how she comes out of it and the plan is to go to the Coronation at Ascot. It's obviously a very ambitious goal, but why not? If we go, we'll do our best.”
The dark bay graduated at first asking in July at Saratoga and followed with a runner-up effort to Wild Beauty in the Grade 1 Natalma in September at Woodbine. Pizza Bianca completed her 2-year-old campaign with a half-length score in the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar to provide Clement with his first Breeders' Cup win.
Clement said the trip to Pimlico was a perfect spot for Pizza Bianca to prepare for Ascot after her runner-up effort in the Memories of Silver.
“It was four weeks from the race at Aqueduct and four weeks to the Coronation. Also, it was a mile and the Coronation is run at a mile so it made sense,” Clement said.
Clement has a pair of speedy colts in Slipstream and Big Invasion nominated to the $100,000 Paradise Creek, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for sophomores slated for May 29 at Belmont but only Big Invasion will make the race.
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Big Invasion, by Declaration of War, captured the five-furlong Texas Glitter in March over the Gulfstream green ahead of a two-length score in the William Walker on May 4 at Churchill Downs.
“I thought his race at Churchill was very impressive. He's a very good sprinter and he's very fast. We're going to figure out if he can get seven-eighths,” Clement said.
Big Invasion breezed a half-mile in 49.41 Sunday over the Belmont inner turf.
Jump Sucker Stable's Slipstream, by More Than Ready, has breezed back three times at Belmont since his three-quarter length score over Twilight Gleaming in the Palisades going 5 1/2-furlongs over good Keeneland turf in April.
Clement said Slipstream, who worked a half-mile in 50.95 Sunday over the Belmont inner turf, will instead target the Group 1 Commonwealth at six furlongs on June 17 at Ascot.
“It was a very good work and the plan is to go to Ascot,” Clement said.
Clement also indicated that he is preparing Miss J McKay [Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental on June 10] and Gufo [Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan on June 11] for starts during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that spans June 9 – 11.
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