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Victim Of Love Upsets Come Dancing In Belmont’s Vagrancy

Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love, expertly handled by Jose Lezcano, used a prominent trip to upset Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The Vagrancy was the first of four graded stakes on a loaded 11-race card that also includes the Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game for fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf; the Grade 2, $150,000 True North, for 4-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs; and the Grade 2, $250,000 New York at 1 ¼ miles on Belmont Park's inner turf.

Trained by Todd Beattie, two-time stakes winner Victim of Love headed into Saturday's test making just her second attempt in a graded event, having previously run second in the Grade 3 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie two starts back in February at Laurel Park.

Jakarta took command out of the gate as a heavy rain commenced at Belmont Park with Victim of Love, longest shot on the board at 27-1, urged into contention at her hip through an opening quarter mile in 22.47 seconds on the fast and harrowed main track.

Grade 1-winner Come Dancing, the 4-5 mutuel favorite, settled in fourth position in the early running as Jakarta continued to dictate the pace, posting a half-mile in 45.29 under constant pressure from Victim of Love.

Lezcano put Victim of Love to the lead late in the turn as Come Dancing launched a wide bid with Pacific Gale following suit. Come Dancing surged into contention but Victim of Love continued to find more as Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano angled the favorite for an inside run to no avail. Confidently handled and much the best, Victim of Love made the grade by 1 ¾-lengths in a final time of 1:16.27.

Come Dancing held second by 4 ¼-lengths over Pacific Gale. Jakarta, Royal Charlotte and Chalon rounded out the order of finish. Mother Mother was scratched.

Lezcano said Victim of Love was engaged throughout.

“The trainer told me to break and try to keep her busy. She broke a little bit behind, but with a tap on the shoulder, she jumped right there on the bridle,” said Lezcano. “When I asked her, she really took off. My filly kept going the whole way around and never stopped. She gave me everything she had.”

Castellano, who guided Come Dancing to victory in the 2019 Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga, said he was pleased with his mare's effort.

“It was her second start of the year. I'm not disappointed. The horse on the lead was much the best today. I think that the track is playing a little bit to speed. The rain didn't bother her at all. I'm looking forward to a big race next time.”

Victim of Love, a $160,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, captured the Island Fashion at Sunland Park last year and the What A Summer in January at Laurel Park. Out of the Grade 2-winning mare Spacy Tracy, Victim of Love is a full-sister to Grade 2-winner Benner Island.

Bred in Kentucky by Daniel J. Burke, Victim of Love banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to 15-5-2-2. She paid $56 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a nine-race card headlined by the $100,000 Bouwerie, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-bred sophomore fillies in Race 8 at 5:04 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

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Midnight Bisou Back to Her Best GII Fleur de Lis

Champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) was back to her best form Saturday at Churchill Downs, winning the GII Fleur de Lis H. with ease in her first start back on U.S. soil since finishing an ultra-game second in the Saudi Cup in February. GI Kentucky Oaks victress Serengeti Empress (Alternation) jetted straight to the lead, while favored Midnight Bisou bided her time back in mid-pack through a brisk :23.18 first quarter. Inched closer by Mike Smith, Midnight Bisou moved up into third, while still several lengths off the pacesetter, as the half went in :46.15. Charging up on the leader’s outside entering the far turn, the Eclipse winner rocketed past Serengeti Empress at the top of the lane and effortlessly cruised clear under a motionless Smith to win for fun. Motion Emotion (Take Charge Indy) held second with Another Broad (Include) in third and Serengeti Empress faded to fourth. With her victory in the Fleur de Lis, Midnight Bisou secured a spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November.

“She’s a really special mare,” said Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. “To come back, in that sort of style, is just tremendous. She has such an amazing talent and such a great relationship with Mike. She beat a wonderful-looking group of mares. We have nothing but respect towards them.”

Smith expressed similar sentiments, saying, “She’s just an amazing mare. I actually had took the lead a little before I wanted to. We were planning on laying a little bit closer but the way Serengeti Empress was winging it on the front end we were a little further back. She’s just incredibly special.”

Midnight Bisou captured six of her seven starts last term, including the GI Apple Blossom H., GI Ogden Phipps S. and GI Personal Ensign S. She prepped for the Breeders’ Cup with a facile score in Belmont’s GII Beldame Invitational S. in September and finished 1 1/2 lengths shy of Blue Prize (Arg) (Pure Prize) when second in the Distaff at Santa Anita Nov. 2. Scratched from the Fasig-Tipton November sale to stay in training another season, Midnight Bisou was a never-in-doubt winner of the Eclipse Award for top older dirt female. Making her seasonal bow in the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup Feb. 29, the dark bay rallied up the rail to finish a valiant second to fellow champion Maximum Security (New Year’s Day).

Pedigree Notes:

Midnight Bisou is the only Eclipse winner by Midnight Lute and is one of four Grade I winners, 13 graded winners and 33 black-type winners for that Hill ‘n’ Dale stallion. Her Grade III-winning dam Diva Delite summoned $1.2 million from David Redvers at last term’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale, carrying a foal by Justify. The 13-year-old mare also has an unraced 3-year-old colt named Warrior in Charge (Warrior’s Reward); a juvenile filly by Wicked Strong; and a yearling colt by Pioneerof the Nile.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
FLEUR DE LIS S.-GII, $200,000, Churchill Downs, 6-27, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:48.99, ft.
1–MIDNIGHT BISOU, 124, m, 5, by Midnight Lute
1st Dam: Diva Delite (GSW, $300,067), by Repent
2nd Dam: Tour Hostess, by Tour d’Or
3rd Dam: Counsel’s Gal, by High Counsel
($19,000 RNA Ylg ’16 KEESEP; $80,000 2yo ’17 OBSAPR).
O-Bloom Racing Stable, LLC (Jeffrey Bloom), Madaket Stables
LLC & Allen Racing LLC.; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Mike E. Smith. $121,520. Lifetime
Record: Ch. Older Dirt Female & MGISW, 21-13-5-3,
$7,371,520. Werk Nick Rating: D+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Motion Emotion, 120, f, 4, Take Charge Indy–Golden Motion,
by Smart Strike. ($55,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Abbondanza
Racing, LLC, Mark DeDomenico LLC & Medallion Racing;
B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Richard Baltas. $39,200.
3–Another Broad, 120, m, 5, Include–Dynamic Deputy, by
Deputy Minister. ($340,000 4yo ’19 KEENOV). O-Farfellow
Farm, Ltd.; B-Fitzhugh, LLC (MD); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $19,600.
Margins: 8 1/4, 1HF, HF. Odds: 0.50, 34.00, 25.90.
Also Ran: Serengeti Empress, Red Dane (Ity), Go Google Yourself, Chocolate Kisses.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Street Sense Colt Cazadero Punctual Favorite In Bashford Manor

Odds-on favorite Cazadero reaffirmed his dazzling 8 3/4-length debut win with another impressive performance at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in Saturday's 119th running of the $100,000 Bashford Manor (Grade III), beating County Final by 4 3/4 lengths while running six furlongs in 1:09.73.

Sent to post as the 2-5 favorite in a field of seven 2-year-olds, Stonestreet Stables' homebred Cazadero tracked pacesetter County Final, who blitzed his way to the front through swift fractions of a :21.24 and :45.12. Off the turn, jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. shook the reins on Cazadero, who quickly drew even with the leader at the three-sixteenths pole and asserted himself in deep stretch for the comfortable victory.

“He is an incredibly nice horse,” Santana said. “We sat in a really good spot today and was very comfortable. He kept finding his stride throughout the stretch.”

It was the record sixth Bashord Manor win for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who previously won the juvenile event with Lunarpal (2004), Kodiak Kowboy (2007), Kantharos (2010), Cinco Charlie (2014) and Sir Truebadour (2018).

“He's been a very fast horse in his training and handled everything very well today,” Asmussen said.

Cazadero's triumph was worth $60,760 and increased his bankroll to $106,160 with a perfect record in two starts. His debut win came May 29 at Churchill Downs in a five-furlong maiden special weight.

Cazadero is a 2-year-old son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense out of the Forest Wildcat mare Wild Gams. He was bred in Kentucky by his owner Barbara Banke of Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC.

“He was a later foal (born May 8, 2018) but we knew he was wickedly fast,” Banke said. “He grew up on our farm and has showed that speed in his two starts.”

Cazadero returned $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10. County Final, under James Graham at 16-1, paid $6.80 and $4.80 and finished 1 ¾ lengths in front of Herd Immunity who paid $4.60 to show under Brian Hernandez Jr. at 12-1.

Hulen, Hyperfocus, Gatsby and Crown and Coke completed the order of finish.

First run in 1902, the Bashford Manor is named for the former Louisville Thoroughbred breeding and racing farm that dominated the American racing scene in the early 1900s. George J. Long, a wealthy foundry owner, purchased Bashford Manor Farm in 1887 and developed his Thoroughbred operation that provided him two Derby wins as an owner, 1892 (Azra) and 1906 (Sir Huon), and three as a breeder, 1892 (Azra), 1899 (Manuel) and 1906 (Sir Huon). In addition, Bashford Manor also won the Kentucky Oaks in 1894 (Selika) and 1915 (Kathleen). The original Wilder family owned Bashford Manor. The Wilders were direct descendants of Lord Baltimore, whose English home was also called Bashford Manor. Long died in 1930 and the farm was eventually sold in 1973 to make way for the development of a mall complex, fittingly named Bashford Manor, that formally closed in 2003.

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Pub in the Paddock at Newbury on Derby Day

Newbury has created ‘Pub in the Paddock’, a pop-up for guests to watch the July 4 G1 Investec Derby. As well as the Derby, the Oaks will also be shown along with two live Premier League matches next Saturday. Tables and chairs will be set at socially-distanced levels, and the bars will be accepting only cashless payments. Tickets were free, but all available for a maximum attendance of 300 have already been reserved.

Harriet Collins, Newbury’s head of public relations, said, “With beer gardens opening, we felt that it was a bit of an opportunity because we have outdoor space and we can do it in a socially-distanced way. It’s a chance for some of our members who have been starved of live sport to enjoy the Derby with some friends, and we’re hopeful that in the not too distant future we can start to welcome back owners, sponsors and customers.

“We’re not in breach of any guidelines and we’re viewing it as a chance to gain some revenue in very uncertain times, as well as easing a bit of pressure on local business. They may have to bring a brolly, but we’ve got the big screens, people will be safe and at the same time catch up with friends and family.”

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