John Grossi's Racing Corp.'s Maiden Beauty rounded out a five-win year with a gate-to-wire conquest in Thursday's $100,000 Bay Ridge for New York-bred fillies and mares going nine furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The 5-year-old Revolutionary bay mirrored her last winning effort from 11 days ago, where she defeated open company at a one-turn mile at Aqueduct.
Despite the short rest, Maiden Beauty still displayed winning ways with Kendrick Carmouche aboard for the fourth straight time.
“She came back out of the race really good,” trainer Robert Falcone, Jr. said. “The way she ran, that's how she acts around the barn – she's laid back and relaxed, but once she gets the lead just goes around there. That's how she acts. She wasn't blowing after that race, cooling out. She actually had more energy than she usually does the next few days when we took her back into training. We knew this race was coming up light and we decided to take a shot.”
Maiden Beauty broke sharp from post 2, leading the five-horse field through opening fractions of 24.74 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.76 for the half-mile with stakes-winner Ice Princess tracking to her outside in second.
Around the far turn, Jose Lezcano started to get busy aboard Ice Princess while Carmouche remained patient. In upper stretch, Carmouche asked his filly for more run with Ice Princess looming to her outside. Maiden Beauty never relinquished in the stretch drive, crossing the wire a 3 ¾-length winner in a final time of 1:51.76 over the sloppy and sealed main track.
Ice Princess finished three-quarter lengths to the better of third-place finisher Sharp Star. Byhubbyhellomoney and Amity Island completed the order of finish.
Maiden Beauty scored her first stakes triumph since taking the Lynbrook at Belmont Park in July 2018 in her career debut when trained by Gary Contessa.
This year proved to be Maiden Beauty's most successful season in racing, sporting a consistent ledger of 10-5-3-1, which included a second-place finish in the Saratoga Dew in August at the Spa. She now brags an overall record of 35-9-6-4 with a bankroll of $628,912.
Maiden Beauty returned $8.60 for a $2 win wager as the third choice in the field.
“That filly always runs one way for me – she runs really good on the lead,” Carmouche said. “The question today was going to be the mile and an eighth coming back so quick, but with a short field I pretty much dominated the race from the beginning. She did most of the work. She ran awesome. I'm just glad she got to repeat that effort off of the flat mile race [on December 19]. Rob brought her into the race good and I'm very happy that we went in this spot and made us all a winner before the first of the year.”
Falcone, Jr. tipped his hat to owner John Grossi, and said he had considered waiting a few more days to race Maiden Beauty in Sunday's seven-furlong $100,000 La Verdad for New York-bred fillies and mares.
“John Grossi is a really great owner. I said we could run in this race after she came back good, but she may not run until February after this. I don't like running horses back that quick, usually,” Falcone, Jr. said. “He's an amazing owner and I'm happy he won this race. He puts money into the game. He breeds horses. He has horses in Florida and he sent horses out to California last year. He's into claiming and a really good guy for the game to have. I'm happy to win a stakes with him.
“We were thinking about the La Verdad as well, but she's just completely different on the lead,” Falcone, Jr. added. “It's just that simple with her. If you look at her past performances – and now you can add this one on – the last five times she won, she's on the lead.”
Bred in New York by Sandy Glenn Stables, Maiden Beauty is out of the Eddington mare Alpha Charlie.
Live racing resumes on December 31 at the Big A with an eight-race program, featuring the $100,000 Alex M. Robb [Race 7, 3:36 p.m.] for New York-bred 3-year-olds and upward travelling nine furlongs over the main track. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.
America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
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