Klaravich Stables' Randomized cruised to a breakthrough win at the elite level Saturday when she led wire to wire to win the $600,000 Alabama (G1) for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.
Under Joel Rosario, the daughter of Nyquist trained by Chad Brown went to the lead at the start, shook off a bid on the turn from Defining Purpose, who chased her from second to midstretch, then easily held back the closing rally of favorite Wet Paint while rolling home to a comfortable four-length victory. Defining Purpose held on for third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Wet Paint.
Randomized returned $16.20 after covering 1¼ miles in 2:03.07. She set all the early fractions: clocking :23.45 for the opening quarter, :47.86 for the half mile, 1:12.33 for six furlongs, and 1:37.1 for the mile.
The win was the third from five career starts for Randomized, who earned her first stakes win in the Wilton on July 14 at the Spa following a sixth-place finish in the Acorn (G1) June 9 at Belmont in her graded stakes debut.
Randomized was bred in Kentucky by Cove Springs LLC. Her dam is the Elusive Quality mare French Passport. Klaravich Stables paid $420,000 for her at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Four Star Sales consigned her. With the $330,000 winner's share of the Alabama purse, her lifetime earnings increased to $465,850.
Alabama (G1) Quotes
Chad Brown, winning trainer of Randomized and eighth-place Fireline: “I wasn't real confident [about the 10 furlongs]. I was confident that she would run a real good race. I've got to give to owner Seth Klarman a lot of credit here. He kept looking at the race and looking at how fast the horse was and said, 'you should really consider this race.' I was really just going to rest her for the Cotillion at a mile and a sixteenth. As it got closer and I reported she was breezing well, I said, 'let's at least enter and look at the pace scenario.' We talked about it the other day and he said, 'if you're willing to do it, I have a good feeling about this.' He was right. He's a guy that's such a good partner of our stable and such an important guy in our industry – not only through all the commerce he does, but all the philanthropy. Seth's a great guy and may he and his wife really enjoy this win. They deserve it.”
On when he felt confident: “At the three-eighths pole, the horses behind her weren't running I didn't feel. I thought it was just between her and the horse stalking her. Wet Paint did run on and she was clearly a threat coming up the rail, but when I looked beyond her I didn't see anything running there. Even when she [Wet Paint] started running up the rail, I felt she wasn't moving as fast as I've seen her do on the outside of horses. I liked the fact that although she was coming, it was on the inside.”
On her Acorn effort: “I was very disappointed. I wasn't really discouraged because I knew how fast she had run. She had one of the highest figures early in the year for a 3-year-old filly. For quite a while, she had the fastest number. Going a mile or further, I think coming into the race – granted, they were both at a mile – she had the fastest two Ragozins of any 3-year-old filly on dirt going into the race. That doesn't mean she'll go a mile and a quarter, but she's at that top percentile of this crop. I was very disappointed after the Acorn. I regretted moving her up so far in class, but when she came up here and won Opening Weekend and the way she did it and the way she came back, I then realized how the Acorn wasn't representative of her. It was just a mistake by me and to just draw a line through it.”
On a start in the Grade 1 Cotillion on September 23 at Parx or the Grade 1 Spinster on October 8 at Keeneland: “I'm just going to enjoy this win. We didn't really look beyond it when we committed to give this a try. We took everything else off the table. The Cotillion is still in play, it's quite a ways away still. It's not that I wouldn't go there, but not a bad idea to think about Keeneland either.”
Joel Rosario, winning jockey aboard Randomized: “It looked like probably another horse was going to show speed and if that filly [No. 10, Defining Purpose] goes, I will try to sit second. And it looked like I went to the lead and [it's] a mile and a quarter, so just trying to get comfortable with her and let her find her stride – hopefully then one challenges me a little early then go from there.
“It was the plan. We thought maybe another horse would show speed, but the plan was maybe to go, and if that horse showed speed lay second, but I got the lead and could do it from there.
“She was moving so well, nice and easy all around, she's just a nice filly, but a mile and a quarter is a long ways, so you have to have something always for the end. It looked like she did it really easy. I asked her turning for home and it looked like she would just start running, so that was a really good performance.
“It looked like I was just easily moving at that point [the stretch]. I tend to look back a little bit to try and save something for next time.”
Brad Cox, trainer of runner-up Wet Paint: “I was proud of our filly's effort. She was maybe a little bit closer than I expected, but you know, given the trip – I loved the trip. I love where Flavien put her. I thought she responded when he asked her. She finished up well, second best today no excuses that I can see.”
On if he thought there would be more pressure on the pace: “Maybe so, a little bit more pace pressure. I need to watch the race before I say too much and watch the horses up front. I was kind of zeroed in on her, but based off what I saw there – she got a great trip and finished up and was just second best, bottom line.”
On if the distance got to her: “I don't think so. She stayed on well and I think she really handled the distance.”
Flavien Prat, jockey of runner-up Wet Paint: “I feel the winner got it pretty easy on the lead, but in the meantime I was a lot closer than we usually are. Naturally, she put herself closer in the race, I just feel I didn't have any excuse. Hats off to the winner, she was better today.
“Last time, she jumped well out of the gate and it felt like if I wanted to, I could get myself a little closer. Today, she jumped well and everybody was off the fence and I found myself there. I was pleased with it.”
Brian Hernandez, Jr., jockey of third-place Defining Purpose: “We had a good trip. She broke well from the outside and we tracked outside the winner the whole way. Turning for home, she made a good run at her, she just wasn't good enough today.
“Our filly is always forward. Looking at it on paper, it looked like there was going to be a little speed in the race but we weren't quite certain how much. Our filly left on good terms and put herself in the race right away, from there we had a pretty uneventful trip.”
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