Munnings Filly Sprints To Astoria Victory

Closing Act (Munnings) put it all together here to secure the first black-type victory of her young career in the Astoria S. as the 3-5 favorite.

A step slow on debut May 11 beneath the Twin Spires, she showed a good turn of foot in the lane to run down rivals for a neck win over an experienced rival. Brushing with Living Magic after leaving the blocks, she was urged along to keep pace from the outside of rivals and went as far as four wide into the final bend. Gaining ground steadily to launch her bid coming up on the quarter pole, Closing Act took the lead in upper stretch and shook away under a right-hand stick into the final furlong. It was 3 1/4 lengths back to pacesetter Union Suit and Living Magic came on from the back to round out the trifecta.

“She made a few mistakes first time out and we told Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] that we thought she'd be more forwardly placed and more professional, and she was,” said Scott Blasi, Steve Asmussen's assistant. “She got a lot out of her first race. Super proud of her today. She's really gone through a growth spurt this month and she's filling out and looks beautiful.”

A Texas-bred daughter of Munnings, the victress is the most recent to the races thus far for Evening Show, who also counts a yearling filly by Competitive Edge to her tally. That dam hails from the female line of Tuesday Evening (Nodouble), who herself produced GISP Madame Pandit (Wild Again).

Said daughter would go on to tally GISW Mea Domina (Dance Brightly) and GSP Ivory Empress (Seeking the Gold), who would gain her fame via 'TDN Rising Star' MGSW McCraken (Ghostzapper); GISP & MGSW Four Graces (Majesticperfection); 'TDN Rising Star' GSP With Dignity (Declaration of War); and MGSP Bondurant (War Front). This is the extended family of GISP & MGSW Greek Sun. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

ASTORIA S., $145,500, Belmont, 6-11, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:06.59, ft.
1–CLOSING ACT, 122, f, 2, by Munnings
          1st Dam: Evening Show (SP, $237,664), by Master Command
          2nd Dam: Good Evening, by Dixieland Heat
          3rd Dam: Tuesday Evening, by Nodouble
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Douglas Scharbauer (TX); T-Steven Asmussen; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $124,500.
2–Union Suit, 122, f, 2, Union Rags–Ojai, by Verrazano. ($9,000 Ylg '22 KEEJAN). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables LLC and Highlight Thoroughbreds; B-Farfellow Farms Ltd. & W. S. Farish (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $30,000.
3–Living Magic, 122, f, 2, Justify–Living The Life (Ire), by Footstepsinthesand (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC (KY); T-Phil Schoenthal. $18,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 1HF, 4HF. Odds: 0.70, 3.95, 10.90.
Also Ran: Golden Ghost (GB), Donate Life. Scratched: Low Mileage.

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Frosted’s Ice Dancing Takes On Baffert Trio in Santa Ynez

Richard Mandella's Ice Dancing (Frosted), the only filly in a scratched-down field of five with a graded-stakes placing already to her name, will seek her first win since breaking her maiden in Sunday's rescheduled Santa Ynez S. at 'The Great Race Place.' The Grade III event, which was originally scheduled for last Sunday's New Year's Eve program, carries Kentucky Oaks points to the tune of 20-8-6-4-2, which will go to the top five finishers that are not associated with Bob Baffert.

A homebred for Bass Stables LLC, the newly minted 3-year-old took four tries to earn her first win after three consecutive finishes behind GISW And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogoate), including a third in the GI Del Mar Debutante S. Fourth behind both that rival and the Santa Ynez's scratched morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Justique (Justify) in the GII Chandelier S., Ice Dancing rebounded in her fourth start to break her maiden ahead of Bob Baffert's Doinitthehardway (Street Sense) at Del Mar Nov. 25.

Speaking of the Baffert barn, he will enter a trio in a bid to win what would be his fourth Santa Ynez in a row. It appears that Huntingcoco (Practical Joke), Fast and Shiny (Bernardini) and Parody (Distorted Humor) have not flashed much in the way of speed under the California sun over the past few months, so a game effort is in order if one of them wants to keep their conditioner's streak alive.

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