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Road To The Kentucky Oaks: Brown Enters Two In Saturday’s Gazelle

Trainer Chad Brown will send out a pair of stakes winners who are looking to take the next step up against graded company, with the duo competing as part of an eight-horse field in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 127th running of the Gazelle – offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top-four finishers to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs – is one of five stakes on a loaded Saturday at the Big, highlighted by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino for 3-year-olds going nine furlongs with the same point structure on the line for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.

The day will also include the first New York Grade 1 race of the year in the $300,000 Carter for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs; the Grade 3, $200,000 Bayshore for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior for 4-year-olds and up going nine furlongs.

The Gazelle will be contested for the first time in two years, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing last year's edition to be missed. That marked the first time since the stretch between 1933-35 that the prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies was not run.

But the contest's resurgence will see four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown enter the respective first and third-place finishers from the Busher Invitational on March 6, saddling Klaravich Stables' Search Results and Louis Lazzinnaro's The Grass Is Blue.

Search Results, unraced as a juvenile, improved to 2-for-2 in her career with a half-length score over Miss Brazil in the Busher, contested over a one-turn mile on an Aqueduct fast track. The daughter of Flatter earned a Gazelle field-high 84 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort and will now contest at two turns for the first time, with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons from the outermost post 8.

Brown is a two-time Gazelle winner, earning winner's circle trips with Awesome Feather [2011] and Lewis Bay [2016].

Ortiz, Jr., the winner of the last three Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey, enjoyed a tremendous winter at Gulfstream with a record-setting 140 wins at the championship meet. He also piloted Lewis Bay to victory for Brown in the Gazelle five years ago.

Search Results, a debut four-length winner going six furlongs on January 3 at Gulfstream Park, was purchased for $310,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Her stablemate, The Grass Is Blue, ran third in the Busher, garnering a personal-best 74 Beyer. The consistent Broken Vow filly is 3-0-2 in six starts and has already won a stakes at the Gazelle distance, besting Coffee Bar by one length in the Busanda on January 24. That sophomore debut effort followed a three-race juvenile campaign in which she won her debut by 8 1/2 lengths in July at Monmouth Park before capturing a 6 1/2-furlong optional claiming sprint in October at Keeneland.

The Grass Is Blue earned her first stakes blacktype with a third-place effort in the Anne Arundel County on December 26 at Laurel to close the curtain on 2020. She will make her third consecutive start at Aqueduct, drawing post 5 with Manny Franco aboard.

Beach Haven Thoroughbreds' Maracuja broke her maiden at third asking, rallying from last-of-six to draw away to a 3 3/4-length win going 6 1/2 furlongs on February 21 at the Ozone Park course. The Rob Atras trainee has made all three of her starts over the same track, starting with a runner-up debut on December 20 before a third-place finish on January 23 stretched out to seven furlongs.

Atras said he needed to be patient with the Honor Code filly, who has been training at Belmont Park, including a five-furlong breeze in 1:03.69 on March 28 over the dirt training track.

“It took her a little time to come around with some baby issues,” Atras said. “She was figuring things out in her first couple of starts, but her last race she really put everything all together.”

Maracuja, bought for $200,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, will have Kendrick Carmouche's services from post 2 as she stretches out for the longest race of her young career.

“She acts like two turns shouldn't be an issue but it's a big ask going from six and a half furlongs to a mile and an eighth and stepping up to a big race like this. She's continued to train forwardly,” Atras said.

Mia Martina will make her main track debut after winning her first two career starts on turf ahead of a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks going 1 1/16 miles on the Tampa Bay Downs grass on March 6.

Trainer Graham Motion said Mia Martina, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gianni Fittipaldi, has family history on her side in trying dirt. Out of Proud and Charming, Mia Martina's sire is Not This Time, winner of the 2016 Grade 3 Iroquois and the runner-up to Classic Empire in that year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Not This Time retired after that race due to a soft tissue injury to his right front leg, prompting a successful second career as a sire.

“We talked about it and thought this will be a good time to find out how she handles the dirt,” Motion said. “She has a dirt pedigree. She's a very straight-forwarded filly who looks like the further she goes, the better, so we thought the mile and an eighth might suit her.”

Mia Martina, who drew post 3 with Junior Alvarado set to ride, worked for the first time on dirt, clocking four furlongs in 51 seconds flat on March 25 at Palm Meadows Training Center.

“She seemed to handle it fine,” Motion said. “She's not a flashy racehorse anyway. We're taking a bit of a shot but we felt this is a good spot to do it.”

Alwayz Late didn't earn her first trip to the winner's circle until her fourth career start on February 14 at Gulfstream Park but will make her first stakes appearance with momentum. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott saw the daughter of Animal Kingdom win her second straight contest with a 1 1/2-length score traveling nine furlongs against allowance optional-claiming company on March 10 at Gulfstream, improving her record to 2-0-2 in five starts.

Alwayz Late, owned by Wachtel Stable, Pantofel Stable and TOLO Thoroughbreds, will ship to New York for the first time after continuing to train at Gulfstream. Tyler Gaffalione will ride from post 6.

Three Diamonds Farm's Army Wife also won multiple races to gear up for a stakes bow, including a thrilling finish last out when she topped Happy Constitution by a nose in a one-mile optional claiming race on March 13 at Gulfstream.

Conditioned by Mike Maker, Army Wife was purchased for $190,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Trevor McCarthy will ride from post 4.

Augustin Stable's Song of Innocence made her last three starts on Turfway Park's all-weather surface and will make her first stakes start for trainer Jonathan Thomas, breaking from post X in tandem with Eric Cancel. Song of Innocence broke her maiden at third asking going one mile at Turfway on January 29.

Magic Oaks' Hybrid Eclipse, off two straight wins for trainer Linda Rice, will compete in a stakes for the first time in six career starts, exiting post X with Jose Ortiz aboard.

The Gazelle is slated as Race 9 on the 11-race program. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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Laobanonaprayer Chasing Oaks Points In Busher Invitational

Two-time stakes winner Laobanonaprayer has already proved she can win at a one-turn mile and will look to replicate that effort against the most talented field she's faced in her young career in Saturday's $250,000 Busher Invitational for sophomore fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 42nd running of the Busher, which offers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs, is one of four stakes on a packed day at the Big A. The card is highlighted by the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham in a Kentucky Derby prep race and also includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap for 4-years-olds and up and the $125,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational for fillies and mares 4-and-up.

Laobanonaprayer, owned and trained by Daniel Velazquez, has never finished off the board in her first five starts, compiling a 2-2-1 ledger with a field-high $252,400 in earnings. After a third-place debut effort in September at Delaware Park followed by a runner-up effort over the same track in October, the Laoban filly broke her maiden in impressive fashion with a 5 1/2-length score in the Maid of the Mist going one mile over Belmont Park's Big Sandy on October 24 in defeating fellow New York-breds.

She concluded her juvenile campaign with an eight-length win in the New York Stallion Stakes Series Fifth Avenue on December 6 before running second in the 6 ½-furlong Franklin Square in her 2021 debut finishing 1 ½ lengths behind Secret Love on January 16 at the Big A.

Velazquez noted that inclement weather at his Parx Racing training base had interrupted Laobanonaprayer's training schedule leading up to and following the Franklin Square.

The talented filly has recently posted a pair of sharp works, including a five-furlong effort in 1:01.61 on Saturday over the Parx main track in her final breeze before shipping to New York.

“She's been doing good and we've gotten the works that we've needed,” Velazquez said. “We're excited to see open company and the level change. I think this race sets up perfect. I know that I hit every work that I needed to hit. Now, it's just a matter of her having the talent and ability and a getting a good trip to get the win.”

Velazquez said he's been impressed with her improvement overall since starting her career in September.

“She's calmed down a lot,” Velazquez said. “She was a bit of a hyper filly, and she still is, but that edge is there for racing, she's just getting a little more mature. She's always been a big filly and she's gotten a little wider and a little stronger.”

Meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche will be the irons from post 2.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will seek his first career win in the Busher, sending out a pair of formidable contenders in Klaravich Stables' Search Results and Louis Lazzinnaro's The Grass Is Blue.

Search Results, unraced as a juvenile, won her first race with an impressive four-length score on January 3 at Gulfstream Park. The Flatter filly was a $310,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and will be well-rested entering her second career start after training at Payson Park in Indiantown, Florida. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount from post 3.

“We gave her some time since that race to recover and get in a good rhythm with her works,” Brown said. “She seems ready to run again now.”

The Grass Is Blue added blinkers last out for a winning effort at Aqueduct, besting Coffee Bar by one length to win the 1 1/8-mile Busanda on January 24. That victory netted the Broken Vow filly 10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, placing her 14th on the current leaderboard, and marked her third win overall in five starts.

After running sixth in the Songbird in November at Keeneland – the only time in five starts she failed to place – The Grass Is Blue ran third in the Anne Arundel County on December 26 at Laurel before earning a return trip to the winner's circle in her first 2021 start next out.

“She's really come along nicely in her development,” Brown said. “I didn't want to cut her back in distance, but she's been thriving in New York this winter in the environment and I didn't want to take that away from her. She was sharper with the blinkers on and pulling on Manny a bit, so maybe a cutback won't hurt her.”

The Grass Is Blue will see Manny Franco ride from post 4.

Team D's Miss Brazil followed a maiden-breaking win at second asking on November 29 at the Big A with a 6 1/4-length gate-to-wire score in the Ruthless going seven furlongs on February 8 over the same track in making her first start as a 3-year-old.

A daughter of Palace Malice, Miss Brazil has given her connections optimism that the one-turn mile should not be an issue, with trainer Tony Dutrow saying a strong performance could open up the potential to run even longer as the year progresses.

“She leads us to believe that seven furlongs to a mile is within her ability, but we'll find out for sure,” Dutrow said. “She'll probably meet the best horses she's ever faced before, and with an added distance, so we know we have to past this test. But I'm happy with how the progression has gone so far.”

Eric Cancel, aboard for the Ruthless win, will have the return call from the inside post.

Gary Barber's Make Mischief will have a quick turnaround after winning the Maddie May by a neck on February 20 at Aqueduct. Contested at the Busher's distance, the Maddie May saw Make Mischief shoot up the rail to overtake Brattle House in the final furlong. She will return just two weeks later looking to build on a stellar 3-3-0 record through seven starts.

“She came out of that race good, so we're running,” trainer Chris Englehart said. “She's a big, strong filly. Last race, coming up the fence the way she did, she showed a lot of courage.”

Make Mischief was trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse for her 2-year-old campaign that saw consecutive runner-up efforts in the Grade 3 Schuylerville, Grade 2 Adirondack and the Seeking the Ante during the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course.

Barber sent Make Mischief to the New York-based Englehart for the start of her 3-year-old year to get ready to compete for the winter meet with great success, as Make Mischief is 2-for-2 at the track, starting with a 3 ½-length win against optional claimers going seven furlongs on January 31, resulting in a personal-best 74 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She came to us in great shape from Mark Casse and she's pretty much the same horse,” Englehart said.

Dylan Davis will have the call from post 6.

Late Night Stable's Mo Desserts will step up to stakes company for the first time, looking to build on a maiden-breaking 15 1/2-length score against a five-horse field at the Busher distance on February 8 for trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

The Nyquist filly started her career with big expectations, selling for $300,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Sale. Unraced as a juvenile, she ran third on debut in a six-furlong sprint on January 10 at Aqueduct before an emphatic win next out when Pablo Morales rode for the first time. Morales will have the return engagement from post 5.

The Busher is slated as Race 6 on Aqueduct's 10-race program with a first post time of 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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Miss Brazil Easily Defeats Short Field In Monday’s Ruthless, Oaks Prep Up Next

Team D's Miss Brazil validated her heavy 2-5 favoritism, taking command from the gate and drawing away easily in the stretch for a 6 1/4-length victory in the $100,000 Ruthless for 3-year-old fillies on Monday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Ruthless, which was moved from Sunday to Monday after heavy snow forced the entire card to be pushed back a day, saw a three-horse field of Miss Brazil, Gulf Coast and Dealing Justice compete with It Can and Little Huntress scratched.

Miss Brazil, with Eric Cancel aboard from the inside post, led the compact field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.32 seconds and the half in 46.34 on the fast main track. Miss Brazil led handily out of the turn and had plenty left in the stretch, completing the seven furlongs in 1:24.92 in her sophomore bow.

Miss Brazil made her debut on Oct. 25, running third on the Belmont Park turf. Trainer Tony Dutrow said he thought the Palace Malice filly would prefer the main track, and she took to the surface with a maiden-breaking score on Aqueduct's dirt on Nov. 29.

Well-rested for her first start of 2021, Miss Brazil improved to 2-for-2 on the main track and returned $2.90 on a $2 win wager, besting Gulf Coast, who finished 45 3/4 lengths ahead of Dealing Justice, who was eased through to the wire.

“She's been very good in all three of her races,” Dutrow said. “Both her maiden win and today shows plenty. She's always promised to be a nicer kind of filly, so getting her ready for this race was easy. She's a better kind of horse and she does it all.”

Purchased for $170,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Miss Brazil will now look to stretch out to a mile in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 6 at Aqueduct. The Busher offers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

“I'm feeling good about her at one mile at Aqueduct in the Busher,” Dutrow said. “I feel that won't be an issue for her. As far as two turns goes and her future after that, we'll have to wait and see how she does in the Busher.”

Cancel won his second consecutive stakes win after the rider piloted Risk Taking to victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Withers.

“I wanted to be on the lead to dictate the pace and take it from there,” Cancel said. “She's a very honest filly so I didn't have any doubts about her today. She's pretty straightforward and I had plenty of gas in the tank. I just wanted to give her a good ride and it worked out well.”

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Gulf Coast, conditioned by Rodolphe Brisset and ridden by Manny Franco, is 2-2-0 in four career stats, including runner-up efforts in the Sandpiper in December at Tampa Bay Downs and a stakes win in the Cash Run on New Year's Day at Oaklawn Park.

“The scratch of the speed [Little Huntress] hurt us a little bit given we were looking to stalk the pace,” Brisset said. “Nobody else could go with the favorite, so we had to go after her. Manny rode a great race. She may have broke a little slower than we were hoping for, but after that we just went on and tried to put pressure on the winner. But the winner was much the best.

“It's a long way to come to run second, but I'm happy with her race,” he added. “She tried hard. Hopefully, she can regroup and try another spot.”

Live racing at Aqueduct will continue on Friday with a first post of 1:20 p.m. Racing will be conducted four days this week, starting Friday and concluding Monday with a special Presidents Day holiday card.

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Busher Winner Water White ‘Ready To Go’ For Saturday’s Grade 1 Acorn

E.V. Racing Stable's Water White, last out winner of the Busher Invitational on March 7 at the Big A for trainer Rudy Rodriguez, will look to double up in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Acorn at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

“She's doing well. Hopefully, she'll continue to train well over the next couple of days, but so far so good,” said Rodriguez.

Bred in Kentucky by Richard Forbush, the 3-year-old Conveyance gray graduated at third asking in November at Aqueduct ahead of a fifth in the Grade 2 Demoiselle at nine furlongs in December. She followed up with a five-wide second in the 1 1/8-mile Busanda in her seasonal debut in February ahead of her Busher breakthrough.

Water White has breezed six times since April 28 at Belmont Park, including a swift half-mile in 47.89 May 30 which was followed by another good half-mile in 48.66 on June 9, both efforts on the Belmont main track.

“I breezed her an easy half-mile the other day because she went pretty fast the work before,” said Rodriguez. “She's ready to go. We just have to keep our fingers crossed that we get a good trip.

“She's been working pretty steady,” added Rodriguez. “But they still need to get over there and compete.”

Rodriguez said he is hoping that Water White will be closer to the pace on Saturday.

“She's a grinding horse,” said Rodriguez. “She doesn't have much speed but I'm hoping she can be a little closer. The track has been playing for speed.”

The Acorn offers the winner 50 points toward the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks; Water White has 54 points currently and is eighth in the standings.

The veteran conditioner has enjoyed a good start to the Belmont Park spring/summer meet where he is currently fifth in the trainer standings with a record of 4-3-4 from 30 starts.

“The horses have been running very well. I have to thank my owners for being patient through the pandemic,” said Rodriguez.

The probable field for the Grade 1 Longines Acorn includes Casual (Steve Asmussen), Gamine (Bob Baffert), Lucrezia (Arnaud Delacour), Perfect Alibi (Mark Casse), and Pleasant Orb (Barclay Tagg).

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