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Mystic Eyes Earns Black Type With Stewart Manor Victory

MeB Racing Stables and Vincent Esopi's Mystic Eyes earned black type in her first two stakes starts, setting the pace before finishing second in the Ainsworth in September at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky., and a competitive third in the Grade 3 Matron on October 9 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The daughter of Maclean's Music broke through on Saturday, going gate-to-wire and fending off Hot Fudge's last charge to post a victory by a neck in the $100,000 Stewart Manor for juvenile fillies going six furlongs on Belmont's inner turf course.

The fourth running of the Stewart Manor, which marked the last of four stakes on the 10-race card on the penultimate day of the Belmont fall meet, saw Mystic Eyes break sharp from post 3. Under jockey Manny Franco, the Kentucky bred led the 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :21.75 and the half in :44.75 over firm going, with Benbang in close pursuit.

Hot Fudge, who tracked the pace from the inside under jockey Eric Cancel, gained ground in the final furlong, pressing Mystic Eyes to the wire before the pacesetter completed the course in a 1:09.97 final time to secure her second win in four career starts.

Mystic Eyes, a debut winner by 4 1/2 lengths on August 5 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., before her pair of stakes placings, has never finished off the board for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“She's fast. You just have to control her speed a little because she's a type of horse who just wants to go,” Franco said. “I tried at some point in the race to give her a breather and save something for the end, and that's what we did. She was ready for today's race. I'm just happy to be on her.”

Mystic Eyes, the 8-5 favorite bred by Pursuit of Success, returned $5.20 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career earnings to $164,000.

“I thought she broke well. She has a lot of speed and used that today,” said Byron Hughes, assistant to Pletcher. “She got into a nice rhythm and did a great job on the front end without using too much. And she was able to hold off the competition. It was a nice win. We'll see what comes out of it. I imagine we'll head south pretty soon.”

Hot Fudge, trained by Linda Rice, bested Gal in a Rush by a half length for second in her first start since running seventh in the Grade 1 Frizette on October 3 at Belmont.

Benbang, Rigby, Flip My Id, Charlee O, The Club, Still My Babe, and Stand Up Comic completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday with Closing Day of the Belmont fall meet. The 10-race card, which features an 11:50 a.m. first post, will feature a pair of stakes in the $150,000 Zagora for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in Race 4 at 1:18 p.m. and the $150,000 Grade 3 Nashua for 2-year-olds in a one-turn mile on the main track in Race 9 at 3:43 p.m.

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America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Annapolis Remains Perfect With G2 Pilgrim Victory

Bass Racing's homebred Annapolis outdueled Portfolio Company in a stirring stretch drive to capture Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim going 1 1/16 miles for juveniles over the firm inner turf at Belmont Park.

The Pilgrim has seen three of its last five winners go on to capture the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, including Oscar Performance [2016], Structor [2019] and Fire At Will [2020].

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis entered out of a stylish debut win on closing weekend at Saratoga Race Course, where he rallied from off-the-pace under returning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Breaking from post two in a compact field of four, Annapolis sat second behind pacesetter Portfolio Company, who marked off splits of 24.34 seconds for the quarter-mile and 48.96 to the half-mile under Joel Rosario. At the half-mile pole, Ortiz, Jr. began to inch Annapolis closer to the leader and the two colts met up at the quarter pole after six furlongs in 1:14.46.

The front-running duo gained separation from their two competitors – Limited Liability [Jose Ortiz] and Doctor Jeff [Jose Lezcano] – and battled gamely to the wire. Annapolis needed every inch of ground to get by a stubborn Portfolio Company, putting his head on the wire in a final time of 1:41.04.

“With only four horses, there wasn't much speed in the race,” Ortiz, Jr. said, “I just broke well and tried to be close to the pace. I ended up second to the horse I had to try and beat, so I just went from there. He fought the whole way to the wire. The way he did it last time he looked like a nice horse, so we expected him to move forward and he did.”

Byron Hughes, Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant, said he was pleased with how the race unfolded.

“He broke well and Irad had him in a great spot on the outside,” Hughes said. “It was a good duel down the stretch and he was able to get a head down at the wire.”

Rosario won five races on Saturday's card at Churchill Downs, including Grade 3 scores with Knicks Go in the Lukas Classic and aboard Plainsman in the Ack Ack, both for trainer Brad Cox.

The veteran rider said he had no complaints about his trip aboard maiden-winner Portfolio Company, who was exiting a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on September 1 at Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown.

“He responded well. The other horse [Annapolis] came to me a little bit early and then I had to just keep moving inside. It was a very good race in the end,” Rosario said. “When he came to me, I had to hold my position. Turning for home, [Annapolis] moved a little early which engaged me to move forward a little more than I wanted to. You just have to ride them the way the race is playing.”Annapolis returned $3.30 to win off a $2 wager and increased his lifetime earnings to $165,000.

Limited Liability was third, 3 1/4-lengths ahead of Doctor Jeff. Midnight Worker and City At Night were scratched.

A Kentucky homebred, Annapolis is by War Front and out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare My Miss Sophia, who was also conditioned by Pletcher.

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Pletcher’s Platoon Charts Course After Weekend Stakes At Belmont

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sent out three starters in Saturday's Grade 1 Champagne with maiden Commandperformance closing to finish second ahead of stablemates Wit and My Prankster in the one-turn mile for juveniles won by Jack Christopher.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Commandperformance lunged at the start of his six-furlong debut on September 6 over a muddy and sealed track at Saratoga, rallying to finish second.

On Saturday, with Tyler Gaffalione up from the outermost post 6, the Union Rags gray closed to finish second, just 2 3/4-lengths to Jack Christopher and seven lengths in front of Wit.

“He ran well first time out,” said Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant Byron Hughes. “He came back and put in a good breeze here and we expected him to run up to his training. He got a good post position and Tyler rode him well. He ran a big race.”

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Gainesway Stable's Wit was an impressive eight-length winner of the six-furlong G3 Sanford in July at Saratoga ahead of a troubled second in the seven-furlong G1 Hopeful where he stumbled at the break.

On Saturday, with regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, Wit was off a step slow and encountered traffic trouble approaching the quarter pole.

“He got in a little trouble on the turn,” Hughes said. “Irad said there was a tired horse in front of him and that he was going in and out and was trying to find the best route. He couldn't find a hole right away and that might have cost him a few lengths.”

Robert and Lawana Low's My Prankster was a 10-length maiden winner at first asking sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs on Aug. 21 at the Spa, but failed to make an impact in the Champagne.

“We didn't have any excuse for him after the race or this morning. We'll regroup with him and go for there,” Hughes said.

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post exited the inside post under Ortiz Jr. in the G1 Woodward but was forced to rally five-wide down the lane to complete the trifecta, 2 1/2-lengths to Art Collector.

“It was a big effort. He went the widest out of everybody. He was still grinding it out there at the end,” Hughes said. “I thought it was a good effort. A little more pace and maybe back to two turns might help, but the effort was definitely what we wanted to see from him for sure.”

Spendthrift Farm homebred Following Sea, a 3-year-old Runhappy colt, has made a trio of starts for Pletcher this year, besting elders in an allowance sprint in June at Belmont ahead of a second via disqualification in the nine-furlong G1 Haskell on July 17. Last out, Following Sea finished third in the seven-furlong G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Aug. 28 at the Spa.

Following Sea breezed a half-mile solo in 48.38 Saturday on the Belmont dirt training track in preparation for a start in the six-furlong G2, $250,000 Vosburgh on Oct/ 9, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“He did it all well within himself,” said Hughes regarding the breeze. “He had a good gallop out and cooled out OK. He looked good this morning. We're very happy with the way he's training right now. Hopefully he runs like he's been training.”

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Jack Christopher Makes Dominant Graded Debut In Champagne Stakes

Following an electric debut on Aug. 28, Jack Christopher proved that effort was no fluke in his first graded stakes test on Saturday at Belmont Park, running off with the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes.

The Munnings colt solidified his status as a leading candidate for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar, and earned a “Win and You're In” berth to the race by virtue of his Champagne win.

Jack Christopher was placed forwardly out of the gate by jockey Jose Ortiz, but quickly relented the lead to Gunite and Kavod on his outside. Ricardo Santana Jr. hustled Gunite out to a 1 1/2-length lead through an opening quarter set in :23.57 seconds, while Ortiz took the opportunity to get to the outside of longshot Kavod and pass that rival to sit in second.

While Gunite worked to keep Jack Christopher at bay, the pair distanced themselves from the rest of the pack heading into the turn of the one-mile race. Gunite held a one-length advantage over Jack Christopher as they passed the halfway point in :46.49 seconds, while the remaining four horses in the six-horse field bunched together well behind them.

Jack Christopher started to draw even with his foe at the crux of the turn, and he held a half-length advantage as they hit the quarter pole in 1:11.15. Save for the occasional left-handed whip from Ortiz to keep the colt's attention, Jack Christopher drove clear from a fading Gunite down the Belmont stretch, and he was untested in the final quarter-mile, crossing the finish line in 1:37.31 over a fast main track.

Behind the winner came a pair of runners staging closing moves. The maiden Commandperformance finished 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner, following a three-wide trip through the bend. Seven lengths behind him was Wit, who closed from last after being stalled by traffic on multiple occasions during an attempted rail move.

Jack Christopher paid $5.40 to win in the Champagne as the post time favorite. Saturday's race improved his record to a perfect two-for-two, with earnings of $330,000 after the colt won on debut by 8 3/4 lengths in a Saratoga maiden special weight.

Chad Brown trains Jack Christopher for the partnership of Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate, out of the placed Half Ours mare Rushin No Blushin. He was a $135,000 purchase out of the Paramount Sales consignment at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

To view the full Equibase chart, click here.

Stakes Quotes Courtesy of NYRA Press Office:

Chad Brown, winning trainer of Jack Christopher (No. 3, $5.40): “It was such a hard race to handicap with some really talented horses. We knew we had speed and Jose [Ortiz] and I agreed to not take that away from him. We just wanted to break out of there and get a good spot.

“Jose had a feeling that running first time in blinkers he would do something to try and get involved and he was right. A very quick decision he made – which was the right one – was to slip out to the outside right away and I think, from there, I felt super confident that we would get there with no excuse and he showed up.

“He was a horse that identified himself as early on as his first work. I was on the phone with the connections saying, 'This is potentially a really good horse. I can't believe what I just saw.' He's just been brilliant in every work. There was some buzz around him before he ran, and he lived up to it.

“I'm just so appreciative to have the horse and have another opportunity with another good dirt horse like this in our barn. It's our third Champagne win and I'm proud of my team. When we have these kind of horses, we can surely get the job done. Here's another horse that's well on his way to a big career and probably a stallion career someday.

“It's going to be one of those things where, ironically, we took a horse close in defeat in Good Magic [second in the 2017 Champagne] to [win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile] and other that weren't able to do it in Practical Joke and Complexity. Where does he fall? I hope with Good Magic. He looks a lot like him.

“What I like a lot about him is that he switches off nicely. He's not a horse that pulls. If you drop your hands, he'll switch off and rate. Will he do that around two turns? I don't know, but we'll be sure to have him prepared in the morning to take a little dirt and sit. We'll see if he can do it at Del Mar.”

Jose Ortiz, winning jockey aboard Jack Christopher (No. 3): “I broke well and I knew I cleared the 2 [My Prankster]. I seen 4 [Kavod] and 5 [Gunite] going, so I took him back and put him in the clear.

“He gave me a great kick. When he passed the five-horse, he stopped running a little bit. He didn't give me everything he had, I believe. I think first time going a mile this will help him for that next step.”

Jim Bakke, winning co-owner of Jack Christopher (No. 3): “We're excited about the horse, obviously. He ran great today, Jose [Ortiz] rode him awesome, Chad Brown did a great job with the horse, but I also have to thank Bradley Weisbord and Liz Crow for buying the horse. He's got speed, we know that for sure.”

Byron Hughes, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher of runner-up Command Performance (No. 6), third-place Wit (No. 1) and fourth-place My Prankster (No. 2):

Regarding Commandperformance: “He had the outside post and Tyler [Gaffalione] took advantage of that. He kept him out there and kept his face clean. He was gaining on the winner at the end and had a good gallop out. We're happy with the effort.”

Regarding Wit: “It was his typical start. I don't think he's ever going to be that fast out of the gate. Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] got him into a good rhythm but he had a little trouble there on the turn. He made up some ground but just couldn't get to the winner.”

Tyler Gaffalione, jockey aboard runner-up Commandperformance (No. 6): “The horse put himself in a great spot. I had a great position going down the backside. I was able to see everybody in front of me. Going around the turn, I started to get him into gear and he kept responding. His gallop out was great. He seems like he'll love the distance going forward.

“Todd just said to let him run his race. Get him in a position where he's comfortable and let him do his thing. I was really pleased with his effort today.

“I think if he had a little more seasoning he might finish off a little bit better, but he's still green. He's still learning but he's got a bright future.”

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