Tag: Cicada S.

American Pharoah’s Ghalia Princess A Smooth Winner of the Cicada

Sumaya US Stable homebred Ghalia Princess (American Pharoah) made light work of three rivals to post a first black-type success in Saturday's $100,000 Cicada S. at Aqueduct.

Cutting back a furlong after finishing runner-up in the Feb. 17 Ruthless S., the bay was away from stall one without incident, but was beaten for speed by Reconcile (War Front). Manny Franco elected to take a tug on Ghalia Princess, easing her back and into the two path to do the chasing through an opening quarter in :22.15. Content to race with that target ahead of her rounding the turn, Ghalia Princess began to pour on the pressure into the stretch, claimed the front-runner for good with about a furlong and a half to travel and was punched out hands and heels to take it by six lengths in a sharp clocking.

“They broke good and I thought it was the right call to let [Reconcile] go on,” said Dustin Dugas, assistant to trainer Brad Cox. “I thought she [Ghalia Princess] ran on and let her big stride kind of unfold the way it does and [didn't] press her too much. It kind of went the way we thought. I didn't think she'd be quite as quick to keep up with these guys, but she could if she was pressed. I think Manny [Franco] made the right call by just letting the race unfold the way it did.”

Oussama Aboughazale's International Equities Holdings acquired the winner's dam for $600,000 as a weanling at the 2014 Keeneland November sale and she became a three-time winner at the races, including the 2017 Sunland Park Oaks. Ghalia is a daughter of Grade III winner Verdana Bold–also the dam of the multiple stakes-placed Copperplate (Curlin)–and is represented by a yearling colt by Constitution. She visited Not This Time for her most recent covering.

CICADA S., $93,000, Aqueduct, 3-16, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:09.85, ft.
1–GHALIA PRINCESS, 118, f, 3, by American Pharoah
                1st Dam: Ghalia (SW, $168,800), by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Verdana Bold, by Rahy
                3rd Dam: True Legacy (GB), by A.P. Indy
($575,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.
O-Sumaya U.S. Stable; B-International Equities Holding, Inc.
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Manuel Franco. $55,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-2-1-0, $111,000.
2–Reconcile, 118, f, 3, War Front–Welcoming, by Tapit.
O/B-Robert S. Evans (KY); T-Adam Rice. $20,000.
3–Anna's Wish, 118, f, 3, Dialed In–I'm Cozy, by Grand Slam.
($14,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $45,000 RNA 2yo '23 OBSMAR).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Triple M Racing Stable LLC; B-Pope, Marc,
& Pope McLean Jr. (KY); T-George Weaver. $12,000.
Margins: 6, 6 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 5.50, 10.90.
Also Ran: Miss Harriett. Scratched: Value Area.

 

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Downtown Mischief Stays Unbeaten In Cicada

Downtown Mischief (Into Mischief) brought another stakes win home for super sire Into Mischief on Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack. The New York-bred filly is now a perfect three-for three after her victory in the Cicada S.

Breaking her maiden on-track Jan. 14, the Linda Rice trainee won that debut by a sparkling 7 3/4-lengths at six panels and followed that up at Ozone Park Feb. 17 by clearing the next optional claiming hurdle in the slop by 1 1/4-lengths over the next-out winner, Midtown Lights (Redesdale).

Supported at the windows to the hilt, the 1-2 favorite tracked leader Fabulously Funny (Practical Joke) briefly from the fourth position down the backstretch, but decided to make her move for the front as Hot Little Thing (Army Mule) tried to make up ground after a slow start. As the trio dueled around the far turn, the chalk poked her head in front and past the eighth pole dug down to find enough in the end to win by 1 1/2-lengths over the late charging Tappin Josie (Anchor Down).

“I told Jose [Lezcano, aboard Downtown Mischief] that I thought the little filly on the inside of us had tremendous speed. She looked fast in the paddock. I was also a little concerned about the four-horse on the outside, but Jose had ridden her before and he said she's not that fast. I said, 'OK, you're going to be sitting second to the two.' And he said, 'that's probably where we'll be, sitting right outside.' It totally went upside down. The two doesn't break and then she comes rushing up through, but Jose is such a pro and he never loses his cool. When he needed to hold his ground, he did–and I think that makes a difference.”

Second dam Alpha Mama (Unbridled's Song) is a sister to GISW Marylebone, and she is also responsible for GSW Alpha Kitten (Tale of the Cat). The winner is Downtown Mama's first progeny, but she does have a yearling filly by Maclean's Music and was bred to Violence last year.

CICADA S., $100,000, Aqueduct, 3-18, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:13.72, ft.
1–DOWNTOWN MISCHIEF, 118, f, 3, by Into Mischief
          1st Dam: Downtown Mama, by Speightstown
          2nd Dam: Alpha Mama, by Unbridled's Song
          3rd Dam: Desert Queen, by Wavering Monarch
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Lady Sheila Stable LLC (NY); T-Linda
Rice; J-Jose Lezcano. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0,
$133,100.
2–Tappin Josie, 122, f, 3, Anchor Down–Homemaker, by
Afternoon Deelites. ($15,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT). O-Darryl E.
Abramowitz; B-Charles Blanford (PA); T-Horacio De Paz.
$20,000.
3–Fabulously Funny, 119, f, 3, Practical Joke–Just Fabulous, by
Include. ($210,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Harold
Lerner LLC, AWC Stables, Nehoc Stables, Scott K. Akman and
Paul Braverman; B-International Equities Holding, Inc. (KY);
T-Anthony W. Dutrow. $12,000.
Margins: 1HF, 3HF, 3HF. Odds: 0.50, 9.30, 9.20.
Also Ran: Fancy Azteca, Hot Little Thing, Musicmansandy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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