Juvenile Champion Vequist Targeting Fall Campaign Centered On Grade 1 Cotillion

Trainer Butch Reid, Jr. said Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable's reigning champion 2-Year-Old Filly Vequist is aiming towards a late summer/fall campaign that may include a start at Saratoga.

Reid said the main target for Vequist is the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion, a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomore fillies on September 25 at Parx.

“She's been training lightly down at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and she'll be coming back to my barn at Parx in the next 10 days,” said Reid, Jr. “We're looking forward to a fall campaign with her and have our eye on the Cotillion. I could see us possibly getting her a start at the end of Saratoga. We're excited to get her back in action.”

A dark bay daughter of Nyquist out of the Mineshaft mare Vero Amore, Vequist graduated at second asking with a 9 1/2-length romp in the Grade 1 Spinaway in September at Saratoga. The talented filly followed with a second to Dayoutoftheoffice in the Grade 1 Frizette in October at Belmont before turning the tables on that foe with a two-length score in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Keeneland.

Vequist has been on the shelf since finishing ninth in her seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Davona Dale in February at Gulfstream Park.

Reid, Jr has nominated a pair of unraced fillies owned by LC Racing to the $150,000 Astoria, a 5 ½-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies on Thursday, June 3, including Disco Ebo and Mainstay, who is a half-sister to Vequist.

“One of them will definitely come, but I'm not sure which one just yet,” said Reid, Jr. “They've put up a maiden race here [at Parx] and I'm thinking one will go in there. It's tough to ship and start in a stakes race first time out, but sometimes you have to take a chance.”

Reid said Mainstay, by Astern, is stockier than Vequist.

“She's a different horse than Vequist. She's a little shorter and a little more stout,” said Reid, Jr. “She has more of a sprinter type body where Vequist was long and languid and has a big, giant stride on her. This filly is a little more compact and speedier. She has a good turn of foot and I think she's a top-quality filly. We'll have some fun with her.”

Maintstay, bred in Kentucky by Swilcan Stables, breezed in company with Disco Ebo through their first three timed works at Parx before Reid Jr. said he was forced to separate them.

“They were very competitive and it was a really good match,” said Reid, Jr. “They went through their early paces together and then I was trying to get them to slow down a little bit, so I separated them for their last couple of breezes. We're very fortunate with this group. We're excited about our 2-year-olds this year.”

In her two works since being separated from Disco Ebo, Mainstay posted a bullet half-mile in 47.03 on May 15 at Parx and followed up with a sharp five-eighths from the gate in 1:00.02 on May 22 on the same track.

Disco Ebo, by Weigelia, is out of the Disco Rico mare Katarica Disco, who has produced eight winning foals to race, including stakes winners Fat Kat and Smooth B, who are full siblings to Disco Ebo.

Also among the talented family are Disco Rose, third in the 2015 Grade 2 Demoiselle at the Big A, who posted a record of 36-4-9-4 with purse earnings of $449,280; and the stakes-placed Pink Princess, who boasted a ledger of 66-16-19-7 with purse earnings of $572,135.

“There's four of them that made over $400,000 that are full brothers and sisters to her and I've had them all,” said Reid Jr. “Disco Rose was graded stakes placed in New York and made over $400,00 and Pink Princess made over a half-million. It's been a good family for us and we've taken nearly $2 million out of that mare. She's been very good to us and this one looks like she'll fit into that line as well.”

Disco Ebo, bred in Pennsylvania by St. Omer's Farm, worked a half-mile in 47.01 from the gate on May 19 at Parx and followed with another half-mile in 48.93 on May 26.

Reid Jr. said he will likely enter Susan C. Quack and Christopher J. Feifarek's Beren in Sunday's $100,000 Paradise Creek, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores on the Widener turf.

The Pennsylvania homebred captured the six-furlong Gold Fever last out on May 9 at Belmont. By Weigelia, Beren is out of the multiple graded stakes winning Diamond mare Silmaril.

On June 17, 2006, Weigelia set a then Belmont inner turf course record for six furlongs of 1:07.04 in an allowance optional-claiming event.

“Beren is doing very well and we're thinking about entering him in the Paradise Creek,” said Reid, Jr. “His father held the track record at six furlongs on the turf for a while, so we may come up this weekend and try him on the turf. If it rained off, that wouldn't hurt either.

“Both the father and mother turf,” added Reid, Jr. “The mother is out of a Diamond stallion and he gets nothing but turf horses. We have to try him on it before the summer is over, so we may as well try it now.”

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Breeders’ Cup Runner-Up Dayoutoftheoffice Works Toward 2021 Debut In Eight Belles

Siena Farm and trainer Tim Hamm's Dayoutoftheoffice, runner-up in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland, took another step toward returning to the races Thursday morning by working 5 furlongs in 1:01.40 over the main track labeled good.

“It was uneventful and good,” Hamm said of the work on a chilly morning in Lexington, Ky. “I got her in :12s all the way around.”

Working on her own shortly after 9 a.m., Dayoutoftheoffice reeled off fractions of :12.20, :24.40, :36.40, :49 and 1:01.40 with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:14 and seven-eighths in 1:28.

Hamm has targeted the 7-furlong, $300,000 Eight Belles (G2) Presented by Smithfield on April 30 at Churchill Downs as the starting point for Dayoutoftheoffice's 2021 campaign.

“She will have one more work and it will be here or Churchill Downs,” Hamm said.

Dayoutoftheoffice won the G3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga and the G1 Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park before finishing second to Vequist in the Breeders' Cup. The Into Mischief filly has won three of her four career starts for earnings of $556,500.

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Undefeated Dayoutoftheoffice Puts In ‘Best Work’ Yet For BC Juvenile Fillies

A muddy main track at Keeneland following daylong rain Thursday proved no problem for Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) pre-entrant Dayoutoftheoffice, who worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.40 with Alfredo Clemente aboard for trainer Tim Hamm.

Working on her own after the morning track maintenance break, the undefeated Dayoutoftheoffice produced splits of :12.80, :25.40, :37, 1:00.40 with a 6-furlong gallop out in 1:12.80 and seven-eighths in 1:27.

“I think it was her best work. She finished up really strong and galloped out great,” said Hamm, who co-owns Dayoutoftheoffice with breeder Siena Farm in the name of his Blazing Meadows Farm. “I weighed working today and went out and looked at the track twice and saw it was opened up. Plus, the timing was a lot better today.”

Dayoutoftheoffice brings a 3-for-3 record into the Breeders' Cup coming into the race off a 2-length victory in the Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park on Oct. 10. Junior Alvarado, who was aboard for that victory as well as a 6-length romp in the Schuylerville (G3) at Saratoga, has the mount in the Breeders' Cup. The race will represent the first two-turn start for Dayoutoftheoffice.

“I have been waiting for two turns all year,” Hamm said. “We would have run in (Darley) Alcibiades (G1 on Oct. 2 here) had the timing been a little bit different. We are looking forward to two turns.”

By Into Mischief, Dayoutoftheoffice will represent the first Breeders' Cup starter for Hamm, who was stabled at Keeneland on a regular basis until 2013 and has had occasional runners since.

“It is close by for us and I always like coming to Keeneland,” Hamm, who is from Ohio, said. “Having the Breeders' Cup here is perfect for us.”

Hamm has a win in the 2009 Appalachian (G3) on his Keeneland resume with Afternoon Stroll, who scored a nose victory at odds of 50-1.

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Dominant Spinaway Winner Vequist Tops Field For ‘Win And You’re In’ Frizette

Vequist proved she could dominate a Grade 1 field when she cruised to a 9 1/2-length score in her stakes debut in the Spinaway on Sept. 6 at Saratoga Race Course. She will look to show similar form on Saturday against a talented field of juvenile fillies in the Grade 1, $250,000 Frizette contested at one mile on Belmont Park's main track.

The 73rd running of the Frizette will award an automatic spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 6 at Keeneland. It also is one of five graded stakes on a stacked 11-race card at Belmont that includes the Grade 1, $250,000 Flower Bowl for fillies 3-years-old and up on the turf that is a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf; the Grade 1, $300,000 Champagne, a Breeders' Cup qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point for sophomore fillies on the turf. Highlighting the card will be the Grade 1, $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up with a spot in the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic awarded to the victor.

Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel purchased a 75 percent share from Swilcan Stable following Vequist's runner-up debut effort on July 29 at Parx when she ran a nose behind Niente. In her second start, the Butch Reid trainee was stretched out from 4 ½ furlongs to seven in the Spinaway. Off at 6-1, Vequist tracked in second position and powered home a huge winner, earning an 83 Beyer Speed Figure in picking up a prestigious Grade 1 at the Spa.

Since then, Vequist has continued to train at Parx, including a four-furlong work in 48.62 seconds on Sunday over the main track.

“She has to confirm it; anybody can do it once,” Reid said. “You have to do it a couple of times to really prove you belong at that level. But she jumped from 4 1/2 furlongs to seven-eighths and against Grade 1 company, so it was impressive, and I really liked the way she handled herself. We got up to Saratoga a couple of days ahead of time and she acted really great in the paddock. The way she acted was what impressed me more than anything else. She handled it like a seasoned, old racehorse.”

Vequist, the daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby-winning Nyquist, will have her first chance at Belmont's Big Sandy track, drawing the inside post with Luis Saez aboard.

Reid said the one-turn mile could be beneficial and was the difference between going in the Frizette rather than the two-turn Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades which was contested on Oct. 2 at Keeneland.

“Even when she made her debut, it seemed like there was no limit to how far she'll go,” Reid said. “Her mother [Vero Amore] ran at a mile and an eighth and ran long, and so did Nyquist, so I think the further, the better with her. With two turns the Alcibiades was a pretty good prep for the Breeders' Cup, but this race fits her perfectly and we know she can handle the one-turn mile, so this seemed like the better way to go.

“Belmont is such a short ship for us, so we're keeping her comfortable,” Reid continued. “She rides the van very well, so I'm not worried about any of those kind of things.”

Stonestreet Stable's Cantata also is entered off a dominant victory, when she pulled away by 10 1/4 lengths in a debut effort in a 6 ½-furlong maiden sprint on Aug. 16 at Saratoga. The Medaglia d'Oro filly started training for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen with big expectations after being purchased for $950,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale and flashed that potential as she tracked in third position before powering home to the wire as the favorite last out.

Since the win, Cantata recorded four works at Saratoga before shipping to Belmont, where she breezed four furlongs in 50.54 seconds on Sunday over the training track.

“She's come in and done everything correctly,” said Asmussen assistant Toby Sheets. “She's quite the individual. We're looking forward to seeing her step up her game a little bit. She's a racehorse. She does her job and has it down.”
Joel Rosario will ride from post 2.

Team Hanley's Joy's Rocket is already a stakes winner, having crossed the wire first in the My Dear on Aug. 1 on Woodbine's all-weather track, which built on her debut win on June 28 over a sloppy and sealed Churchill Downs track.

Last out, Joy's Rocket was switched to turf in the Bolton Landing, where she showed her versatility by running second to Tobys Heart in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint on the grass. Asmussen will move her back to the main track, where she will tackle Big Sandy for the first time, drawing post 4 with Jose Ortiz drawing the assignment for the first time.

“She's also a filly that hasn't done anything wrong. She tries every time,” Sheets said. “I think she deserves a chance.”

Besides Vequist, the field's other graded stakes victor is Dayoutoftheoffice, who will look to go 3-for-3 after a debut victory in May at Gulfstream Park before a six-length triumph in the Grade 3 Schuylerville going six furlongs on July 16 at Saratoga.

Trained by Timothy Hamm, who co-owns the Into Mischief filly with breeder Siena Farm, Dayoutoftheoffice will ship from Thistledown to run at Belmont for the first time, drawing post 5 with Junior Alvarado getting the return assignment following her effort in the Schuylerville.

Reddham Racing's Get On the Bus will be making her third consecutive graded stakes appearance to start her career, which started with a second to My Girl Red in the Grade 2 Sorrento in August at Del Mar.

She was stretched out from six furlongs to seven next out in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 6, where she ran fourth. Trainer Doug O'Neill will now keep her at the highest caliber and see how she responds to a mile.

“She's doing really well,” O'Neill said. “I'm optimistic we'll see a strong performance.”

Jose Lezcano will be in the irons from post 6.

Paul Pompa, Jr.'s Fifth Risk, a first-out winner going six furlongs on Aug. 23 at the Spa, will make the step up for trainer Todd Pletcher, breaking from post 7 in tandem with Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

Cilla, making her first start for trainer Bentley Combs after her first three starts for Brett Brinkman, broke her maiden at second asking on Aug. 13 at Delaware Park before running ninth last out in the Sorority on Sept. 7 on the Monmouth Park turf.

Kendrick Carmouche will ride from post 3.

Saturday's card will feature a 12:20 p.m. Eastern first post. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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