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Malathaat–Miraculously–Leads Home Curlin 1-2-3 in Demoiselle

‘TDN Rising Star’ Malathaat (Curlin) did not look like a winner through the first mile of Aqueduct’s GII Demoiselle S., but turned things around late with a surprisingly strong rally to keep her perfect record in tact.

Away well from her rail draw, the 2-5 favorite settled in a ground-saving third as an eager Traffic Lane took control, clicking off a :23.69 first quarter with Juddmonte homebred Millefeuille (Curlin) pressing from second. Losing some traction as the half went in :48.50, the $1.05-million KEESEP buy was passed by Malibu Curl (Curlin) and looked like she was not taking to the muddy surface as another foe went by her on the backstretch. Splitting horses at the hope of the lane, Malathaat came alive in the lane, swallowing up ground late to nail Millefeuille just before the wire for a 3/4-length score. Malibu Curl completed a trifecta for leading sire Curlin.

A debut winner going seven panels at Belmont Oct. 9, Malathaat romped by 7 3/4 lengths next out in the one-mile Tempted S. at Aqueduct Nov. 6.

“In her first two wins, she was pretty straightforward and didn’t get a lot of dirt in her face or anything like that,” conditioner Todd Pletcher said. “She was on-and-off the bridle and a little bit green, still, and there was a little bit of traffic, but in the end, she found more and showed the quality filly that she is. Some lesser quality horses might have thrown in the towel at some stage, but when she got rolling, she was impressive.”

He continued, “She wasn’t comfortable inside. I think she was unsure of the footing early on. Sometimes drawing the rail is great and this time it seemed to have backfired on us a couple of times. In the final eighth of a mile, she was able to get into her comfort zone and rhythm and that’s when she showed what she’s all about.”

“Her class was what kept her going and got here there on time,” said Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez. “She was never comfortable and not running into a spot I wanted. She never really put that much effort into keeping a spot. Finally, when I tipped her out heading to the quarter-pole, she started running.”

Pedigree Notes:

Malathaat is the 35th graded winner for leading sire Curlin and one of 72 black-type scorers by the Hill ‘n’ Dale stalwart. She is also one of two graded winners at Aqueduct Saturday out of an A.P. Indy mare, following GIII Go For Wand H. heroine Sharp Starr. Malathaat is a daughter of Grade I winner and fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), who was campaigned by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables with Pletcher and Velazquez. Out of dual Grade I victress Dream Rush (Wild Rush), Dream of Julia is a half-sister to ‘TDN Rising Stars’ Dream Pauline (Tapit), a two-time Grade III winner, and Atreides (Medaglia d’Oro), a stakes-winning young stallion. Malathaat is the third foal out of Dreaming of Julia, but the first to make the races. The 10-year-old mare has since produced a yearling colt by Medaglia d’Oro and a weanling Curlin filly. She was bred back to Medaglia d’Oro.

Saturday, Aqueduct
DEMOISELLE S.-GII, $150,000, Aqueduct, 12-5, 2yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:52.36, sy.
1–MALATHAAT, 120, f, 2, by Curlin
1st Dam: Dreaming of Julia (GISW, $874,500), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Dream Rush, by Wild Rush
3rd Dam: Turbo Dream, by Unbridled
‘TDN Rising Star’ 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($1,050,000 Ylg
’19 KEESEP). O-Shadwell Stable; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred
Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez.
$82,500. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $172,150.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus* Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Millefeuille, 118, f, 2, Curlin–Bandana, by War Front.
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott. $30,000.
3–Malibu Curl, 118, f, 2, Curlin–Prospector’s Moon, by Malibu
Moon. O/B-Woodslane Farm (KY); T-Thomas Albertrani.
$18,000.
Margins: 3/4, 4HF, 1. Odds: 0.45, 3.15, 8.00.
Also Ran: Cafe Society, Traffic Lane, Celestial Cheetah. Scratched: Caramocha, Dollar Mountain.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Sharp Starr Gives Horacio DePaz First Graded Stakes Win In Go For Wand Handicap

Barry K. Schwartz's New York-homebred Sharp Starr, perfectly piloted by Jose Ortiz, outdueled Portal Creek to capture Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Go for Wand Handicap, a one-turn mile for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Munnings sophomore, trained by Horacio DePaz, arrived at the Go for Wand from a commanding 15 3/4-length score in a state-bred allowance mile on November 7 at the Big A that garnered a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Leading rider Kendrick Carmouche sent Portal Creek to the lead with Sharp Starr assuming a stalking position to her outside as slight 6-5 mutuel favorite Nonna Madeline hustled up the rail to gain third through an opening quarter-mile in 23.26 seconds on the sloppy and sealed main track.

Sharp Starr continued to press Portal Creek, who maintained a one-length lead into the turn, as Graceful Princess improved her position outside rivals through a half-mile in 46.72. Portal Creek opened up through the turn and attempted to kick clear of Sharp Starr, but Ortiz kept to task on the New York-bred filly as the duo locked up for the length of the stretch with Sharp Starr earning a hard-fought neck victory in a final time of 1:36.75. It was 12 lengths back to Nonna Madeline in third with Stand for the Flag, Graceful Princess and Overheated rounding out the order of finish.

The victory marked the first graded stakes score for DePaz, who is enjoying his first season of training full-time on the NYRA circuit. The 35-year-old conditioner said he was pleased to see Sharp Starr make amends last out at the Big A following an off-the-board effort in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in October around two turns at Pimlico Race Course.

“She definitely likes the track, but I think she likes the one-turn mile a little bit better. It set up for her. I was happy she could repeat that last effort,” said DePaz.

Sharp Starr graduated in July at Belmont Park and hit the board in a pair of nine-furlong events going two turns over the summer at Saratoga Race Course, including a closing third in the restricted Fleet Indian. DePaz said Sharp Starr's improved efforts from the gate have made a significant impact on results.

“Even in her two-turn races, she wants to put herself there, but she has those bad starts and afterwards she can't get up there,” said DePaz. “She's breaking so much better and getting herself into the race. The way she breaks and gets herself close, she's able to finish up nicely.”

Ortiz, who captured the 2013 Go for Wand with Royal Lahaina, was aboard Sharp Starr for the maiden win and her two Saratoga efforts. He said he felt confident in the filly going a one-turn mile as he returned to the saddle.

“They were running her two turns and she was breaking a little slow,” said Ortiz. “Last time, when they brought her back to a one-turn mile, she broke well and that suited her better. They stuck with that racing style today. She broke sharp. She was there for me every time I asked her.”

Carmouche said Portal Creek, an eight-time winner invading from Parx for trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero, was valiant in defeat.

“The horse ran well,” said Carmouche. “Coming from Parx, running on this track, she ran awesome. She made every pole a winning one but the final jump.”

Bred in the Empire State by the owner's Stonewall Farm, Sharp Starr banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to 9-3-2-2. She returned $4.50 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Sunday at the Big A, Closing Day of the 18-day fall meet, with a nine-race card offering a pair of rich New York Stallion Stakes Series races, including the Great White Way for 2-year-olds and the Fifth Avenue for juvenile fillies, with purses of $250,000 each. Also featured on Closing Day is the $100,000 Garland of Roses at six furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Trainer Velazquez ‘Derby Dreaming’ After Brooklyn Strong’s Remsen Victory

Mark Schwartz's Brooklyn Strong showed up with a big effort in the final furlong to win the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, N.Y., over the 6-5 favorite, Ten for Ten.

Ten for Ten took an early lead, setting the pace through fractions of :23.67, :47.86, 1:12.69, and 1:37.96 on a sloppy track. Sent off at odds of 7-1, Brooklyn Strong challenged the leader in the stretch and pulled ahead to win the 1 1/8 mile race by a neck with Ten for Ten taking second and 8 3/4 lengths separating the two from the third place finisher, Known Agenda, followed by Pickin' Time and Erawan. Brooklyn Strong returned $16.20 on a $2 win bet.

Final time for 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.80.

“I was very confident going in,” winning trainer Daniel Velazquez said in a post-race interview. “I knew the distance was key and I was confident about the off track. I was happy with his performance. He really dug in. Today was a big showcase for him against tougher competition and I couldn't be happier.”

This is the first graded stakes win for the NewYork-bred gelding and the first for his sire, Wicked Strong, who has two crops to race. Brooklyn Strong is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare, Riviera Chic. Prior to today's win, Brooklyn Strong had crossed the finish line first in two of three starts including the Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont. Brooklyn Strong was purchased for $5,000 by Schwartz at the OBS 2-year-old in training sale in April of 2020. He was ridden today by Joel Rosario. This was the first graded stakes win for trainer Daniel Velazquez.

“I broke well and it looked like they were running away from me a little bit,” Rosario. “So I had to ride him to get position. I didn't want to let him fall back, so I rode him to stay within a couple of lengths. I was happy with how he was progressing and I was confident he was going to have something left for the end.”

Today's win earned the son of Wicked Strong 10 qualifying points for the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

“We'll come back healthy and then start picking our spots,” Velazquez said on earning the Derby points. “This is a big prep for the Derby moving forward. Now, we're definitely Derby dreaming.”

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NYRA Announces New COVID-19 Protocols For Jockeys

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys during the 2020/21 Aqueduct winter meet, which will open on Thursday, Dec. 10 and run through Sunday, March 28.

The 56-day Aqueduct winter meet will include 42 stakes races worth $4.57 million in purse money. In order to mitigate risk and reduce the spread of COVID-19, Aqueduct will be closed to riders that are not regular members of the NYRA jockey colony as of Dec. 31.

To account for NYRA's 10-day holiday break from December 21 through Dec. 30, jockeys interested in being included in the regular NYRA jockey colony must contact NYRA for consideration by Dec. 31.

Members of the regular NYRA jockey colony who travel to ride at any other racetrack during the Aqueduct winter meet will be required to provide two negative COVID-19 tests taken within a 5-day window in order to return to ride at Aqueduct. Jockeys traveling out of state who have completed the required testing will then be physically isolated in the jockey quarters for three additional calendar days. All COVID-19 testing must be performed in New York state.

In addition to race day safety protocols which include standard health screening and temperature checks, the jockey quarters at Aqueduct have been substantially altered to provide maximum social distancing and reduce density. All areas accessed by jockeys during the regular course of a race day are closed to outside personnel, including credentialed media, and are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day. Jockeys are not permitted access to the barn area at Belmont Park.

Jockey agents must produce a negative COVID-19 test in order to gain access to the barn area. Races will continue to be drawn via Zoom. Valets working in in the jockey quarters are not permitted in the barn area.

Live racing during the Aqueduct winter meet will generally be conducted Thursday through Sunday until the end of February and the addition of special Monday cards on Jan. 18 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Feb. 15 for Presidents' Day. Live racing in March will be offered Friday through Sunday through the conclusion of the winter meet on March 28.

For additional information, and the complete winter meet stakes schedule, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule.

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