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My Sister Nat Repeats As Winner Of Waya Stakes

My Sister Nat lived up to her status as the post time favorite, won her second straight edition of the Grade 3 Waya Stakes with a sweeping outside move on Sunday at Belmont Park.

The 6-year-old French-bred Acclamation mare placed mid-pack by jockey Jose Ortiz, breaking from the outside post, as Always Shopping took the early lead on the rail, followed closely by Call Me Love. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. guided Always Shopping through an opening quarter in :25.63 seconds, and the pair stretched out their early lead through the first turn of the 1 3/8-mile race.

Always Shopping had gotten loose by 1 1/2 lengths after the opening half-mile in :52.01 seconds, while British-born Call Me Love and longshot Lovely Lucky trailed as the closest competition and My Sister Nat remained unhurried near the back of the pack. The lead trio continued to separate from the rest of the field throughout the back straightaway, and they entered the final turn through three-quarters in 1:17.52.

The top three remained unchanged through the bend, but Ortiz started calling upon My Sister Nat, who started gaining position on the outside, and was battling for second as the field turned for home. My Sister Nat drew even with Always Shopping under a vigorous hand ride, and blew past the pacesetter when Ortiz drew his crop. The mare drew clear, and crossed the line 2 1/2 lengths ahead of a late-moving Orglandes, who finished a neck ahead of Always Shopping for the runner-up spot.

My Sister Nat stopped the clock in 2:15.37 over a firm turf course, and she paid $3 to win as the post time favorite.

Sunday's race was My Sister Nat's first win since last year's Waya, which was held in August at Saratoga Race Course. She'd been on the cusp of graded success several times between wins, finishing third or better in five graded stakes races, including a runner-up effort in last year's G1 Flower Bowl Stakes.

The Waya improved My Sister Nat's record to four wins in 20 starts, and earnings of $825,672. Chad Brown trains the mare for owner Peter Brant. She was bred in France by Ecurie Des Monceaux.

View the full race chart here.

Stakes Quotes Courtesy of NYRA Press Office

Dan Stupp, assistant to Chad Brown, winning trainer of My Sister Nat (No. 7, $3.00*) and runner-up Orglandes (No. 7): “She's a very nice and very honest mare. She's had a very consistent career. She shows up every time with her run. Sometimes pace dynamics don't work out in her favor, and we get a little unlucky but Jose [Ortiz] always rides her well and she always shows up. It's nice to see her put in another strong effort.

“They were going a little slow early on, but she was also comfortable and had quite a bit of run, so she was able to overcome that pretty easily.”

On runner-up Orglandes: “She won out in California [Grade 3 Red Carpet at Del Mar] last year. She was one that we always had some high hopes for this year. We just got sidetracked with some minor stuff. It's nice to see her get back on track. We thought she would have a solid campaign and hopefully we can move forward off this race.”

Jose Ortiz, winning jockey aboard My Sister Nat (No. 7): “In this kind of race they usually go slow. It felt like they went 50 and 51 but I was following who I thought was the right horse [No. 6 Beautiful Lover] and around the three-eighths pole I put her in the clear and she gave me such a great feeling. She just was handling the course really well. She gave me a great kick from the three-eighths pole to the wire, and she kept running.

“It's big to have a win right before the Breeders' Cup. I don't know if we're going or not but we've been running against better horses. I think her last race [third in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational] was very good, we ran well and got beat by the right horse [War Like Goddess].”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., jockey aboard runner-up Orgalndes (No. 4): “I got squeezed a little bit out of the gate, so it cost me to get a better position, but that's racing.”

On improved effort from her previous two starts: “She likes the hard turf, that might have made the difference.”

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Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf A Consideration For Consumer Spending

Klaravich Stables Inc.'s Consumer Spending will be under consideration for the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf following her impressive victory in the $150,000 Selima Saturday at Laurel Park.

Trainer Chad Brown said Sunday that the 2-year-old More Than Ready filly was doing well following her second consecutive victory and first in a stakes. Out of the Scat Daddy mare Siempre Mia, she made her first two starts this summer over the grass at Saratoga.

It was the second straight Selima win for Brown following Fluffy Socks at historic Pimlico Race Course. Fluffy Socks won the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante later last fall and was most recently third in the Aug. 21 G1 Del Mar Oaks.

“She's certainly a horse with a bright future. She's run really well in all three of her starts to date,” Brown said. “We'll see what we do from here. The Juvenile Fillies Turf has to be considered at this point, given the way she won yesterday. We'll see how she's training this month.”

The one-mile Juvenile Fillies Turf will be run Nov. 5 at Del Mar. Brown has won five of the 12 editions of the race with Maram (2009), Lady Eli (2014), New Money Honey (2016), Rushing Fall (2017) and Newspaperofrecord (2018). Lady Eli in 2017 and Rushing Fall in 2020 would later be named female turf champions.

In 2019, Sharing won the Selima off a maiden victory and went on to upset the Juvenile Fillies Turf at odds of nearly 14-1 for trainer Graham Motion.

Consumer Spending, favored at 2-5 in the Selima, trailed all but one of her seven rivals through a half-mile and was still in need of room on the far turn before she was able to split horses and sprint clear in open ground, pulling away from the field even while jockey Victor Carrasco had her wrapped up nearing the wire.

“She ran well. On the turn there it didn't look like she was doing much running at one point and I was concerned, but then she grabbed the bit again and finished strong,” Brown said. “All in all, it was an impressive performance.”

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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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Gufo Records Final Breeze For G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo recorded his final piece of serious preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park, breezing a half-mile in 48.80 Sunday over the Belmont inner turf.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old chestnut son of Declaration of War seeks to keep an unbeaten record at 12 furlongs intact following victories in the Grand Couturier on July 5 at Belmont before winning the G1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer eight weeks later at Saratoga.

“He worked very well this morning,” Clement said. “It was a strong work and he finished up very nicely, so I'm excited for next week.”

Clement will seek a second Joe Hirsch Turf Classic win, previously saddling Winchester to victory in 2010. Multiple champion Gio Ponti was second in the 2009 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for Clement.

Also appearing on Sunday's work tab for Clement was dual graded stakes winner Mutamakina who completed a half-mile move in 49.20 seconds over the inner turf. Al Shiraa'aa Farm's daughter of Nathaniel captured the G2 Dance Smartly on Aug. 22 at Woodbine last out and will return to the Toronto oval for the G1 E.P. Taylor on Oct. 17.

Scheduled to accompany Mutamakina for the journey up north is stable mate La Dragontea, a winner of the G2 Canadian on Sept. 18 at Woodbine who also will target the E.P. Taylor.

Clement said he plans on saddling multiple contenders next weekend for the G3, $150,000 Matron, a six-furlong turf event for juvenile fillies. Possible contenders for the Clement barn include stakes-winner Derrynane, who captured the Woodbine Cares on Sept. 19, as well as maiden winners The Club and Gal In a Rush.

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