Tag: Jorge Abreu

Deterministic Fine after Gotham Win

Deterministic (Liam's Map) exited his victory in the GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct Saturday in fine shape and connections are still mulling a possible next start for the sophomore.

“He came back in good order. We're very much enjoying the fact that he won the Gotham yesterday. It was a very strong performance and we're happy with the way he looks this morning,” trainer Christophe Clement said Sunday. “We will probably ship him to Florida this week. He's done very well in Florida and the weather is more under control. He's been here for the last three months and training well here, so no need to change too much at the moment.”

A debut winner at Saratoga last August, Deterministic was making just his second lifetime start in the Gotham.

“No decision whatsoever made for the next start,” Clement said. “At the moment, the only worry is the well-being of the horse and we'll go from there. We'll get him to a work and the work will tell us what to do with him.”

Clement, who won the 2014 GI Belmont S. with Tonalist (Tapit), said he would only enjoy a first GI Kentucky Derby starter, but only if his charge had a decent shot at victory on the First Saturday in May.

“To run, no–to win, yes,” said Clement, with a laugh. “Running is not very exciting, but winning is. If he was to go that route, that would be very exciting. At the moment, we need to evaluate a next start and I believe, most probably, he would need to run before the Derby.”

Clement also saddled Capital Idea (Classic Empire) in the Gotham. The bay colt, a maiden winner at Aqueduct in January, had a wide trip in his stakes debut while finishing fifth.

“I thought he ran OK. He had a very bad post and he was carried wide all the way, but he actually tried and he finished,” Clement said. “We'd love to go a mile and an eighth and two turns with him next time, but where, I don't know. I think the longer the better. He came back in good order. He trained in New York all winter, so I left him in New York.”

Clement agreed the Apr. 6 GII Wood Memorial might be an option for Capital Idea, as well as for stablemate Pandagate (Arrogate), who captured the Gander S. at Aqueduct Feb. 25. Other options for Pandagate include the Apr. 20 Federico Tesio S. at Laurel Park or the Mar. 30 G2 2 UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse.

“He came back last week and we'll get to a work at the end of this week. We're very happy with him. He's another one that we'll leave eligible for everything,” Clement said of Pandagate.

Also exiting a stakes win at Aqueduct Saturday in fine shape was Jody's Pride (American Pharoah), who earned 50 qualifying points to the GI Kentucky Oaks with her victory in the Busher S.

“She came back great, everything is great,” said trainer Jorge Abreu. “It's very exciting for us. Going to the Breeders' Cup was such a fun ride for us and she showed up over there. To see the performance she put in on that day, we were like, 'Wow,' so we gave her 30 days [off], and then she grew up and got bigger and stronger. Yesterday, she showed it.”

Jody's Pride was second, beaten just a neck by Just F Y I (Justify), in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last November. She is likely to remain in New York and make her next start in the Apr. 6 GIII Gazelle S., according to Abreu.

“I don't want to keep moving her around,” said Abreu. “She's already run four races at three different tracks and four different distances. She likes Aqueduct, too.”

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Jody’s Pride Inspires Dreams of Lilies with Busher Win

Jody's Pride (f, 3, American Pharoah–Jody's Song, by Scat Daddy) opened her 2024 with style here as she outgamed Carmelina (Maximus Mischief) to claim her first stakes win of the season in the Busher S.

A dirt horse by accident after her maiden turf dash debut Aug. 9 at Saratoga was brought off the grass and she dominated by 10 1/2 lengths, it was a similar story for the Matron S. in her second start Oct. 8 when that six-panel sprint also came off the turf and again sending Jody's Pride to the winner's enclosure. Intentionally entered in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies going long on the main track at Santa Anita Park, she continued her improvement to come a neck short of catching champion MGISW Just F Y I (Justify) at 17-1 odds.

Returning at a one-turn mile, and greeting a rainy New York day, the 4-5 favorite stalked Carmelina as she rolled through :23.62 and :46.81 early splits. Making a bid entering the bend, Jody's Pride had come on even terms with that leader from the six path as they swung into the upper stretch. The fillies locked horns to the final sixteenth before the eventual winner finally managed to move clear by 2 1/4 lengths. Gin Gin (Hightail) came on from the back to close the trifecta. With the score here, Jody's Pride secured 50 Kentucky Oaks points in addition to the 15 she earned from the runner-up effort at the Breeders' Cup.

 

“We gave her 30 days [after the Breeders' Cup] and then we brought her back to Palm Meadows; she was doing everything great,” said trainer Jorge Abreu. “She was working pretty good and we had her pointed for the Davonna Dale, and at the last minute, [co-owner] Mr. Weston decided to run her over here. So I said, 'OK, let's go.'”

When asked whether his stable star might next be seen in the GIII Gazelle S., a 100-point qualifier to the Kentucky Oaks Apr. 6, Abreu said, “I'm going to see how she comes out of it and probably [come back] here in the Gazelle, and then the Kentucky Oaks. She ran two turns already and my concern was if she was going to perform as well as she did as a 2-year-old. She did, and I think she wants to go longer than that even.”

Co-owner Steve Weston of Parkland Thoroughbreds, too, is looking ahead to Kentucky. “We made it [to the Kentucky Oaks] once before with Venti Valentine and we actually won this race for the third time today. We won it twice with Final Furlong, with Venti Valentine and Espesso Shot. I'm not saying we have the best horse for the Oaks of the 14, but at least we have a chance.”

The second foal for Jody's Song, a half-sister to MSW & GISP Make Mischief (Into Mischief), Jody's Pride is the most accomplished for her dam. She has a 2-year-old full-brother Moreperfectunion as well as a yearling full-brother already named Jody's Legacy. The mare is due to Epicenter for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

BUSHER S., $200,000, Aqueduct, 3-2, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:38.49, sy.
1–JODY'S PRIDE, 120, f, 3, by American Pharoah
           1st Dam: Jody's Song, by Scat Daddy
           2nd Dam: Speightful Lady, by Speightstown
           3rd Dam: England's Rose, by Nureyev
O-Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen Stable; B-Mr. Steve Weston (KY); T-Jorge R. Abreu; J-Jose Lezcano. $110,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-3-1-0, $590,250.
2–Carmelina, 120, f, 3, Maximus Mischief–Complete St., by St Averil. ($44,000 Wlg '21 FTIDEC). O-Cash is King LLC and LC Racing LLC; B-Lillith E. Boucher (PA); T-Robert E. Reid, Jr.. $40,000.
3–Gin Gin, 120, f, 3, Hightail–Before You Know It, by Hard Spun. O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $24,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 0.95, 8.80, 3.20.
Also Ran: Aoife's Magic, Regulatory Risk, Sicilian Princess, Princess Mayfair.

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Breeders’ Cup Runner-Up Jody’s Pride Takes Next Step on Oaks Trail

Steve Weston hoped to produce a nice turf horse when he sent his mare Jody's Song (Scat Daddy) to Coolmore's American Pharoah. Jody's Song had been undefeated in two starts on the grass in New York and American Pharoah had already shown his versatility as a sire when he produced several Grade I-winning turfers from his first few crops.

Everyone spoke highly of the resulting filly, whom he named Jody's Pride, throughout her early years, but when it came time for the dark bay to make her debut last August at Saratoga, the race got rained off the turf. Trainer Jorge Abreu opted to keep the filly entered anyways and to her connections' pleasant surprise, she sprinted away to win by over 10 lengths.

Again in her next start in the Matron S., the race was switched to the main track. Again, Jody's Pride won going away.

“So then we tried the grass for a third time in the Breeders' Cup,” recalled Weston. “But they said they didn't have room for us. So we said, 'Okay, we'll try the dirt. We don't know how she'll do. She's never gone two turns, but we'll see.'”

Sent off at 18-1 odds in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Jody's Pride and jockey Flavien Prat trailed heavy favorite Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) along the rail before swinging out to close in on winner Just FYI (Justify) in the final strides and finish second by a neck.

A newborn Jody's Pride with dam Jody's Song | courtesy Ashford Stud

At that point it was a pretty easy decision that Jody's Pride would be sticking to dirt, at least for the time being, as she points toward the GI Kentucky Oaks.

“Believe me, I'm not complaining,” Weston said with a laugh. “It's very hard to be able to get a good dirt horse that can go two turns. I'm blessed right now to have one.”

Steve and Debbie Weston's Parkland Thoroughbreds has excelled at the top level of the sport in recent years by partnering up on the likes of Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio), who won the G3 Albany S. at Ascot last year, 2023 GII Appalachian S. victress Papilio (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), and other graded stakes winners like Royal Charlotte (Cairo Prince) and Horologist (Gemologist). But Jody's Pride stands out as a rare homebred for their stable and she's the one that Weston said is “by far” the best he's ever bred.

Weston, who is based in Parkland, Florida but spends his summers in Saratoga, purchased the filly's dam as a yearling for $250,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The daughter of Scat Daddy was bred by Avanti Stable, whose owners Mario and Dawn Martinez lived just a few doors down from the Westons on Fifth Avenue. Named after Weston's sister who had recently passed away, Jody's Song showed talent early on and won on debut by three lengths, but injuries cut her career short.

Jody's Pride was only the mare's second foal, but sadly Jody's Song passed away from colic a week before Jody's Pride made her debut last year.

“It was a terrible loss,” Weston said. “She had two surgeries and she lived for about a month, but we just couldn't save her.”

Jody's Song produced three other foals including a 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo who broke her maiden last summer at Belmont and retired to Weston's broodmare band this year. She also has a 2-year-old colt by American Pharoah training in Ocala and another American Pharoah yearling colt.

Weston's boutique breeding program is strictly a breed-to-race operation. Along with a handful of mares in New York, he owns Sabrina's Angel (Scat Daddy), a half-sister to WinStar sire Audible.

Weston said that he considers breeding a filly like Jody's Pride to be one of the highlights of his time in the game.

“It's a different feeling,” he explained. “Not that I don't enjoy Porta Fortuna and the others because I do, but it's a different feeling when you breed one and you're racing it, especially at a high level.”

Jody's Pride as a yearling at Ashford | courtesy Ashford Stud

Weston co-owns Jody's Pride with his good friend Joe D'Agostino of Sportsmen Stable. The pair has been counting down the days until their star filly's 3-year-old debut.

Jody's Pride was originally pointing for the GII Davona Dale S., but after she put in two works at Gulfstream, Abreu decided to send her to the Busher S. at Aqueduct, where she has won once before.

“She's up there now and she's ready to go,” Weston reported. “It was different when we went into the Breeders' Cup because we were not expecting much. There wasn't much pressure and we were just happy to be there. Now I'm sorry to say that our hopes are so high that going into New York, sure we hope we win, but we expect to run really well.”

Weston has followed this same path to the Oaks before. In 2022 Venti Valentine (Firing Line), a filly Parkland Thoroughbreds co-owns with NY Final Furling Racing Stable, won the Busher and was second in the GII Gazelle S. before taking her connections to the Oaks. While the Abreu trainee finished well back in 14th that day, she has since proven to be a skilled New York-bred stakes filly for the group, most recently finishing second in the Broadway S. at Aqueduct on Feb. 17.

Weston has a lot to look forward to this spring as many of his top horses are set to return to the racetrack in the coming weeks.

Porta Fortuna, who ran second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, has returned to training for the partnership of Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Barry Fowler and will make her 3-year-old debut back in her home country of Ireland in early April.

Papilio, who is co-owned by DJ Stable, Medallion Racing and Barry Fowler, made her 4-year-old debut at Gulfstream this past weekend and finished a close second to MSW Sweet Dani Girl (Jess's Dream).

Mischievous Angel (Into Mischief) is a 4-year-old out of Weston's broodmare Sabrina's Angel. The gelding broke his maiden on debut last June and then finished sixth in the GII Hall of Fame S. While the Chad Brown trainee hasn't seen the starting gate since, Weston said he has been putting in solid works at Palm Meadows this year and is set to make his 4-year-old debut at Keeneland this spring.

“I have had a lot of lean years, but the last couple of years have really improved,” he said, and then grinned. “I think I'm actually almost breaking even.”

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Pharoah Filly Cruises in Rained-Off Matron

Jody's Pride, a 10 1/2-length debut winner in an off-turf event upstate Aug. 9, enjoyed the same surface switch here and the result was similar. Off towards the back of the pack, the dark bay quickly picked off rivals down the backside and uncorked a three-deep move around the bend to take command under her own power before a half posted in :45.93. She found no challengers from there on in, and cruised under the line a dominant victoress from last-out New York-bred stakes fourth finisher Tricky Temper. A Primera Vista, second in the Minnesota-bred Northern Lights Debutante S. at Canterbury last out, was third.

“I broke a step slow and I asked her to get herself into the race from there,” said winning pilot Flavien Prat. “Once I hit the turn, she just swapped leads and naturally on her own took me there. I didn't want to take anything away that came easy.”

Trainer Jorge Abreu said, “The main thing I like about her is that she relaxed a little bit today. That was my worry. When she ran the first time [going] 5 1/2 [furlongs], you know how they can be mentally, especially the fillies–they want to be a little keyed up and stuff like that. The first day we galloped her after the race, she looked like she was going to go the other way, but then she's got a pretty good, level head, that filly.”

As far as what could be next, the conditioner said, “My goal is to make it to the Breeders' Cup with her. I think she's that kind of horse. [Which race] is something we have to sit down and see. We'll see how she comes out in the morning and take it from there. I would rather go a mile. A mile on the turf. My first preference is turf.”

Pedigree Notes:

Jody's Pride is her sire's 35th Northern Hemisphere black-type winner, and would be his 19th grade/group winner should the original grade of this race be reinstated after review. She is the 27th Northern Hemisphere stakes winner out of a Scat Daddy mare. Mackinnon, the multiple stakes-winning juvenile who was third in the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, is bred on this same American Pharoah–Scat Daddy cross.

Steve Weston's Parkland Thoroughbreds and trainer Jorge Abreu also campaigned the winner's dam, who was a $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling and won both of her starts in turf sprints against fellow New York-breds. Jody's Song's prior foal Empathy (Uncle Mo) broke her maiden going seven furlongs on the Belmont grass in July. A half-brother to MGSW/GISP Make Mischief (Into Mischief), Jody's Song has yearling and foal full-brothers to Jody's Pride. She most recently visited Epicenter.

Sunday, Aqueduct
MATRON S.*, $150,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-8, 2yo, f, 6f (off turf), 1:10.77, ft.
1–JODY'S PRIDE, 120, f, 2, by American Pharoah
               1st Dam: Jody's Song, by Scat Daddy
               2nd Dam: Speightful Lady, by Speightstown
               3rd Dam: England's Rose, by Nureyev
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Parkland Thoroughbreds and
Sportsmen Stable; B-Mr. Steve Weston (KY); T-Jorge R. Abreu;
J-Flavien Prat. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $140,250.
Click for the free Equineline catalogue-style pedigree. 
2–Tricky Temper, 120, f, 2, Into Mischief–Winter Book, by Any
Given Saturday. ($97,000 RNA Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $230,000 2yo
'23 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Mark H. Stanley; B-Sequel
Thoroughbreds, LLC & Lakland Farm (NY); T-Jeremiah C.
Englehart. $30,000.
3–A Primera Vista, 120, f, 2, Competitive Edge–
Dazzlingsweetheart, by Dazzling Falls. ($70,000 Ylg '22
MNSAUG). O/T-Kerri Raven; B-Mary & Eric VonSeggern (MN).
$18,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 4 3/4, 4. Odds: 1.25, 16.30, 31.75.
Also Ran: Sugar Hi, Leslie's Loot, Love to Eat, Devil At Midnight. Scratched: Amidst Waves, Ever So Sweet (Ire), Independenceavenue, Marco T., Star of Mystery (GB). *Automatically downgraded when taken off the turf.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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