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Awesome Debate, Sadie Lady Head Field For Union Avenue At Saratoga

Van Vranken Racing and NRB Racing Stable's Awesome Debate will look to make amends in her second start for trainer Bruce Brown in Thursday's $100,000 Union Avenue, a 6 1/2-furlong handicap on the main track for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Claimed for $45,000 out of a winning effort on July 18 at Saratoga, the 5-year-old Honorable Dillon grey went to post as the odds-on favorite last out in an optional-claiming sprint on August 9 at Finger Lakes. After being fractious in the gate, Awesome Debate broke in the air, stumbled, and trailed the field of five throughout.

“That wasn't how it was written up,” said Brown, with a laugh. “She was supposed to win by 10 in a gallop and then I was going to run her back in this race, but it didn't quite work out that way.

“It's just one of those things. Bad racing luck,” he continued. “She came out of it great. Coming back out of that race was going to be running her back pretty close, but she didn't really do a whole lot of running that day. It was a public workout more than anything.”

Brown said Awesome Debate was very professional when schooling at the gate Saturday at Saratoga.

“She didn't turn a hair….which figures,” Brown said.

Bred in New York by Charlton Baker, who trained her through her first 13 starts, Awesome Debate has posted a record of 15-7-3-1 with purse earnings of $267,577. She was claimed for $45,000 out of a runner-up effort in May at Belmont by Danny Gargan and returned July 18 with a stylish score in a six-furlong state-bred optional-claiming sprint contested on a sloppy and sealed main track.

Brown said he appreciated the mare's nose for the wire.

“She's been very consistent lately. I've always liked that group of higher-priced New York-bred claiming fillies and older mares,” Brown said. “If you can have a decent one of those that's usually a pretty good thing.”

With the speedy Sadie Lady likely to dictate terms Thursday, Brown said the often-prominent Awesome Debate may utilize different tactics while trying to win beyond six furlongs for the first time.

“She's very tactical,” Brown said. “When I claimed her, I thought she had the look of a pure speed horse, but that day she sat off it and then went on with it. I don't think six and a half [furlongs] will be a problem for her.”

Awesome Debate, assigned 119 pounds, will emerge from post 5 under Luis Saez.

Dennis Narlinger's graded stakes-placed Sadie Lady has won three of her last four starts dating back to a 2 1/2-length optional claiming win in December, sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The Rob Atras trainee, bred by JMJ Racing Stables, followed with a head score in the six-furlong Correction Stakes in March at the Big A against open company ahead of a game second in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Vagrancy in May at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Last out, the 5-year-old daughter of Freud made every call a winning one in the six-furlong Dancin Renee against fellow state-breds at Belmont.

Jose Ortiz retains the mount from the inside post as Sadie Lady, an eight-time winner from 20 starts, makes her Saratoga debut while carrying a field-high 124 pounds.

TLC Thoroughbreds homebred Hannah Dances is undefeated in four starts this campaign, all in sprint races at Finger Lakes, for trainer M. Anthony Ferraro.

The 4-year-old Shakin It Up grey, who will make her stakes debut while racing beyond six furlongs for the first time, boasts a record of 11-7-1-0 with purse earnings of $107,890.

Hannah Dances, carrying 118 pounds, will exit post 4 under Luis Perez.

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Trainer Ray Handal will saddle a formidable pair in stakes-placed Irish Constitution [post 3, Joel Rosario, 115 pounds] and eight-time winner Diva Banker [post 6, Dylan Davis, 116 pounds].

Perrine Time Thoroughbreds and West Paces Racing's Irish Constitution graduated on debut last July at Saratoga and followed with a distant fourth in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes. She completed her juvenile campaign with a runner-up effort in the Joseph A. Gimma in October at Belmont.

An optional-claiming winner in March at the Big A, the 3-year-old Constitution chestnut, bred by SF Bloodstock, was last seen finishing third – 5 1/2-lengths back of runner-up Awesome Debate – in a state-bred optional-claiming sprint on May 14.

The Handal-owned Diva Banker, a 5-year-old Central Banker mare bred by Jonath Meadean Inc., was claimed for $5,000 in January at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., and two starts later captured an open claiming sprint in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. She followed with an off-the-pace state-bred allowance score in June at Belmont, but failed to fire last out in a state-bred optional claimer on August 11 at the Spa.

Rounding out the field is Joseph G. McMahon, Anne McMahon and Albert Lewis' Lot of Honey, a 3-year-old daughter of Central Banker who graduated in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden special weight sprint in June at Belmont.

Trained by James Ferraro and bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Lot of Honey, assigned 114 pounds, will exit post 2 under Manny Franco.

The Union Avenue is slated as Race 9 on Thursday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Russell Considering De Francis Memorial Dash For Wondrwherecraigis

Patience and perseverance paid off handsomely for owners Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables, and Michael Caruso and trainer Brittany Russell when Wondrwherecraigis became a stakes winner for the first time in Friday's Tale of the Cat at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Based at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., the 4-year-old gelding's front-running 2 ¾-length triumph under jockey Luis Saez has the connections thinking of taking the next step in their own backyard in the prestigious $200,000 Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Saturday, Sept. 18 at Laurel Park.

Named for the late president and chairman of both Laurel and Pimlico, the De Francis' illustrious roster of winners includes Hall of Famer Housebuster, fellow sprint champions Cherokee Run, Smoke Glacken, Thor's Echo and Benny the Bull, and Lite the Fuse, the race's only two-time winner (1995-96) honored with his own stakes race in Maryland.

The six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up headlines four stakes worth $500,000 in purses, representing the first stakes action over Laurel's newly reconstructed main track. Laurel's fall meet is scheduled to open Thursday, Sept. 9.

“It's not out of the question. It seems like the timing is good, but we'll have to just see how things fall into place,” Russell said. “We have to see who nominates and what it looks like, but I think he could be very useful around here. If it means the Grade 3, great. If not, we'll look around.

“I like the idea. I like the distance, the timing, all those things,” she added. “But, we also want to be reasonable. It would be exciting for me.”

Married to jockey Sheldon Russell and 10 weeks away from delivering the couple's second child, Russell stayed behind in Maryland to watch Friday's race, leaving the saddling to assistant trainer Amanda Knox. Saturday morning's report was encouraging.

“Amanda said he's fantastic, sound, ate up,” Russell said. “He was bouncing around, happy as could be.”

Since mid-April, Wondrwherecraigis has been part of Russell's string at Pimlico, where he prepped for the Tale of the Cat with a commanding 5 ¾-length optional claiming allowance triumph July 18. Of his five career wins, two have come at both Pimlico and Laurel.

By multiple graded-stakes winning sprinter Munnings, Wondrwherecraigis cruised by three lengths in gate-to-wire fashion on the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan undercard May 14 at Pimlico, his first race in nearly nine months since finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Amsterdam last August at Saratoga.

Wondrwherecraigis was unraced at 2 after selling for $67,000 as a yearling, debuting with back-to-back wins at Laurel March 13 and June 6, 2020. Two weeks later, he was entered in the Keeneland Horse Association's Horses of Racing Age Sale but failed to meet his $210,000 reserve.

Sent to New York, Wondrwherecraigis ran third in the Gold Fever at Belmont Park before taking on graded competition in the Amsterdam, finishing 7 ½ lengths behind Yaupon – who would come back to win the Grade 3 Chick Lang last October and Lite the Fuse July 4 at Pimlico – before going to the sidelines.

“The partners have been patient. It's a perfect example of if you know the horse has ability, just do the right thing by them,” Russell said. “Hopefully it works out the way it seems to have with this horse.”

Wondrwherecraigis was nominated to the $100,000 Chesapeake Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs, also six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, but how well he had done since the Pimlico race and the prospect of a smaller field landed him in Saratoga instead. It was Russell's fourth career win at Saratoga and first in a stakes.

“I sort of wrote this race off originally. We actually supplemented him. I didn't even nominate him because I didn't want to feel pressured,” Russell said. “He ran such a big number when he won the last time at Pimlico. I was really thinking that Colonial race was good timing and that track seems to be good for speed horses. There seemed like a lot of positives to go to Colonial.

“But then looking at it, it seemed as though it wasn't going to be a large field [at Saratoga]. I wasn't sure about quality at the time,” she added. “It worked out. It doesn't always work out that well, but it did this time.”

Wondrwherecraigis will return to Maryland next week and begin preparations for his next race. All stakes races at Saratoga and Maryland's graded races such as the De Francis are run Lasix-free.

“I'm going to leave him up there a couple days and just kind of let him recover. I didn't want to put him right on a truck and ship him six hours after that run,” Russell said. “We'll get him back home and see how he is. I think the main thing is, we learned that he doesn't need Lasix and that's a big deal when you're talking about running in the better races like that.”

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Point Me By Gets First Graded Stakes Win In Bruce D At Arlington

With only two starts in his short career, Point Me By made his third outing a Grade 1 winning one, taking the Grade 1 Bruce D Stakes (formerly run as the Secretariat Stakes) at Arlington Park on what may be its final Arlington Million card. Facing a field of nine that included a variety of horses from stakes winner Tango Tango Tango to the maiden New Year Surprise, Point Me By bided his time midpack and closed with a rush to win the one-mile Bruce D by 2 3/4 lengths.

Breaking from the six post, Point Me By settled in behind Like a Saltshaker as the 3-year-old gelding grabbed an early lead, with Tango Tango Tango in second on the rail. Luis Saez kept Point Me By off the rail, running in fifth on the backside as Like a Saltshaker set fractions of :25.03 for the first quarter and :50.04 for the first half. On the far turn. Saez took his mount to the outside of horses, as Tango Tango Tango moved to the lead entering the stretch.

With Tango Tango Tango on the lead, Point Me By found running room down the center of the track, closing fast to win. Tango Tango Tango and Ginsburned needed a photo to determine second and third, with Tango Tango Tango notching second by a nose. King of Miami was fourth, with Like a Saltshaker, Therideofalifetime, Mr. Universe, New Year Surprise, and Shadizaar rounding out the field.

The final time was 1:37.70. Find this race's chart here.

Point Me By paid $5.40, $2.80, and $2.40. Tango Tango Tango paid $3.00 and $2.40. Ginsburned paid $3.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Winchester Farm, Point Me By is by Point of Entry out of Viva Allegiance, a Proud Citizen mare. He is owned by Homewrecker Racing Stable and trained by Eddie Kenneally. This was Point Me By's second win in three lifetime starts, for career winnings of $238,268.

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Santa Barbara Finds More Success On American Turf In Beverly D At Arlington

Her second trip over an American turf course was her second winning one as Santa Barbara won the Grade1 Beverly D at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill. on Arlington Million Day. After a less-than-ideal trip in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, where she was boxed in early, jockey Ryan Moore was able to find more running room in the Beverly D, sitting behind leader Mean Mary throughout before moving to the outside on the final turn and sprinting to the lead in the stretch to win by four lengths.

With Bramble Queen and Oh So Terrible both scratched, the field for the Grade 1 turf stakes was down to five, with Mean Mary breaking from the inside and Santa Barbara from the middle of the pack. The field got away cleanly after Mean Mary broke through the gate prematurely and was then reloaded with no trouble. Luis Saez moved Mean Mary out to the lead in the first quarter with Naval Laughter a half length behind her on the outside. Moore kept Santa Barbara running easily on the rail in third, as Mean Mary logged a first quarter in :24.57 and a half-mile in :49.31.

Naval Laughter challenged Mean Mary's lead briefly going into the final turn of the 1 3/16 mile Beverly D, pulling even with Mean Mary as Moore moved Santa Barbara away from the rail. On the final turn, Santa Barbara was two wide, making her move on the outside of Mean Mary and Naval Laughter. Into the stretch, Santa Barbara easily took over the lead, drawing away from the field under a hand ride from Moore as Lemista sprinted through the stretch, almost catching Mean Mary at the wire. Joy Epifora and Naval Laughter rounded out the short field.

The final time for the G1 Beverly D was 1:54.55. Find this race's chart here.

Santa Barbara paid $4.00, $2.20. and $2.10. Mean Mary paid $2.40 and $2.10. Lemista paid $2.20.

“She was always a filly I had a high opinion of,” winning rider Moore said to Arlington Park's Vince Greco after the race. “She was very comfortable through the race. Very straightforward today.”

Bred in Ireland by Whisperview Trading Ltd., Santa Barbara is by British sire Camelot out of the Danehill mare Senta's Dream (GB). Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerburg, the 3-year-old filly is trained by Aidan O'Brien. With her win in the G1 Beverly D, Santa Barbara has three wins in six lifetime starts for career winnings of $731,612.

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