Trinni Luck Breezes Ahead Of Staten Island, Bella Sofia Gets A Break

Ryan Racing's homebred Trinni Luck breezed five-eighths in company in a bullet :59.60 Saturday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in preparation for the seven-furlong NYSSS Staten Island for fillies and mares next Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez said the work was designed to help the 4-year-old Trinniberg filly with the cutback in distance after making her last two starts at 1 1/16-miles at Belmont, including an open allowance win in September and an off-the-board effort in the Empire Distaff on October 30.

“She did it the right way,” Rodriguez said. “We put company on her and tried to sharpen her up a little bit. She cooled out good.”

Bred in New York by her owner, the talented bay boasts a record of 7-4-1-0 with purse earnings of $185,350.

Rodriguez said J. W. Singer's Magic Circle is training well into next Saturday's $250,000 G2 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong test for juvenile fillies which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

The Kantharos filly, who finished a close second to Gerrymander last out in the one-mile Tempted on November 5 at Belmont, breezed five-eighths in 1:02.02 November 23 over the Belmont dirt training track.

“She's doing very good. We'll work her again next week,” Rodriguez said. “She's coming into the race good and we just have to hope she likes the two turns.”

Magic Circle was a maiden winner at first asking sprinting seven furlongs in September at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., ahead of a tiring fourth in the one-mile G1 Frizette on October 3 at Belmont.

Rodriguez said Magic Circle should appreciate the stretch out in distance.

“I'm hoping we can sit behind the speed and make a run. She's a very kind filly and you can do what you want with her,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said that Michael Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners, Matthew Mercurio, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, and Barry Fowler's Bella Sofia is off for a freshening ahead of a 4-year-old campaign.

The Awesome Patriot sophomore filly, who was unraced as a juvenile, went 4-for-6 in a tremendous campaign that included wins in the G1 Longines Test in August at the Spa and the G2 Gallant Bloom Handicap in September.

She completed her season with a fourth-place finish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after traveling wide from the outermost post 5 under regular pilot Luis Saez.

“We didn't run our best race in California. I knew we were in trouble from the draw, but we were pleased with her year,” Rodriguez said. “We'll give her a little break and bring her back next year. We sent her to the farm and we'll give her two or three months and get ready for Belmont. Hopefully, she'll come back even better.”

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Bella Sofia Closes Strong In Test, Earns 101 Beyer Speed Figure

Michael Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners, and Matthew Mercurio's Bella Sofia ensured her graded stakes debut was a memorable one when she drew away for a 4 1/4-length score in Saturday's $500,000 Grade 1 Longines Test for 3-year-old fillies sprinting seven furlongs at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez entered the daughter of Awesome Patriot in the prestigious race on Whitney Day following a 6 1/2-length victory against allowance company going six furlongs in July at Belmont. Stretched out on Saturday, Bella Sofia tracked Illumination's early fractions before closing strong under jockey Luis Saez, resulting in a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure after improving to 3-1-0 in four starts.

“The thing that impressed me was that she let Luis do whatever he wanted to do,” Rodriguez said. “The way she broke, I thought she was going to go to the lead. But Luis let the horse go in front of her, and to see her relax and be very kind, that was impressive. When Luis asked her, she was there.”

Bella Sofia was unraced as a juvenile but showed her potential in an impressive debut in which she topped a six-horse field by 11 1/4 lengths going six furlongs on Belmont's Big Sandy on May 6.

Graduating to stakes company next out in the six-furlong Jersey Girl the day after the Belmont Stakes on June 6, Bella Sofia ran a competitive second, one length behind winner Australasia, before registering that blowout win last month.

Rodriguez said Bella Sofia, who was bred in Kentucky by Two Tone Farms, was worth the wait as she has never registered a speed figure below 90.

“Everything was happy and quiet with her today,” Rodriguez said. “She looks a little tired, but she's all good.

“Sometimes, you need to wait,” he added. “She had some little issues and bumps in the road when was she a baby, but she's behind all that now. She looks very happy right now.”

Purchased for $20,000 at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' 2-Year-Old Sale, Bella Sofia has already amassed earnings of $405,100. Rodriguez said he has not picked out her next target yet.

The victory marked the first graded stakes win for Rodriguez in four years, with the previous occurrence also taking place at Saratoga when Lady Ivanka captured the 2017 Grade 1 Spinaway. In total, Rodriguez has tallied seven Grade 1 wins, with four of those coming in 2014.

Rodriguez will have an opportunity for additional graded stakes success as Doctor Jeff remains likely to go in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite. The 6 1/2-furlong main track sprint for 2-year-olds will mark Doctor Jeff's second career start following a 2 1/4-length debut win on July 10 at Belmont in a race that was moved off the turf.

The Street Boss colt, a $90,000 purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, posted a bullet five-furlong breeze Sunday over the Saratoga main track, clocked in :59.61 seconds as the fastest in a group of 22. It was his third consecutive work at the track since shipping from Belmont in July.

Jockey Joel Rosario, aboard for that debut win, was aboard for the work and will have the return call next week.

“He breezed great this morning and we're very happy with the way he's been training over here,” Rodriguez said. “We're still looking at the Special. We're just living the dream right now.”

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