Piedi Bianchi Gets First Career Turf Win In Smart N Fancy At Saratoga

Jay Oringer, Jack Bick, Al Bianchi Racing, Adam Bayroff, and Mike Maturo's Piedi Bianchi notched her first career turf win in Saturday's $120,000 Smart N Fancy, a 5 ½-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older fillies and mares at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Overanalzye mare, making just her fifth appearance on turf in 26 starts, demonstrated a strong turn-of-foot under Tyler Gaffalione down the lane to overtake pacesetter Robin Sparkles and post a 2 1/4-length score.

Robin Sparkles, with Jose Ortiz up, surged to the lead with Piedi Bianchi tracking in second position as Lead Guitar saved ground under Luis Saez in third through a quarter-mile in :23.09 seconds on the yielding turf.

Piedi Bianchi edged closer to the pacesetter late in the turn as Lead Guitar waited patiently for racing room along the hedge through a half-mile in :46.93. Robin Sparkles, the 4-5 mutuel favorite, attempted to open up on her rivals once straightened for home but was soon overtaken by Piedi Bianchi, who powered home in a final time of 1:04.95.

Lead Guitar squeezed up the rail to complete the exacta by 2 1/4-lengths over Robin Sparkles with Hydra, who leaped at the start and trailed throughout, completing the field. Pacific Gale was scratched.

Piedi Bianchi made a pair of starts on turf last year, including a fourth-place finish in the My Charmer in December at Gulfstream Park. She finished a prominent second in the Grade 3 Intercontinental sprinting seven furlongs over the Belmont grass in June.

Martin credited his owners for persisting with turf ambitions in Piedi Bianchi's 2021 campaign.

“I give the owners credit. When she went to Florida last year, I asked 'Do you really want to run this mare on the turf? She's so good on the dirt',” Martin said. “We got back together and we ran her on the turf and she ran a big second in the Intercontinental. Today, she just loved the going. It made a big difference. The other horses are great horses. I'm not taking anything away from our victory, but it worked out perfectly for us today.”

Gaffalione secured his fifth stakes score of the meet, adding to a ledger that includes wins in the Coronation Cup [Goin' Good], Grade 3 Troy [Fast Boat], Grade 1 Fourstardave [Got Stormy], and Skidmore [Averly Jane].

“Out of the gate, I took a nice hold and was getting over the ground well,” Gaffalione said. “Coming into the stretch, when I asked her, she gave me everything she had. She really relished the course today.

“It was a nice tempo in front of us,” he added. “It gave us a nice target, and when I asked, she finished up well.”

The victory marked the fourth career stakes win for the Indiana-bred, who previously captured the 2018 and 2020 editions of the Frances Slocum at Indiana Grand and last year's Correction at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Out of the Tactical Cat mare Adore You, Piedi Bianchi is a half-sibling to 3-year-old colt Outadore, by Outwork, who is a stakes winner on turf and synthetic and finished third in last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland.

Piedi Bianchi banked $66,000 in victory while improving her record to 26-7-6-5. She returned $11.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 Summer Colony, a nine-furlong main track event for older fillies and mares who have not won a graded stakes race in 2021. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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Piedi Bianchi Named Indiana’s 2020 Horse Of The Year

Each year, members of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (ITOBA) honor the state's top performers with a spring banquet. Due to restrictions associated with COVID-19, the banquet was canceled the past two seasons, but the state is still honoring the top performers of 2020 during the 2021 season at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

Top performers in each division are highlighted daily on the simulcast production, and to honor two of the state's top awards, a special presentation was made Tuesday, June 8 for the ITOBA/Indiana Breed Development Breeder of the Year and the 2020 Champion Indiana Horse of the Year. Top breeding honors were awarded to Deann Baer and Greg Baer, DVM, breeders on the Champion Horse of 2020 Piedi Bianchi.

The Baers have bred many winners in recent years. Hailing from Columbus, Ind., the small breeding operation sends many yearlings to the sales in Kentucky where Piedi Bianchi was originally transported as a weanling. Her current connections of Jay Oringer, Jack Bick, Al Bianchi Racing LLC, Adam Bayroff and Mike Maturo purchased the filly at the Ocala Breeders Sale during her 2-year-old season and have reaped rewards since that time.

Piedi Bianchi won two of three starts at Indiana Grand in 2020. Overall, she has won six races in 24 starts with earnings of more than $650,000. The multiple graded stakes placed daughter of Overanalyze has had success outside of the borders of Indiana, winning at Aqueduct and Del Mar with a fifth-place finish in the Breeders Cup Juvenile at two at Del Mar. She most recently finished second in the Grade 3 Intercontinental Stakes at Belmont Park.

“We hope to get her back to where we started in November at Del Mar (Breeders Cup),” said Jay Oringer, who was present for the awards ceremony. “Her career is winding down, but we hope she has a few more good races in her. Once she is done racing, she will be a broodmare and we are thinking Tapit. The baby should come out nice and grey.”

Oringer and his partners work hard to ensure every horse they have ever owned gets a good home after racing. A portion of the earnings from Piedi Bianchi goes to racehorse aftercare.

“It's important to us to give to aftercare,” added Oringer. “We make sure all of our horses are taken care of after they are done, even if we have to claim them back.”

Oringer was in town to watch another horse under his ownership in the Shelby County Stakes on the Wednesday, June 9 card at Indiana Grand. Expect Indy, trained by Cipriano Contreras, is set to start from post three with Santo Sanjur aboard. She is the favorite in the field of nine and won the $75,000 stakes race in 2019.

The 19th running of the Shelby County is one of two stakes on the Wednesday card, joined by the 18th running of the $75,000 William Henry Harrison Stakes. The stakes are set as races six and eight, respectively, on the card.

Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing, and Leigh Ann Hopper and Terry Phillips of ITOBA, were on hand for the trophy presentations. Rachel McLaughlin, on-air racing commentator, conducted the special ceremony. Trainer Tim Glyshaw accepted the award on behalf of the Baers.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon.

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