Natalma S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lael, DeVaux Sittin’ ‘Pretty’ For Breeders’ Cup Following Natalma

Lael Stables' She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) came with a stinging rally down the center of the E. P. Taylor turf course to punch her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with an impressive victory in Saturday's GI Johnnie Walker Natalma S. at Woodbine. It marks the first elite-level scorer for the barn of Cherie DeVaux.

Sent off at odds of 8-1 while stretching out to the mile off a first-up graduation sprinting over the Ellis Park turf course July 16, the $240,000 Keeneland September acquisition was bumped at the break from an outside barrier and settled just behind midfield and in the slipstream of the well-backed Ozara (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), from the Summer S.-winning barn of Christophe Clement. Always traveling sweetly with that cover as Golden Canary (Medaglia d'Oro) continued to show the way through a half in :47.01, She Feels Pretty was up into fifth and under a nice John Velazquez hold at the three-eighths. Pulled off heels in upper stretch, She Feels Pretty descended on the leaders with about a furlong to travel and shot clear to score by daylight. The maiden Simply in Front (Summer Front) ran on for second ahead of a slow-starting and favored Dazzling Star (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) in third. The final time was some 0.36 seconds faster than the Summer S. two races prior.

“I was very confident, I got to say she was feeling very confident,” said Velazquez, winning his first Natalma. “I made sure I put her in a good position behind Dylan Davis [rider of Ozara], a horse that could take me a little way down. When we turned for home, I moved her to the clear and her ears went up and I said, 'Wow, look at this.' I went after her and she instantly responded. The way she did it was very impressive.”

Pedigree Notes:

She Feels Pretty is the 12th worldwide stakes winner, seventh graded winner and second top-level scorer for Karakontie, upset winner of the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Mile whose lone starter on championship weekend, Spanish Loveaffair, was sixth in the 2020 Juvenile Fillies Turf. She Feels Pretty is the 161st worldwide SW, 74th GSW and 20th Grade I/Group 1 winner out of a daughter of the late, great More Than Ready, and the first by a sire descending from an immediate Storm Cat line.

Arthur Hancock's Stone Farm raised and sold She Feels Pretty to the second Book 4 session of last year's Keeneland September Sale, where she caught the eye of Roy and Gretchen Jackson's high-class operation. Payson Stud acquired dam Summer Sweet for $550,000 as an early 2-year-old from the partial dispersal of the Estate of Sarah Leigh at Keeneland January in 2016, the most expensive horse of racing age during the sale. Payson also gave a sales-topping $700,000 for Summer Sweet's Grade I-placed half-sister Summer Solo (Arch), whose daughter Solo Album (Curlin) won this year's GIII Selene S. over the local synthetic track.

The filly's second dam was a listed winner in France for the late Gerald Leigh and Jonathan Pease–who coincidentally trained Karakontie for the Niarchos Family's Flaxman Holdings–and her other winners included SW Summer Breezing (Langfuhr) and Adirondack Summer (Thunder Gulch). This is also the family of Gerald Leigh's dual French Group 1 winner Act One (GB) (In the Wings {GB}).

The yearling relation to She Feels Pretty, a colt by Good Magic, was purchased for $600,000 by Boardshorts from the Stone Farm draft at Keeneland September this past Thursday. Summer Sweet foaled an American Pharoah filly Apr. 19 and was bred back to Olympiad.

Saturday, Woodbine
JOHNNIE WALKER NATALMA S.-GI, C$503,500, Woodbine, 9-16, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.34, gd.
1–SHE FEELS PRETTY, 121, f, 2, by Karakontie (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Summer Sweet, by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Summer Solstice (Ire), by Caerleon
                3rd Dam: Summer Sonnet (GB), by Baillamont
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($240,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Lael Stables; B-Payson Stud
Inc (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux; J-John R. Velazquez. C$300,000.
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $262,379. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Simply in Front, 121, f, 2, by Summer Front
                1st Dam: Complicated, by Blame
                2nd Dam: Consequence, by El Prado (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Educated Risk, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. ($115,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Colebrook Farms;
B-William Harrigan & Mike Pietrangelo (KY); T-Patrick Dixon.
C$100,000.
3–Dazzling Star (GB), 121, f, 2, by Blue Point (Ire)
                1st Dam: Dancing Sands (Ire) (SW-Ger, GSP-Ity, GSP-Fr,
                                GSP-Tur, $128,976), by Dubawi (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Past the Post, by Danzig
                3rd Dam: Qui Royalty, by Native Royalty
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charles Appleby. C$50,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 2HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 8.00, 29.65, 1.40.
Also Ran: Ozara (Ire), Golden Canary, Ready to Jam, Rhapsody, Bolt Enoree, Dea Matrona (Fr), She's Fire, Ms. Tart, Brocknardini, Dancing Duchess. Scratched: Airosa, Go With Gusto.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Trio of Woodbine Grade I’s Headline Saturday Stakes Action

Three Grade I events, all of which are Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' qualifiers, north of the border at Woodbine will take the spotlight among nine graded stakes this Saturday as the racing calendar transitions to fall with all of the major summer meets now wrapped up.

The $1-million GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile serves, along with the Queen's Plate, as the centerpiece of the Woodbine meet, and this year's renewal features an 11-horse field that includes last year's winner Town Cruise (Town Prize), who will be looking to bounce back from three off-the-board finishes following his wire-to-wire score in this race last September. The likely favorite, however, will be Godolphin's Modern Games (Dubawi {Ire}), who returns to America for the first time after his controversial purse-money-only win in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, who swept the three Grade I's on this card last year, Modern Games started his 3-year-old campaign off with a score in the G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains before running third in the G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, fifth in the G1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat and second when last seen in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. July 27 at Goodwood.

Appleby doesn't have an entry in this year's GI Natalma S. for juvenile turf fillies, but will be represented by last-out G3 Circus Maximus Prix Francois Boutin hero Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the GI Summer S. Other contenders in that one-mile test for juvenile turf males include Klaravich Stables' Appraise (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) for Chad Brown and Philip My Dear (Silent Name {Jpn}), who overcame stretch traffic to take the local Soaring Free S. Aug. 20.

Stakes action over the flat at 'Belmont at the Big A' will get underway with the GIII Caesars Jockey Club Derby Invitational and GIII Jockey Club Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old turf males and fillies, respectively. The former features a rubber match between Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway), who upset the July 9 GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational S. and Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who was second that day and exacted revenge when taking the GI Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Aug. 6 at the Spa. Adding intrigue is progressive German invader Ardakan (GB) (Reliable Man {GB}). Trained by Markus Klug, the gray scored a victory in the G2 Premio Derby Italiano May 22 and was eighth in the G1 German Derby before running third last out with a 111 Timeform Rating against elders in the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin Aug. 14 at Hoppegarten.

The Jockey Club Oaks also features a hopeful for Germany, Toskana Belle (Fr) (Shamalgan {Fr}), who ships in for legendary German trainer Andreas Wohler. The chestnut, who captured the G1 German Oaks Aug. 7 at Dusseldorf, looks like the only realistic alternative to Klaravich Stables' McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who annexed the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. July 9 before running second in the G3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. Aug. 7.

Churchill Downs will host five stakes Saturday, including Kentucky's first two graded events for 2-year-olds in the GIII Iroquois S. and GIII Pocahontas S., which are also the first two-turn graded dirt races for juveniles on the calendar in the U.S. The clear horse to beat in the Pocahontas for fillies is Three Chimneys Farm's Grand Love (Gun Runner), who was an impressive 4 3/4-length debut victress Aug. 21 at Saratoga with an 84 Beyer, nine points higher than the closest figure run by any rival.

The Iroquois looks much more competitive on paper, with undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Damon's Mound (Girvin), who followed up a 12 1/2-length debut romp with a 3 1/4-length score in the GII Saratoga Special S., clashing with fellow 'Rising Stars' Jace's Road (Quality Road) and Echo Again (Gun Runner), each of whom steps into stakes company after dominant first-out scores last month. Echo Again ran the fastest Beyer of any 2-year-old this summer at Saratoga, receiving a 94 for his 6 3/4-length rout when bet down to 3-5 Aug. 20.

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Godolphin Express Continues in Natalma

Godolphin's Wild Beauty (GB) (Frankel {GB}) became the first North American top-level winner for her superstar Banstead Manor-based stallion, overcoming an eventful start before storming home through the final furlong to prove much-the-best in the GI Natalma S. Sunday at Woodbine. With the victory, Wild Beauty earns herself a spot in the field for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar Nov. 5.

After sharing favoritism with Saratoga raider and chief market Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) for the bulk of the wagering, Wild Beauty tightened into 7-5 favoritism, but looked to have it all to do early on, as she first hit the left side of the gate, then was pinballed around between Royal Engagement (Palace Malice) to her inside and Baksheesh (Summer Front) to her outside, relegating her to a clear last. Asked to improve her position by Frankie Dettori after the opening quarter mile, Wild Beauty found a midfield position passing the four-furlong pole and was put to a drive five-sixteenths of a mile from home. Swung out five or six wide into the long Woodbine straight, she gobbled up the ground to lead approaching the furlong marker and kicked home to score impressively. Pizza Bianca, the 3-1 second pick, sat a midfield trip and was stymied for a run with a furlong and a half to travel, then ran on gamely once clear to be second. Eminent Victor (Mr. Z) rallied from second-last into the lane and closed well for third in her first start for Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group and Louis Lazzinaro and trainer Chad Brown.

Wild Beauty followed the same path to Woodbine as did 2018 Natalma winner La Pelosa (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). Whereas La Pelosa finished third in the Listed Star S. at Goodwood, Wild Beauty went one better in that July 22 test, chasing home hot favorite Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who subsequently cruised at long odds-on in Doncaster's G2 May Hill S. Sept. 9. Wild Beauty and La Pelosa both finished runner-up in the G3 Sweet Solera S. contested over a straight seven furlongs at Newmarket before making the trans-Atlantic journey.

Pedigree Notes:

Wild Beauty is the 19th worldwide Group 1/Grade I winner for Frankel, who has sired top-level winners now in eight countries (England, Japan, Australia, France, Ireland, UAE and Germany). She is the 25th G1/GISW out of a daughter of Cheveley Park's legendary Pivotal (GB), four of which are by Frankel (Cracksman {GB}, Hungry Heart {Aus}, Veracious {GB}).

A half-sister to 2019 G3 UAE Oaks third Swift Rose (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Wild Beauty is a maternal great-granddaughter of multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Cherokee rose, whose six winners from 10 to race include not only GSW and G1SP Bowman (Irish River {Fr}), but also the dam of Godolphin's outstanding MG1SW highweighted stayer Mastery (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) and G1SW Kirklees (Ire) (Jade Robbery). Tulips is the dam of a full-sister to Wild Beauty foaled Feb. 28 of this year.

Sunday, Woodbine
NATALMA S.-GI, C$401,600, Woodbine, 9-19, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.08, gd.
1–WILD BEAUTY (GB), 121, f, 2, by Frankel (GB)
               1st Dam: Tulips (Ire) (SW & MGSP-Fr, $150,804), by Pivotal (GB)
               2nd Dam: Hint of Spring (GB), by Seeking the Gold
               3rd Dam: Cherokee Rose (Ire), by Dancing Brave
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST
GRADE I WIN. O/B-Godolphin Racing, LLC (GB); T-Charles
Appleby; J-Lanfranco Dettori. C$240,000. Lifetime Record:
6-3-2-0, $230,477. *1/2 to Swift Rose (IRE) (Invincible Spirit
(IRE)), GSP-UAE, $135,326. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pizza Bianca, 121, f, 2, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
               1st Dam: White Hot (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
               2nd Dam: Gwynn (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
               3rd Dam: Victoress, by Conquistador Cielo
O/B-Bobby Flay (KY); T-Christophe Clement. C$80,000.
3–Eminent Victor, 121, f, 2, by Mr. Z
               1st Dam: Juliet Victor, by Unusual Heat
               2nd Dam: Practicaly Perfect, by Pleasantly Perfect
               3rd Dam: Kelli Lee, by Kris S.
O-Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group LLC (Stuart Grant),
Louis Lazzinnaro LLC & Michael Caruso; B-Calumet Farm
(KY); T-Chad C. Brown. C$40,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 1.45, 3.45, 5.45.
Also Ran: Mrs. Barbara, Diabolic (Ire), Guileful, Ready Lady, Baksheesh, Royal Engagement, Cardio Princess (Jpn).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Wild Beauty Looms Large in Natalma

Three years ago, the Godolphin-owned and Charlie Appleby-conditioned La Pelosa (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) used placings in the Listed Star S. and in the G3 Sweet Solera S. as a stepping-stones to victory in the GI Natalma S. at Woodbine. Connections will be hoping that lightning strikes twice Sunday with Wild Beauty (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who has charted precisely the same course into the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf at Del Mar Nov.5.

Whereas La Pelosa finished third in the Star S. at Goodwood, Wild Beauty went one better, chasing home hot favorite Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who subsequently hacked up at 20 cents on the dollar in Doncaster's G2 May Hill S. Sept. 9. Wild Beauty and La Pelosa both finished runner-up in the Sweet Solera contested over a straight seven furlongs at Newmarket and she should appreciate the extra eighth of a mile Sunday.

D J Stable and Nexus Racing's Diabolic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) looks to take her unbeaten streak to four while stretching out in trip for the first time. Purchased for £90,000 out of last year's Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, the gray filly validated 8-5 favoritism with a neck success sprinting five grassy furlongs at Gulfstream May 20 before adding the My Dear S. over the local synthetic surface July 31. It was back to the turf when prepping for this in the Aug. 21 Catch a Glimpse S. and Diabolic made a run from next to last to report home a length to the good of Royal Engagement (Palace Malice), with Mrs. Barbara (Bodemeister) another length and three-quarters back in third.

Bobby Flay homebred Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) holds the distinction of being the lone runner in the field of 10 with a victory going long, having graduated by three-parts of a length at first asking at Saratoga July 22. Joel Rosario retains the mount for Christophe Clement.

Ready Lady (More Than Ready) belied generous odds to score by a half-length on her seven-furlong debut Aug. 28 and will try to follow in the hoofprints of her half-sister 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), who won this event last year by 3/4 of a length off a somewhat more decisive first-out success.

Eminent Victor (Mr. Z) earned a competitive 74 Beyer for a debut score over the Arlington Poly and has since been acquired by Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group and Louis Lazzinaro. She makes her first appearance for Chad Brown here.

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