Magic Attitude Back On Favorite Course For Sheepshead Bay

Lael Stables' Magic Attitude will seek a return to winning form over familiar ground, taking on an all-graded stakes-winning field in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay for older fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles over the inner turf course at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Magic Attitude is the lone Grade 1-winner in the six-horse field, capturing her North American debut in last year's Belmont Oaks Invitational in September.

The daughter of prolific international sire Galileo rallied from last-of-5 in that race, displaying a powerful turn of foot in mid-stretch, crossing the wire a 2 1/2-length winner. The same late-running strategy was utilized next out in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 10 at Keeneland, but she could not replicate the winning push of her prior start, finishing third, 1 1/4 lengths back to Harvey's Lil Goil.

Magic Attitude arrives at the Sheepshead Bay off her 2021 debut in the Grade 2 Hillsborough on March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs, where she rode the rail throughout most of the journey, lacked racing room in upper stretch and made a late bid in between horses to finish a close seventh.

“She may have been a little short when we brought her back at Tampa,” Delacour said. “It didn't work out well as far as the trip was concerned. She was down and on the inside and never got relaxed. I'm also not sure she likes the tight turns at Tampa either. So, we just regrouped after that race and we wanted to go where she's been successful in the past to try and bring back her best form. We know she likes Belmont Park.”

Delacour noted that Belmont Park's wider turns could play to his filly's favor in the Belmont Oaks and hopes to see that play to her advantage on Saturday.

“She had a hard time with the tight turns. At Belmont, she had plenty of time to come gradually. She had balance and produced an explosive kick. We are looking for more stretch,” Delacour said. “The turns are wider at Belmont, and it was a slow pace when she won the Belmont Oaks, which gave her plenty of time to settle and come with a kick. We'll see what the pace scenario is like, but likely she'll take back and make one big run.”

Jockey Trevor McCarthy will pilot Magic Attitude from the inside post.

A victory in the Belmont Oaks qualified Magic Attitude for considerable bonus money should she win the Grade 2, $750,000 New York, going 1 ¼ miles on June 4 at Belmont; or the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl, at 1 3/8 miles on September 4 at Saratoga.

The “New York Stakes Turf Bonus” will provide $315,000 to the owner and $35,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of the filly Turf Triple series races – Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks or Jockey Club Oaks – who captures the 2021 edition of the New York.

Additionally, the “Flower Bowl Bonus” will provide $300,000 to the owner and $30,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of a filly Turf Triple series race who wins the Flower Bowl, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event offering a berth in the Grade 1 Filly and Mare Turf in November at Del Mar.

“The bonus is something that is definitely in the back of our minds,” Delacour said. “With a filly like her the main thing is to bring her back where she can win, and we know she loves Belmont Park. We'll see how she does on Saturday.”

Trainer Chad Brown seeks a fifth Sheepshead Bay win when he sends out My Sister Nat and Orglandes for their respective seasonal debuts.

“I think they're both very classy fillies with a lot of potential. Both have very bright futures,” said Brown's Belmont-based assistant trainer Dan Stupp. “They both wintered well, came up in great condition. They've trained well since they've been here.”

Owned by Peter Brant, My Sister Nat seeks a second graded stakes win in North America after winning the Grade 3 Waya going 1 1/2 miles on August 8 at Saratoga. The half-sister to 2018 Champion Turf Mare Sistercharlie trailed the field early on, inched her way into contention along the hedge midway down the backstretch and swung four-wide in upper stretch for the win.

Following two graded stakes runner-up finishes to Civil Union, My Sister Nat finished ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on November 6 at Keeneland in her last start.

Stupp recalled My Sister Nat's performance in the Grade 3 Long Island in November 2019 at the Big A, where she made up considerable ground only to miss a neck to Si Que Es Buena.

“When I first started working for Chad, she ran that huge race at Aqueduct where she just missed,” Stupp recalled. “After the race, we knew we were going to have a nice filly for next year. She continued to progress last year, just missing in the Grade 1 [Flower Bowl on October 3 at Belmont Park]. She's got a nice year ahead of her, she's just a late-blooming horse. She doesn't look like her sister. She's developed very nicely, it's just taken her awhile.”

While My Sister Nat seeks a return to winning form, Orglandes will look to pick back up where she left off after shipping to southern California for the Grade 3 Red Carpet on November 28 at Del Mar. The daughter of Le Havre made up considerable ground when traveling the 11-furlong distance to make a winning move in between horses in mid-stretch to win by a half-length.

A dual winner in her native France, Orglandes earned her first trip to the winner's circle in North America when travelling nine furlongs over the inner turf course on October 9 at Belmont Park.

“That race last year in California got us excited for the year ahead,” Stupp said. “She'll certainly be competing in the top stakes for older fillies on the grass throughout the year.”

Manny Franco has the call on My Sister Nat from the outermost post 6, while Orglandes will leave from post 3 under Eric Cancel.

Al Shira'aa Farms Mutamakina also will make her 2021 bow looking to build on her triumph in the Grade 3 Long Island on November 28 at Aqueduct.

The 5-year-old daughter of Nathaniel originally was campaigned in France by trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias, for whom she placed in two Group 2 events, including to eventual Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass. She made her North American debut on October 31 over a yielding outer turf course at Belmont Park in the 12-furlong Zagora, where she was a troubled third for trainer Christophe Clement.

Saving ground in third along the hedge, Mutamakina was shuffled back around the far turn in the Zagora but made up considerable ground in the stretch to finish third, beaten a half-length to winner Luck Money.

Mutamakina's Long Island effort again displayed stalking tactics, where she maintained position around the far turn and confronted pacesetting stablemate Traipsing in the final strides to secure her first stakes win in North America by three-quarters of a length.

“She's a very top class mare,” said four-time Sheepshead Bay winner Clement. “It's ambitious running her there first time out, but she's been doing very well. She ran a very good race in her North American debut, even though she got beat.”

Jockey Jose Lezcano will ride Mutamakina from post 2.

Repole Stables' Always Shopping will attempt to parlay her newfound affinity for turf marathon events when breaking from post 4 with Joe Bravo in the irons.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the daughter of Awesome Again out of graded stakes winner Stopshoppingmaria won the Grade 3 Gazelle on dirt at Aqueduct during her sophomore campaign in 2019, but a decline in winning form prompted her connections to give turf a try.

After a three-length win in the 1 1/8-mile Via Borghese in December at Gulfstream Park, she successfully stretched out to 1 ½ miles in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante at Gulfstream in January, winning by the same margin. Always Shopping arrives off a close second place finish in the Grade 3 Orchid on March 28 at Gulfstream.

“She always breezed well on the dirt and when her progression sort of plateaued, we made the change to turf and it appears to have paid off,” said Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant Byron Hughes.

Rounding out the field is Godolphin's Antoinette, for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The homebred daughter of Hard Spun made her 2021 debut a triumphant one when maintaining command the whole way around and drawing off to a 2 ¼ length win in the Grade 3 The Very One on February 27 at Gulfstream Park going 1 3/16 miles. Antoinette displayed similar frontrunning tactics when capturing the Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 8 at the Spa, which she won by a half-length.

Through an 11-4-1-4 record, Antoinette boasts the field's highest bankroll with earnings of $608,750.

Like fellow Sheepshead Bay contender Magic Attitude, Antoinette also qualifies for both the “New York Turf Bonus” and the “Flower Bowl Bonus.”

Breaking from post 5, Antoinette will be piloted by Edgard Zayas.

The Sheepshead Bay is slated as Race 10 on Belmont's 11-race Saturday program, which also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Westchester at one mile over the main track and the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy for older horses going nine furlongs over the inner turf. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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New York Turf Bonuses ‘Very Appealing’ For Grade 1 Winner Magic Attitude

Trainer Arnaud Delacour said Lael Stables' Grade 1 winner Magic Attitude is training towards a seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Hillsborough at nine furlongs on the Tampa Bay Downs turf on March 6.

“She's doing well,” said Delacour of the 4-year-old Galileo filly, who worked a half-mile in 50.60 seconds on the Tampa Bay Downs dirt on Feb. 17. “She had a little break and has been breezing well. I'm considering running her in the Hillsborough and then take it from there.”

Magic Attitude made a victorious North American debut in September in the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, part of the Turf Triple series implemented by NYRA in 2019 to showcase the best 3-year-old turf runners in the country.

The Belmont Oaks win has Magic Attitude eligible for significant bonus money should she win the Grade 2, $750,000 New York, a 10-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares to be held June 4 at Belmont; or the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl, an 11-furlong test for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up on Sept. 4 at Saratoga.

“We'll definitely keep in the back of our mind that the New York could be a very good spot for her with the bonus,” said Delacour. “It's very appealing because she's won at the course and going the distance, so that's definitely something we're thinking about.”

The “New York Stakes Turf Bonus” will provide $315,000 to the owner and $35,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of the filly Turf Triple Series races – Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks or Jockey Club Oaks – who captures the 2021 edition of the New York.

Delacour and Lael Stables combined to win the 2017 New York with Hawksmoor.

In addition, the “Flower Bowl Bonus” will provide $300,000 to the owner and $30,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of a filly Turf Triple series race who wins the Flower Bowl, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event offering a berth in the Grade 1 Filly and Mare Turf in November at Del Mar.

Magic Attitude launched her career in France with conditioner Fabrice Chappet, capturing the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux at Longchamp in May. Following a fifth in the Group 1 Prix de Diane in July at Chantilly, Magic Attitude was sent to Delacour and promptly bested 2020 Saratoga Oaks-winner Antoinette in the Belmont Oaks Invitational.

Magic Attitude completed her sophomore season with a third in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in October over good turf at Keeneland and Delacour said the talented bay would have benefited from more time between starts.

“It was probably a combination of a few things. She was coming back three weeks after the Belmont Oaks and it would have been nice to give her more time,” said Delacour. “Some horses run well right away and then it takes them awhile to acclimate well. We were at the back of the pack and a stronger pace would have helped her to close, but I think she will probably run better on firmer turf anyway.”

Delacour said Magic Attitude has maintained her good form.

“She's on the small side but well put together,” said Delacour. “I haven't seen a tremendous change in her physically. She looks good and carries good weight.”

Bred in Great Britain by Katsumi Yoshida, Magic Attitude is out of the Exceed And Excel mare Margot Did, who captured the 2011 Group 1 Nunthorpe at York.

Following a trio of dirt starts, Delacour said Lael Stables' homebred Be Sneaky, a 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, could consider the Grade 3 Florida Oaks, a 1 1/16-mile turf test on March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs.

A maiden winner at first asking sprinting seven furlongs at Laurel Park in October, Be Sneaky followed with a third in the six-furlong Smart Halo in November at the Maryland oval. She stretched out to one mile and 40 yards in her seasonal debut when second to Curlin's Catch in the Suncoast on February 6 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Be Sneaky is out of the Big Brown mare Bella Castani, who won the 2013 Tweedside on the Belmont turf.

“The Suncoast was her first time going two turns so it was a bit testing for her, but I think we saw what we wanted to see,” said Delacour. “I had planned to run her on the turf and I couldn't find a race that I thought was the right fit, so we just took a shot in the Suncoast and she ran very well.

“The dam was a good turf filly,” continued Delacour. “I always had it in the back of my mind to try her on turf at least one time. The Into Mischiefs can run on any surface so I'd like to try her on turf at least once. The Florida Oaks on March 6 would be a good race to try her in.”

Delacour said Lael Stables' Arrest Me Red, who won the six-furlong Atlantic Beach in November on the Big A turf, is pointing to a return in late spring.

“We gave him a break and then he had a little setback,” said Delacour. “He hurt himself in the paddock. I don't expect to see him run before the end of the spring, beginning of summer.”

The sophomore son of Pioneerof the Nile finished fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland in October and was fifth last out on dirt in the Inaugural on December 5 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Delacour said the bay colt will likely target one-turn races on his return.

“I tried to run him at Keeneland going a mile and a sixteenth and that is clearly not his thing,” said Delacour. “He came back and ran very well going six furlongs at Aqueduct, so I think between six furlongs and a mile is what we should consider for him.”

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NYRA To Offer New York Stakes Turf Bonus And Flower Bowl Bonus

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will see its Turf Triple series for fillies incentivized by a pair of lucrative bonus opportunities at the upcoming Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course meets.

“The bonus system is a win-win for the 3-year-old filly Turf Triple series winners as they progress to their 4 and 5-year-old seasons,” said Martin Panza, NYRA senior vice president of racing operations. “NYRA wants the best turf fillies and mares pointing towards our races, providing our fans with top-class events.”

The Turf Triple series for fillies kicks off July 10 at Belmont with the Grade 1, $700,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational. The series continues with the Grade 3, $700,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 8 at Saratoga and is completed by the Jockey Club Oaks at the Belmont fall meet.

NYRA is offering a pair of unique bonus opportunities as further incentive for owners to participate in the prestigious series.

The “New York Stakes Turf Bonus” will provide $315,000 to the owner and $35,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of the Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks or Jockey Club Oaks who captures the 2021 edition of the Grade 2, $750,000 New York, a 10-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares to be held June 4 at Belmont

The “Flower Bowl Bonus” will provide $300,000 to the owner and $30,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of the Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks or Jockey Club Oaks, who captures the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl, an 11-furlong test for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up on September 4 at Saratoga. The Flower Bowl is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event offering a berth in the Grade 1 Filly and Mare Turf in November at Del Mar.

The Turf Triple series, launched by NYRA in 2019, showcases the best 3-year-old turf runners in the country.

Concrete Rose captured two-thirds of the inaugural Turf Triple series for fillies with wins in the 2019 Belmont Oaks and Saratoga Oaks. The France-based Edisa captured the 2019 Jockey Club Oaks.

In August, Godolphin homebred Antoinette, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, won the 2020 Saratoga Oaks ahead of a runner-up effort to Lael Stables' Magic Attitude, conditioned by Arnaud Delacour, in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks on September 19. The Jockey Club Oaks was not contested last year due to a reduced stakes schedule caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information, visit NYRA.com.

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