Horologist Goes For Repeat In Beldame For Beatty, Partners

When Horologist vies to defend her title in Sunday's $250,000 Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., owner Cameron Beatty of There's A Chance Stable is reminded that everything happens for a reason.

A native of Nashville now living in New Jersey, Beatty was indirectly introduced to horseracing through unfavorable circumstances. Beatty was the starting quarterback of Freehold Township High School and was slated to take his athletic talents to Farleigh Dickinson via academic scholarship when a motorcycle accident nearly cost him his life.

Beatty would eventually sign up to play semi-professional football for the New Jersey Bulldogs where he met coach Don Goold, a racing enthusiast and friend to the late thoroughbred trainer John Mazza.

“After practice one day, he asked me if I wanted to go to the track. He took me to Monmouth Park (in Oceanport, N.J.) and just from the front side I fell in love,” Beatty said. “I just loved the atmosphere. As if that wasn't good enough, he asked me if I'd ever been to the backside. And I said, 'The backside of what?'”

A visit to the Monmouth stable area allowed Beatty to develop a strong friendship with Mazza.

“It was a match made in heaven,” Beatty said. “You never would think an 80-year-old guy could be such a good friend with a guy in his mid-20s.”

Mazza, who passed away last May, took Beatty under his wing and taught him all the ins and outs of the business. When Mazza's longtime clients Holly Crest Farm began dispersing some of their stock, it gave Beatty the opportunity to step into thoroughbred ownership.

“He said the right way to do it is to get into breeding first to experience it on a different level, starting with one horse and see where it takes you from there,” Beatty said. “So, I took over a horse that couldn't race anymore.”

Beatty acquired Cinderella Time, a Stephen Got Even mare with one win in eight starts, and bred her to Gemologist and the end result of the mating was Horologist.

“Me and John literally pulled her right out of her mom and watched her be born,” Beatty said. “I watched her come right out and take her first steps about 20 minutes after she was born.”

Mazza trained Horologist through her first 11 starts, including 2019 stakes victories in Monmouth's Smart N Classy Handicap and Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks.

Following a third in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx that year, Beatty sold shares of Horologist to Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, and Parkland Thoroughbreds, and the mare was transferred to West Coast-based conditioner Richard Baltas. Later on, Paradise Farms Corp and David Staudacher also bought in on Horologist.

“I couldn't have asked for better partners. They have taken things to a different level,” Beatty said.

After five starts with Baltas, Horologist found a new home with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who saddled the mare to graded stakes victories in last year's Beldame as well as the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher last July at Monmouth. Between those two starts, she earned Grade 1 black type when finishing third in the La Troienne last September at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

“The good part about it is I had good people around me. John Mazza showed me everything I really know,” Beatty said. “One good thing that John did before he passed away was introduce me to people like [bloodstock agent] David Ingordo, and [trainer] Cherie DeVaux and that's something I have to thank him for.

“Some owners never get this opportunity. I've been extremely lucky in this business so far,” Beatty continued. “Bing Bush [Abbondanza Racing] is probably one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Steve and Debbie West with Parkland Thoroughbreds are just extremely genuine people. They invite me to their house in Saratoga. There are so many great people to be involved with, and if it weren't for Horologist I wouldn't be in this situation.”

Horologist arrives at the Beldame off a gate-to-wire win in the restricted Summer Colony on August 22, contested at nine furlongs over a good and sealed main track at Saratoga.

A victory in the Beldame would likely result in another start in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 6 at Del Mar. Horologist was a distant ninth last year when the event was held at Keeneland. A victory would also provide Beatty, who turns 30 on October 16, an additional reason to celebrate.

“A win would be an amazing early birthday present,” Beatty said.

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Bella Sofia Dominant In Gallant Bloom At Belmont Park

In her first four lifetime starts, Bella Sofia had been victorious three times. In her fifth start in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., the 3-year-old filly had no trouble with the field of older fillies, taking the lead early and going gate-to-wire to get her second graded stakes win.

Bella Sofia took the initiative at the start, darting out to a one-length lead over Lady Rocket, who was able to take up second position despite stumbling at the break. The 3-year-old filly went :22.46 for the first quarter and then :45.40 for the half-mile, her lead three-quarters of a length going into the far turn, with Lady Rocket still second.

Into the stretch, jockey Luis Saez gave Bella Sofia the cue to go, the filly putting five lengths between her and the closest contender before Saez powered her down. At the wire, she was 3 1/2 lengths in front of Lady Rocket, traveling the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.69. Lake Avenue and Don't Call Me Mary rounded out the field.

Find this race's chart here.

Bella Sofia paid $2.80 and $2.10. Lady Rocket paid $3.90.

“Luis [Saez] and I talked before the race and if someone else wanted the lead we'd let them go, but she's so quick out of the gate. The one time we got beat [in the Jersey Girl] she stumbled out of the gate bad. I don't think she necessarily needs to be on the lead, but when you have this type of horse you have to take advantage of it” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said after the race.

“She's very special. From Day One when I rode her and broke her maiden here, she gave me a feeling she's a Grade 1-winner. In the Test, she proved she can really run and today was easy for her, ” Saez told the NYRA Press Office after the Gallant Bloom. “She finished up strong and did it easy. I had a lot of horse.”

Bred in Kentucky by Two Tone Farms, Bella Sofia is by Awesome Patriot out of the Consolidator mare Love Contract. She is owned by Michael Imperio, Medallion Racing, Sofia Soares, Vincent Scuderi, and Parkland Thoroughbreds. The filly was consigned by Grassroots Training and Sales at the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company July Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale and purchased by Sallusto and Albina, agent, for $20,000. With her win in the G2 Gallant Bloom, Bella Sofia has career earnings of $542,600.

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Horologist Goes Wire to Wire In Summer Colony At Saratoga

There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher's Horologist made every pole a winning one in Sunday's $120,000 Summer Colony, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

A multiple graded-stakes winner – and the 2020 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year – Horologist broke sharply under Junior Alvarado and never relinquished in the nine-furlong event for older fillies and mares that have not won a graded race in 2021.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Horologist set splits of :23.66, :47.34, and 1:11.77 with Gibberish tracking her early foot in second position over a good and sealed main track. The pacesetter took the field into the final turn with stalkers So Darn Hot and Gold Spirit inching closer with Gibberish failing to pester.

Out of the turn, Horologist widened her advantage to seven lengths and stayed on strong to the wire for an authoritative 8 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:51.57. Gold Spirit completed the exacta by 3 3/4-lengths over So Darn Hot with Gibberish and Thankful, who stumbled at the start, completing the order of finish. Dunbar Road was scratched.

Mott said he wasn't concerned about the off going.

“She hadn't had any previous form on an off track, but she seemed to me that she would be a horse who would handle it fine. I wasn't concerned about that,” Mott said.

Horologist entered from a hard-fought second to Royal Flag after setting the pace from the inside post in the Grade 3 Shuvee on July 25 at the Spa. Two starts back, Horologist was boxed in after exiting the inside post in the Lady Jacqueline on June 26 at Thistledown in North Randall, Ohio.

“She was inside and stuck down in there the last two races,” Mott said. “We let her bounce out of there [today] and do her thing without getting in her way. I think we've kept her from winning on a couple of occasions. A win does everyone some good.”

Alvarado said he rode the even-money favorite with confidence.

“It was simple. I rode her like the best horse and she showed it out there,” Alvarado said. “Once she put herself on the lead, she took me all the way around. She's very quick and is a good gate filly. If she wanted, she could go faster without using much.”

A three-time graded stakes winner, the New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist captured the 2019 Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks and last year added the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., to her ledger in her award-winning season.

Mott said he will again point Horologist to the nine-furlong $250,000 Grade 2 Beldame, which is slated for October 10 at Belmont.

Horologist banked $66,000 in victory while improving her record to 25-9-3-4. She returned $4.20 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Wednesday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 John's Call, a 1 5/8-mile stamina test on the Mellon turf course for 4-year-olds and up who have not won a graded stakes this year. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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Maracuja Hindered By Inside Trip in Alabama, Sadie Lady To Get Freshening For Fall Campaign

Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, and Barry Fowler's Maracuja stutter-stepped at the start of Saturday's Grade 1 Alabama and endured a difficult inside trip over a good and harrowed track en route to finishing seventh at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Honor Code bay, who upset the previously undefeated Malathaat in the Grade 1 CCA Oaks in her prior start under a brilliant ride by Ricardo Santana, Jr., was hemmed in by that rival in the Alabama before coming up empty in the stretch run.

“She got pinned down on the inside, taking dirt. It was kind of a rough trip,” trainer Rob Atras said. “Ricardo tried to get her outside a couple times and wasn't able to.

“I think if we'd got a good outside trip, she'd probably have run a lot better, but Ricardo said she struggled the whole way around,” he added. “I don't want to make any excuses. That's racing. She came out of it good.”

The Canadian-born conditioner is enjoying a formidable summer campaign at the Spa with a record of 33-10-4-0, highlighted by his first Grade 1 win last month.

Atras said he'll consider a number of options for his star filly's next start.

“I think the filly is a little better off with five or six weeks between races,” Atras said. “We'll see. I won't make plans for another week or so after we see how she comes out of it.”

Atras said Dennis Narlinger's graded-stakes placed Sadie Lady will enjoy a freshening following her fourth-place finish in the Union Avenue on August 19 at the Spa.

“Last year, around this time of year, she just wasn't the same kind of horse,” Atras said. “We'll send her down to Florida for 30-60 days and freshen her up and bring her back in the fall.”

The 5-year-old Freud mare won 4-of-7 starts last season and added to her ledger this year with stakes scores in the six-furlong Correction in March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., against open company and the Dancin Renee for state-breds in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Bred in the Empire State by JMJ Racing Stables, Sadie Lady was a game second in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Vagrancy in May at Belmont Park.

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