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My Sister Nat Repeats As Winner Of Waya Stakes

My Sister Nat lived up to her status as the post time favorite, won her second straight edition of the Grade 3 Waya Stakes with a sweeping outside move on Sunday at Belmont Park.

The 6-year-old French-bred Acclamation mare placed mid-pack by jockey Jose Ortiz, breaking from the outside post, as Always Shopping took the early lead on the rail, followed closely by Call Me Love. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. guided Always Shopping through an opening quarter in :25.63 seconds, and the pair stretched out their early lead through the first turn of the 1 3/8-mile race.

Always Shopping had gotten loose by 1 1/2 lengths after the opening half-mile in :52.01 seconds, while British-born Call Me Love and longshot Lovely Lucky trailed as the closest competition and My Sister Nat remained unhurried near the back of the pack. The lead trio continued to separate from the rest of the field throughout the back straightaway, and they entered the final turn through three-quarters in 1:17.52.

The top three remained unchanged through the bend, but Ortiz started calling upon My Sister Nat, who started gaining position on the outside, and was battling for second as the field turned for home. My Sister Nat drew even with Always Shopping under a vigorous hand ride, and blew past the pacesetter when Ortiz drew his crop. The mare drew clear, and crossed the line 2 1/2 lengths ahead of a late-moving Orglandes, who finished a neck ahead of Always Shopping for the runner-up spot.

My Sister Nat stopped the clock in 2:15.37 over a firm turf course, and she paid $3 to win as the post time favorite.

Sunday's race was My Sister Nat's first win since last year's Waya, which was held in August at Saratoga Race Course. She'd been on the cusp of graded success several times between wins, finishing third or better in five graded stakes races, including a runner-up effort in last year's G1 Flower Bowl Stakes.

The Waya improved My Sister Nat's record to four wins in 20 starts, and earnings of $825,672. Chad Brown trains the mare for owner Peter Brant. She was bred in France by Ecurie Des Monceaux.

View the full race chart here.

Stakes Quotes Courtesy of NYRA Press Office

Dan Stupp, assistant to Chad Brown, winning trainer of My Sister Nat (No. 7, $3.00*) and runner-up Orglandes (No. 7): “She's a very nice and very honest mare. She's had a very consistent career. She shows up every time with her run. Sometimes pace dynamics don't work out in her favor, and we get a little unlucky but Jose [Ortiz] always rides her well and she always shows up. It's nice to see her put in another strong effort.

“They were going a little slow early on, but she was also comfortable and had quite a bit of run, so she was able to overcome that pretty easily.”

On runner-up Orglandes: “She won out in California [Grade 3 Red Carpet at Del Mar] last year. She was one that we always had some high hopes for this year. We just got sidetracked with some minor stuff. It's nice to see her get back on track. We thought she would have a solid campaign and hopefully we can move forward off this race.”

Jose Ortiz, winning jockey aboard My Sister Nat (No. 7): “In this kind of race they usually go slow. It felt like they went 50 and 51 but I was following who I thought was the right horse [No. 6 Beautiful Lover] and around the three-eighths pole I put her in the clear and she gave me such a great feeling. She just was handling the course really well. She gave me a great kick from the three-eighths pole to the wire, and she kept running.

“It's big to have a win right before the Breeders' Cup. I don't know if we're going or not but we've been running against better horses. I think her last race [third in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational] was very good, we ran well and got beat by the right horse [War Like Goddess].”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., jockey aboard runner-up Orgalndes (No. 4): “I got squeezed a little bit out of the gate, so it cost me to get a better position, but that's racing.”

On improved effort from her previous two starts: “She likes the hard turf, that might have made the difference.”

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Jack Christopher Makes Dominant Graded Debut In Champagne Stakes

Following an electric debut on Aug. 28, Jack Christopher proved that effort was no fluke in his first graded stakes test on Saturday at Belmont Park, running off with the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes.

The Munnings colt solidified his status as a leading candidate for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar, and earned a “Win and You're In” berth to the race by virtue of his Champagne win.

Jack Christopher was placed forwardly out of the gate by jockey Jose Ortiz, but quickly relented the lead to Gunite and Kavod on his outside. Ricardo Santana Jr. hustled Gunite out to a 1 1/2-length lead through an opening quarter set in :23.57 seconds, while Ortiz took the opportunity to get to the outside of longshot Kavod and pass that rival to sit in second.

While Gunite worked to keep Jack Christopher at bay, the pair distanced themselves from the rest of the pack heading into the turn of the one-mile race. Gunite held a one-length advantage over Jack Christopher as they passed the halfway point in :46.49 seconds, while the remaining four horses in the six-horse field bunched together well behind them.

Jack Christopher started to draw even with his foe at the crux of the turn, and he held a half-length advantage as they hit the quarter pole in 1:11.15. Save for the occasional left-handed whip from Ortiz to keep the colt's attention, Jack Christopher drove clear from a fading Gunite down the Belmont stretch, and he was untested in the final quarter-mile, crossing the finish line in 1:37.31 over a fast main track.

Behind the winner came a pair of runners staging closing moves. The maiden Commandperformance finished 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner, following a three-wide trip through the bend. Seven lengths behind him was Wit, who closed from last after being stalled by traffic on multiple occasions during an attempted rail move.

Jack Christopher paid $5.40 to win in the Champagne as the post time favorite. Saturday's race improved his record to a perfect two-for-two, with earnings of $330,000 after the colt won on debut by 8 3/4 lengths in a Saratoga maiden special weight.

Chad Brown trains Jack Christopher for the partnership of Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate, out of the placed Half Ours mare Rushin No Blushin. He was a $135,000 purchase out of the Paramount Sales consignment at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

To view the full Equibase chart, click here.

Stakes Quotes Courtesy of NYRA Press Office:

Chad Brown, winning trainer of Jack Christopher (No. 3, $5.40): “It was such a hard race to handicap with some really talented horses. We knew we had speed and Jose [Ortiz] and I agreed to not take that away from him. We just wanted to break out of there and get a good spot.

“Jose had a feeling that running first time in blinkers he would do something to try and get involved and he was right. A very quick decision he made – which was the right one – was to slip out to the outside right away and I think, from there, I felt super confident that we would get there with no excuse and he showed up.

“He was a horse that identified himself as early on as his first work. I was on the phone with the connections saying, 'This is potentially a really good horse. I can't believe what I just saw.' He's just been brilliant in every work. There was some buzz around him before he ran, and he lived up to it.

“I'm just so appreciative to have the horse and have another opportunity with another good dirt horse like this in our barn. It's our third Champagne win and I'm proud of my team. When we have these kind of horses, we can surely get the job done. Here's another horse that's well on his way to a big career and probably a stallion career someday.

“It's going to be one of those things where, ironically, we took a horse close in defeat in Good Magic [second in the 2017 Champagne] to [win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile] and other that weren't able to do it in Practical Joke and Complexity. Where does he fall? I hope with Good Magic. He looks a lot like him.

“What I like a lot about him is that he switches off nicely. He's not a horse that pulls. If you drop your hands, he'll switch off and rate. Will he do that around two turns? I don't know, but we'll be sure to have him prepared in the morning to take a little dirt and sit. We'll see if he can do it at Del Mar.”

Jose Ortiz, winning jockey aboard Jack Christopher (No. 3): “I broke well and I knew I cleared the 2 [My Prankster]. I seen 4 [Kavod] and 5 [Gunite] going, so I took him back and put him in the clear.

“He gave me a great kick. When he passed the five-horse, he stopped running a little bit. He didn't give me everything he had, I believe. I think first time going a mile this will help him for that next step.”

Jim Bakke, winning co-owner of Jack Christopher (No. 3): “We're excited about the horse, obviously. He ran great today, Jose [Ortiz] rode him awesome, Chad Brown did a great job with the horse, but I also have to thank Bradley Weisbord and Liz Crow for buying the horse. He's got speed, we know that for sure.”

Byron Hughes, assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher of runner-up Command Performance (No. 6), third-place Wit (No. 1) and fourth-place My Prankster (No. 2):

Regarding Commandperformance: “He had the outside post and Tyler [Gaffalione] took advantage of that. He kept him out there and kept his face clean. He was gaining on the winner at the end and had a good gallop out. We're happy with the effort.”

Regarding Wit: “It was his typical start. I don't think he's ever going to be that fast out of the gate. Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] got him into a good rhythm but he had a little trouble there on the turn. He made up some ground but just couldn't get to the winner.”

Tyler Gaffalione, jockey aboard runner-up Commandperformance (No. 6): “The horse put himself in a great spot. I had a great position going down the backside. I was able to see everybody in front of me. Going around the turn, I started to get him into gear and he kept responding. His gallop out was great. He seems like he'll love the distance going forward.

“Todd just said to let him run his race. Get him in a position where he's comfortable and let him do his thing. I was really pleased with his effort today.

“I think if he had a little more seasoning he might finish off a little bit better, but he's still green. He's still learning but he's got a bright future.”

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Saturday Insights: Half-Brother to Classic Winner Gets Started

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, post time: 3:50 p.m. ET
Joseph Murphy's WOLFE COUNTY (Medaglia d'Oro) is the latest foal to the races for the stakes-placed Dawn Raid (Vindication) making him a half-brother to 2016 GI Preakness S. and GI Haskell Invitational S. hero and WinStar sire Exaggerator (Curlin). Dawn Raid is herself a half-sister to MGSW and Sovereign Award winner Embur's Song (Unbridled's Song). He squares off with fellow debutant Monologue (Runhappy), a half-brother to SW & GISP Endless Chatter (First Samurai) and to SW & G1SP Whitecliffsofdover (War Front). The colt's dam Orate (A.P. Indy) is a full-sister to the late MGSW/GISP Pulpit, while the deeper female family includes champion Minardi (Boundary) and his half-brother Tale of the Cat (Storm Cat). TJCIS PPs

RanJan-Bred Firster Goes Out For Walsh Barn…
6th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, post time: 3:18 p.m. ET
MEAN JAKEY (Violence) cost owner Mike McCarty $340,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale, making him the third-priciest of his successful sire's 66 yearlings (88 ring) reported as sold last year. Bred by Jan Vandebos's RanJan Racing Inc. and trained by Steve Asmussen, the February foal is a half-brother to La La Chrysaor (Speightstown), who has two victories and five minor placings from nine starts to date on the competitive Japan Racing Association circuit. TJCIS PPs

'Rising Star' Returns to Action…
11th-CD, $127K, Allowance, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 5:58 p.m. ET
CARILLO (Union Rags) overcame a rough start and a wide passage on the turn going Aqueduct's one-turn mile Jan. 8 and ran on strongly to become a 'TDN Rising Star' just days before being offered as part of the Paul Pompa Jr. dispersal at Keeneland January. Purchased by Lauren Carlisle on behalf of Greg Tramontin, Joel Politi and Brittlyn Farm for $875,000, Carillo was a distant 10th when last seen in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 13. The colt's dam Proper Mad (Bernardini), whose half-sister Private Mission (Into Mischief) won this year's GIII Torrey Pines S., was hammered down for $260,000 at the January sale, while her full-sister Gift List is responsible for GISW Dunbar Road (Quality Road). TJCIS PPs

Brant Debuter Looks To Keep Sire Perfect in U.S….
6th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7fT, post time: 3:36 p.m. ET
Bidding on behalf of owner Peter Brant, bloodstock agent Demi O'Byrne went to 300,000gns ($411,561) for LONGRIDGE FELL (IRE) (Ribchester {Ire}) at last year's Tattersalls October Sale. The May foal is a half-sister to the current stakes winner Parchemin (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and is out of a half-sister to SW & MGSP Pelerin (Ire) (Shamardal) and SP Masarah (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}). Ribchester's lone U.S. starter to date, Stonestreet's 350,000gns TATOCT purchase Ruthin (Ire), became a 'TDN Rising Star' on Keeneland debut last April. Among the competition is the debuting Magic Light (Curlin), a homebred half-sister to the late 'Rising Star' Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) and to MSW/MGSP Moretti (Medaglia d'Oro). TJCIS PPs

Pricey Into Mischief Colt Debuts at Gulfstream…
7th-GP, $45K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 3:58 p.m. ET
SO DETERMINED (Into Mischief) fetched $875,000 from bloodstock agent Jacob West, bidding for Repole Stable and St Elias Stable, at KEESEP last fall, the joint fourth-highest price among 80 (110 ring) of this phenomenal sire's offspring to sell last year. The Florida-bred is out of the unraced Mimi's Tiz (Tiznow), who was purchased by Loren Nichols for $47,000 in foal to Will Take Charge at KEENOV in 2017. Mimi's Tiz is a daughter of Mimi's Bling (Bernstein), also the dam of SW Summer House (Tiznow). TJCIS PPs

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My Sister Nat To Defend Her Title In Sunday’s Fasig-Tipton Waya

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out defending champ My Sister Nat along with Orglandes in Sunday's Grade 3, $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya, an 11-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares, at Belmont Park.

The Fasig-Tipton Waya, slated as Race 8, is part of a lucrative 10-race card that includes the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette [Race 9], a one-turn mile for 2-year-old fillies offering a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; and the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim [Race 4], a 1 1/16-mile turf test for juveniles. First post on Sunday is 1 p.m. Eastern.

Brown will seek his fifth career Waya win and third straight following scores with Goldy Espony [2015], Guapaza [2016], Fools Gold [2019] and My Sister Nat, who captured the 2020 renewal traveling 12-furlongs on the inner turf last August at Saratoga to secure her first win in North America.

A Group 3 winner at Longchamp in her native France, the Peter Brant-owned 6-year-old Acclamation bay joined Brown in 2019 and made her first three starts against optional claiming company before finishing a late-closing second beaten a neck in the Grade 3 Long Island at Aqueduct.

Following her Waya score, My Sister Nat closed to finish second last year in both the Grade 2 Glens Falls at the Spa and the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont, finishing a head short of Civil Union.

My Sister Nat enters from a closing third in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl on September 4 at Saratoga where she encountered traffic trouble behind stablemate American Bridge while rallying from last-of-6 to finish 2 1/4-lengths back of War Like Goddess.

Brown said the talented bay, who has hit the board in 3-of-4 starts this year, is training well towards her title defense.

“I certainly love the way she's training and I don't think she got a good trip last time. I felt this filly could have been a lot closer at the finish,” Brown said. “She kind of ran into the other horse we ran [American Bridge], who was sort of in her way when she wanted to make her move on the inside and it really cost her a couple lengths of momentum. At least she could have been closer and made it a little bit more of a race at the end.”

Although My Sister Nat has yet to win on the Belmont turf [6-0-2-3], Brown said he expects a good showing.

“She really runs good here. She's had a couple unlucky trips,” Brown said. “She got beat a head in the Flower Bowl, arguably one of her best races. I love her on Belmont's course.”

Brown said a good effort Sunday could propel My Sister Nat to a start in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Del Mar.

“If she can go over there and really put in a strong performance and her number comes back legitimate and it looks like she has a shot in there, I'd love to make her final start in the Breeders' Cup, if we can,” Brown said.

Bred in France by Ecurie de Monceaux, My Sister Nat is out of the Galileo mare Starlet's Sister, who produced 2018 Champion Turf Mare Sistercharlie as well as 2019 Group 1 French Derby winner Sottsass.

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso's Orglandes, a 5-year-old Le Havre bay, will make her third start of the campaign following sixth-place finishes in both the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay in May at Belmont and the Grade 2 Glens Falls in August at the Spa.

Last year, the French-bred mare won 2-of-3 starts, including a score in the 11-furlong Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap in November at Del Mar.

Brown said Orglandes has demonstrated a return to form recently in her morning training.

“Orglandes is a horse that really didn't come back into form this year. I've been disappointed with her,” Brown said. “She's come back this last month and is rounding back into form in her works after I thought maybe we had lost the year with her. I gave her a little breather and I really like the way she's turned it around in her works.”

Brown said a good effort Sunday could see Orglandes target the Grade 3, $400,000 Long Island, a 12-furlong turf test on November 27 at the Big A.

“She got to contend with a layoff now and going that far, but I'm just looking for a positive effort with her, something I can use to the end of the year to get me into the Long Island,” Brown said.

Jose Ortiz will pilot My Sister Nat from the outermost post 7, while Orglandes will emerge from post 4 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Christophe Clement will saddle a pair of formidable contenders in R Unicorn Stable's Call Me Love and Moyglare Stud Farm's Beautiful Lover.

Call Me Love, a 5-year-old chestnut daughter of Sea the Stars, won the Group 3 Premio Verziere Memorial Aldo Cirla at San Siro and the Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio at Capannelle in 2019 in Italy.

Transferred to Clement for her 4-year-old season, Call Me Love hit the board in both the Grade 3 Beaugay at Belmont and the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga last year, before securing her first North American stakes triumph in the 12-furlong River Memories on July 11 at Belmont.

Call Me Love enters from a distant seventh in the Grade 3 Glens Falls.

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Beautiful Lover, a 5-year-old Arch bay, captured the 2019 Boiling Springs at 1 1/16-miles on the Monmouth turf in the care for former conditioner Chad Brown. Transferred to Clement for her current campaign, the multiple graded-stakes placed dark bay finished fifth in the Distaff Turf in March at Tampa Bay Downs ahead of a neck win last out over next-out winner Miss Teheran in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming event June 27 on the Belmont turf.

Out of the Quiet American mare American Skipper, Beautiful Lover is a half-sister to New York-bred graded-stakes winning millionaire Zivo.

Manny Franco will pilot Call Me Love from post 5, while Joel Rosario will guide Beautiful Lover from post 6.

Repole Stable homebred Always Shopping, a 5-year-old Awesome Again mare trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, is a graded-stakes winner on dirt and turf.

The versatile bay captured the nine-furlong Grade 2 Gazelle in 2019 on the Big A main track and added a victory in the 11-furlong Grade 3 Orchid in March on the Gulfstream Park turf.

Always Shopping will stretch out from a two-month layoff out of a fifth-place finish in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 17 at Monmouth Park.

“We shortened her up in distance where she's not at her best and we're bringing her back at a mile and three eighths. Hopefully, she can regain her best form,” Pletcher said.

Ricardo Santana, Jr. has the call from post 2.

Rounding out the field are Lovely Lucky [post 1, Dylan Davis] and Sister Otoole [post 3, Luis Saez].

The Waya is named in honor of Peter Brant and George Strawbridge Jr.'s champion turf mare, who was a four-time Grade 1 winner in the United States. Waya was a multiple stakes winner in her native France before moving to the United States, where she won six of her nine starts, including against males in the Grade 1 Man o' War in 1978, and was named Champion Older Mare the following year.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall 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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