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Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf A Consideration For Consumer Spending

Klaravich Stables Inc.'s Consumer Spending will be under consideration for the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf following her impressive victory in the $150,000 Selima Saturday at Laurel Park.

Trainer Chad Brown said Sunday that the 2-year-old More Than Ready filly was doing well following her second consecutive victory and first in a stakes. Out of the Scat Daddy mare Siempre Mia, she made her first two starts this summer over the grass at Saratoga.

It was the second straight Selima win for Brown following Fluffy Socks at historic Pimlico Race Course. Fluffy Socks won the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante later last fall and was most recently third in the Aug. 21 G1 Del Mar Oaks.

“She's certainly a horse with a bright future. She's run really well in all three of her starts to date,” Brown said. “We'll see what we do from here. The Juvenile Fillies Turf has to be considered at this point, given the way she won yesterday. We'll see how she's training this month.”

The one-mile Juvenile Fillies Turf will be run Nov. 5 at Del Mar. Brown has won five of the 12 editions of the race with Maram (2009), Lady Eli (2014), New Money Honey (2016), Rushing Fall (2017) and Newspaperofrecord (2018). Lady Eli in 2017 and Rushing Fall in 2020 would later be named female turf champions.

In 2019, Sharing won the Selima off a maiden victory and went on to upset the Juvenile Fillies Turf at odds of nearly 14-1 for trainer Graham Motion.

Consumer Spending, favored at 2-5 in the Selima, trailed all but one of her seven rivals through a half-mile and was still in need of room on the far turn before she was able to split horses and sprint clear in open ground, pulling away from the field even while jockey Victor Carrasco had her wrapped up nearing the wire.

“She ran well. On the turn there it didn't look like she was doing much running at one point and I was concerned, but then she grabbed the bit again and finished strong,” Brown said. “All in all, it was an impressive performance.”

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Annapolis Remains Perfect With G2 Pilgrim Victory

Bass Racing's homebred Annapolis outdueled Portfolio Company in a stirring stretch drive to capture Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim going 1 1/16 miles for juveniles over the firm inner turf at Belmont Park.

The Pilgrim has seen three of its last five winners go on to capture the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, including Oscar Performance [2016], Structor [2019] and Fire At Will [2020].

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis entered out of a stylish debut win on closing weekend at Saratoga Race Course, where he rallied from off-the-pace under returning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Breaking from post two in a compact field of four, Annapolis sat second behind pacesetter Portfolio Company, who marked off splits of 24.34 seconds for the quarter-mile and 48.96 to the half-mile under Joel Rosario. At the half-mile pole, Ortiz, Jr. began to inch Annapolis closer to the leader and the two colts met up at the quarter pole after six furlongs in 1:14.46.

The front-running duo gained separation from their two competitors – Limited Liability [Jose Ortiz] and Doctor Jeff [Jose Lezcano] – and battled gamely to the wire. Annapolis needed every inch of ground to get by a stubborn Portfolio Company, putting his head on the wire in a final time of 1:41.04.

“With only four horses, there wasn't much speed in the race,” Ortiz, Jr. said, “I just broke well and tried to be close to the pace. I ended up second to the horse I had to try and beat, so I just went from there. He fought the whole way to the wire. The way he did it last time he looked like a nice horse, so we expected him to move forward and he did.”

Byron Hughes, Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant, said he was pleased with how the race unfolded.

“He broke well and Irad had him in a great spot on the outside,” Hughes said. “It was a good duel down the stretch and he was able to get a head down at the wire.”

Rosario won five races on Saturday's card at Churchill Downs, including Grade 3 scores with Knicks Go in the Lukas Classic and aboard Plainsman in the Ack Ack, both for trainer Brad Cox.

The veteran rider said he had no complaints about his trip aboard maiden-winner Portfolio Company, who was exiting a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on September 1 at Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown.

“He responded well. The other horse [Annapolis] came to me a little bit early and then I had to just keep moving inside. It was a very good race in the end,” Rosario said. “When he came to me, I had to hold my position. Turning for home, [Annapolis] moved a little early which engaged me to move forward a little more than I wanted to. You just have to ride them the way the race is playing.”Annapolis returned $3.30 to win off a $2 wager and increased his lifetime earnings to $165,000.

Limited Liability was third, 3 1/4-lengths ahead of Doctor Jeff. Midnight Worker and City At Night were scratched.

A Kentucky homebred, Annapolis is by War Front and out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare My Miss Sophia, who was also conditioned by Pletcher.

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Gufo Records Final Breeze For G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

Otter Bend Stables' Gufo recorded his final piece of serious preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park, breezing a half-mile in 48.80 Sunday over the Belmont inner turf.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old chestnut son of Declaration of War seeks to keep an unbeaten record at 12 furlongs intact following victories in the Grand Couturier on July 5 at Belmont before winning the G1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer eight weeks later at Saratoga.

“He worked very well this morning,” Clement said. “It was a strong work and he finished up very nicely, so I'm excited for next week.”

Clement will seek a second Joe Hirsch Turf Classic win, previously saddling Winchester to victory in 2010. Multiple champion Gio Ponti was second in the 2009 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for Clement.

Also appearing on Sunday's work tab for Clement was dual graded stakes winner Mutamakina who completed a half-mile move in 49.20 seconds over the inner turf. Al Shiraa'aa Farm's daughter of Nathaniel captured the G2 Dance Smartly on Aug. 22 at Woodbine last out and will return to the Toronto oval for the G1 E.P. Taylor on Oct. 17.

Scheduled to accompany Mutamakina for the journey up north is stable mate La Dragontea, a winner of the G2 Canadian on Sept. 18 at Woodbine who also will target the E.P. Taylor.

Clement said he plans on saddling multiple contenders next weekend for the G3, $150,000 Matron, a six-furlong turf event for juvenile fillies. Possible contenders for the Clement barn include stakes-winner Derrynane, who captured the Woodbine Cares on Sept. 19, as well as maiden winners The Club and Gal In a Rush.

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Pletcher’s Platoon Charts Course After Weekend Stakes At Belmont

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sent out three starters in Saturday's Grade 1 Champagne with maiden Commandperformance closing to finish second ahead of stablemates Wit and My Prankster in the one-turn mile for juveniles won by Jack Christopher.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Commandperformance lunged at the start of his six-furlong debut on September 6 over a muddy and sealed track at Saratoga, rallying to finish second.

On Saturday, with Tyler Gaffalione up from the outermost post 6, the Union Rags gray closed to finish second, just 2 3/4-lengths to Jack Christopher and seven lengths in front of Wit.

“He ran well first time out,” said Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant Byron Hughes. “He came back and put in a good breeze here and we expected him to run up to his training. He got a good post position and Tyler rode him well. He ran a big race.”

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Gainesway Stable's Wit was an impressive eight-length winner of the six-furlong G3 Sanford in July at Saratoga ahead of a troubled second in the seven-furlong G1 Hopeful where he stumbled at the break.

On Saturday, with regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, Wit was off a step slow and encountered traffic trouble approaching the quarter pole.

“He got in a little trouble on the turn,” Hughes said. “Irad said there was a tired horse in front of him and that he was going in and out and was trying to find the best route. He couldn't find a hole right away and that might have cost him a few lengths.”

Robert and Lawana Low's My Prankster was a 10-length maiden winner at first asking sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs on Aug. 21 at the Spa, but failed to make an impact in the Champagne.

“We didn't have any excuse for him after the race or this morning. We'll regroup with him and go for there,” Hughes said.

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post exited the inside post under Ortiz Jr. in the G1 Woodward but was forced to rally five-wide down the lane to complete the trifecta, 2 1/2-lengths to Art Collector.

“It was a big effort. He went the widest out of everybody. He was still grinding it out there at the end,” Hughes said. “I thought it was a good effort. A little more pace and maybe back to two turns might help, but the effort was definitely what we wanted to see from him for sure.”

Spendthrift Farm homebred Following Sea, a 3-year-old Runhappy colt, has made a trio of starts for Pletcher this year, besting elders in an allowance sprint in June at Belmont ahead of a second via disqualification in the nine-furlong G1 Haskell on July 17. Last out, Following Sea finished third in the seven-furlong G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Aug. 28 at the Spa.

Following Sea breezed a half-mile solo in 48.38 Saturday on the Belmont dirt training track in preparation for a start in the six-furlong G2, $250,000 Vosburgh on Oct/ 9, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“He did it all well within himself,” said Hughes regarding the breeze. “He had a good gallop out and cooled out OK. He looked good this morning. We're very happy with the way he's training right now. Hopefully he runs like he's been training.”

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