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Tasting The Stars Headlines Van Clief Stakes At Colonial Downs

Virginia-bred Tasting The Stars, an impressive 5-for-7 in her career, headlines Monday's $100,000 Van Clief Stakes for Virginia-restricted horses at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. The field of nine includes Todd Pletcher's Apurate, the second early choice.

The restricted stakes, open to those that are Virginia-bred, sired, or certified, is 1 1/16th miles on grass and is the eighth of nine races scheduled.

Newtown Anner Stud Farm's Tasting the Stars is fresh off turf stakes wins in the Nellie Mae Cox at Colonial July 19 and in the Brookmeade at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., last October. The 5-year-old Bodemeister mare prevailed three times in 2019 — in the Just Jenda Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and in allowance and maiden special weight races at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La. The Van Clief headliner finished sixth in the 2019 Virginia Oaks as the betting favorite. She has bankrolled $204,600 and is 3-for-4 on turf. The 9-5 early choice is trained by John Kimmel and will be ridden by Feargal Lynch.

A1A Racing's Apurate is the second choice and was runner-up most recently in a Monmouth turf allowance. The 4-year-old Summer Front filly broke her maiden October 20 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and has earned $129,360 from 13 starts including a win and five runner-up finishes. David Cohen will ride the Kentucky-bred.

Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable's No Mo Lady is third early choice at 6-1. The 5-year-old Uncle Mo mare finished third in the Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes last October at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and previously, had back-to-back seconds in the All Along Stakes and Indiana General Assembly Distaff Stakes. The Michael Trombetta trainee will be ridden by Julian Pimentel.

Also in the field is Inside The Box, Unruly Julie, Fionnbharr, Sweet Sandy, Princess Theorem, and Dare to Promise.

First post at Colonial Monday is 1:45 PM. The Van Clief is scheduled at 5:01 PM. The summer racing season in New Kent will continue on a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday basis through September 1. The $250,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby (Gr. 3) is Tuesday, August 31.

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Pappacap Doing Well After Best Pal, Casse Considering Next Start

Pappacap, an impressive 4 ¾-length winner of Saturday's $200,500 Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes, was comfortably ensconced in his stall Sunday morning while Allen Hardy-Zukowski saw to the regular routine in his role as overseer for the California-based string of Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse currently stabled at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, in Del Mar, Calif.

Pappacap, a 2-year-old son of Gun Runner, “looks good and ate up well,” Hardy-Zukowsky said. “Now he'll rest a day or two before going back to the track and we'll see what happens from there.”

Casse watched the race in New York, where he had been inducted into racing's Hall of Fame at Saratoga Springs a day earlier, and was soon on the phone with Hardy-Zukowsky.

“He was ecstatic, very happy for the horse and for the owner (Gary Barber),” the assistant reported. The $300,000 Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Monday, September 6, would be a logical next step for Pappacap. In the past 12 years, four horses have gone on from victory in the Best Pal to take the Futurity: Lookin At Lucky (2009); J P's Gusto (2010); Nyquist (2015), and Klimt (2016).

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Con Lima Sets Pace, Holds Off Higher Truth To Win Saratoga Oaks

After being inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame on Friday, Todd Pletcher visited another familiar spot Sunday, the winner's circle at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. His 3-year-old graded stakes winner Con Lima added another stakes win to her resume, taking the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational by three-quarters of a length over Higher Truth.

Gam's Mission broke fastest, but Flavien Prat had Con Lima on the lead with a few strides of the gate, taking over before the first turn of the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Oaks. Running easily on the front, Prat and Con Lima controlled the pace, setting fractions of :23.64 for the first quarter and :50.02 for the first half-mile. Behind her, Gam's Mission and Higher Truth stalked in second and third, poised to challenge Con Lima in the stretch.

Around the final turn, Gam's Mission made her move first but was not able to pass Con Lima, fading in the stretch. Higher Truth pursued the front runner in the last furlong, making up ground to get within a three-quarters of a length of Con Lima at the wire. Creative Flair, who was taken up early and had to go wide to find running room, was able to pass horses in the stretch to grab third. Plum Ali, Gam's Mission, Out of Sorts, Messidor, and Rocky Sky rounded out the field of eight.

The final time for the 1 3/16 miles was 1:54.42. Find this race's chart here.

Con Lima paid $8.10, $5.00, and $3.30. Higher Truth paid $6.80 and $4.00. Creative Flair paid $3.30 to show.

“I was analyzing the race beforehand and we were the only speed but I wasn't 100 percent sure with a couple of the Euros if they would show some initiative. I left it in Flavien's [Prat] hands and Plan A was to break well and see if anybody would try to take the lead away from us and if they didn't, we'd be happy to have it. It worked out really well,” Pletcher said after the Saratoga Oaks.

“The speed was pretty much me and the Godolphin filly [No. 7, Creative Flair] and it seems she broke a step slow. I broke better than her and I ended up on the lead,” jockey Flavien Prat told the NYRA Press Office after the race. “Going to the first turn I felt really comfortable. I was really pleased with the way she was traveling and I felt we were doing some easy fractions. She really kicked on well.”

Bred in Texas by Lisa Kuhlmann, Con Lima is a 3-year-old filly by Commissioner out of Second Street City, by Consolidator. Purchased for $22,000 from Niall Brennan Stables at the March 2020 Ocala Breeders Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale, she is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph Graffeo, Del Toro, Eric Nikolaus, and Troy Johnson. With her win in the G3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational, Con Lima has five wins in eight starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of seven wins and five seconds in 13 starts, with career earnings of $884,865.

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Wicked Halo Much The Best In Adirondack For Asmussen, Winchell

Just like her dam Just Wicked, Wicked Halo crossed the wire first in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes, giving trainer Steve Asmussen another graded stakes winner a day after he passed Dale Baird as North America's all-time winningest trainer. The gray 2-year-old filly dueled with Microbiome early and made her rail-hugging trip a winning one at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

At the break, Tom Amoss-trained Microbiome was quickest out of the gate taking a short lead, with Wicked Halo just off her shoulder on the rail. Down the backstretch, the two dueled, Jose Ortiz moving the Asmussen filly to the lead before the first quarter-mile. Approaching the turn, Microbiome stayed with her into the stretch, but the daughter of Gun Runner and Just Wicked was too good for the Amoss horse. In the stretch, Wicked Halo drew away to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Interstatedaydream came on late to grab second, with Saucy Lady T third. The final time for the 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:17.99.

Mainstay, Microbiome, Ontheonesandtwos, J.L's Rockette, Shesawildjoker, and Boss Lady Kim rounded out the order of finish.

Wicked Halo paid $11.40, $6.00, and $4.80. Interstatedaydream paid $14.80 and $9.50. Saucy Lady T paid $12.80 to show. Find this race's chart here.

“Ron [Winchell, owner-breeder] giving us horses like this makes all the accolades possible. This filly, her mother won the Adirondack [Just Wicked, 2015], and what a great sire Gun Runner is proving to be. To duplicate what her mother did is very special,” Asmussen said after the race.

“In these 2-year-old stakes races there's going to be pace because a lot of them break their maiden wire-to-wire or are just sitting off it. A lot of times, the pace is going to be hot in races like this, and it was hot this time. Tyler [Gaffalione, aboard Microbiome, No. 9] broke better than me. I put her up there and she responded well,” jockey Jose Ortiz said after the Adirondack. “They were going fast, but she was ready. Steve had her ready to run.”

With the Grade 2 Adirondack in the books, Wicked Halo has two wins in three lifetime starts for career earnings of $144,650 for breeder/owner Winchell Thoroughbreds.

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