Edited press release courtesy of Monmouth Park It was just around noon that jockey Tomas Mejia learned he’d picked up a mount on what looked like a hopeless longshot in Saturday’s 13th race at Monmouth Park. A little more than six hours later he’d etched his name in the track’s record book.
Tag: Racing
Late Rally By Viadera Gives Chad Brown Fifth Straight Noble Damsel
Juddmonte Farms' Viadera ran down pacesetter and stablemate Blowout in deep stretch, surging up the rail to take command in the final sixteenth and post a victory by a neck to give trainer Chad Brown the exacta in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Noble Damsel for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
The English-bred Viadera, who won her first North American race at second asking last out in the De La Rose on July 17 at Saratoga Race Course, won her first graded stakes appearance in the United States while giving Brown his fifth consecutive victory in the Noble Damsel with five different horses.
Another Brown-trained English bred, the 2-1 favorite Blowout, led the nine-horse field through the early going, breaking sharp from the gate and opening an advantage on Sweet Bye and Bye in going through a brisk quarter-mile in 22.17 seconds and the half in 44.85 on the firm Widener turf, with Viadera saving ground in seventh position.
Out of the turn, Blowout continued to hold a slim lead over a game Sweet Bye and Bye, with Joel Rosario urging Viadera up to an advantageous position before angling to the inside, where she picked off rivals before finding a seam near the rail.
Approaching the wire, an all-out Viadera got the lead with the fellow Brown trainee to her immediate outside, completing the course in a final time of 1:32.06.
“I was in a good spot and there was a lot of speed,” said Rosario, who teamed with Brown for his third Noble Damsel win in four years. “For a second, I thought they were going to get away from me, but I was comfortable where I was, and I just tried to ride her from there. When it was time to go, she kicked good.
“It looked like I might have to go between horses [in the stretch] but they came off the rail and I took a chance to go to the rail and hope not to get blocked inside,” he continued. “She kept coming and coming. She ran super.”
Off at 5-1, Viadera returned $13 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career earnings to $211,441. Her effort was another in a list of Brown triumphs in the turf route, joining a list that includes Significant Form [2019], 2019 Eclipse Award Turf Female-champion Uni [2018], Off Limits [2017] and Mrs McDougal [2016].
“The winner, Viadera, really got a great trip from Joel [Rosario] and she's a fine filly in her own right. She's really put it together her last two starts with two nice wins,” Brown said.
Blowout, owned by Peter Brant and ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, was the runner-up for a third consecutive race, finishing three-quarters of a length in front of Sweet Bye and Bye.
“Blowout probably ran the best race,” Brown said. “The fractions were grueling, and it was hard to stomach watching it unfold but she held on gamely and nearly won. I'm so proud of her effort and surprised that any horse could hold on and battle to the wire and almost win.
“They ran super. Viadera got a great setup saving all the ground and I'm really proud of her,” he added. “Blowout ran probably the best race. For her to set those fractions and still battle on, I'm so proud of her. Both horses really ran terrific.”
Joseph M. Imbresi's Sweet Bye and Bye, conditioned by Tony Dutrow, ran third to earn graded stakes blacktype for the second time in three career efforts.
Noor Sahara, the third Brown trainee, finished fourth, with Chaleur, Atomic Blonde, Feel Glorious, Getmotherarose and Lemon Zip completing the order of finish. Another Broad, entered for the main track only, was scratched.
Live racing resumes Sunday with another 10-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.
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Boca Boy Takes To Slop, Upsets Breeze On By In Florida Sire Stakes In Reality
Breeze On By had dead aim on Boca Boy and a historic sweep Saturday of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes for male 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
With a furlong to the wire, he had pulled to within two lengths of the frontrunner.
But Boca Boy refused to allow the 1-5 favorite to blow on by and held on for the two-length victory in the $400,000 In Reality Division of the annual series for offspring of registered Florida sires, springing the upset at odds of 12-1.
Ridden by jockey Edgard Zayas, Boca Boy – who was coming out of a mile-long turf stakes – took well to the sloppy going, assumed early command of the 1 1/16-mile stakes, and maintained his lead to the wire, defeating the heavy favorite in the process.
Boca Boy, trained by Cheryl Winebaugh for owner Kenneth E. Fishbein, is a 2-year-old son of Prospective. He was making his fourth career start on Saturday, and the victory was his first since breaking his maiden over a sloppy track at Gulfstream on July 17.
The two geldings met in the first leg of the series, the six-furlong Dr. Fager Division, back on Aug. 1, with Boca Boy finishing more than nine lengths back in third.
But he was a new horse Saturday, and both the slop and added distance of the In Reality proved to his liking.
“I came into the race planning to make the best out of my horse and, at the same time, find a way to beat Breeze on By,” Zayas said. “I was trying to get the trip I wanted and put him in the spot to control the race from there. My horse kept on fighting and relaxed very well on the lead, which helped him a lot in the stretch.”
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Mr. Money Rides Rail To Victory In Ack Ack At Churchill Downs
Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm's 4-year-old Goldencents colt, Mr. Money, saved ground throughout under Gabriel Saez, coming from off the pace to win Saturday's Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Bourbon Calling finished second, with Thirstforlife third and Dinar fourth in the field of 13 older runners going a one-turn mile on a fast dirt tracksa. Mr. Money covered the distance in 1:34.85, a stakes record, and paid $14.80.
Mr. Money is trained by Bret Calhoun.
Warrior's Charge, the 6-5 favorite, broke from the rail and set a quick pace, going the opening quarter in :22.61 and half mile in :44.48. American Anthem and Pioneer Spirit applied pressure on the frontrunner as the field turned into the stretch after six furlongs in 1:09.11, with 65-1 shot Pioneer Spirit poking his nose in front briefly at the top of the stretch.
Mr. Money, never far back, found a perfect spot on the rail in the long run down the backstretch and never left the wood, going through an opening in the stretch when Warrior's Charge drifted out and hitting the front inside the furlong pole.
“We sat a perfect trip,” said Saez. “This horse hasn't had things go his way this year and showed us the real Mr. Money today.”
The victory was the first for Mr. Money in five starts this year. He put together a four-race win streak of Grade 3 stakes in 2019 – the Pat Day Mile, Matt Winn Stakes, Indiana Derby and West Virginia Derby – then was beaten a neck in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby before finishing seventh in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
Bred in Kentucky by Spruce Lane Farm, Mr. Money has now won six of 17 career starts.
“Gabe worked out a perfect trip on him,” said Calhoun. “I thought his last few tries weren't a fair assessment of who this horse is. He showed us who he was today. He loves this track and got to run out of his own stall.”
Calhoun said Mr. Money may make a second run in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, to be run at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
“Fingers crossed that will take us to the Breeders' Cup,” Allied Racing's Chester Thomas said. “We are so thrilled for this horse, Bret, his entire team and Gabe.”
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