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Fresco Continues Clement’s Big Saratoga Meet With Maiden Victory In NYSS Statue Of Liberty

Oak Bluff Stables' Fresco broke her maiden in her stakes debut, overtaking three rivals from the outside in the stretch and drawing away for a 1 3/4-length score in Thursday's $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series Statue of Liberty for state-bred 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course.

Fresco, second by a nose to Sky Blue last out on June 25 at Belmont, was patiently handled by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in stepping up in class. The Freud filly was second-to-last in the six-horse field as Dixie Cannon led through an opening quarter-mile in 24.80 seconds and the half in 50.08, posting modest fractions on the firm inner turf.

Out of the final turn, Ortiz, Jr. swung out and one-by-one overtook Hunnybunnerdini and Nicky Scissors from the outside. She soon moved up alongside Dixie Cannon and surged past the pacesetter, completing the 1 1/16-mile course in 1:45.43 for her first win in four starts.

“We were trying to wait with the filly because she likes to hang a little bit,” Ortiz, Jr. said “We tried to wait as long as we could today. She broke a little sharp, I took a little hold and she relaxed so well that I just left her there.”

Trainer Christophe Clement picked up his eighth win of the meet, ranking him first among conditioners.

“Irad did a great job. He took her back and saved ground,” Clement said. “You could see they did not finish that fast, so he did the right thing which was to save something for the end.

Clement and Ortiz, Jr. teamed for their second consecutive win Thursday, with the duo also winning with Plum Ali in Race 3.

Off at 1-2, Fresco returned $3 on a $2 win bet. The homebred more than tripled her career earnings to $70,990. It also marked another accomplishment for Oak Bluff, who bred the Clement-trained Therapist, who has compiled eight wins in 17 starts, and Audible, who won the 2018 Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 2 Holy Bull while running third in that year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher.

“It's fun. She broke her maiden in the stakes for her owner-breeder,” Clement said. “She has blacktype so it works for the whole program. Usually, the owner will sell his colts and keep his fillies and he has been very successful with a small broodmare band. He bred Audible, he bred Therapist and he bred this filly and I'm just lucky to be a part of the program.”

Dixie Cannon, also making her stakes bow for trainer Kelly Rubley and ridden by Jose Ortiz, was four lengths the best of Nicky Scissors for second.

“I had a perfect trip,” Ortiz said. “I was able to get to the lead, slow it down and make a run but the winner was much the best.”

Hunnybunnerdini, Apollo's Abraxas and Holmdel Park completed the order of finish. Officer Hutchy was scratched.

Live racing resumes Friday at Saratoga with a 10-race card highlighted by the Grade 3, $100,000 Quick Call for sophomores going 5 ½ furlongs on the Mellon turf course in Race 9 at 5:46 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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Laura’s Light Tops Competitive Field Of 11 In Saturday’s San Clemente Stakes

The 53rd edition of the Grade II San Clemente Stakes – a key stepping stone to the Grade I Del Mar Oaks on August 22 – goes Saturday at Del Mar and has drawn a competitive field of 11 3-year-old fillies for the one-mile test on the lawn.

The likely favorite in the $150,000 San Clemente is Gary Barber's Laura's Light, a bay daughter of the hot young sire Constitution who has won four of her six lifetime starts and comes into the turfer off a tally in the Grade III Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita on May 30. That race was at nine furlongs on the grass and she held on to win by a neck under rider Abel Cedillo, who rides back Saturday for trainer Peter Miller.

Laura's Light's chief rivals appear to be a pair of stakes winners in Benjamin and Sally Warren's Warren's Showtime, who'll be handled by regular rider Jorge Velez, and the Florida shipper Cheermeister, who is owned by Teresa and David Palmer and gets the saddle services of Victor Espinoza.

Warren's Showtime, the lone California-bred in the field, is a daughter of Clubhouse Ride and runs out of the barn of conditioner Craig Lewis. She took the state-bred Melair Stakes at Santa Anita on the main track on June 21 in her most recent appearance. She's won five of her 10 outings.

Cheermeister, who is by Bodemeister, won a pair of graded turf stakes at Gulfstream Park earlier this year and will be making her first start since May 15. Trainer Armando De La Cerda has guided the quick lassie to four victories in seven starts, all but one of them on the lawn. She has been training steadily in Florida since her last out.

The San Clemente is one of three stakes on the Saturday card at Del Mar, the others being the $150,000, Grade II San Diego Handicap and the $65,000 Smiling Tiger Stakes.

Here's the complete field for the San Clemente in post position order with riders and morning line odds:

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' She's So Special (Flavien Prat, 5-1); DRJ Racing and Great Friends Stable's Lazy Daisy (Giovanni Franco, 20-1); Laura's Light (3-1); Batchelor Family Trust's Over Attracted (Mike Smith, 15-1); Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temesca's Croughavouke (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1); Cheermeister (6-1); Next Wave Racing, Baltas or Robershaw's Little Bird (Ruben Fuentes, 15-1); Gainesway Stable, LNJ Foxwoods or Rose's Mind Out (Brice Blanc, 15-1); Warren's Showtime (7/2); Benowitz Family Trust and Madaket Stable's Guitty (Juan Hernandez, 20-1), and Medallion Racing, Next Wave Racing, et al's Applecross (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1).

The San Clemente will be the 9th of 11 races on the Saturday program.

First post all afternoons at Del Mar is 2 p.m.

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Favored Moscato Delivers Sweet Finish In A.P. Smithwick Memorial

Bruton Street's Moscato ran down Optimus Prime in deep stretch, overtaking him from the far outside in the final sixteenth to win Thursday's Grade 1, $100,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial in the first graded steeplechase race of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course.

Contested over eight hurdles, it was the final, flat portion of the race that decided the winner. Redicean, the leader at the conclusion of the jumps, was in front heading into the final turn before Optimus Prime, the winner of the 2018 Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup of the Spa, took the lead from the outside.

But 8-5 favorite Moscato, under rider Michael Mitchell, put in a furious finish from even further outside, finishing strong under an aggressive hand ride for a three-quarter length victory, completing the approximate 2 1/16 miles on the firm inner turf in a final time of 3:47.51.

“I had to work to keep him in position early,” Mitchell said. “The pace was good early on. I was comfortable with where we were and he jumped fantastically. He really met every fence nicely and covered the ground well. They just started to slow up coming into the turn and we had to weave through a couple of horses. Coming out of the turn, he got trapped for a little bit of room but his stamina kicked in and he really went well to the line and got his head in front at the right time.”

Moscato improved to 2-for-2 in his 9-year-old year, adding to his victory in the Grade 3 Temple Gwathmey Hurdle on June 13 at Glenwood Park at Middleburg. The English-bred son of Hernando gave trainer Jack Fisher his fourth career A.P. Smithwick triumph.

“I thought we were in serious trouble on the turn,” Fisher said. “Optimus Prime cruised up there but he hadn't run in a year and I think he might have needed the race and just ran out of gas in the last sixteenth. I think he'll be very tough next time.”

Moscato, who ended his 2019 season with a third-place finish in the prestigious Grade 1 Grand National at Fair Hill in October, improved to 12-7-3 in 33 lifetime starts. He returned $5.40 on a $2 win wager and improved his career earnings to $414,677.

“The ground suits these jumpers,” Mitchell said. “It's good a good grass cover and we had a little bit of rain last night which helps these horses. Being foreign-bred they like a bit more sponginess and cut in the ground, so it wasn't an issue being wide it was more about keeping the momentum throughout the race.”

Optimus Prime, who entered with wins in four of his previous five starts [with three graded stakes wins] dating to 2018 for trainer Richard Hendriks, finished 2 1/2 lengths in front of Gibralfaro for second.

Redicean and Chief Justice completed the order of finish. Pravalaguna, Surprising Soul and Winner Massagot were all eased. Belisarius was scratched.

The meet's other Grade 1 steeplechase, the $100,000 New York Turf Writers Cup at 2 3/8 miles, is slated for Thursday, August 20. Fisher said both Moscato and Snap Decision, who won Wednesday's Jonathan Kiser Novice at Saratoga, are likely participants.

“We'll probably run them both in the Turf Writers,” he said.

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Enable Has Come Forward Since Eclipse, Will Face Three Ballydoyle Rivals In Saturday’s King George

Superstar Enable will face three rivals in her bid to win an historic third King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The champion racemare began her 2020 campaign with a second-place finish to Ghaiyyath in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse.

“I was very clear with everyone before Sandown that she had found it difficult to get to racing fitness since she is now a 6-year-old mare,” trainer John Gosden told racingpost.com. “She is a big powerful lady and certainly not of the neater, lighter-framed, type. She ran very well in the Eclipse and the race has had the desired effect of bringing her on.”

Ryan Moore will ride Japan, while Oisin Murphy picks up the mount on Anthony Van Dyck and William Buick will ride Sovereign.

Enable would become the only horse to win three King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes with herself (2017,2019), Swain (1997,1998) and Dahlia (1973,1974) all on two wins currently.

More history could be made as Enable's evergreen jockey Frankie Dettori bids to equal Lester Piggott's record of seven victories in the prestigious Group 1.

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