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Hello Beautiful Breezes At Laurel With Eye On Saratoga’s Test

Multiple stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Hello Beautiful continued preparations for a possible start in next month's Test (G1) at Saratoga with a strong five-furlong breeze over Laurel Park's main track Sunday morning in Laurel, Md.

With jockey Jevian Toledo subbing for injured regular rider and work partner Sheldon Russell, Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stable and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful covered the distance in 1:01.20, the fastest of six horses.

It was the second work for Hello Beautiful since her front-running 8 1/4-length allowance romp June 20 at Laurel that improved her record to four wins, two seconds and a third with $199,360 in purse earnings from eight career starts.

“Toledo has worked some good ones and prepped for some big races, so he knows how to work a good horse,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “Toledo worked her beautifully, and she went excellent. She's just doing great.”

The connections have yet to settle on a next start for Hello Beautiful but are giving strong consideration to the Test, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies Aug. 8 on the undercard of the Travers (G1).

Wherever she runs next, Hello Beautiful will need a new rider. Sheldon Russell, the trainer's husband, is expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking his right wrist in a starting gate mishap July 16 at Delaware Park. He has been aboard for all of Hello Beautiful's races.

Due to the track's health and safety protocols, out-of-town jockeys are currently not allowed to ride at Saratoga this summer. Brittany Russell said two-time defending Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. would likely get the call if Hello Beautiful runs in the Test.

“It depends on where we decide to go,” she said. “but I think we're going to go with Irad if we go to New York.”

Though he couldn't be aboard, Sheldon Russell was at Laurel to see Hello Beautiful work, bringing along the couple's 11-month-old daughter, Edy.

“He did show up to watch. He wanted to supervise. He showed up with Edy. I don't know how he managed that with one arm,” Brittany Russell said. “He called me and said, 'I'm on my way.' I'm like, 'How are you on your way?' He got here with Edy and they watched her work, so that was great that he came out.”

Hello Beautiful has raced exclusively in Maryland since her unveiling last May at Pimlico Race Course. She captured the Maryland Million Lassie and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship last fall at Laurel by a combined 15 ½ lengths.

The combination of a planned break and a 2 ½-month pause in live racing from mid-March to late May amid the coronavirus pandemic pushed Hello Beautiful's sophomore debut to a June 1 sprint over Laurel's world-class turf course, where she faded to seventh, her only time off the board. She rebounded impressively 19 days later on a sloppy and sealed main track.

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Clement-Rosario Strike Again With Speaktomeofsummer In Lake Placid Stakes

Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer answered the question about handling increased distance, finding a seam in the stretch to split competitors and gamely digging in with Stunning Sky to her inside, fending off her challenger in the final jumps for a victory by a head in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

After making her first four starts at a mile, the Christophe Clement-trained Speaktomeofsummer was stretched out to 1 1/8 miles but utilized a patient trip under jockey Joel Rosario. The Summer Front filly sat in sixth position as Blame Debbie led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.01 seconds and the half in 49.03 on the inner turf coursed labeled firm.

Coming out of the clubhouse turn, Speaktomeofsummer lost some ground in a tightly bunched field, but Rosario quickly recovered and kept her to the inside. Approaching the far turn, she picked off a pair of rivals before surging when straightening for home.

In the stretch, she overtook Blame Debbie, who Jose Ortiz tried to prevent from lugging out, before linking up with Stunning Sky, positioned by Irad Ortiz, Jr. near the rail, for an exciting final furlong that saw the winner stop the clock in a 1:49.44 final time.

“I was really happy with the trip. I thought I would be a little closer, like Christophe told me, but everybody had the same idea to be up there,” said Rosario, who teamed with Clement to win a Grade 2 at the Spa for a second consecutive day after Decorated Invader captured Saturday's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. “It looked like the first part was fast but they all got into their position, so I thought I'd let her be happy there and hopefully have a good run at the end.

“She was moving beautifully but when I passed the leader, she waited a little bit and the other horse came back again,” he added. “But she came on again and I was able to hold them off.”

After running fourth last out with blinkers on for the first time in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 20 at Belmont, Clement ran Speaktomeofsummer without blinkers. The equipment change, along with a change in venue in her Saratoga debut, resulted in her third win in five career starts.

“I put the blinkers on [last time] because I thought she was a little lazy in her work in the morning before her last race. That's what happens when trainers start to think too much,” said Clement, who notched his third career Lake Placid win, joining Spotlight and Naissance Royale [the respective 2004 and 2005 victors].

“She had a great trip. Thank you, Joel. He's riding great at the moment. The filly has trained well since the last race at Belmont. She's by Summer Front which is a big deal for us as we trained him plus he's a young sire at the moment. He belongs to Mr. [Tom] Moore, who also owned Summer Front so it is even more meaningful.

“She had a great trip. It was a pretty game last eighth of a mile,” he continued. “I'm delighted. She can do a mile to a mile an eighth for sure, but any further I don't know. I would have to think about it.”

Clement recorded three wins Sunday and totaled five on the weekend.

“The last two days have been good. Let's keep it going,” he said.

Off at 9-2, Speaktomeofsummer returned $11.60 on a $2 win wager. She nearly doubled her career earnings to $175,500. She is a possibility for the 1 3/16-mile $500,000 Saratoga Oaks on August 16.

“I would need to think about it because of the timing,” Clement said. “We will keep it open. Instead of me, we'll let her tell us and see what happens.”

Stunning Sky, trained by Mike Maker, was 1 ½ lengths the better of Queens Embrace for second, marking her best stakes finish in five attempts.

“She showed up and ran her race. She just needed to be a head better today,” said Maker assistant Nolan Ramsey. “At the sixteenth pole, I thought the other horse was going to run right by her, but she was game. No complaints. She ran a great race.”

Key Biscayne, 2-1 favorite Cat's Pajamas, Lashara, Blame Debbie and Mirabell Mei completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Wednesday with a 10-race card showcasing the $85,000 Lubash for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up in Race 3 at 1:54 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m. and features the summer meet's first steeplechase race in the $55,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice.

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Blinkers On Are ‘One And Done’ For Tonalist’s Shape After CCA Oaks

Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Tonalist's Shape finished a well-beaten fourth as the 6-5 favorite in Saturday's Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The multiple graded-stakes winner, who wore blinkers for the first time in a race Saturday, was rank early and lacked the late punch that carried her to victory in the Forward Gal (G3) and Davona Dale (G2) during the Championship Meet and, most recently, the Hollywood Wildcat at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

“The blinkers, I knew, could have that effect. I thought the blinkers for her was going to be hit or miss. It was either going to make a big difference or it was going to be a big mistake. It turned out to be a big mistake,” Joseph said. “We thought we were making the right decision. We had to give it a try. I'll take the blame for that. I can't blame her. She got a little rank going into the first turn. I think it was a complete throw-out race. I'll take the blame for that.”

The Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks is still penciled in for a 'blinkers-off” Tonalist's Shape.

“I'm not going to let that race distract us. If all is well, we're going to stay on plan. She's earned a spot in the Oaks. If she stays the course, we'll probably give her a chance there. We'll see how she does,” Joseph said. “We'll talk it over with the owners, but I don't see any reason not to continue onwards.”

Math Wizard, who gave Joseph his first Grade 1 success while winning last year's Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, improved off a pair of disappointing 2020 efforts with a second-place finish behind Global Campaign in Saturday's Monmouth Cup (G3).

“He ran very good. He's just a hard-knocking horse,” Joseph said. “On his day, when he's doing good, he gives his all. I couldn't be more proud of him.”

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No Passing Lane: Global Campaign Rerallies To Win Monmouth Cup

Passed by Bal Harbour at the top of the stretch after being pressured on the front end by another rival, Global Campaign rerallied in the final sixteenth of a mile to win the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup by 1 1/2 lengths at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on Saturday.

Ridden by Jorge Vargas Jr. and trained by Stanley Hough, Global Campaign — a 4-year-old colt by Curlin – covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast main track in 1:50.47 after setting fractions of :23.77, :47.91, 1:11.69 and 1:37.55.

Math Wizard, winner of the G1 Pennsylvania Derby in 2019, closed from last in the field fo nine to finish second, one length ahead of Bal Harbour, who looked like a winner at the top of the stretch.

Global Campaign, who raced without blinkers for the first time in an eight-race career and was favored at 5-2, was winning for the fifth time. This was his second graded stakes win, having taken the G3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park last year.

Owned by WinStar Farm and Sagamore Farm, Global Campaign was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm. He is out of the A.P. Indy mare, Globe Trot.

“I didn't like seeing all the pressure on him all race,” Hough said. “But I can't say I'm surprised he withstood it. I had my doubts when he got headed in the stretch by Bal Harbour. But Jorge Vargas rode him good and the horse responded great. He's a very, very talented horse, so it's good to see him come back like this. Hopefully he continues to show himself. I'm very pleased with this effort. He was kind of rambunctious as a 3-year-old last and he'd look around and get distracted so I kept the blinkers on him. But I never felt he really needed them. I just thought it would let him see around a little by taking them off for this race. I've been working him without them so he was used to it again. He's shown from the start that he's a good horse. He's well-bred and gosh he has so much talent. He has kind of been his own worst enemy. But he is finally maturing and maybe we can build from here.”

“I was pretty excited when I found out I was going to ride him,” said Vargas. “I went back and watched all of his races. I knew how talented he is. If you saw him this race, even with those horses putting pressure on him all race, he kept his ears pricked and he was relaxed and off the bit. When I asked him a little bit he jumped on the bit and he had something left. He was very strong. I just moved to Monmouth Park for the summer for the first time this year and this is my first win of the meet so it's pretty special.”

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