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Eclipse Apprentice Kimura Wins First Graded Stakes Guiding Lady Grace To Royal North Victory

Lady Grace and jockey Kazushi Kimura just missed the track record, taking the Grade 2 Royal North Stakes in 1:06.90 on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

The six-furlong record for the E.P. Taylor Turf Course is 1:06.88, set by Kasuga on July 7, 2017.

Tracy Farmer's Lady Grace led a Mark Casse exacta worth $131.20 in the $175,000 co-feature for fillies and mares, with 11-1 shot Eyeinthesky and Patrick Husbands finishing a close second.

Making her graded stakes debut, Lady Grace settled off the pace near the back of the pack and staged a late rally between rivals to pull off the mild 6-1 upset and return $14.80 to win.

A third-place finisher in last year's William D. Graham Memorial Stakes at Woodbine, Lady Grace entered the Royal North fresh off a three-length victory in a six-furlong allowance turf sprint three weeks ago.

“Last time winning with her, the filly was such a nice horse,” said Kimura. “I'm not surprised today.”

“Last time I went to the front, but today there were so many speed horses to the front side, I just changed my mind, sat behind, stalking from behind then she came flying today.”

The favorites were on top, led by Sister Peacock through panels of :21.91 and :43.50. Her popular stablemate Summer Sunday, Canada's reigning Champion Female Sprinter, pressed the pace with supplemental entry Gamble's Candy three-wide and Foxy Belle stalking along the rail.

However, the late-closers stole the show. Lady Grace came flying by to prevail by three-quarters of a length with Gary Barber's Eyeinthesky, who closed from mid-pack, edging out Bohemian Bourbon, Charmaine's Mia and Sister Peacock for the runner-up honours.

It was 3 1/4 lengths back to Foxy Belle at the finish, with Summer Sunday and Gamble's Candy rounding out the order.

Bred in Florida by William C. Schettine and Willian B. Haines, the four-year-old Kantharos-Smart Sis filly is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Sis City.

Kimura, who was named Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in both Canada and the U.S. last year, picked up his first graded stakes victory. He was the top turf rider and won a total of 146 races in 2019 to place third in Woodbine's overall jockey standings. While his apprenticeship ended last October, the talented reinsman sits fourth on the leaderboard with 23 wins in a close race through the first 24 race days of the current meet.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues, without spectators, on Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack with post time for the first of nine races set for 1 p.m.

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Decorated Invader Wins Hall Of Fame As Heavy Favorite

Decorated Invader sat off Get Smokin's pacesetting effort before overtaking the front-runner from the outside in the stretch and pulling away for a 1 1/4-length win in the Grade 2, $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame for 3-year-olds on a sun-swept day at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, William Freeman and Cheryl Manning, Decorated Invader won for the fifth time in seven career starts for trainer Christophe Clement and improved to 3-for-3 as a sophomore. The Declaration of War colt, who won the Grade 1 Summer and ran a competitive fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile as a juvenile, started 2020 with wins in the Cutler Bay in March at Gulfstream and followed with a 4 3/4-length score in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 20 at Belmont Park.

Returning to Saratoga for the first time since breaking his maiden at second asking last August, Decorated Invader sat in second position as Get Smokin surged to the front, opening up seven lengths on the five-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.85 seconds on the firm inner turf. Get Smokin, under Jose Ortiz, pushed forward, posting a half-mile in 48.98 and three-quarters in 1:13.52.

Out of the final turn, jockey Joel Rosario set down Decorated Invader, taking command with the Chad Brown-trained Domestic Spending making a late move to his outside. But Decorated Invader pressed on and handled his first attempt at 1 1/8 miles with aplomb, hitting the wire in 1:49.29 to give Rosario his third Hall of Fame win in the last four runnings.

“When I got to the horse on the lead [Get Smokin] turning for home, he kept running a little bit,” Rosario said. “He had been all alone on the lead but I could feel I had a lot of horse underneath me and he was moving much the best.

“I thought I would be a little closer, but the other horse was off the rail and in the middle of the track,” he added. “I followed him for a little bit but I ended up letting my horse be comfortable. I took my time and made my move when it was the right time to move.”

Off as the 2-5 favorite, Decorated Invader paid $2.80 on a $2 win wager. He improved his career bankroll to $453,035.

“He's a top-class horse and has been since Day One for me,” Clement said. “I love him. I love the way he trains. I love the way he races. It's a different scenario every time we run him, but the final outcome is the same. I thought he looked better in the last sixteenth of a mile than he did before that. He actually won going away at the end.”

With three graded stakes wins, Decorated Invader could now be a possibility for the $500,000 Saratoga Derby, part of NYRA's Turf Triple Series, on August 15.

“That is one of the targets,” Clement said. “We'll have to see how he comes out of this and see how he trains, but that's a logical spot at the moment.”

Get Smokin, trained by Tom Bush, edged Domestic Spending by a nose for second. He has finished as the runner-up in both career graded stakes appearances, starting with the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy in January at Gulfstream.

“He ran big. The first quarter of a mile we went a little faster than I wanted to because he's so used to going a mile [and running splits] in 45 or 46 and that's why I kept him off the rail,” Ortiz said. “When I got to the turn he relaxed and I dropped in a little bit. On the backside, I had him where I wanted him. I tried to get the jump on the other horse [Decorated Invader] but the other horse is a very nice horse. I think my horse's game is a mile flat. It was a lot to ask him to go a mile and an eighth, but he showed up.”

Moon Over Miami and Ever Dangerous completed the order of finish. Gufo and main-track only entrant Money Moves were scratched.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 10-race card showcasing the Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid for 3-year-old fillies in Race 9 at 5:46 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m. ET.

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‘She Kept Fighting All The Way’: Indian Pride Proves Best In Shine Again

Brereton C. Jones' homebred Indian Pride ensured trainer Chad Brown swept Friday's stakes double, fending off Blamed in deep stretch to register a half-length victory in the $85,000 Shine Again for older fillies and mares on Friday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Indian Pride's third victory in four career starts gave Brown his third consecutive win on the card, which started when he conditioned Viadera and Noor Sahara to a 1-2 finish in the $85,000 De La Rose.

Following Lady Lawyer's allowance win in Race 8, Saratoga's reigning two-time leading trainer completed the natural hat trick in the Shine Again. Indian Pride broke alertly under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, leading the nine-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.13 seconds and the half in 46.06 on the main track rated fast.

Entering the turn, Joy Epifora briefly took command in front of Indian Pride, though Castellano encouraged his charge and quickly regained the advantage staying near the rail. But Blamed, the multiple graded stakes-winner trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, surged from her outside in the final furlong. The duo linked up and ran eye-to-eye in the final sixteenth before Indian Pride pulled away to complete the seven-furlong sprint in a 1:21.63 final time, capturing her first career stake.

“It was a really good ride the way he stayed off the fence a bit and avoided getting hooked by the other speed and just let her do her thing out in the center of the track,” Brown said. “That was our plan in the paddock and Javier executed it. And what about the filly – the heart she showed? Most horses would give up and I think we really should give all credit to her.”

Off as the 2-1 favorite, Indian Pride returned $6 on a $2 win bet. The 4-year-old Proud Citizen filly improved her career bankroll to $157,550, returning to the site where she broke her maiden by eight lengths last August. Her only non-win came with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Raven Run to cap her sophomore campaign in October at Keeneland.

“She showed what she's made of today. I was really proud of her effort,” Brown said. “She's always been a horse that had immense talent. When she broke her maiden here last summer it was breathtaking really, arguably the most impressive win we had last year. She's had some bumps and bruises along the way in terms of the interrupted schedule, but now she has two straight races under her belt and I hope to have her for the whole season.”

Castellano improved to 3-for-3 riding Indian Pride.

“She's an unbelievable filly. I have to give all the credit to Mr. Brown. He put a lot of time and patience into her and it has really paid off,” Castellano said. “You can see the development with the horse. Last time it was six and a half furlongs at Belmont, now she's stretching out to seven furlongs.

“I really like the way she fought for me today,” he continued. “She dictated the pace and then there was pressure to the inside and when Blamed went after her in the stretch and buried her a little bit into the rail, she never gave up. She kept fighting all the way to the end to win the race. She showed me a lot of class and a lot of heart, too.”

Cleber J. Massey's Blamed, the winner of the 2018 Grade 3 Comely at Aqueduct Racetrack and the 2019 Grade 3 Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park, was making her first start since running fourth in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on June 13 at Belmont Park. She bested Risky Mandate by three lengths for second.

“My filly ran a big race. I had a good trip and no excuses,” said Blamed jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. “You're going to hear a lot from her this year.”

Joy Epifora, Honor Way, Positive Spirit, Bella Ciao, Please Flatter Me and Slimey completed the order of finish. Estilo Femenino was scratched.

Live racing resumes Saturday with an 11-race card highlighted by the Grade 1, $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for sophomore fillies in Race 10 at 6:16 p.m. Eastern. The 1 1/8-mile test will offer 100-40-20-10 points to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in September at Churchill Downs. Saturday will also showcase the Grade 2, $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame for 3-year-olds over the inner turf in Race 3 at 2:18 p.m. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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Viadera Outfinishes Brown Stablemate Noor Sahara To Win De La Rose

An extra eighth of a mile appeared to make all the difference for Juddmonte Farms' Viadera, who chased a slow pace under jockey Joel Rosario and made up ground at the right time, edging stablemate Noor Sahara by a neck in the $85,000 De La Rose at one mile over Saratoga Race Course's inner turf on Friday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Chad Brown, Viadera arrived off a distant fourth to Grade 1-winning stablemate Newspaperofrecord in the Grade 3 Intercontinental at seven furlongs on June 6, marking her first start in North America and contested over a yielding turf at Belmont Park.

“She kind of lost herself back in the field in her last race,” Brown said. “We expected her to get better position this time. I thought Joel did a great job. She just lost her way [last time out] and lost contact with the field. She didn't really show much interest until late when she made a little run. Coming out of that race, she trained a lot sharper.”

The 4-year-old bay daughter of Bated Breath broke sharply from the gate under Rosario and tracked in fourth to the outside of Noor Sahara while Xenobia set the pace through a leisurely opening quarter-mile in 24.95 seconds, with 8-5 favorite Catch a Bid a length behind in second. With the half-mile in 49.60 seconds, Xenobia extended her advantage to 1 ½ lengths while Viadera continued to maintain her position on the course labelled good.

Around the far turn, Viadera received her cue from Rosario as she began inching her way into contention. Noor Sahara put her head in front just past the sixteenth pole, but Viadera made up ground at the right time to hit the wire in 1:38.17. Noor Sahara finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Passing Out.

Completing the order of finish were Clara Peeters, Catch a Bid, Xenobia and Hogan's Holiday. Blowout and main track only entrant Bridlewood Cat were scratched.

“The longer distance today helped. She was very good today,” said Rosario, who guided fellow Juddmonte Farms color-bearer Filimbi to victory in the 2014 De La Rose. “I followed Irad [Ortiz, Jr. aboard Noor Sahara] and there were two horses in front of him. It was a great trip and she was able to finish with a galloping finish.”

Now a four-time winner of 11 starts, Viadera kept a perfect record over a flat mile intact and is unscathed in three starts at the distance.

“I was really pleased with her trip. Joel [Rosario] got to know her that first time out,” Rosario said. “It's been frustrating. She's been ready to run for months now and with cancelations and such, we had to just sprint her the first time. She got a race under her belt, but she trained much sharper the second time out, and she showed that leaving the gate.”

Viadera rewarded her backers in returning $14.40 for a $2 win bet and cashed a $46,750 check while improving her lifetime earnings to $156,441.

Brown offered praise for runner-up Noor Sahara, who also was making her second start in North America.

“She got a perfect trip really. She was right there,” Brown said. “There was a little jockeying when the horse on the outside took the lead and Tyler [Gaffalione, aboard No. 1, Catch a Bid] took back. There was a little musical chairs there for a bit, but I thought all three of my horses had good trip. Viadera was just best.”

On fifth-place finisher and post time favorite Catch a Bid, Brown noted that the moisture in the turf may have contributed to her run.

“It was a little disappointing down the lane that she didn't punch,” Brown said. “We'll have to reevaluate. But also, this turf, there's some moisture in it today and it's probably not for every horse. Some horses moved up and some horses moved down.”

A Great Britain homebred, Viadera is out of the Beat Hollow broodmare Sacred Shield.

Live racing returns on Saturday with an 11-race card which features the Grade 2, $150,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame for 3-year-olds over the inner turf and the Grade 1, $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies over the main track. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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