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Tom’s D’Etat Gains Breeders’ Cup Classic Spot With Stephen Foster Triumph

Gayle Benson's 7-year-old Tom's d'Etat ($4.60) took control at the top of the stretch and swept to a 4 ¼-length victory under Miguel Mean in Saturday's Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and earned an automatic berth into the $7-million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6-7.

Tom's d'Etat, a bay Kentucky-bred son of Smart Strike trained by Al Stall Jr., completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.30, which is the second fastest time in the history of the Stephen Foster. It was his fourth consecutive win, following victories last year in the Fayette (G2) at Keeneland, the Clark (G1) at Churchill Downs, and this year in the Oaklawn Mile at Oaklawn Park on April 11.

Tom's d'Etat, joins Capital System's Mozu Ascot, winner of the February Stakes (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse on Feb. 23, as the first two horses to earn automatic berths into the Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles at Keeneland.

Benson, who races under the name of GMB Racing, is the owner of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans.

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Mean Mary Leads All The Way In New York Stakes For Fourth Straight Win

Alex G. Campbell, Jr.'s Mean Mary broke sharp from the outside post, led the six-horse field through every point of call and extended her lead in the stretch for a front-running 5 1/4-length score in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 New York for older fillies and mares at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trainer Graham Motion saw Mean Mary start her 4-year-old campaign with consecutive graded stakes wins at Gulfstream Park, starting with the Grade 3 La Prevoyante in January and the Grade 3 Orchid on March 28.

The Scat Daddy filly improved to 3-for-3 in her 2020 campaign, with Luis Saez sending her to the front, where she posted comfortable fractions of 25.11 seconds for the quarter-mile, 51.55 for the half and three-quarters in 1:16.28 on the inner turf course labeled firm even after a slight rain shower earlier.

Out of the far turn, Saez kept Mean Mary driven as she pulled away from the field, completing the 1 ¼-mile course in a final time of 2:01.85.

Mean Mary won for the fourth straight time overall and improved to 5-1-0 in seven career starts. Saez has been aboard for every start during the winning streak.

“I had a lot of confidence in her today,” Saez said. “She always does everything right. Today, she was just galloping. The track feels good today and I think the rain helped her. She was super relaxed, even more so than her last race. She feels better now than she did last time.”

Off at 6-5, Mean Mary returned $4.40 on a $2 win wager. The Kentucky homebred improved her career earnings to $396,160.

“You always wonder a little bit about Florida; did she just suit that course? But this is so different than running at Gulfstream,” Motion said. “The way she did it was pretty impressive. I worried a little bit. You always worry a little bit with that much time away and I wanted to keep her fresh, but she also had to be fit.

“The course took a little bit of rain, but it's so different than what she had been running on,” he added. “I think she might be one of those horses where you don't have to make too many excuses.”

My Sister Nat, one of two entrants for trainer Chad Brown, edged the Christophe Clement-trained Feel Glorious by a neck for second after rallying from sixth. That marked the second straight race the French-bred daughter of Acclamation finished as the runner up, following her North American graded stakes debut in the Grade 3 Long Island in November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Call Me Love, also trained by Clement, ran fourth, followed by the Brown-conditioned Fools Gold and Valiance to complete the order of finish. Mrs. Sippy was scratched.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a nine-race card headlined by the $100,000 Bouwerie for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on Belmont's Big Sandy in Race 8 at 5:04 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

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Elizabeth Way Collars Another Time At The Wire In Woodbine’s Nassau

Elizabeth Way got up in the final strides to steal the spotlight in the $175,000 Nassau Stakes (Grade 2) featured on Saturday's program at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson worked out the winning trip in the one-mile fillies and mares turf event for Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield and owner John McCormack.

Elizabeth Way was led along by pacesetter Another Time through a quarter in :24.41, half-mile in :46.92 and three-quarters in 1:09.61 before digging in down the stretch and getting up to collar the front-runner at the wire in 1:33.26.

Sent postward as the 5-1 fourth choice, Elizabeth Way returned $13.30 to her backers. Favorite Malakeh followed the winner's cover and rallied home for third-place while Amalfi Coast closed from the backfield to finish fourth. Nantucket Red and Eyeinthesky completed the field. Lunar Garden was scratched.

A 4-year-old Godolphin-bred daughter of Frankel out of the Giant's Causeway mare Maids Causeway, Elizabeth Way started her career in Ireland and ventured to Woodbine after making four starts in the U.S. earlier this year under Attfield's care. Following a maiden-breaking score when trying 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Gulfstream Park, she won the Grade 3 Very One Stakes next time out in late-February over 1 3/16 miles. Saturday's victory was her third in 10 career starts and boosted her bankroll well over the $200,000 mark.

A confident Wilson, who studied replays and spoke with the chestnut filly's trainer to determine the winning strategy, said she knew Elizabeth Way had a chance to catch the front-runner and was happy to have another horse lead her along throughout the race.

“Her form is all over the place – one minute she's on the lead, one minute she's at the back of the bus. Watching the replays gave me a real understanding as to what she needed to do,” said Wilson. “It was really about getting her into a good rhythm and that's what Roger and I talked about as well. I got her out of the gate… and just got her happy into a rhythm and, you could see, she just galloped them down and she just kept on. She's a stayer.”

The Nassau is the first leg of Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn Series, which offers $75,000 in bonuses to the top performers based on points accumulated in the designated graded turf routes for fillies and mares (10 points for 1st, seven points for 2nd, five points for 3rd, three points for 4th, two points for 5th, one point for 6th through last).

The second leg of the series is the $175,000 Dance Smartly Stakes (Grade 2) on August 15 followed by the $250,000 Canadian Stakes (Grade 2) on September 12 and the $600,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (Grade 1) on October 18.

Wilson doubled up on the 10-race card as did Rafael Hernandez. Both jockeys are tied for the top spot in the 2020 standings with 15 wins through the first 12 race days.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues, without spectators, on Sunday afternoon. Post time for the 10-race program is 1 p.m.

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Victim Of Love Upsets Come Dancing In Belmont’s Vagrancy

Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love, expertly handled by Jose Lezcano, used a prominent trip to upset Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The Vagrancy was the first of four graded stakes on a loaded 11-race card that also includes the Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game for fillies and mares going one mile on the Widener turf; the Grade 2, $150,000 True North, for 4-year-olds and up going 6 ½ furlongs; and the Grade 2, $250,000 New York at 1 ¼ miles on Belmont Park's inner turf.

Trained by Todd Beattie, two-time stakes winner Victim of Love headed into Saturday's test making just her second attempt in a graded event, having previously run second in the Grade 3 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie two starts back in February at Laurel Park.

Jakarta took command out of the gate as a heavy rain commenced at Belmont Park with Victim of Love, longest shot on the board at 27-1, urged into contention at her hip through an opening quarter mile in 22.47 seconds on the fast and harrowed main track.

Grade 1-winner Come Dancing, the 4-5 mutuel favorite, settled in fourth position in the early running as Jakarta continued to dictate the pace, posting a half-mile in 45.29 under constant pressure from Victim of Love.

Lezcano put Victim of Love to the lead late in the turn as Come Dancing launched a wide bid with Pacific Gale following suit. Come Dancing surged into contention but Victim of Love continued to find more as Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano angled the favorite for an inside run to no avail. Confidently handled and much the best, Victim of Love made the grade by 1 ¾-lengths in a final time of 1:16.27.

Come Dancing held second by 4 ¼-lengths over Pacific Gale. Jakarta, Royal Charlotte and Chalon rounded out the order of finish. Mother Mother was scratched.

Lezcano said Victim of Love was engaged throughout.

“The trainer told me to break and try to keep her busy. She broke a little bit behind, but with a tap on the shoulder, she jumped right there on the bridle,” said Lezcano. “When I asked her, she really took off. My filly kept going the whole way around and never stopped. She gave me everything she had.”

Castellano, who guided Come Dancing to victory in the 2019 Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga, said he was pleased with his mare's effort.

“It was her second start of the year. I'm not disappointed. The horse on the lead was much the best today. I think that the track is playing a little bit to speed. The rain didn't bother her at all. I'm looking forward to a big race next time.”

Victim of Love, a $160,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, captured the Island Fashion at Sunland Park last year and the What A Summer in January at Laurel Park. Out of the Grade 2-winning mare Spacy Tracy, Victim of Love is a full-sister to Grade 2-winner Benner Island.

Bred in Kentucky by Daniel J. Burke, Victim of Love banked $55,000 in victory while improving her record to 15-5-2-2. She paid $56 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Sunday with a nine-race card headlined by the $100,000 Bouwerie, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-bred sophomore fillies in Race 8 at 5:04 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

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