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Princess Indy Makes Quick Turnaround To Win Monmouth’s Sorority

Everything that Princess Indy was doing in the mornings recently, both the way she was acting and training, was enough to convince Claudio Gonzalez to wheel her back just two weeks after a disappointing showing in the Adirondack Stakes (G3) at Saratoga.

The filly's a.m. indicators proved to be spot on.

Princess Indy wore down 13-10 favorite Wine On Tap in the final furlong and drew clear for a 1½-length victory in Sunday's $203,500 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park.

For Gonzalez, a runaway leader for a second straight Monmouth Park training title, it marked his first stakes win of the meet.

“I know this race was short between starts but the way she was training in the morning I thought I would take a chance,” said Gonzalez, who won three races on the 10-race card. “I told the owner (Valter Ramos) that she is so good now that even though it was close between races, running her just two weeks back, she has been training so good that I wanted to try.”

Given a stalking trip by jockey Carlos Rojas in the one-mile test for 2-year-old fillies, Princess Indy collared the Todd Pletcher-trained Wine On Tap, the pacesetter most of the way, late on the way to her second win in three career starts.

The winning time was 1:41.72.

It marked a big bounce-back effort for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Lord Nelson, who was a lackluster fifth in the Adirondack on Aug. 6. In her career debut she drew off to win by five lengths at Monmouth Park on July 15.

“I was real confident on her,” said Rojas. “When she broke her maiden I didn't really ask her and she won so easily. I knew she had a lot more to give. I thought after that race that she had a chance to be a stakes horse.”

Sent off at 3-1 in the field of eight, Princess Indy returned $8.40 to win.

“I wasn't worried about the two turns or distance with her,” said Rojas. “She acts like she wants to go long. I had her comfortable early in the race. I knew Pletcher's horse was the horse to beat so I tried to stay close to her and watch her the whole way. My filly really dug in when I asked her in the stretch.”

Gonzalez said he simply drew a line through the fifth-place finish in the Adirondack Stakes.

“Her last race she didn't get hold of the track early and that's why she dropped back,” said Gonzalez. “That's what (jockey) Manny Franco told me. After that she checked twice. That's why she didn't run her race. She was impressive when she won here. That's why I took her to Saratoga.”

Lagonisi rallied for third, a head behind Wine On Tap.

Bred by Spendthrift Farm LLC, Princess Indy was produced by the Warrior's Reward mare Bonita Mia.

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Patches O’HouIihan Wires Bold Venture To Stay Undefeated This Year, Earn First Graded Win

Frank Di Giulio Jr.'s homebred Patches O'Houlihan stayed undefeated in five starts this year after making every pole a winning en route to victory in the $150,000 Bold Venture (G3) for 3-year-olds and older on the King's Plate undercard Sunday at Woodbine.

Stepping up in class and taking on older, more seasoned competition, didn't faze Patches O'Houlihan one bit in the afternoon's seventh race, one of five stakes contested on the 13-race card.

Under Daisuke Fukumoto, the bay Reload gelding, in typical fashion, broke sharply from the gate and took control of the nine-horse field, leading Old Chestnut, one of three Martin Drexler trainees, by two lengths through an opening quarter in :22:68.

Patches O'Houlihan extended his advantage over that rival to four lengths through a half in :44.61 but soon felt the pressure from both sides as he navigated the turn for home. In front by a half-length at Robert Geller's stretch call, the Robert Tiller trainee continued to fight on and crossed the wire a 1¼-length winner.

Last American Exit, at 45-1, was second, a half-length ahead of Old Chestnut for second. Secret Reserve was fourth.

The final time for 6 ½ furlongs was 1:15.34.

“I looked at the [Daily Racing] Form,” said Fukumoto. “I knew my speed in the race, but you know, anything can happen. I just rode simple, rode good. I went inside and then took the lead. He's only three, right? It was a tough trip for him and he tried hard. He's a nice horse.”

It was the latest impressive outing for Patches O'Houlihan.

Bred and owned by Frank Di Giulio Jr., the Ontario-bred sprint star debuted last September and won in style, a 4½-length victory at 5½ furlongs on the Tapeta. After a sixth on the turf in the Bull Page, he came back with an eye-catching 9¾-length romp at 5½ panels over the Tapeta in his 3-year-old debut in May.

After another win over the same distance and same surface, Patches O'Houlihan stepped up to the stakes ranks and took the Lake Huron (on the inner turf) on July 8 and the Lake Superior on July 30.

“I've got to give Frank a lot of credit,” said Tiller. “We test each other. It's like a marriage. At the end of the day, this is a super good horse. I don't want to say he's a (Sovereign Award champion and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee) Pink Lloyd, but he's a super good horse. This is a big thrill for me.”

Sporting a record of 6-0-0 from seven starts, all at Woodbine, Patches O'Houlihan, who went off as the 2-1 choice, paid $6.30 for Sunday's win. His dam is the Silent Name mare Maythefourthbwithu.

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Front-Running Miss Dracarys Earns First Graded Win In Dance Smartly

Miss Dracarys broke alertly under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano and controlled the pace throughout Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes, fighting off a brief challenge on the far turn and then holding off even-money favorite Moira to win by a length. Ready Lady nosed out Justify My Love for third, 3 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up, with Ephrata fifth, second betting choice Selimah sixth and Whimsical last of seven fillies and mares going a one-turn, 1 1/16 miles on a firm E.P. Taylor turf course.

The Dance Smartly was a prelude to Canada's biggest race, the King's Plate, highlight of a 13-race card at sold-out Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Trained by Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale, Miss Dracarys was making her graded stakes debut in her 13th start. A 5-year-old mare by Malibu Moon out of Ask Me When, by Speightstown, Miss Dracarys was bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate. She was purchased for Al Shira'aa Farms for $525,000 by Shawn Duggan, agent, at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Paramount Sales consignment.

This was Al Shira'aa Farms' second Dance Smartly win following Mutamakina's 2021 victory. The latter was trained by Christophe Clement. This year's Dance Smartly marks the sixth consecutive year the winner was a U.S.-based horse.

Castellano previously won the Dance Smartly aboard Holy Helena in 2019.

Miss Dracarys came into the race off back-to-back front-running victories at Aqueduct last fall and trained up to the Dance Smartly at Belmont Park. Breaking from the outside post, Castellano put her on the lead quickly, setting fractions of :24.07, :47.91, and 1:11.02 through the first six furlongs. Justify My Love moved along the inside to challenge the front-runner going into the far turn, with Salimah making a three-wide bid. But Castellano was able to edge clear again, then had enough left in the long stretch run to hold off Moira, the 2022 Queen's Plate winner and Canadian Horse of the Year. She hit the mile marker in 1:33.57 and completed the distance in 1:39.60.

Winning for the fifth time in 13 starts, Miss Dracarys paid $10.70 to win.

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Amidst Waves Digs In To Win Bolton Landing By Slimmest Margin, Could Point To Breeders’ Cup

Amidst Waves doubled up on stakes scores in Sunday's ninth running of the $150,000 Bolton Landing, displaying a strong turn of foot and fending off an inside rally from Crown Imperial to capture the 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf test for 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course.

The Midshipman chestnut entered from a prominent score July 29 in Monmouth Park's Colleen, which came seven weeks following a second-out maiden score over the Widener turf at Belmont Park.

“To come back from short rest at Monmouth and come back up here and get the job done here, she's done a lot in a short period of time,” said trainer George Weaver.

Breaking sharply from post 2 under meet leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Amidst Waves settled a close fourth in between horses as Astonesthrowaway set the tempo through an opening quarter-mile in :22.52 over the good going. Around the far turn, Ortiz swung his charge wide with dead aim on the pacesetter, who clocked the half-mile in :45.65 with Crown Imperial matching strides along the rail.

Although drifting in late in the stretch, Amidst Waves got up to even terms with a stubborn Crown Imperial, who continued to duke it out in the final strides, but Amidst Waves managed to hang on to win by a nose in a final time of 1:03.38.

Crown Imperial finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Gram. She's Fire and Astonesthrowaway completed the order of finish. Takemetothebeach was scratched.

“She broke so well, and I didn't have to use too much to get position,” said Ortiz, who captured his 11th stakes win of the meet. “She relaxed well and that was what the trainer told me — to sit off, lay behind the speed, and it worked out perfect. I was in the clear turning for home and I just took that [path]. I think the turf is playing very fair right now.”

Weaver said he liked the trip his filly received, where she was a little further from the front than her victory in the Colleen.

“I thought she was going to have her [Crown Imperial] measured. I told Irad at Monmouth she pressed a little bit, I preferred the way she ran at Belmont where she kind of just sat and punched down the lane,” Weaver said. “I was pretty sure he was going to have her measured but there was a moment there I was like, 'is she kicking in?' And I was like, 'Oh, yeah she is.'”

Weaver commented on the deep stretch run from Amidst Waves, who was cocking her head outward in the final strides.

“She was just digging in a bit. Digging in to try to get the job done,” Weaver said. “Irad didn't come back and be like, 'Oh, she's lugging in bad' or anything, she just had her head cocked a little bit, no big deal. A lot of horses do that.”

Amidst Waves, owned by R.A. Hill Stable, BlackRidge Stables, Swinbank Stables, Big Tufff Stables, and Black Type Thoroughbreds, could be one of several 2-year-olds that Weaver could point toward the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) in November at Santa Anita. Weaver's arsenal of turf juveniles also includes dual stakes-winning colt No Nay Mets, Queen Mary (G2) victress Crimson Advocate, as well as Saratoga debut maiden-winning colts Good Lord Lorrie and Twisted Filigree and Belmont maiden winner Please Advise.

“We will try to pick a path that will get us there. But probably wait until later, September or October, maybe to a Keeneland race. I'll check out some options,” Weaver said.

Tyler Gaffalione, aboard Crown Imperial, said he was proud of his filly's effort.

“She broke alertly and put me in the right spot,” Gaffalione said. “We were able to track the speed. Coming into the stretch, a spot opened up for us and she responded for me. I was perfectly fine down in there [on the inside]. They fought to the finish and my filly wound up galloping out in front.”

Returning $5.10 for a $2 win wager, Amidst Waves banked $82,500 in victory, enhancing her lifetime earnings up to $194,000. Her record stands at 4-3-1-0.

Bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm and Ballyfair Bloodstock, Amidst Waves is out of the Into Mischief mare Troublesome and comes from the same family as stakes-winning sprinter Five Star Dream. She was bought for $100,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Eaton Sales consigned her.

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