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Ellis Park: New Year’s Eve, Me And Mr. C, One Timer Take KY Downs Preview Stakes

Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel, and Fergus Galvin's New Year's Eve gobbled up ground down the stretch and got by pacesetter For the Flag in the final strides to win Sunday's sixth running of the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Ladies Turf Mile at Ellis Park.

The race was one of four stakes on Day 2 of Kentucky Downs Preview Weekend, including the $300,000 Pucker Up (G3), the featured event, won by Safeen. For a recap of the Pucker Up, click here.

Jockey Luis Saez rode New Year's Eve for trainer Brendan Walsh. The duo completed one mile on the firm turf in 1:33.30.

For the Flag led the field of 12 fillies and mares through the opening quarter-mile in a solid :23.60. As the field moved up the backside, For the Flag continued her strong tempo through a half-mile in :46.45. New Year's Eve continued to bide her time in 10th, well off the pacesetters. Around the far turn, Saez tipped New Year's Eve to the far outside as she began to find her best strides. Inside the final furlong, New Year's Eve found the lead over the tiring For the Flag and prevailed by three-quarters of a length. It was another neck back to Sinfiltre who completed the trifecta.

“She always tries hard,” Saez said. “Her last start in the Just a Game (G1) was pretty tough against a very nice horse In Italian. She had a tough first part of the race today, but she kept picking up horses late. The key was to keep her wide and out of trouble. It worked and she came with her strong run.”

“She's had some tough company her last few starts,” assistant trainer Paul Madden said. “She always tries hard and has a lot of talent. She closed with a bit of pace in front of her. It's good for her and the owners. It should set her up for a try again at Kentucky Downs. She ran there last year and just didn't have her run turning for home.”

New Year's Eve is now a four-time winner from 11 starts. Her overall earnings now soared to $646,075.

New Year's Eve ($4.84) is a daughter of Kitten's Joy out of the Elusive Quality mare Awesome Rafaela, a Brazilian-bred. She was bred in Kentucky by Stud TNT.

Me And Mr. C Nails Cellist At Wire In KY Downs Preview Turf Cup, Equals Course Record

Paradise Farm Corp. and David Staudacher's Me and Mr. C caught a game Cellist at the wire to win Sunday's thrilling fifth running of the $250,000 KY Downs Preview Turf Cup.

Me and Mr. C, sent off at 16-1 odds, completed the 1 ¼-mile distance in 1:57.94, tying the course record set by Bluegrass Parkway in 2021. Me and Mr. C was ridden by Gerardo Corrales for trainer Mike Maker. He returned $34.

The speedy Get Smokin led the opening stages while Me and Mr. C was relegated to 10th by Corrales. Get Smokin completed moderate quarter-mile fractions of :23.94 and :47.80. Up the backside, Me and Mr. C began to improve his position to seventh but it wasn't until the far turn until he began making up ground on the pacesetters. At the head of the lane, Get Smokin was passed to his outside by Cellist, who was tracking his every move. With a furlong to go, Me and Mr. C was still in fifth but began making big strides towards the leader. At the line, Me and Mr. C got his nose down in front of Cellist to earn his spot in the $1.7-million Kentucky Downs Turf Cup (G2) in early September.

“He really closed ground fast,” Corrales said. “He's a very nice horse and got the job done.”

Me and Mr. C's record now stands at a solid 33-10-6-5 with purse earnings totaling $545,039. A 6-year-old Khozan gelding out of the Dynaformer mare Abiding, he was bred in Florida by Stonehedge Farm.

One Timer Gets Perfect Trip For KY Downs Preview Turf Sprint Victory

Richard Ravin and Patricia's Hope's One Timer sat just off the pacesetter Just Might and took control late to win Sunday's sixth running of the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Turf Sprint.

One Timer flew over the Ellis Park turf course and completed 5 ½ furlongs in 1:00.67, just .41 seconds off the track record set in the 2019 edition of this race by Totally Boss. One Timer was ridden by E.T. Baird for trainer Larry Rivelli.

Just Might took control of the pace after breaking from the rail. The veteran flew through an opening quarter-mile in :21.23. While Just Might was leading the field on the front end, One Timer was taken in hand and tracked in second. Around the far turn after a half-mile in a sizzling :43.43, One Timer began to inch forward. In the stretch, Baird was able to get by the tiring Just Might and held off a late bid by Let My People Go at the rail and Bad Beat Brian on his outside. The official winning margin was one length.

“When I ride for Rivelli, I know I'm live,” Baird said. “Just Might showed a lot of speed. I asked him out of the gate but didn't want to run him into the ground going too fast. Sometimes you have to see what's going on in front of you and go to another plan. Kentucky Downs is a different type of course. Some horses love it and some horses don't. I think he's the type of horse that can adapt to it. He's pretty consistent.”

One Timer's resume stands at 11-7-1-1 with purse earnings of $721,335. One Timer ($4.42) is a 4-year-old gelded son of Trappe Shot out of the Blame mare Spanish Star. He was bred in Kentucky by St. Simon Place.

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Brightwork Outshines Rivals In Adirondack, Keeps Record Perfect In Graded Debut

WSS Racing's Brightwork posted a victorious graded stakes debut to keep her record unblemished through three outings, rallying from off the pace to score an emphatic win in Sunday's $200,000 Adirondack (G3), a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by John Ortiz, the daughter of Outwork added to a debut maiden victory sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs in April at Keeneland and a last-out triumph when stretching out to six furlongs in the listed Debutante on July 2 at Ellis Park. The Sunday's win marked the first stakes triumph at Saratoga for Ortiz, who won his first Spa race on July 28 in a maiden claiming event with Urgent Fury.

“After she broke her maiden at Keeneland, we were very confident. We already targeted this race specifically,” Ortiz said of Brightwork. “Working backwards from there, we knew the Debutante at (Ellis Park) was going to be our second spot, so we gave her about 60 days in between races. Obviously, there's nothing else to run in during the meet after you break your maiden at Keeneland. So, we played the waiting game. Bill Simon [owner] has been very patient. He's a big supporter of the barn, and obviously it means a lot to come up here for him with his horses. The sky is the limit with this filly.”

Piloted to victory by meet-leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Brightwork exited post 3 and rated in midpack as the Brad Cox-trained Here U Come Again was asked by Florent Geroux to lead the field through an opening quarter-mile in :22.01 over the fast main track with Streaming Now, trained by Paulo Lobo, a half-length back in second.

“She broke so good. The outside horse, Paolo Lobo's filly went and the horse inside, Brad Cox's filly, she had speed, too,” said Irad Ortiz. “They went ahead of me and I sat right behind them and my filly relaxed. I waited for my time to go and tip her out in the stretch. No one was close to me. I tipped her out and she was ready. She responded. She deserves all the credit.”

Brightwork tracked in a battle for third between Copper Em to her outside and Magic Cross to her inside down the backstretch through a half-mile in :45.33 before Copper Em dropped out of contention midway through the turn. Brightwork drifted wide exiting the turn and had her sights set on Here U Come Again along the rail and Magic Cross in the center of the course, digging in deep under left-handed encouragement from Ortiz.

Brightwork swept past her rivals with ease at the eighth pole, and while she drifted back inside several paths, kept on well to post the victory by five lengths in a final time of 1:16.85. A stubborn Here U Come Again fought on bravely to hold onto place honors by 3 3/4 lengths over Streaming Now with a tiring Magic Cross in fourth. Princess Indy, Princesa Celina, Becky's Joker, and Copper Em completed the order of finish. Cara's Time and Saratoga Secret were scratched.

John Ortiz, who started his first horse in 2016, enjoyed the fourth graded score of his career. He praised the maturity of Brightwork and said her calm demeanor helps her excel on the racetrack.

“She blows me away every time. Not only in the mornings, but in the afternoons. It magnifies what I see in the mornings,” he said. “She comes out of every race with such class. We were walking her up here and she had a lip shank and I told my brother [and assistant trainer Daniel Ortiz] to take it off. She doesn't need that. She was cool and collected and very professional.”

Bill Simon of WSS Racing spoke highly of John Ortiz's skills, as well as his character.

“Racing is really interesting. The guys who keep getting [good] horses are wonderful trainers, we know they are. We could put our horses with them, but I think this sport needs good encouragement for good, young people if we want to sustain it,” said Simon. “Johnny is an incredibly intuitive horseman, a wonderful family guy, and we're so excited about the opportunity to help and encourage them and give them support where we can.”

Ortiz added that the $300,000 Spinaway (G1) sprinting seven furlongs on September 3 at the Spa could serve as a steppingstone to longer two-turn races down the road with an eye to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park.

“Eventually, we're going to try her two turns, but we're going to head to the next spot here in Saratoga,” he continued. “I'm feeling confident for that race right now. [The long-term goal] is the Breeders' Cup. We're looking for that purple saddle towel.”

Bred in Kentucky by Wynnstay and H. Allen Poindexter, Brightwork was produced by the Malibu Moon mare Clarendon Fancy. She banked $110,000 in victory. The $95,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale purchase returned $12.20 on a $2 win ticket.

Florent Geroux said he inherited the lead aboard Here U Come Again when no one else showed speed in the first 100 yards from the gate.

“Those young horses like this, you need to ride them the way it comes up. When you break good like this, you try to make sure she doesn't have dirt kicked in her face,” said Geroux. “We would've been content sitting second or third but that's the card I had been dealt, so I just played it by ear.”

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Safeen Reels In Front-Running Bling For Pucker Up Triumph, Earns First Graded Win

Fergus Galvin and Rebecca Hillen's Safeen rallied down the center of Ellis Park's turf course and got by pacesetter Bling in the final strides to win Sunday's 58th running of the $300,000 Pucker Up (G3), the featured event on Day 2 of Kentucky Downs Preview Weekend.

The Pucker Up was Safeen's first graded stakes victory from seven lifetime starts. She was ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Eddie Kenneally.

Bling was sent to the early lead after breaking from the rail and was soon pressured to her outside by Frontal Attack. The duo completed an easy quarter-mile in :24.52. Safeen and Saez tracked in fourth while staying in the clear. Around the far turn, Frontal Attack began to fade while Saez tipped Safeen to her outside. In the stretch, Safeen drifted in slightly but drove past Bling in the final sixteenth to win by a half-length. It was another 1½ lengths back to French-bred Freydis the Red in third.

“She's pretty quick from the gate,” Saez said. “The two horses inside were the speed. We let her sit and get into a smooth stride. When I came into the stretch I was loaded. She can run all day and confident she can get the (1 5/16) distance at Kentucky Downs.”

“I think we should have a look at the race at Kentucky Downs,” Kenneally said. “She's starting to mature and relax in her races. It makes her a better horse. At this point I think she can go a little further. I think we have a little cushion now that we have a graded stake on our resume.”

The race at Kentucky Downs Kenneally referred to was the $1-million Dueling Grounds Oaks (G3). With her victory in the Pucker Up, Safeen earned an all entry fees-paid berth to race, which will be run on Sept. 3.

Safeen's overall record now stands at 3-1-3 and purse earnings of $372,090. Sent off the favorite, she returned $4.54.

Safeen is a 3-year-old daughter of War Front out of the Dynaformer mare Tafaneen. She was bred in Kentucky by Shadwell Farm and sold to Galvin for $18,000 at the 2022 Keeneland January Horse of All Ages Sale, where Bluewater Sales consigned her.

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Walsh: Pretty Mischievous’ Next Start TBD, Likely To Include Step Up In Distance

Godolphin's 3-year-old filly division leader Pretty Mischievous, who passed the wire first in Saturday's seven-furlong Test (G1), has exited her race well, trainer Brendan Walsh said.

The daughter of Into Mischief added a third Grade 1 tally to her Kentucky Oaks and Acorn wins in May and June, respectively. She also joined her dam Pretty City Dancer, who annexed the 2016 Spinaway, as a Saratoga seven-furlong Grade 1 winner.

In the Test, Pretty Mischievous was closing on the far outside, while pacesetter Maple Leaf Mel asserted herself as the likely victress in front. Yards from the wire, when Maple Leaf Mel went down, Pretty Mischievous wrested a would-be second from Clearly Unhinged. Pretty Mischievous and jockey Tyler Gaffalione ultimately won by a head, with 1¾ lengths back to Munnys Gold in third.

“She's fine, she ate up good and has been eating peppermints all morning here, hanging over the door,” Walsh said. “She ran well yesterday, but it was just a little sharp for her, though she beat some very good fillies. The filly that broke down was the best of the day, but we're proud of the effort ours gave. That's her putting in her A-effort, like she always does. She always leaves it all out there and we can't ask for more than that. I didn't realize how much she really did close. It just goes to show how good a filly she is to give as good an effort as she did.”

Walsh said he did not have any immediate plans for Pretty Mischievous, but noted it was likely to include a step up in distance.

“We'll probably go back to the two turns after that. We're not really leaning anywhere yet, as far as her next race,” Walsh said. “I would say two turns is definite and the Cotillion (G1) would be the one that you would think would be the place to go—but I haven't discussed with the team, so nothing has been decided. She's won three Grade 1s—or two and a half—and a Grade 2. There's no one else who's done that.”

Pretty Mischievous, a Kentucky homebred, sports a record of 7-1-1 from nine career starts and purse earnings of $1,756,560.

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