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French Import Beaute Cachee Notches Stakes Breakthrough In Violet

All it took was a trans-Atlantic change of venue to get Beaute Cachee to start living up to her potential.

After 12 races in France with modest success, Beaute Cachee extended her form spree in the United States, drawing off to win Saturday's $104,000 Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park by a widening 3¼ lengths.

Bred in France, the 4-year-old daughter of Literato now has two wins and a near-miss second in her three U.S. Starts. Saturday's triumph marked the first stakes win for the Chad Brown-trainee, who was ridden by Nik Juarez.

“She shipped in from Saratoga this morning so I have not been around her here, but I worked with her at Payson Park (in Florida),” said Luis Cabrera, who oversees Brown's division at Monmouth Park. “She has a lot of ability. She has been running very well since she came to this country. All of her races here have been good races.”

After winning her U.S. debut at Belmont Park on May 26, Beaute Cachee was second, beaten a neck, in an optional claimer at Saratoga on July 27. She had been just 1-for-12 during her racing career in France.

The winning time for the 1 1/16 miles over a turf course listed as firm was 1:42.92.

Beaute Cachee paid $4 to win as the favorite in the field of eight fillies and mares. But there were some anxious moments early, with the filly fighting Juarez and being rank in the opening quarter mile.

“I had an opportunity to watch the replays of her two races in the United States and both replays showed me she does what she did early (today),” said Juarez. “The chart mark in her last race said she was rank, so I went back to watch it and it seems like she has a very light mouth to her. I knew that going into the race so I was prepared for what she might do.

“I was waiting for her to settle behind the speed and she did eventually. It really wasn't a matter of her fighting me early. Really it was more a case of trying to find a mutual agreement to get her to settle down.”

With Join the Dance setting early fractions of :24.85, :49.08 and 1:12.22 to three quarters, Beaute Cachee sat a stalking third, with Miss Carol Ann just off the early leader.

Miss Carol Ann made her move for the lead coming out of the final turn, with Beaute Cachee collaring her in mid-stretch before drawing off late.

“I wanted to sit right behind the speed, exactly where we were,” said Juarez. “When (Join the Dance) started to back out I was able to target (Miss Carol Ann). When she made her move by that one she didn't open up by much but she has a really quick burst when you ask her. That's the thing with trying to get her settled early – you can't lose your patience because you know the run is coming.”

Beaute Cachee, who has raced exclusively on the grass during her 15-race career, is owned by Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb and Louis Lazzinnaro. Bred by Gregor Vischer, Beaute Cachee was produced by the Hurricane Run mare Sign and Seal.

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Parnac Romps Gate To Wire In Flower Bowl, Earns BC Filly & Mare Turf Berth

West Point Thoroughbreds and Dream With Me Stable's Parnac made the grade with a gate-to-wire performance to hold off Grade 1 winner McKulick in Saturday's $500,000 Flower Bowl (G2), an 11-furlong inner turf test for older fillies and mares at Saratoga Race Course.

In victory, the 4-year-old French-bred daughter of Zarak, trained by Christophe Clement and expertly piloted by Dylan Davis, earned a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) in November at Santa Anita Park.

It was the second stakes win of the meet for Davis, who guided the Clement-trained New Ginya to victory last weekend in the state-bred Yaddo Handicap.

“Our plan was to come out running. I knew the three horse [Tamarama] was the other speed. She was able to break – inside post really helped us here get dominance for the lead,” Davis said. “The three came up to me, but didn't really want to continue on, and I was able to take control from there. After that, she got real comfortable with easy fractions with no pressure and she's kind of a grinder type – that's what I heard and [saw] watching her videos. I was able to pick her up into the last turn, get her running going before they got too close to her, and then she was able to hold them off.”

Parnac led through fractions of :25.19, :51.33 and 1:18.92 over the firm footing with 9-1 shot Tamarama in second, McKulick, the 2-5 mutuel favorite saving ground in third, and the Clement-trained Amazing Grace last-of-4.

She continued to dictate terms into the final turn as Tamarama was asked for her best by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano with Irad Ortiz Jr. giving McKulick her cue and the Joel Rosario-piloted Amazing Grace following suit. McKulick angled wide for the stretch run and took dead aim at the leader, but there was no reeling in Parnac, who posted the 1 1/4-length win in a final time of 2:18.60. McKulick completed the exacta by a neck over Amazing Grace with Tamarama another length back in fourth.

“The Clements had her ready. She's a great horse and she likes the distance,” Davis said. “They had her ready today and I just was listening to them and what I needed to do. I hadn't been on her before, so I watched replays and she was there for me when I asked her. She was able to pick up that last eighth of a mile to finish it up.”

Parnac launched her career with a pair of wins in October 2021 in Germany for conditioner Andreas Wohler before being purchased privately and transferred to the Clement barn last summer. She notched a rallying allowance score at fourth asking for new connections in October at Belmont at the Big A and was freshened following a seventh-place finish in the Winter Memories in November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Parnac opened her current campaign with an even fourth in the Monroe in May at Gulfstream Park ahead of a rallying neck score in an 11-furlong optional-claimer on June 11 at Belmont Park. She entered from a close third-place finish over soft going in the 11-furlong Robert G. Dick Memorial (G3) on July 1 at Delaware Park.

Tom Bellhouse, Executive Vice President of West Point Thoroughbreds, credited Clement and his son and assistant, Miguel Clement, for having Parnac ready to run.

“We came out of the Dick Memorial, where a lot of horses had issues. We were asked to scratch from a race here a few weeks ago and we went ahead and did our due diligence,” Bellhouse said. “We got a full scan and passed with flying colors. Then Miguel and Christophe started putting their heads together to find the next spot for us. Sometimes, you get lucky in spite of things. Bad things happen, but good things happen to good people, too. They've done a phenomenal job with this filly.”

Klaravich Stables' McKulick now sports a 4-2-2-0 record over the Spa turf, beginning with a maiden score in August 2021 ahead of her last-out score in the Grade 2 Glens Falls here on August 3. The Chad Brown-trainee ran second behind With The Moonlight in last year's Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational.

Ortiz said he was hindered by the slow pace but was reluctant to force the issue with last year's Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) winner.

“She put me there. If they run away from me in the first part of the race, if I try to move that's probably going to be a premature move, I don't really want to do that, so I just rode my race,” Ortiz, Jr. said.

Clement said Parnac has a number of options going forward, including the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, the Long Island (G3) in November at Aqueduct or the E. P. Taylor (G1) on October 8 at Woodbine – a race he teamed up with Davis to win in 2021 with Mutamakina.

“We have a quite a few choices. Let's enjoy this for a few days,” said Clement, who secured his eighth stakes win of the meet.

Bred in France by Jean-Pierre Dubois, Parnac was produced by the Sageburg mare Passing Burg. She banked $275,000 in victory while improving her record to 11-5-1-1. She returned $18.40 for a $2 win bet.

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Parnac, Part of ABR’s ‘Stake and Stardom’ Initiative, Wins Flower Bowl Stakes in Upset

The Sept. 2 Flower Bowl Stakes at Saratoga Race Course will go in the books as a 1 3/8-mile turf race, but those who watched it, or examined the race’s fractions, know it was more like a three-furlong sprint that followed a one-mile warm-up.

Kentucky Downs: Trainer Beckman Seeks Another Upset With Sabalenka In Dueling Grounds Oaks

For his next trick, trainer Whit Beckman will attempt to light up the tote board at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. He has already done it once.

Beckman will saddle Dirico Racing and Breeding's Sabalenka in the $1-million Dueling Grounds Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday.

On Thursday, opening day at the seven-day meet, Beckman's Harlan Estate pulled down a huge upset in the FanDuel Tapit Stakes when the 5-year-old gelding won at odds of 37-1.

Sabalenka did not get any respect on the Dueling Grounds Oaks' morning line as she was dismissed at odds of 20-1 in the full field of 12. Beckman didn't flinch when he saw the number.

“At Kentucky Downs, you should not care what your odds are,” Beckman said by phone. “That turf course can be an equalizer.”

The 41-year-old Beckman has been training on his own since Sept. 11, 2021. The win with Harlan Estate was his first in a stakes. The former assistant to trainers Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown is anxious for another one.

“That's the plan,” said Beckman, who also had a stint training in Saudi Arabia. “We know (Sabalenka) has run well there before. She likes the long stretch and it looks like she is ready to go.”

Sabalenka, a Kentucky-bred Good Samaritan filly, is winless in four starts this year but is coming off her best effort, a third in the Christina Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Delaware Park July 15.

“I thought it was a pretty solid effort on a soft turf course,” Beckman said. “Since then, we just freshened her up and gave her a few breezes (at the Churchill Downs Training Center. I think we are cycling at the right time. I am excited to bring her there.”

Sabalenka is no stranger to the Kentucky Downs course. She broke her maiden last Sept. 22, winning a $150,000 race by a nose. She has a win, two seconds, and two thirds in eight career starts, all of them on the grass.

Sunday's race will mark the first time Sabalenka has started at the 1 5/16 distance.

“She knows the place, she has experience over that turf course and the distance should really suit her running style,” Beckman said.

Although her second career win – an allowance race at Churchill Downs Nov. 22 – came in gate-to-wire fashion, that is not Sabalenka's preferred running style.

“She wants to come from off it,” Beckman said. “That day at Churchill, (jockey Ricardo) Santana did something, I don't know what, but he got her geared up early. The pace wasn't that fast but she was really comfortable in that spot. She is usually slow to begin, but she always has a pretty sustained run. We know if she is anywhere near it at the end, she will keep fighting.”

Sabalenka will be ridden by Declan Cannon for the first time. Cannon was also aboard Harlan Estate on Thursday for Beckman.

“Declan and I have a good thing going,” Beckman said. “We have won some races and he fit with a lot of the horses I train. We have a great back and forth and it seems to work.”

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