Another First-Time Starter Winner for Practical Joke

6th-Ellis, $45,968, Msw, 7-24, 2yo, f, 5f, :57.06, ft, 6 3/4 lengths.
GIRL WITH A DREAM (f, 2, Practical Joke–Henley, by Corinthian) was sent off the 6-5 chalk to open her account at first asking and turned it on through the Ellis stretch to graduate by an imposing margin Saturday afternoon. The $115,000 Keeneland September yearling graduate jumped alertly from an outside gate and pressed the pace through an opening quarter-mile in :22.24. Allowed to stride into the lead with about 2 1/2 furlongs to travel, the chestnut was shaken up by Florent Geroux in upper stretch and was punched out mostly hands and heels to give her freshman sire (by Into Mischief) his fifth winner, scoring by 6 3/4 lengths. Machmer Hall acquired Girl With a Dream's dam for $31,000 in foal to one of the operation's favorite stallions, Twirling Candy, at Keeneland November in 2016. Henley, a half-sister to MGSW/MGISP Mr. Commons (Artie Schiller) and to MSW & GSP Jungle Fighter (Wild Rush), foaled a filly by Twirling Candy in 2020 and was barren to the same stallion before visiting Machmer Hall product Gift Box (Twirling Candy). Sales history: $115,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $30,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-Jim Bakke; B-Machmer Hall & D + J Racing Stable LLC (KY); T-Brad H Cox.

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Maracuja Upsets Malathaat In CCA Oaks

With a perfect five-for-five record topped by an impressive score in the GI Kentucky Oaks, 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) was bet like she could not lose a four-horse renewal of Saratoga's GI Coaching Club American Oaks Saturday. However, in the final strides of the nine-furlong event, it was the longest shot on the board, 14-1 shot Maracuja (Honor Code), who dethroned the mighty Malathaat with a narrow upset.

All four broke in tandem with Malathaat assuming a narrow lead rounding the clubhouse turn. Maracuja kept the favorite honest through an opening quarter in :23.38 with second-choice Clairiere (Curlin) and Rockpaperscissors (Distorted Humor) just off their heels. Clairiere moved into second with Maracuja shuffled back to a joint third as the half went in :47.13. Rockpaperscissors called it a day at the three-eighths pole, quickly backing up, while Maracuja kicked into high gear, setting her sights on the top two.

Malathaat and Clairiere turned for home together with Maracuja ranging up menacingly two paths to their outside. Malathaat dug deep to maintain her narrow advantage on the fence as her two foes continued to give her hell. Surprisingly, it was Clairiere who was first to wave the white flag with just over a sixteenth left to run, leaving the shortest and longest shots on the board to fight it out. Malathaat and Maracuja battled stride-for-stride to the wire with the latter finding an extra burst in the shadow of the wire, forging ahead just in time to deny the chalk by a head. Clairiere held third and Rockpaperscissors was eased and walked off.

It was the first Grade I victory for trainer Rob Atras, who earned his first graded win earlier this year. It was also the first graded/Grade I score for owner Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, who also campaigned MSW and New York-bred champion Newly Minted (Central Banker).

“She broke really sharp, which I was happy with, and she was kind of right there,” said Atras. “They all seemed like they were coming and I thought Ricardo [Santana, Jr.] made a smart move by backing off and coming around the outside. What a race.”

“It was nerve-racking, especially after coming in seventh in the Oaks, but it was exciting,” said John Sakkos, founding partner of Beach Haven Thoroughbreds. “I was just hoping we would perform better than the Oaks. She had been doing well and Rob and the team have done a phenomenal job with her. She had a good rest after the Oaks. We'll probably go to the [GI] Alabama [S. Aug. 21] after this.”

As for the beaten favorite, Hall of Famer John Velazquez said, “You have to play the cards you're dealt. She was doing great. She was comfortable in what she was doing, but she had to fight the whole way around and obviously set it up for somebody else. She's a great horse and you can't take that away from her.”

Graduating at third asking in a 6 1/2-panel event at Aqueduct Feb. 21, Maracuja finished second behind eventual Oaks runner-up and GI Acorn S. winner Search Results (Flatter) in that venue's GIII Gazelle S. Apr. 3. The form of that race was further flattered by third-place finisher Army Wife (Declaration of War), who went on to win both the May 14 GII Black-Eyed Susan S. and the July 2 GIII Iowa Oaks. Maracuja closed from well back to be seventh when last seen in the Apr. 30 Kentucky Oaks.

 

Pedigree Notes:

Maracuja is the second Grade I winner, third graded victor and sixth black-type scorer for her young sire Honor Code. She is also the 28th Grade I victor, 101st graded winner and 192nd black-type scorer for top broodmare sire Unbridled's Song. The A.P. Indy/Unbridled's Song cross is also responsible for MGISW Moonshine Memories (Malibu Moon), GISW Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon) and G1SW Capezzano (Bernardini). The winner's dam Patti's Regal Song is a half-sister to GSW Regally Appealing (Valid Appeal), who is the dam of MGSW & GISP Appealing Tale (Tale of the Cat) and SW Colerful Bride (Munnings). She is also a half to SW Regal Miss Copelan (Copelan), who produced MGSW sire Rockport Harbor (Unbridled's Song). Patti's Regal Song's ecent produce includes a yearling filly by Twirling Candy and a 2021 filly by Sir Prancealot (Ire). She was bred back to that stallion.

Saturday, Saratoga
COACHING CLUB AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $465,000, Saratoga, 7-24, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:49.29, ft.
1–MARACUJA, 121, f, 3, by Honor Code
1st Dam: Patti's Regal Song (SP), by Unbridled's Song
2nd Dam: Regal Pennant, by Banner Bob
3rd Dam: Regal Relation, by Kamaraan II
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($200,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Beach Haven Thoroughbreds LLC; B-River Bend Farm Inc, Austin & Janie Musselman (KY); T-Rob Atras; J-Ricardo Santana Jr. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-1, $407,100. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Malathaat, 121, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Dreaming of Julia (GISW, $874,500), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Dream Rush, by Wild Rush
3rd Dam: Turbo Dream, by Unbridled
'TDN Rising Star' ($1,050,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Shadwell Stable; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $100,000.
3–Clairiere, 121, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Cavorting (MGISW, $2,063,000), by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Promenade Girl, by Carson City
3rd Dam: Promenade Colony, by Pleasant Colony
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $60,000.
Margins: HD, 5 3/4, 52 3/4. Odds: 14.70, 0.30, 2.80.
Also Ran: Rockpaperscissors. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Tractor Mishap Forces Dirt Races to Turf at Ellis; Driver Taken to Hospital

A tractor driver had a medical emergency during track maintenance prior to Friday's fifth race that resulted in the tractor hitting the inner rail of the dirt track at Ellis Park.

The driver was taken to the hospital via ambulance. Ellis Park did not identify the employee, citing health privacy laws. The rail was damaged about the sixteenth pole and was unable to be immediately repaired, forcing the fifth and seventh races to be moved from the main track to the turf course. Track General Manager Jeff Inman said that the rail would be repaired overnight and in the morning and that racing would resume as scheduled at 12:50 p.m. CT Saturday. Training has been canceled for Saturday morning to accommodate the repair.

The surface change necessitated adjustments to the payoffs for a trio of multi-race wagers. The Pick 3 beginning with race 3 paid out on 5-6-all. The Pick 3 starting with race 4 paid off on 6-all-3. The Pick 5 starting with the fourth race paid off on 6-all-3-all-3.

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Brown Earns Third Straight Lake George with Technical Analysis

It was a different year, but the same result with Chad Brown earning his third consecutive win–and fifth overall–with Klaravich Stables' Technical Analysis (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in Friday's GIII Lake George S. at Saratoga. In fairness, Brown came into the race with a significant advantage, saddling four of the 10 runners, including GSW Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}), Amy C (GB) (Charming Thought {GB}) and Minaun (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

“Going into this race, I thought these four horses were even,” admitted Brown. “I couldn't have picked between them..I hope that some of my loyal fans here that have been losing the first week got some money back.”

However, despite holding a robust hand for the eight-furlong turf test for sophomore fillies, it was a Todd Pletcher runner–

GII Appalachian S. scorer Jouster (Noble Mission {GB})–who went off the 5-2 choice ahead of Technical Analysis, who was somewhat overlooked at 7-1. The favorite assumed her customary place at the head of affairs, reeling off opening fractions of :23.53 and :47.93 as the eager Irish bred–accompanied by regular partner Jose Ortiz–was positioned in a close-up third. Coming off the far turn, Luis Saez kept Jouster to the inside as Technical Analysis assumed second, about two lengths behind the leader. Set loose turning for home, Technical Analysis responded to right-handed encouragement, overtaking Jouster midstretch and driving clear late to score by 1 1/4 lengths over her closing stablemate, Fluffy Socks. Tobys Heart (Jack Milton) rounded out the trifecta. Jouster faded to eighth.

“I think she always wanted to do this–run a mile,” explained Ortiz. “We were trying to stretch her out being a 3-year-old for the [GI] Belmont Oaks [July 10]. I told Chad, and he agreed with me, at this time it's probably not her thing and we need to cut her back. She's too antsy early and pulls a lot.”

Ortiz continued, “Today, cutting back to a mile, I could let her run to the first turn and she came back to me nicely. She relaxed very well behind the horses and I knew it was just a matter of time. I knew we were going to separate and that's what I wanted. I wanted Jouster not to walk in front of me.”

Added Brown, “From the first turn where she was pulling a little bit, [Ortiz] let her have her head exiting the first turn when he dropped in, looked behind, and got a nice spot covered up. Finally, we had [Navratilova] to our outside and he waited for that horse to get fatigued before he moved outside cleanly. I thought it was a really smart move. I was very appreciative for his ride.”

Technical Analysis made a mild bid to be third in her career debut going 8 1/2 furlongs over Belmont's yielding turf Nov. 1, but bounced back next time to score while negotiating the same distance at the Big A Nov. 29. Back in the winner's circle facing optional claiming company at Belmont Apr. 29, she faded to sixth in her latest going nine panels in the GIII Wonder Again S. in Elmont June 3.

“The cutback helped a lot,” explained Brown. “You know you're going to get more pace with the cutback and that's really what she needed to get her off the bridle down the backstretch where there's a good strong pace to run at. She'll pull on a slow pace. That was part of the thinking of cutting her back.”

“We always have thought of her as one of our better horses in this division last year. It's nice to see her achieving some of those goals we set forth over the winter when we mapped out her campaign.”

Pedigree Notes:

With Friday's victory, Technical Analysis became the 35th black-type winner and 19th graded/group winner for her sire Kingman, who stands at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket. The 4-year-old filly, who is Sealife's first foal, also has a year younger brother by Shamardal and a yearling sister by Pivotal (GB). This represents the family of Australian champion stayer and G1 Melbourne Cup hero Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}).

Friday, Saratoga
LAKE GEORGE S.-GIII, $150,000, Saratoga, 7-23, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.61, fm.
1–TECHNICAL ANALYSIS (IRE), 120, f, 3, by Kingman (GB)
              1st Dam: Sealife (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
              2nd Dam: Bitooh (GB), by Diktat (GB)
              3rd Dam: Sitara (GB), by Salse
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (200,000gns
Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Rabbah
Bloodstock Limited (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Jose L. Ortiz.
$82,500. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-1, $188,200. Werk Nick
   Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Fluffy Socks, 120, f, 3, Slumber (GB)–Breakfast Time, by
Kitten's Joy. O/B-Head Of Plains Partners (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown. $30,000.
3–Tobys Heart, 122, f, 3, Jack Milton–Pick of the Pack, by Lil's
Lad. ($5,500 Ylg '19 FTKOCT; $45,000 2yo '20 OBSMAR).
O-Hamilton, Terry, Lynch, Brian A. and Barber, Gary;
B-Trackside Farm (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. $18,000.
   'TDN Rising Star'
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.80, 12.90, 5.60.
Also Ran: Runaway Rumour, Minaun (Ire), Amy C (GB), Demodog, Jouster, Navratilova. Scratched: Invincible Gal (GB). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

 

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