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Molto Bene! Brant Filly Races to ‘Rising Star’-dom

A 475,000gns Tattersalls October yearling purchase by Mike Ryan on behalf of owner Peter Brant, In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was bet into 7-5 favoritism for her Mar. 28 bow at Tampa, but found trouble enough at the quarter pole and again 100 yards later to cost her a debut graduation.

Kicked immediately into the lead here by Irad Ortiz, Jr., In Italian enjoyed a fairly soft time of things on the engine, clocking unpressured fractions of :24.03 and :49.39. Challenged briefly approaching the stretch, In Italian rebroke and coasted home a 3 1/2-length winner as the 5-4 chalk.

In Italian, a half-sister to Villa Carlotta (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), GSP-Aus; and Fasano (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), SP-Aus, was bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds and her dam Florentina was bred back Southern Hemisphere time to Juddmonte stallion Kingman (GB) in September 2018 before returning to Australia. That produce, a colt foaled Aug. 2, 2019, sold to Tom Magnier for A$1.8m at the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale this past January. Florentina returned to Banstead Manor to visit Kingman in the Northern Hemisphere autumn in 2019 and, returned to Australia, she was subsequently sold for A$650,000 at the 2020 Inglis Chairman's Sale last May. The most recent renewal of that auction took place just this past Friday, with Magnier striking the winning blow at A$2.5 million for G1SW Celebrity Queen (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}).

Florentina produced a filly last September and was bred back to 2019 The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes (Aus) (Rubick {Aus}). That foal will be inbred 4×3 to Shantha's Choice (Aus), the dam of In Italian's legendary broodmare sire, who also serves as the second dam of former 'TDN Rising Star' Rubick. Camilleri, a successful Australian businessman, has had much success breeding horses, but none more so than the irrepressible Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}).

In Italian is the 25th 'Rising Star' for her sire, a number that includes Peter Brant's Claiborne Farm-based Demarchelier (GB).

8th-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 5-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.74, gd, 3 1/2 lengths.
IN ITALIAN (GB), f, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Florentina (Aus) (GSW-Aus, $250,958),
by Redoute's Choice (Aus)
2nd Dam: Celebria (Aus), by Peintre Celebre
3rd Dam: Twyla (Aus), by Danehill
Sales history: 475,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $54,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Peter M Brant; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds (GB); T-Chad C Brown.

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Constitution’s Promise Keeper Runs to the Money in Peter Pan

Promise Keeper (Constitution) tossed his hat in the ring as a potential GI Belmont S. starter with a strong performance in Saturday's GIII Peter Pan S.

The chestnut, off as the 3-2 favorite, sat a stalking trip in second as the comebacking maiden winner Wolfie's Dynaghost (Ghostzapper) led through fractions of :24.53 and :48.62. Promise Keeper struck the front as they hit the quarter pole, and, after getting a bold challenge from Nova Rags (Union Rags) in the stretch, swatted that foe away to win by an expanding 2 1/4 lengths.

“Historically, the Peter Pan has been a good prep for the Belmont,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I'll talk to the connections about it, but that was amongst the discussions leading into this.”

Pletcher continued, “He's a big mover and Luis [Saez] was able to do a perfect job putting him in a stalking position and let him take advantage of the rhythmic stride he has. Luis said he had a lot of horse in the end, so that's encouraging.

“I thought tactically that Luis rode a smart race and put him into a good spot and got into a good rhythm. When that horse came to him, he found some more and finished up well. He's got a big bouncy, reachy stride and it seems like the further he goes, the better he gets.”

Promise Keeper, owned in partnership by Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC, WinStar Farm LLC and Rock Ridge Racing LLC, sandwiched a disappointing 12th in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 6 with a maiden win in the Gulfstream slop Feb. 6 and a powerful optional claiming tally going 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland last time Apr. 8.

The newly minted Hall of Famer won last weekend's GI Kentucky Oaks with 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin). He was also represented by GI Kentucky Derby starters Known Agenda (Curlin) (ninth); Sainthood (Mshawish) (11th); Bourbonic (Bernardini) (13th); and Dynamic One (Union Rags) (18th). How is his Belmont S. roster shaping up so far?

“Known Agenda and Bourbonic are definitely pointed that way,” Pletcher said. “Sainthood we're going to give a breeze on the turf and make a decision after we see that. Dynamic One is another [under consideration]. Malathaat, it's on the radar, but we're not committed to anything just yet.”

Pedigree Notes:

Promise Keeper is the latest of 11 graded winners for third-crop sire Constitution, whose 20 black-type winners include last year's GI Belmont and GI Travers winner Tiz the Law. Promise Keeper's unraced dam, Mira Alta, sold for $200,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale and is now the dam of two of Curlin's five stakes winners as a damsire. In addition to Promise Keeper, she has produced SW & GSP Wicked Awesome (Awesome Again) and GSP War Stopper (Declaration of War). In the pipeline is a 2-year-old filly by Shanghai Bobby who hammered for $5,000 as a Keeneland January short yearling, a yearling filly by Honor Code, and a 2021 colt by Mastery. Mira Alta is a half to GISW Great Hunter (Aptitude) and to the dam of MGSW & MGISP Owendale (Into Mischief), and is from the immediate family of champion and $6-million Keeneland sales mare Stellar Wind (Curlin). Promise Keeper's seventh dam is the Sir Gallahad III (Fr) mare Omayya, who has figured in the pedigrees of a number of prominent horses of late, including American champion Tepin (Bernstein) and Australian champion Americain (Dynaformer).

Saturday, Belmont Park
PETER PAN S.-GIII, $194,000, Belmont, 5-8, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.71, ft.
1–PROMISE KEEPER, 118, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Mira Alta, by Curlin
                2nd Dam: Zenith, by Roy
                3rd Dam: Sequins, by Northern Fashion
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($160,000
Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC, WinStar
Farm LLC & Rock Ridge Racing LLC; B-Rock Ridge
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez.
$110,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-0, $184,600. *1/2 to War
Stopper (Declaration of War), GSP, $108,470; 1/2 to Wicked
Awesome (Awesome Again), SW & GSP, $294,460. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Nova Rags, 118, c, 3, Union Rags–Wishful Splendor, by Smart
Strike. ($275,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP). O/B-Michael Shanley
(KY); T-William I. Mott. $40,000.
3–Overtook, 118, c, 3, Curlin–Got Lucky, by A.P. Indy.
($1,000,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable,
Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Hill 'n'
Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. & Philip J. Steinberg (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1HF, 8 3/4. Odds: 1.50, 2.05, 3.70.
Also Ran: I Am the Law, Wolfie's Dynaghost. Scratched: Risk Taking. 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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Saturday’s Preakness Update: Trio of Breezers at Belmont

Trainer Chad Brown sent out Klaravich Stables' duo of Crowded Trade (More Than Ready) and Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro) to breeze in company Saturday, while Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had Whisper Hill Farm's Unbridled Honor (Honor Code) work in company with older graded stakes winner Fearless (Ghostzapper) at Belmont Park in preparation for next Saturday's GI Preakness S.

Risk Taking, winner of the GIII Withers S. and seventh-place finisher in the GII Wood Memorial S., worked outside of narrow GIII Gotham S. second and Wood Memorial third Crowded Trade, through five-eighths in 1:01.76 on a main track rated fast at 8:45 a.m. with the pair finishing together at the wire. Risk Taking was scratched out of Saturday's GIII Peter Pan S. in favor of the second leg of the Triple Crown.

“I thought they breezed super. It was just what I wanted,” Brown said. “I got them in 1:01 and even out in 1:13 and change. I was real happy with it.”

Brown added of Risk Taking, “His last two works were the best we've seen.”

As for Crowded Trade, he said, “He's only raced three times. He's run three really credible races and he's going in the right direction. He's had six weeks between races and I could see him running a really big race on Saturday.”

Unbridled Honor, runner-up in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S., worked outside of Fearless on Belmont's dirt training track at 9:30 a.m. The pair covered a half-mile in :49.75 and out in 1:02.1 with a long gallop out through the turn.

“I thought both horses worked well to the wire,” Pletcher said. “Fearless was particularly strong on the gallop out and I thought Unbridled Honor did well. I was happy with both of them.”

As for Unbridled Honor, Pletcher added, “We weren't really thinking Derby at that time [in the Lexington]. We were hoping for a good performance, which we got. He finished up well and he continues to improve with each start. He had a good pace to run at that day. Hopefully, it will be a contested pace at Pimlico.”

Fearless, winner of the GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. and runner-up in the GII Oaklawn H., is being pointed to the GIII Pimlico Special S. May 14.

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred and El Camino Real Derby winner Rombauer (Twirling Candy), meanwhile, had his final timed workout in preparation for the Preakness Saturday morning, covering five furlongs in :59.80 seconds under jockey Flavien Prat at Santa Anita. “He worked in company, settled in a length behind the other horse, passed him coming to the eighth pole and went on about his business,” trainer Michael McCarthy said.

Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas has confirmed Ram (American Pharoah) as a starter for the Preakness. He won his second straight annexing an allowance on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard. “We realize he has to step forward to be effective,” Lukas said. “But when these horses are doing well, sometimes they'll step up and do what you want them to do. I always thought this horse had potential.”

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Monomoy Girl To Get A Break

According to co-owner MyRacehorse, Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) is having some minor physical issues and will be given a freshener before returning to the races later this year.

“After collaborating with our partners, Spendthrift Farm, and trainer Brad Cox, have decided to give Monomoy Girl a brief break from training, with the expectation of the 6-year-old mare returning for a second-half of the year campaign on the racetrack,” read an email sent to those owning a share of Monomoy Girl through Myracehorse.

The email went on to say that Monomoy Girl “didn't bounce out of her gutsy second-place finish in last month's Grade I Apple Blossom H. as quickly as we would have hoped. While there are no serious physical issues with Monomoy Girl, she recently has been experiencing some minor muscle strains and hamstring soreness.”

The decision came after a thorough examination by Dr. Wes Sutter of Kentucky Equine Hospital, who advised that giving the two-time Eclipse Award and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner a short break from training would be beneficial for the mare. Dr. Sutter cleared Monomoy Girl to begin a swimming regimen in two weeks' time.

“We fully expect Monomoy Girl to return for a second-half-of-the-year campaign and anticipate more terrific performances to come from our wonderful mare,” said Spendthrift general manager, Ned Toffey. “We're happy that she will be spending her turnout time at WinStar, which has an amazing facility for horses who are getting a break from training. We look forward to getting Monomoy Girl back to Brad's barn after this brief respite, which we believe will do her a world of good.”

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