Zaajel | Horse Racing Free Tips

Search Results Back in Action in Distaff

Last term's GI Acorn S. heroine and narrow GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Search Results (Flatter) returns to action in Saturday's GIII Distaff H. at Aqueduct. The even-money morning-line favorite concluded her sophomore campaign with a third-place finish as the favorite in the GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga Aug. 7. Search Results is two-for-two at the Big A, including a win in last April's GIII Gazelle S.

“She's doing well. She's freshened up well down at Payson,” trainer Chad Brown said. “This is a good spot and we know that she likes Aqueduct.”

The in-form Glass Ceiling (Constitution), claimed by trainer Charlton Baker for $40,000 last May, enters riding a three-race winning streak, led by Laurel's GIII Barbara Fritchie S. Feb. 19.

Last year's GII Mother Goose S. and GIII Forward Gal S. winner Zaajel (Street Sense) makes her first start since finishing fifth in the GII Beldame S. Oct. 10.

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Bella Sofia Passes The Test, Gets Her First Graded Stakes Win

In a race that featured the winner of the Grade 2 Mother Goose in Zaajel and the Grade 1 Acorn in Search Results, it was Rudy Rodriguez's filly Bella Sofia, who had yet to compete in a graded stakes let alone win one, that brought home the victory in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. In only the fourth start of her career, the daughter of Awesome Patriot brings home her third win, adding G1 winner to her short resume.

At the start, Illumination and John Velazquez got out of the gate fastest, Luis Saez settling Bella Sofia in to her outside in second and Souper Sensational on the rail in third. Illumination was a half-length in front through the first quarter in :22.84 and then the first half in :45.70, with Souper Sensational on the rail briefly challenging Bella Sofia's position in second on the far turn. Saez and Bella Sofia maintained their position just off Illumination's shoulder as they approached the stretch.

With the Saratoga straight ahead of them, Velazquez moved Illumination onto the rail as Saez and Bella Sofia made a big run on their outside. Easily taking over the lead, Bella Sofia drew away from the field, crossing the wire 4 1/4 lengths in the front of Souper Sensational in second and Search Results in third. The final time for the seven-furlong G1 Test was 1:21.54.

Always Carina, Obligatory, Illumination, Zaajel, and Make Mischief rounded out the field. Find this race's chart here.

Bella Sofia paid $10.40, $5.70, and $4.00. Souper Sensational paid $10.20 and $5.00. Search Results paid $2.60 to show.

“I know we asked a lot. We're just happy to have her in the barn. The day she broke her maiden, she put everybody away impressively. She was training good.” Trainer Rodriguez said after the Test. “You know when you draw the outside, you pretty much just let the jockey figure out what they want to do. She broke better than anybody. I thought she was going to be out front when she broke that good. She was nice and comfortable and she was running very well for him and when he asked her, she was there for him.”

“She broke perfectly. We were looking for that spot right there to sit and make a run into the stretch. She did it so well and so beautifully. She came through the stretch pretty smoothly. I knew the one horse [Illumination] had some speed, so the plan was to break from there, relax and make one move with her. She's a pretty nice filly,” Saez said after his win on Bella Sofia.

Bred in Kentucky by Two Tone Farms, Bella Sofia is a 3-year-old filly by Awesome Patriot out of the Consolidator mare Love Contract. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, she is owned by Michael Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners LLC, and Matthew Mercurio. With her win in the Test, Bella Sofia improves to three wins in four lifetime starts, all in 2021, for career earnings of $405,100.

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Pletcher’s Birthday One To Remember With Zaajel’s Mother Goose Win

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher enjoyed a great day on and off the track Saturday, celebrating his 54th birthday with a win as Shadwell Stables' Zaajel captured the $250,000 Grade 2 Mother Goose, a one-turn 1 1/16-mile test for sophomore fillies at Belmont Park in Elmont, Ny.

Assistant Byron Hughes saddled the winner, who garnered a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, while Pletcher spent the day with family.

“It was my daughter Hannah's high school graduation, so it made for quite a nice day,” said Pletcher.

Sent to post at odds of 18-1 as the longest shot on the board in a compact field of five, Zaajel tracked the pace of previously undefeated 4-5 mutuel favorite Always Carina before making the lead at the stretch call and powering home a 1 1/4-length winner.

The 3-year-old Street Sense bay made her first two starts at Gulfstream Park, including a score in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes on January 30.

Following a troubled sixth in the 1 1/16-mile Fair Grounds Oaks, Zaajel failed to fire when seventh in her turf debut in the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Pletcher said he was pleased to see Zaajel return to form, who now gives the conditioner a strong one-two punch in the sophomore filly division along with Malathaat, her undefeated Shadwell stablemate, who won the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30.

“Zaajel started off very well and won her first two, including the Forward Gal, and we kind of got sidetracked when we went to the Fair Grounds,” said Pletcher. “She didn't break well that day and misbehaved in the gate and got in a little bit of trouble in the first turn.

“We were trying to keep her and Malathaat separated, so that's why we gave her an experiment on the turf,” Pletcher continued. “We thought she breezed well on it, but she didn't run the way we hoped. We had our minds on the Mother Goose for a while and she trained accordingly. We had maybe a little more confidence in her than the betting public did.”

Pletcher said with Malathaat on target for the $500,000 Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies on July 24 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, Ny., Zaajel could point to the seven-furlong $500,000 Grade 1 Longines Test Stakes on August 7.

“I'll talk to Rick Nicholls at Shadwell and come up with a plan,” said Pletcher. “She's versatile enough that she's won graded stakes at a mile and a sixteenth and seven furlongs. I don't anticipate we'd want to run her in the Coaching Club with Malathaat on target for that, so we could look at something like the Test or even try two turns out of town. We'll play it by year. We won't rush back off of that effort.”

Pletcher said the relationship with Shadwell has proven to be a fruitful one.

“We've been blessed. It's terrific to have two high-quality fillies like that,” said Pletcher.

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Shadwell’s Zaajel Surprises Always Carina, Upsets Mother Goose Stakes At Belmont

Shadwell Stable's Zaajel provided Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher a graded stakes win on his birthday, overtaking 4-5 favorite Always Carina in the final furlong and prevailing by 1 1/4 lengths as the longest shot on the board at 18-1 to win Saturday's $250,000 Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a one-turn, 1 1/16 miles at Belmont Park in Elmont, Ny.

Pletcher, who turned 54 and recorded his sixth career win in the Mother Goose, moved Zaajel back to the main track after she ran seventh in her turf debut last out in the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes in April at Churchill Downs. The Street Sense filly was forwardly placed by jockey Joel Rosario in her Belmont debut, staying in second position as Always Carina led the five-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :24.03 and the half in :48.03 on the fast track.

Zaajel stayed close to Always Carina out of the turn and moved up from the outside when straightened for home, running stride-for-stride with her rival before pulling ahead. After an aggressive hand ride, Rosario used a quick burst of left-handed encouragement as Zaajel surged home a winner in a 1:42.83 final time.

“She ran really big today. She was very comfortable and happy,” Rosario said. “I knew the horse on the lead was the horse to beat and she did it. She ran a big race today. She was moving very well for me.”

Zaajel, who captured the Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes in her 3-year-old bow in January at Gulfstream Park, became a two-time graded stakes winner, improving her overall ledger to three wins in five starts. The Kentucky homebred returned $38.80 on a $2 win wager and upped her career bankroll to $228,640.

“She had been training well and got back to one turn,” said Pletcher assistant Byron Hughes. “We knew it was going to be a short field, and she ran well.

“We thought she would be forwardly placed. We had Chad's filly [Brown, Always Carina] on her inside and she sat right on her hip,” he added. “Joel did a great job of keeping her right there and she responded well and got the win.”

Pletcher added to his rich history in this race, where he also saddled victorious Off the Tracks [2016], Buster's Ready [2011], Devil May Care [2010], Octave [2007], and Jersey Girl [1998].

Three Chimneys Farm's Always Carina, who entered her stakes debut 2-for-2 for trainer Chad Brown, held off a surging Clairiere by a nose for second.

“She certainly didn't run up to her capabilities today,” Brown said. “Maybe switching her off and going a little too slow during the race – which she's not really used to – in hindsight, might have put her to sleep a bit. We'll have to see how she comes out of the race and see if there's any other reason. But my first thought is that maybe we should have just let her roll on the front. She fought on bravely for second but that wasn't how she had run her first two starts, that's for sure.”

Always Carina, a homebred Malibu Moon filly, was stretching out to 1 1/16 miles for the first time after graduating at six furlongs and winning last out by 9 3/4 lengths going one mile on Big Sandy.

“My horse was traveling well and she accelerated nicely,” said Always Carina jockey Flavien Prat. “She just got beat by a filly who had more experience. I didn't have any issues. She dug in well.”

Make Mischief and Illiogami completed the order of finish.

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