Xigera makes the grade in G2 Mother Goose

Posted On 29 Oct 2023

Xigera makes the grade in G2 Mother Goose

By Keith McCalmont

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Rigney Racing’s Kentucky homebred Xigera confirmed her status as an elite dirt horse with an impressive 3 1/2-length score in Saturday’s 66th renewal of the Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose, a nine-furlong route for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Philip Bauer and piloted by Julien Leparoux, the Nyquist dark bay entered from a commanding 6 1/4-length romp in the 1 1/16-mile Seneca Overnight on September 23 at Churchill Downs to secure her first main track win. The talented dark bay previously won a trio of turf starts, including the one-mile Tepin in July at Ellis Park.

Bauer and owner Richard Rigney had considered sending Xigera to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 4 at Santa Anita Park, but believes the team made the right decision to ship the emerging star to New York.

“The hindsight is the easiest sight, so now that it’s done, it was the right decision,” Bauer said. “I’m overwhelmed. It’s a pretty cool race historically. This year, as a whole, has just been phenomenal for Richard and us, and to accomplish what we have is something special and we need to make sure we don’t take it for granted. It was the right decision and hopefully, it will springboard her to a 4-year-old campaign that has been as impressive as her last two races.”

Xigera stalked in second position to the inside of the Junior Alvarado-piloted Defining Purpose as the Chad Brown-trained Undervalued Asset led the seven-horse Mother Goose field through splits of 23.79 seconds, 48.46 and 1:12.95 over the fast main track. Occult, the 2-1 Brown-trained second choice under Irad Ortiz, Jr., raced in fifth position down the backstretch and made her move outside rivals as Undervalued Asset took the field into the final turn.

Leparoux gave Xigera her cue midway through the final turn and put away the challenge of Grade 1 Ashland-winner Defining Purpose, opening up a 2 1/2-length advantage at the stretch call, before surging to a comfortable score in a final time of 1:48.99. Defining Purpose completed the exacta by three-quarters of a length over the late-running Occult with Julia Shining, Foggy Night, Undervalued Asset and Peak Popularity completing the order of finish.

Bauer credited Leparoux with engineering a perfect trip.

“I told Mr. Rigney going into the first turn, ‘There’s no excuses. If she’s good enough, she’ll win,’” Bauer said. “Especially when they slowed it down the second quarter. We thought the four [Undervalued Asset] was going to be a rabbit considering the entries for Chad. When the fractions were as realistic as they were, I felt pretty confident into the far turn when Julien was in position and the demeanor he presented sitting on her. You never know until they cross the wire, but I’d like most of my horses to look like that at the quarter pole.”

Leparoux said he felt confident throughout as he tracked the early speed of Undervalued Asset.

“She has good tactical speed as long as she’s relaxed,” Leparoux said. “I knew Chad would send one of his fillies to the lead, so I was planning on sitting next to him and making a big run at the end. We always knew she was talented. She’s very good on the turf, but on the dirt it looks like she’s much better.”

Alvarado said the Kenny McPeek-trained Defining Purpose, who added the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks to her ledger in July, was brave in defeat.

“My filly did what I thought she was going to do. I took my shot at the quarter pole to the favorite, I tried to make it competitive there,” Alvarado said. “But she pulled away from me. My filly still ran a great race to get second. I thought I had enough horse to at least put up a fight, but the other filly was too much today.”

Xigera graduated at second asking last August over turf at Saratoga Race Course and subsequently was elevated to third that October in her dirt debut in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland. She would make her next four starts on turf, winning twice, before returning to the main track in the Seneca Overnight.

Bauer indicated Xigera could make her next start against older fillies and mares in the Grade 3 Falls City on November 23 at Churchill Downs.

Xigera, out of the stakes-winning Black Tie Affair mare Argent Affair, is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Forty Under, who won the 2018 Grade 3 Pilgrim over the Belmont Park turf. She banked $137,500 in victory while improving her record to 9-5-1-1 and returned $4.10 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Sunday for a special 10-race card on Closing Day Sunday at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet to celebrate the best of New York for the annual Empire Showcase Day, featuring eight stakes races worth $1.6 million, led by the $250,000 Empire Classic and $250,000 Empire Distaff. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of Belmont at the Big A on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Move to Gold graduates in style in $135K Awad

By Mary Eddy

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Klaravich Stables’ Move to Gold broke his maiden in rallying fashion when posting a 1 1/4-length score in Saturday’s $135,000 Awad, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and piloted by Manny Franco, Move to Gold improved from his debut on August 31 at Kentucky Downs when finishing a late-running second with a wide trip from post 11 in a one-mile maiden special weight.

“What an opposite trip for this horse from his race at Kentucky Downs,” Brown said of his inside trip in the Awad. “That’s not to say it was the jockey’s fault that day, he had a tough post on a unique course. He just found himself outside. I thought Manny used good judgement to tuck behind what we thought was a live horse in the race and he just kind of followed him until it was time to go.”

The son of Twirling Candy emerged from post 3 in the six-horse field and brushed with Tropandhagen to his inside before the latter skipped to the front and drew off to a substantial lead through an opening quarter-mile in 22.83 seconds and the half-mile in 46.56 over the firm footing.

Post-time favorite Spirit Prince raced in second seven lengths behind the pace with Dancing Mischief and Innate vying for third position as Move to Gold kept watch from fifth down the backstretch and into the turn. Franco roused his mount for more midway through the turn and angled him to the outside of Innate as Tropandhagen began to tire with three-quarters elapsed in 1:11.15.

Spirit Prince inched closer with every stride at the top of the stretch before taking command at the eighth pole and attempting to draw clear from the oncoming Move to Gold. Franco continued a strong hand ride along the outside of Spirit Prince and had enough horse late to collar his foe in the shadow of the wire and stop the clock in 1:43.04.

Spirit Prince held place three lengths ahead of the late-running Blue Creek with Innate, Dancing Mischief and Tropandhagen completing the order of finish. Twilight Point and British Sea were scratched.

Brown, who earned his second stakes win of the weekend at Belmont at the Big A after taking Friday’s Athenia with Technical Analysis, emphasized the importance of Move to Gold angling off the rail late.

“You can see he was still a little green changing leads, but once he got out on the right side of the horses, he really motored by that horse by the wire the right way,” said Brown. “I was really proud of him. I think he’s a horse with a bright future and that will run even a little bit further. He’s an exciting one for next year.

“I think next year we can get him out going a little bit further,” Brown added. “He’ll fill out a little bit, he’s still an immature looking horse. He has two nice races to get his career started so now is a good time to let him catch his breath.”

Franco, who won the 1,998th race of his career, said he did not panic when Tropandhagen ran away with the lead.

“I was a little concerned because they were opening up, but I just took my time,” said Franco. “I rode my horse with confidence. Chad told me to give him a chance and try to come running at the end and that’s what I did – the horse responded really well.

“When I get in between horses at the three-eighths pole, I knew I had a chance,” Franco continued. “I was a little worried with the two horses in front of me and I was looking where am I going to go, what am I going to do. I stayed there in between those two horses and then I went through. Going to the quarter-pole, I knew I had a lot of chance to go by them now and that’s what I did.”

Bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and Mr. and Mrs. Carrie and Craig Brogden, Move to Gold was a $260,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland November Yearling Sale and is out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Brandy, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Rally Cry. He banked $74,250 in victory and returned $6.20 on a $2 win wager.

Dylan Davis, aboard the Christophe Clement-trained Spirit Prince, said the dual graded stakes-placed son of Cairo Prince gave a valiant effort.

“He put in a great effort. I just wanted to break well and that horse [Tropandhagen] spread the field out,” Davis said. “I switched my horse off and Christophe said he’s a little bit one-paced to try and get him going. When I got to the three-eighths, I started working him in the bridle a little bit and once he straightened up, he finished strong.”

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