Belmont at the Big A Notes 09/19

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Belmont at the Big A Notes

Mullikin aims for G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint
Gun Song set for G1 Cotillion; Maiden winner Wild Mama could be “Tempted” to try stakes company
Film Star ready for Parx Dirt Mile; Rice trainees queuing up for local stakes
Five Towns comes to town for G3 Noble Damsel
Well-bred Au Contraire set for debut Saturday at Belmont at the Big A

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Siena Farm and WinStar Farm’s Grade 1-winner Mullikin will train up to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint on November 2 at Del Mar, according to trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The 4-year-old Violence dark bay is 4-for-4 this year, including his biggest score to date last-out in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Forego on August 24 at Saratoga Race Course. There, Mullikin easily bested his six rivals, leading at each point of call en route to a 5 3/4-length victory in a final time of 1:21.75.

Mullikin had his first breeze back this morning, covering a half-mile in 49 flat at Keeneland.

“He’s doing very good. We are just going to go straight to the Breeders’ Cup,” said Brisset. “I wanted to take my time and see how he was doing and if he needed an extra week before breezing. Looking at the past couple of winners, there’s been a couple of different approaches in the last couple of years.

“I decided we are going straight. It may be the best plan,” Brisset continued.

The last-out Forego triumph earned a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure, which improved upon a previous high of 102 for winning the Grade 2 John A. Nerud going the same distance in July at Belmont at the Big A.

Also victorious sprinting this summer at the Spa for Brisset was World Record, who won the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Amsterdam in July ahead of an off-the-board finish in the seven-furlong Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 24.

The sophomore Gun Runner bay, campaigned by Siena Farm and WinStar Farm, has worked back twice since the Jerkens, including five-eighths in 1:00.40 on September 15 at Keeneland.

“I haven’t mapped out anything official yet. He is doing really good,” said Brisset. “We are going week by week after the Amsterdam when he came back in four weeks and he likely may have bounced a little for me, but I’m very happy with what I’m seeing in the last two works.”

Brisset said a possible long-term goal is Santa Anita Park’s Grade 1 Malibu, traditionally contested at seven furlongs in late December for sophomores.

“I’m keeping one eye on the Malibu. So I may work something backwards from there,” Brisset said.

Brisset saddled an impressive maiden winner going seven furlongs on September 5 at Kentucky Downs in DARRS Inc.’s juvenile gelding Warheart.

The son of Omaha Beach exited post 10-of-11 and was bumped at the start but traveled forwardly under Tyler Gaffalione, taking over at the top of the stretch and battling back when headed by City of Oscars in the final jumps.

“We thought that was a pretty good race. The feedback from Tyler was that he may have only won by a head, but it sounded like he got a little lost – switched leads multiple times, took the lead and looked around,” Brisset recalled. “I think he even got passed and came back on the inside and looked extremely strong.”

The effort marked Warheart’s second lifetime start after place-honors on debut on August 17 at Colonial Downs. Brisset said a possible next start for Warheart is the 1 1/16-mile turf Grade 2, $350,000 Bourbon on October 6 at Keeneland.

“The timing is right. We already ran him back quickly and we don’t want to do that, so looks like the Bourbon may be where he’s heading, as of now,” Brisset said.

Storyteller Racing’s Mystic Pleasure is entered in the $100,000 Twixt on Sunday at Laurel Park, a one-mile test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward. The 4-year-old Good Magic filly ran a career-best 84 Beyer in a half-length third last-out in the Listed Groupie Doll on August 11 at Ellis Park.

Brisset nominated Mystic Pleasure to the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom next Sunday at the Big A, but said the prospect of facing Chad Brown-conditioned Grade 1-winner Ways and Means is a tall order at this stage.

“She is in Laurel on Sunday, and it looks like a pretty good spot. She is pretty versatile distance-wise,” said Brisset. “I don’t know if Chad is running [in the Gallant Bloom], but Ways and Means is a pretty tough customer. So we will take another road, and hopefully it will be the start of something bigger.”

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Gun Song set for G1 Cotillion; Maiden winner Wild Mama could be “Tempted” to try stakes company

Graded stakes-winning filly Gun Song, who graduated at first asking in October at Belmont at the Big A, will take on divisional leader Thorpedo Anna in Saturday’s Grade 1 Cotillion, a 1 1/16-mile route for sophomore fillies at Parx Racing.

Trained by Mark Hennig for owner R. Lee Lewis, the Gun Runner chestnut made the grade with an authoritative 3 1/4-length score in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in May at Pimlico Race Course. She was off-the-board in the Grade 1 DK Horse Acorn in June as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course but returned to form with a prominent runner-up effort to returning rival Scalable in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 27 at Monmouth Park.

The $400,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase enters Saturday’s test from a gate-to-wire score in the one mile and 70 yard Cathryn Sophia on August 24 at Parx. There, she showed the way from the inside post through splits of 22.89 seconds, 47.05 and 1:12.66 en route to a 2 1/2-length score over Grade 1-placed Impel in a final time of 1:44.22.

“I’ve taken horses there before that didn’t handle that track, so I wanted to use it as a barometer of if it was worth coming back to the Cotillion or not,” Hennig said. “I felt she won relatively easy, too. So, I felt that was enough reason that if she was doing well to give the Cotillion a chance.

“I thought she got over the track there well at Philly,” continued Hennig. “She’s trained forwardly since, so we decided to give it a shot. We know we’re stepping it up in class quite a bit, but it’s the last Grade 1 of the year for 3-year-old fillies so we thought we’d give it a shot.”

A stacked eight-horse Cotillion field includes multiple Grade 1-winner Thorpedo Anna, Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales-winner Power Squeeze, and recent Grade 2 Charles Town Oaks victress Mystic Lake.

Hennig has entrusted Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who was aboard for the Black-Eyed Susan score, to engineer a winning trip from post 7.

“’Anna’ is pretty versatile. She can do about anything – she could probably go to the lead if she wants to,” Hennig said, with a laugh. “We’ll see how it develops. We have a good outside draw and I would anticipate that Mystic Lake will show some speed from the outside of us. Our filly leaves there pretty well, and she went pretty quick last time that first quarter.”

Hennig said a good effort Saturday could see Gun Song try her luck in upcoming nine-furlong stakes for sophomore fillies at the Big A, including the Grade 2 Mother Goose on October 26 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Comely on November 30.

“I don’t know that Breeders’ Cup is in the cards for her this year, but there’s still some 3-year-old filly races left to run – there’s two more at Aqueduct, including the Mother Goose. We’ll see how this goes and take it from there,” Hennig said.

Gun Song, out of the graded stakes-winning Mr. Greeley mare Nicole H, has banked $483,340 through a 9-4-2-1 record.

Hennig unveiled another potential stakes filly here Sunday when Wild Mama captured a six-furlong maiden special weight sprint for juvenile fillies at first asking with Velazquez aboard.

Campaigned by R. Lee Lewis, Ryan Lewis and Anthony Lewis, the $380,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase exited the outermost post 8 and tracked from third position through a quarter-mile in 22.71 seconds. She made an impressive move for the lead on the turn and held a six-length advantage at the stretch call but was green down the lane as Save the Queen closed to bring her winning margin to two lengths in a final time of 1:13.47. The effort garnered a 68 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I thought the track was extremely dull over the weekend, but she ran really well,” Hennig said. “The way she accelerated off the turn and leaving the quarter-pole, I thought she really displayed her talent when she left the field in a couple of jumps.

“She was pretty green mid-stretch,” Hennig added. “She wandered over to the rail and did a little zig-zagging down the stretch, but she held it together and I liked her gallop out afterwards. I thought the horse that ran second was going to run by her, but that horse didn’t go by her on the gallop out. It was good to see that.”

Wild Mama is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Safwah, who is a half-sister to 2017 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Always Dreaming, 2009 Grade 1 Spinaway-winner Hot Dixie Chick and 2018 Grade 2 Demoiselle-victress Positive Spirit.

“I’ve been pretty high on her all summer,” Hennig said. “She’s done things I haven’t seen from 2-year-old fillies before. I was looking forward to running her and she’s come out of it well. We’ll look at stretching her out a little bit down the road.”

Upcoming options at one-mile for 2-year-old fillies at Aqueduct include the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette on October 5 offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Del Mar; and the $150,000 Tempted on November 2.

“I think the timing of the Tempted might be a little more realistic, but we’ll see,” Hennig said.

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Film Star ready for Parx Dirt Mile; Rice trainees queuing up for local stakes

Ronald P. Stewart’s Film Star will look to parlay a four-length win in the restricted off-the-turf Fasig-Tipton Lure to an out-of-town score in Saturday’s $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile.

Trained by Linda Rice, the 5-year-old Flatter horse has banked $508,101 through a 20-5-6-2 record. He secured his first career stakes win as a main-track only entrant in the one-mile Lure on August 3 at Saratoga Race Course which was contested over muddy and sealed footing out of the Wilson Chute .

Film Star was haltered for $75,000 from a winning effort for his former conditioner Brad Cox last April at Keeneland and has hit the board in 10-of-13 starts since, including a prominent second in the Grade 2 Woodward in October here.

He was off-the-board in his final two starts last year and returned to action with a third-place finish in an optional-claimer on July 11 at the Spa where he bobbled at the break while racing from a more than six-month layoff ahead of his Lure score.

“He’s coming into the race really well. The Lure was a good race second back off the layoff to get him back into the winner’s circle and hopefully we can keep rolling,” Rice said.

Film Star, listed at 5-1 morning line under Irad Ortiz, Jr., will exit the outermost post 8.

KEM Stables’ multiple graded stakes-placed Hot Fudge is pointing to the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on September 29 at the Big A.

The 5-year-old Liam’s Map dark bay won five straight starts from June 16, 2023, culminating with local stakes scores in the six-furlong Garland of Roses in December, the seven-furlong Listed Interborough in January and the six-furlong Correction on March 9.

She has hit the board in 3-of-4 starts since her Correction score but was a distant third as the mutuel favorite last out traveling one-mile out of the Wilson Chute in the off-the-turf restricted De La Rose at the Spa where she attended the pace and faltered.

“It was a debacle at Saratoga for her,” Rice said. “We’ll get her back on a track that she’s won several stakes races on and at a distance that works best for her. Hopefully, we can just draw a line through the Saratoga race.”

The Kentucky-bred mare has banked $562,105 through a 17-8-1-4 record.

KEM Stables’ Fortuna Mia made her first two starts in dirt sprints for owner-trainer Rey Hernandez, winning by four lengths on debut in May at Horseshoe Indianapolis ahead of a third-place effort at 18-1 odds in the Listed Debutante on June 30 at Churchill Downs.

The Vekoma bay was purchased for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale and transferred to Rice. She made her return as a main-track only entrant in the 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing contested over a good track on August 18 at the Spa and finished a non-threatening fifth.

Rice has nominated Fortuna Mia to the Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for 2-year-old fillies on September 29 here offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar.

“I’m not convinced yet that she’s more turf than dirt, but I do feel she will appreciate distance,” Rice said. “She trains well. She’s not brilliantly fast in her workouts but she acts like she has some staying power.”

Fortuna Mia is the first foal out of the winning Cairo Prince mare Windy Lane, who is a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Fioretti and New York-sired turf stakes-winner Louisville First.

Winning Move Stable’s graded stakes-placed Yo Daddy is under consideration for a number of upcoming 3-year-old stakes, including on turf in the one-mile $135,000 Gio Ponti on October 3 or the 11-furlong Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby on October 5; as well as the $150,000 Discovery at nine furlongs on the main track on November 3.

The Yoshida colt made three starts this summer at Saratoga, beginning with a pair of allowance starts against elders on the main track that paired up 90 Beyers when second to next-out winner Game Warden traveling nine furlongs in July ahead of a 6 3/4-length romp going one-mile on August 17.

He returned 13 days later to finish second in the Grade 3 Saranac against fellow 3-year-olds at 1 1/16-miles on turf when 5 1/2-lengths back of West Hollywood.

“We’ll look at any of the 3-year-old races,” Rice said. “There’s the Jockey Club going long, but I think he might be better on the dirt with the Discovery in mind for down the road.”

Yo Daddy was elevated to victory in a turf maiden claimer in January at Fair Grounds for his former conditioner Keith Desormeaux. He was claimed for $50,000 from a winning effort in a 1 1/16-mile main track event in April at Keeneland and has since posted a 5-1-4-0 record for Rice.

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Five Towns comes to town for G3 Noble Damsel

Merry Fox Stables’ British homebred Five Towns arrives from a pair of graded placings in search of a breakthrough score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Noble Damsel, a one-mile inner turf test, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Graham Motion, the 4-year-old Lord Kanaloa bay was third to Full Count Felicia last-out in the Grade 2 Canadian over nine furlongs of good turf on August 10 at Woodbine Racetrack. The 3 1/2-length defeat earned a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure, and the race’s winner wheeled back to win the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor there.

“We took a shot up there. That filly has obviously gotten very good,” said Motion. “Look, my filly really has done no wrong all year, to be honest. She’s been pretty consistent.”

Previously, Five Towns was second in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Gallorette on soft Pimlico Race Course turf in May.

“I think she has been consistent all year. Obviously, the fact that this is a graded race is very appealing, because we’d like to get her a graded win,” Motion said. “The timing is pretty good here.”

In both recent efforts, Five Towns rallied from off-the-pace, similar to her prior start when winning the one-mile Dahlia in April at Laurel Park under returning rider Jorge Ruiz.

Motion said some pace to run at in the nine-horse field would likely be to Five Towns’ benefit.

“I think so. Jorge knows her well, and he’ll be patient on her,” Motion said.

Out of the Grade 3-winning Giant’s Causeway mare Guilty Twelve, Five Towns is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Three Priests. Her second dam is Group 3-placed Arkadina.

Possibly also coming to town is Calumet Farm’s Kentucky homebred Correto, a debut-winner going seven furlongs on September 1 at Kentucky Downs. The juvenile daughter of English Channel is nominated to the 1 1/16-mile turf Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo on September 29.

At Kentucky Downs, Correto stalked-and-pounced to a 1 3/4-length score versus eleven rivals in a final time of 1:23.24 – earning a 72 Beyer for the performance.

“I can’t say I necessarily expected that, but she was always a filly that has done things easily. She’s quite tough in the mornings, so it was hard to know how that was going to translate,” Motion said. “I thought she won very impressively.”

Out of the stakes-placed Kitten’s Joy mare Spooky Kitten, Correto is a full-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Spooky Channel, along with black-type earners Margaret’s Joy and Sun Bee.

The Miss Grillo is a “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar.

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Well-bred Au Contraire set for debut Saturday at Belmont at the Big A

Stonestreet Stables’ Kentucky homebred Au Contraire is slated to make his career bow Saturday at Belmont at the Big A in Race 1, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden for juveniles, for trainer Jena Antonucci.

By Tapit and out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Wild Rush mare Dream Rush, Au Contraire is a full-brother to dual graded stakes-winner Dream Pauline, and a half-brother to stakes-winner and sire Atreides and Grade 1-winner Dreaming of Julia, the dam of dual Champion Malathaat and Grade 2-winner Julia Shining.

The gray colt has worked extensively at Saratoga Race Course throughout the summer, including a half-mile gate work in 49 seconds on September 4 over the Oklahoma dirt training track.

“He’s doing great. He’s really maturing and growing,” said Antonucci. “He’s a clever horse and has been very classy all along, figuring it out and being a little more serious about his job. He’s doing everything we’re asking him to do, so we’re ready to get the ball rolling with him.”

Au Contraire posted his first breeze in May at the Spa, and Antonucci said time and patience have benefitted the colt tremendously.

“He’s definitely grown up over the summer,” said Antonucci. “He’s just a big kid. I think it was him learning the job and what it meant to do it. I think he’ll learn a lot out of his race as well. As he’s figured things out, he has continued to move forward mentally and physically.”

Au Contraire will emerge from post 2 in rein to Eric Cancel in a field of seven that also features a $1.2 million half-brother to millionaire Mr. Money in Whisper Hill Farm’s Fun to Tap [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, as well as Frank Fletcher Racing Operations’ Bestfriend Rocket [post 4, Frankie Dettori], a colt from the female family of Tapit for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Antonucci will also send out Oath of Omerta this weekend at Belmont at the Big A as he attempts to break his maiden in Sunday’s third race, the seven-furlong $125,000 Bertram F. Bongard for New York-bred juveniles.

Campaigned by horseOlogy Racing, Fred Rosen, Rome Boys Stable and Attara Glen Farm, the son of Thousand Words was a stalking third in his seven-furlong September 2 debut at Saratoga, finishing 7 1/4 lengths behind the victorious Buttah, whom he will face again Sunday.

Antonucci said she expects Oath of Omerta to improve after the experience he gained last out.

“We know we needed to get racing, and you get so much out of it mentally and physically. He’s really come forward from it,” said Antonucci. “He’s gotten more fit, more professional, more tight after that. We’re excited to get him back to the races and take a swing at an opportunity here in a stakes.”

Bred by Topsmeade, Oath of Omerta enters from a three-furlong breeze in 38.22 on Sunday at the Spa. He will emerge from post 2 with Dylan Davis in the irons.

horseOlogy Racing and Craig Steinhart’s stakes-winner Whatintheliteral, a Florida-bred daughter of Lord Nelson, returned to form with a closing runner-up effort last out in the Hallandale Beach on September 14 at Gulfstream Park.

Whatintheliteral graduated in style during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, taking the Astoria by a head in pacesetting fashion on June 6. She followed with an intended start in the Listed Schuylerville on July 11, but was quickly out of contention when unseating Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano at the break.

Antonucci brought the talented filly back in the Grade 3 Adirondack about one month later, but Whatintheliteral ran an uncharacteristic last-of-7 after tracking 1 1/2 lengths off the early pace and fading.

Antonucci said there was a reason for the Adirondack flub, and that she was pleased to see Whatintheliteral rebound nicely in her last effort stretching out to one mile at Gulfstream.

“We’re proud of her. It was nice to have her get it back together after she didn’t have a good showing,” Antonucci said. “She was never unsound, but she ended up having a foot abscess, so we think that was a contributing factor for her not showing up like she usually does. I’m glad she got a nice run under her belt and stretched out to the mile.”

Antonucci noted Whatintheliteral could either look to stakes engagements at Keeneland or the local $150,000 Tempted on November 2 next.