Saratoga Race Course Notes 07/21

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Saratoga Race Course Notes

Breeder Gallagher’s Stud set to cheer on New York-bred Gambling Girl in G1 CCA Oaks
Charge It, Far Bridge work on main track Thursday
Pistol Liz Ablazen ready to fire in G2 Shuvee
Maple Leaf Mel breezes for G1 Test
MGSW General Jim rerouted back to turf; Allamericanbeauty eyes G3 Saratoga Oaks Inv.
Itsallcomintogetha earns career-best 86BSF; G1-winner Leave No Trace works a bullet
Rookie Report: Annointed, Protective give Pletcher a strong hand in Saturday maiden
Sunday’s Cross Country Pick 5 to feature Woodbine Oaks Day and Saratoga Race Course

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Repole Stable’s multiple graded stakes-placed Gambling Girl will vie for the first Grade 1 victory of her career in Saturday’s $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course as her New York breeder Gallagher’s Stud cheers on the talented daughter of Dialed In.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Gambling Girl enters the CCA Oaks from a close runner-up effort to Pretty Mischievous in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May, adding to previous Grade 3 placings at Aqueduct Racetrack when second in the Demoiselle and third in the Gazelle.

Her story began on March 5, 2020 when she was born at Mrs. Marlene Brody’s Gallagher’s Stud, becoming the eighth foal produced from the Ghent, New York farm’s homebred Empire Maker mare Tulipmania.

“It’s no real surprise that a filly like her would hop up and do something like this,” said Mallory Mort, farm manager of Gallagher’s Stud. “She’s doing extremely well and it’s a really good family.”

Gambling Girl boasts a strong female family as her third dam, Felicita, produced multiple graded stakes-winner Take Charge Lady, the blue hen mare that produced Champion 3-Year-Old Will Take Charge and Grade 1-winners Take Charge Indy and As Time Goes By. Felicita’s first foal was multiple stakes-winner Eventail, Gambling Girl’s second dam.

“This filly has a wonderful bottom side of her pedigree with the Take Charge Lady family,” said Mort. “We actually sold Take Charge Lady in-utero.”

Mort selected Dialed In for Tulipmania as the veteran stallion paired well with the mare’s physical and pedigree. Last June, before Gambling Girl debuted, Mort commented that the filly was the best foal he had seen from Tulipmania, and that, along with Gambling Girl’s on-track successes, led him to breed the mare back to Darby Dan Farm’s proven value sire to produce a colt in 2022.

“The full-brother looks a little quicker, a little more Dialed In than she is maybe,” said Mort. “He’s quite nice and a very attractive colt. He’s got a big engine on him with a nice walk. He’s a little bit of a different type, but we’ve been very happy with how the Dialed Ins have worked out with the mare. We may consider breeding her to him again.”

The chestnut full-brother to Gambling Girl has been entered in the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale as Hip No. 469. In 2021, Tulipmania also produced a filly by Twirling Candy named Gallant Greta, who sold for $90,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling Sale. She has logged one breeze at Fair Hill on June 3, covering three furlongs in 39.80 seconds.

Mort said he and Mrs. Brody look forward to every race from Gambling Girl, who has quickly added her name to a strong list of other famous top horses bred by Gallagher’s Stud, including Straight Story, Inimitable Romance and Rahys Appeal.

“This is just some kind of fun,” said Mort. “It’s fun for Mrs. Brody, and to have bred a horse of this caliber is really nice.”

Gambling Girl will exit post 4 in rein to regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr. on Saturday as the 5-2 co-second choice in the field of six.

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Charge It, Far Bridge work on main track Thursday

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sent out graded stakes winners Charge It and Far Bridge on Thursday for their first works since their respective stakes scores on July 8 at Belmont Park.

Under mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, Charge It went a half-mile in 49 seconds flat over the Saratoga Race Course main track in his first breeze since capturing the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban. The Whisper Hill Farm homebred son of Tapit remains on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 5 at the Spa.

Boasting a record of 10-4-3-0 and earnings of $717,600, Charge It was a 23-length winner of last year’s Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont Park following a 17th-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. He entered the Suburban from unplaced finishes in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap and Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap.

“He worked really well. We’re on target for the Whitney,” Pletcher said. “The way he came out of his last race, he had good energy and was moving great. He’s settled in really well here. He seems like a horse that’s in really good form.”

Charge It is out of the Indian Charlie mare I’ll Take Charge, who is out of the prolific Grade 1-winner and producer Take Charge Lady. Named the 2014 Broodmare of the Year, Take Charge Lady produced 2013 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Will Take Charge, Grade 1 winners Take Charge Indy and As Time Goes By, as well as Charming – the dam of 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Take Charge Brandi and multiple Grade 1-winner Omaha Beach.

I’ll Take Charge was bought by Whisper Hill for $2.2 million at the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, and only won one of her five starts but never finished worse than third.

LSU Stables’ Far Bridge went a half-mile in 49.95 in company with Al’s Rocket. The move was his first since a one-length victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational on July 8, where he registered a career-high 95 Beyer.

“I wanted to breeze him on the turf today, but I didn’t like how the forecast looked, so I’m glad we got it in yesterday. He went well,” Pletcher said.

Never worse than second in five lifetime starts, Far Bridge was a two-time winner for his previous conditioner Christophe Clement before the son of English Channel was sold privately to Lawrence Sarf’s LSU Stables. He was second in both the Grade 2 American Turf on May 6 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 3 at Belmont before his Belmont Derby conquest.

Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Far Bridge is out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Fitpitcher. His third dam is multiple graded-stakes winner Pleasant Temper – the granddam of graded stakes winning millionaire Long Range Toddy.

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Pistol Liz Ablazen ready to fire in G2 Shuvee

Cash is King and LC Racing’s Pistol Liz Ablazen, trained by Butch Reid Jr., will make her graded stakes debut in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Shuvee at 1 1/8 miles on dirt for older fillies and mares.

The Daredevil filly finished first at Parx last time out, posting a 5 1/2-length romp in an allowance on June 21.

“We obviously know it is a deep spot, but it is a little hard to turn down a four-horse field, and an opportunity to get a graded-stakes placing which would be a nice feather in her cap,” said Reid, Jr. “She’s doing really well, otherwise I wouldn’t even be thinking about it.”

The race features two multiple Grade 1-winners under Hall of Fame trainers in Steve Asmussen’s Clairiere and Todd Pletcher’s Nest. The Phil Bauer-conditioned Skratch Kat completes the compact field.

Pistol Liz Ablazen holds a lifetime record of 11-3-4-2 and recently breezed a sharp half-mile in 49.01 seconds on July 12 at Parx.

“She’s training well and always tries hard,” Reid, Jr. said. “Even though we do realize she is in pretty deep this time.”

Pine Brook Farm’s Foggy Night netted a 1 3/4 length score on July 1 in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Delaware Oaks. The filly’s graded stakes debut was an off-the-board finish in Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Demoiselle, a 1 1/8 mile test for 2-year-old fillies in December. Following that race, she made a pair of starts at Parx, placing versus allowance company in April and winning at the same level in June before making the grade.

Reid, Jr. said Foggy Night will target the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 29 as a bridge to the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion on September 23 at Parx.

“She handled that track really well and we were really pleased with the way she ran,” Reid, Jr. said of the Delaware effort. “We want to keep her around two turns. We want to take a shot at our big race here, the Cotillion, if she does well in her next start.”

Cash is King, LC Racing and Gary Barber’s Morning Matcha has hit the board in her last eight starts, most recently landing third in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 8.

“We were a little disappointed with the Delaware Handicap to be honest, but she came out of it fine,” Reid explained. “We are going to give her plenty of time. I haven’t picked out her next spot yet, but she always gives her best.”

The 4-year-old Central Banker filly has hit the board in 17-of-20 starts. She ran third in Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Comely in November.

The $18,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling purchase has returned $793,390 in career earnings.

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Maple Leaf Mel breezes for G1 Test

August Dawn Farm’s multiple graded stakes-winning New York-bred Maple Leaf Mel posted a bullet half-mile breeze in 49.22 seconds Friday over Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma training track. The daughter of Cross Traffic clocked the fastest of eight half-mile works conducted over the muddy surface.

“It went very good,” said trainer Melanie Giddings. “We didn’t do anything special and kept it simple. The track was a little wet, but it was tight enough. I like the surface here.”

The work was Maple Leaf Mel’s first since powering to a 2 1/2-length triumph in Belmont Park’s Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 8, the second graded victory of her career after winning the Grade 3 Miss Preakness in May at Pimlico Race Course.

The undefeated Maple Leaf Mel is currently targeting the Grade 1, $500,000 Test for sophomore fillies sprinting seven furlongs on August 5 at the Spa. She would be the first Grade 1 starter for Giddings, who went out on her own in January after working as the longtime assistant for Jeremiah Englehart.

“She came out of her last race really well with good energy,” said Giddings. “She’s great and she’s the star. She’s always been professional, even as good-feeling of a horse as she can be. When she was a baby, I was worried she may be goofy in the paddock or something, and she was awesome. She’s always been like that. The good ones do things a little different than most.”

Bred in the Empire State by Joe Fafone, Maple Leaf Mel has banked $399,650 through her perfect 5-for-5 record.

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MGSW General Jim rerouted back to turf; Allamericanbeauty eyes G3 Saratoga Oaks Inv.

Courtlandt Farm’s General Jim, a multiple graded stakes-winner on dirt, will likely turn his attention back to turf with the Grade 2, $500,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on August 4 at Saratoga Race Course as a likely next target, according to his Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

The son of Into Mischief broke his maiden over the Spa turf in September before a strong 3 1/4-length allowance coup at Keeneland where he bested a loaded 12-horse field going 1 1/16 miles. After a closing third in Aqueduct Racetrack’s Central Park, McGaughey switched the talented bay to dirt, a change that saw him land graded scores in the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile in thrilling fashion over next-out Grade 3 Dwyer-winner Fort Bragg in May at Churchill Downs.

General Jim was slated to work over the Oklahoma turf training course Friday, but will wait for better weather after overnight rains forced turf works to be canceled.

McGaughey said he expects his colt to carry his graded dirt form back over to turf.

“He had broke his maiden on turf and then he ran on the turf at Keeneland in a bang-up race,” said McGaughey. “Then I ran him on the turf at Aqueduct in a stake and maybe I ran him back a little quick, but at the head of the stretch he looked like he was going to win and then he finished third. Mr. [Donald] Adam [owner] said he would like to try him back on the dirt a little bit and help his pedigree a bit, and that worked out fine with the Swale and Pat Day Mile, so he’s got that on his resume. If he can win a stake or two on the grass, it’d be a double-header.”

McGaughey recently sent out Courtlandt Farms’ Allamericanbeauty for a sharp half-mile breeze in 47.47 seconds on July 15 over the Oklahoma turf training track in preparation for the Grade 3, $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational, a 1 3/16-mile turf test for sophomore fillies on August 4.

The daughter of Into Mischief finished fifth last out in the Grade 2 Wonder Again where she took up into the first turn and flattened out when asked for more into the stretch. McGaughey said the bay filly may have been distracted in her last race and that he added blinkers for her latest work.

“She’s doing very good,” said McGaughey. “We didn’t do anything fancy, but she worked awfully well over firm turf and with blinkers. I think she was a little green in her race and looking around a little bit. She’s still got some maturing to do, but we’re working on it.”

Allamericanbeauty has failed to hit the board in her two attempts at the graded level, but boasts a visually-impressive allowance win when closing from 10th-of-11 in a nine-furlong allowance route in April at Keeneland.

McGaughey also noted that Allen Stable and CHC Inc.’s Talk of the Nation, second in the Grade 3 Manila on July 7 at Belmont Park, will not be pointed to the Grade 2 Hall of Fame and will look to something later in the summer.

McGaughey said a potential next start could come in either the Grade 3, $175,000 Saranac on September 1 at the Spa or the Grade 3, $500,000 Virginia Derby on September 9 at Colonial Downs.

“He’s training every day, but I thought he ran hard and we’re not in a hurry with him,” said McGaughey. “I think the Saranac or the Virginia Derby could be a possibility.”

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Itsallcomintogetha earns career-best 86BSF; G1-winner Leave No Trace works a bullet

Hilly Fields Stable’s New York-homebred Itsallcomintogetha made every pole a winning one under a smart steer by Jose Gomez, staving off the favored Ramblin’ Wreck to post a neck score in Thursday’s $150,000 NYSSS Cab Calloway.

Trained by Phil Serpe, the Weekend Hideaway colt led through splits of 24.18 seconds, 49.25 and 1:13.59 over firm footing in the one-mile inner turf test for eligible New York-sired sophomores. He stayed on strong to the wire to secure the win in a final time of 1:36.62 and garner a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

Serpe noted after the race how much the bay had filled out from his three-start juvenile campaign that included a third-place finish on debut in August sprinting on the Spa turf.

“If you could look at a picture of him as a 2-year-old, he’s literally twice the size,” Serpe said. “He’s easily 200 pounds heavier than he was as a 2-year-old.”

Itsallcomintogetha is by the Serpe-trained multiple graded stakes-placed millionaire Weekend Hideaway, who was bred in New York by Flying Zee Stables and campaigned by Red and Black Stable.

Serpe also trained the colt’s dam, the winning Powerscourt mare Ladywell Court, as well as Itsallcomintogetha’s stakes-winning half-siblings Goodbye Brockley and Lady Joan, who are all New York-homebreds for Hilly Fields Stable.

“What’s weird about the family – they seem to make it to the races as 2-year-olds, but they never really come around until they’re three like Lady Joan,” said Serpe, regarding the Courageous Cat mare, who captured the 2017 NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy at Belmont Park as part of a 6-2-3-1 sophomore season.

Serpe noted that Lady Joan’s first foal, Being Betty – a 2-year-old filly by Weekend Hideaway – is expected to debut for him next week at the Spa.

Ladywell Court also produced the 2018 NYSSS Statue of Liberty-winner Goodbye Brockley, by Cosmonaut, who banked $236,206 through a record of 19-4-3-1.

“They’re all runners,” Serpe said. “Unfortunately, we had a couple that had some injuries and didn’t make it and they were runners. There’s only been one or two clunkers in the whole lot. I’m happy for the people that own them.”

Itsallcomintogetha now boasts a record of 7-2-0-3 and is likely to target the 1 1/16-mile $125,000 Rick Violette for New York-bred sophomores on August 17 at the Spa.

WellSpring Stables’ Kentucky-bred Leave No Trace enjoyed a tremendous summer at the Spa last year, taking a restricted maiden special weight last July ahead of a prominent score in the Grade 1 Spinaway in September over eventual Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Wonder Wheel.

The Outwork dark bay finished third in the Grade 1 Frizette in October at Belmont at the Big A and completed her 2-year-old season with a runner-up effort to Wonder Wheel in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Keeneland.

Leave No Trace, who was eased last out in the Grade 2 Davona Dale in March at Gulfstream Park, has breezed three times this month in New York, including a bullet half-mile in 47.66 Wednesday over the Spa main track.

“Great,” said Serpe regarding the breeze. “She was at a gallop. She’s getting back there. We’re behind. We were hoping to have her ready – but you have to take your time, especially with a nice filly like that. She’s doing great. Fingers crossed.”

Serpe said he expects to have Leave No Trace ready to run at Saratoga but hasn’t chosen a race or distance as of yet.

“I don’t know where she’s running because she’s not ready yet,” Serpe said. “Saratoga? Barring something going wrong, yes.”

Serpe said the bullet breeze was encouraging.

“She’s fast, but she was blowing,” Serpe said. “Usually, a horse will have a hump work and then all of a sudden they’re giving you incredible works. She is a fast worker. She’s a lot bigger and a lot longer and a lot taller. We’ll see what happens.”

***

Rookie Report: Annointed, Protective give Pletcher a strong hand in Saturday maiden

Hall of Famer trainer Todd Pletcher will look to double up on juvenile maiden scores when he saddles blue-blooded debuters Annointed and Protective in Saturday’s seventh race going six furlongs over the Saratoga Race Course main track.

Owned by Siena Farm and breeder WinStar Farm, Annointed arrived under Pletcher’s care in late May and has breezed twice from the gate, including a half-mile in 49.45 on June 26 on the Oklahoma training track before drilling five furlongs in 59.77 seconds on July 4 over the main track.

“That was a good work, but we’ll find out more on Saturday,” Pletcher said of the July 4 breeze.

Annointed is by 2018 Triple Crown winner and second-crop sire Justify and is out of the Frankel mare Ambrosia, whose dam Pearling is a full sister to Group 1-winner and highly influential sire Giant’s Causeway.

“So far he hasn’t disappointed us on the dirt, so we’re going to stick to that plan for now,” said Pletcher, who saddled 2-year-old maiden winner Pirate to a commanding score last Saturday. “The Galileo bottom side would make you think that [turf]. The Justifys out of a Galileo mares have been running well in Europe, but as long as he continues to run well on the dirt we’ll stick to that.”

Repole Stable’s Protective first worked for Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs in South Florida, but shipped to the veteran conditioner’s Saratoga division in mid-May and has trained forwardly since. On June 24, the son of Medaglia d’Oro breezed a half-mile in 49.91 over the Oklahoma training track.

Protective, a $250,000 purchase from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the Grade 1-winning Empire Maker mare Grace Hall.

“He acts like one that’s probably going to appreciate more distance as we go along, but he’s been training along steadily,” Pletcher said.

Annointed will leave from post 6 under Jose Ortiz, while Protective will break from post 9 in rein to Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Trainer Ron Moquett will saddle Louis Cella’s World Fair [post 8, Julien Leparoux] for his debut. The son of Tapiture, out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Foxbeau, is a half-brother to stakes-placed Jumeirah. His third dam, Tizso, is a full-sister to dual Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow and produced Grade 1-winner Paynter.

After breezing extensively at Churchill Downs, World Fair worked a half-mile over the Saratoga main track on July 17 in 48.99.

“He’s a beautiful horse,” Moquett said. “We show up here with horses that we feel deserve to be here and we realize that we’re in there with a lot other nice horses as well. We’re looking for a good break and a good trip around there and hopefully he gets it done.”

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Sunday’s Cross Country Pick 5 to feature Woodbine Oaks Day and Saratoga Race Course

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Sunday featuring a trio of stakes from Woodbine Oaks Day at Woodbine Racetrack and racing action from Saratoga Race Course.

The Cross Country Pick 5 requires bettors to pick the winner of five select races from tracks across the country. The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country with each week featuring a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, boasting a low 15 percent takeout, offers sequences with races from Saratoga Race Course and partner tracks across the country.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Sunday, July 23

Leg A: Woodbine Racetrack – Race 7, G3 Trillium (4:15 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Saratoga Race Course – Race 7, Starter Allowance (4:34 p.m.)

Leg C: Woodbine Racetrack – Race 9, Plate Trial (5:23 p.m.)

Leg D: Saratoga Race Course – Race 9, Allowance (5:44 p.m.)

Leg E: Woodbine Racetrack – Race 10, Woodbine Oaks (6:00 p.m.)

Saratoga Live will present daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Belmont spring/summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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