Belmont at the Big A Notes 09/12

NYRA PRESS OFFICE —-

Belmont at the Big A Notes

Americandreammaker steps up in class, trip in G3 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks
Apprentice Chris Elliott joins Belmont at the Big A jockey colony
Poolside With Slim set for Listed Winter Memories
Stakes-winner Bank Frenzy returns in Sunday optional claimer

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The 11-horse field for Saturday’s Grade 3, $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational features six maiden-winners looking for their second career victory in the 1 3/8-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A. One of them is Rock Brothers Racing’s Americandreammaker, who stretches out in distance and steps into graded company for her first time.

The American Pharoah bay won her first start for trainer Michelle Hemingway, closing from 5 1/2-lengths back going nine furlongs on August 31 at Colonial Downs. She made a trio of efforts for conditioner Michael McCarthy in the winter at Santa Anita Park, where slow starts hindered her chances in all.

Racing manager Nick Sallusto was alongside Hemingway on Thursday morning and provided his insights on the filly, who has drawn the outermost post 11 in rein to Jose Gomez.

“It’s a big ask, second start off the layoff, but we felt like she was pretty convincing last time. She did it well within herself and we think she at least deserves the chance,” Sallusto said. “We’re hoping she can work out a trip and give a good account of herself.

“We think that the distance is 100 percent her friend. There’s not many options this time of year for 3-year-old fillies, and we’d like to get her some black type, similar to a lot of the horses in the field,” Sallusto added.

Sallusto said that he has observed improvement at the starting gate.

“She is definitely doing better at the gate. She was reluctant to break in California. She broke well the other day, but she didn’t really continue on straight away once she broke. Michelle added some cheek pieces to maybe get her looking forward and not paying attention to what is going on behind her,” Sallusto explained. “She seems to have adapted to those, she’s been training in them and it seems to be a positive addition.”

A Kentucky homebred for Rock Brothers Racing, Americandreammaker is out of the Tapit mare Chocolate Souffle. Her second dam is dual Grade 1-placed Super Espresso, who produced graded stakes-placed Eamonn.

Sallusto, a well-accomplished bloodstock agent, said Americandreammaker has a very promising pedigree. Her fourth dam, Courtly Dee, was Kentucky Broodmare of the Year in 1983, producing that year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Althea.

“I purchased the mare on behalf of the breeders originally. I think it is one of the true great American female families that are left. It goes back to Courtly Dee. It is a [breeder/owner] Helen Alexander family that I have some experience with,” Sallusto said. “Distance is unlimited- top and bottom. I think American Pharoah will continue to prove he is a top grass sire in America as breeders have figured out what works best for him.”

Sallusto has been in the headlines as of late as the buying agent for recent Grade 1 Hopeful-winner Chancer McPatrick, a 2-year-old colt campaigned by Flanagan Racing and trained by Chad Brown.

“I get the feeling that she [Americandreammaker] is stakes quality. I don’t know that it will be this weekend, but it wouldn’t surprise us either,” Sallusto concluded.

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Apprentice Chris Elliott joins Belmont at the Big A jockey colony

Apprentice jockey Chris Elliott, the 18-year-old son of veteran Classic winning rider Stewart Elliott, has four mounts on Friday’s 10-race Opening Day card at Belmont at the Big A.

Elliott won with his first mount, Ru More Starter, on April 21 at Lone Star Park in Texas and spent the summer at Monmouth Park where he posted a record of 78-7-6-13 for purse earnings of $261,568 topped by a first career stakes win aboard Reclusive in the Regret. Along the way, Elliott has added wins at Penn National and Parx Racing.

Elliott has a penchant for fast starts. In addition to winning with his first ever mount, he also scored in his first two outings at Monmouth Park, taking a claiming mile with mutuel favorite Coco Shell on July 19 before capturing the six-furlong Regret one week later at odds of 34-1 aboard Reclusive with a last-to-first rush. Elliott was back aboard Reclusive on September 3 to win an optional-claiming sprint at Parx.

Although Elliott piloted Reclusive for the first time in the afternoon in the Regret, the young rider had galloped the Tina Hurley-trainee on multiple occasions in Texas.

“Christopher is not your normal everyday apprentice,” Hurley told the Monmouth Park press office after the Regret. “He’s got it. He’s got the breeding, he’s got the hands and he did an excellent job. I have been around him a lot at Lone Star. He has a good head on his shoulders, he works hard and you can see he has talent.”

Elliott, a seven-pound bug, is represented by agent Jose Santos, Jr. He is also named on four horses on each of the Saturday and Sunday cards here and will continue to ride at Parx Racing Monday through Wednesday.

“This has been the plan for a while. He went up to Saratoga a couple times to meet some people and today was his first day on the backside over here at Belmont. We’re super excited to get going. We plan on spending the whole winter here,” said Santos, Jr., son of Hall of Fame jockey Jose Santos, who notched Grade 1 Classic wins in 2003 aboard Funny Cide in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. “He’s won 17 races thus far, so we still have a little more time to work out that seven-pound bug. He rides comfortably at 110 pounds.

“He’s not one dimensional,” Santos, Jr. added. “The stigma of bugs is they want to be on the lead and get forward – don’t get me wrong, he can do that – but he’s won plenty from off the pace and he’s won a couple grass races already. I would say the big thing for him is he has a game plan out there and he can execute it a couple different ways.”

Stewart Elliott, a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has won more than 5,700 career races topped by Grade 1 wins aboard Smarty Jones in the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, narrowly missing Triple Crown honors when upset by Birdstone in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes. The 59-year-old Elliott, who was honored with the 2017 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, is currently riding at Remington Park.

Chris Elliott’s mother, Lilibeth, is the sister of veteran rider Richard Bracho.

“He grew up with his father being the great rider that he is, and his mother is related to the Brachos. His mom’s family comes from a long line of jockeys,” Santos, Jr. said. “He’s been surrounded by it his whole life and, from the looks of it, he was paying attention as he’s been pretty impressive so far.

“He looks just like his dad – there’s no question when you see him, that’s Stewart Elliott’s son,” added Santos, Jr. with a laugh. “He’s a super nice young man and I think he’s really going to go far.”

Elliott’s mounts on Opening Day include Hazardous Humor [Race 1], Jay’s Love [Race 3], Commandperformance [Race 7] and Ailani [Race 10].

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Poolside With Slim set for Listed Winter Memories

Glenn Bromagen, II, Patrick Lewis, and Sandra Bromagen’s stakes-winner Poolside With Slim is set to contest Friday’s Listed $150,000 Winter Memories, a one-mile inner turf route for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trainer Rusty Arnold said that he rerouted the Irish-bred daughter of Churchill to the Winter Memories after not getting into the Grade 2 Music City on September 7 at Kentucky Downs.

“We had to find a spot and this is where we landed. She’s doing well,” Arnold said.

Poolside With Slim has made six career starts, all as a sophomore, highlighted by a head score over returning foe Nice as Pie when surging from two lengths back in the one-mile Penn Oaks on May 31 at Penn National. She exited the performance to a last-out fourth with a wide trip in the Listed Tepin at the same distance on June 29 at Churchill Downs.

Arnold said that the one-mile distance suits his filly, who has drawn post 7 in the oversubscribed 10-horse field that adds four also-eligibles and one main track-only entrant. Frankie Dettori has the call, tabbed at a morning line assessment of 5-1.

“She’ll be forwardly placed at one mile. She always is. She’ll find a spot up close, and we hope that is the right strategy. We are used to big fields,” said Arnold, noting the filly has competed in double-digit fields in 5-of-6 starts.

Poolside With Slim, out of the Epaulette mare Kissepal, was a $105,700 purchase at the 2022 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale.

Arnold sent out a strong performer at Kentucky Downs with BBN Racing’s 2-year-old filly Kilwin capturing the 6 1/2-furlong Untapable on September 8. The Twirling Candy bay was making her second career start after a victorious debut and came from 7 1/4 lengths back in 11th-of-12 for a half-length win over Shezafunkydrummer.

“She is a filly we really like. She’s 2-for-2 and hopefully she’s done enough to get to the next level,” Arnold said.

Kilwin, out of the Blame mare Spanish Star, is a half-sister to graded stakes winner One Timer and Grade 1-placed Just Basking. She was purchased for $225,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“You don’t really expect it until they start training well. She started training well and backed it up with her first race, then she came back and backed it up again,” said Arnold. “She has been the favorite in both of the races. We had pretty good expectations for her.”

Arnold said that Kilwin’s target is the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 1 at Del Mar.

“Her next stop will be the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, if she gets in. If she doesn’t get in, we’ll put her away,” Arnold said.

​​Bregman Family Racing’s juvenile filly Totally Justified took the Listed P.G. Johnson last out on August 28 at Saratoga Race Course, traveling a prominent trip over 1 1/16 miles and fending off the well-regarded Virgin Colada late.

The Justify bay was making her grass debut after a fourth and third on dirt earlier in the summer in Kentucky. Arnold said that a probable next start for Totally Justified is 1 1/16-mile turf Grade 2 Jessamine on October 4 at Keeneland.

“She’s doing very well. She’ll run the first week of October and hopefully she’ll get to the same race [as Kilwin],” Arnold said. “We’re at home [for the Jessamine]. She is stabled at Keeneland and she trains there. All I have to do is walk her over to the paddock. That had a lot to do with not getting on the road again.”

Totally Justified, a $285,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, is a half-sister to dual Grade 2-turf winner Masteroffoxhounds and boasts significant turf pedigree being out of the Grade 1-placed Galileo mare Outstanding, who is a full-sister to Grade/Group 1-winner Magician and Grade 3-winner Apple Betty.

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Stakes-winner Bank Frenzy returns in Sunday optional claimer

LSU Stables’ New York-bred stakes-winner Bank Frenzy will make his first start since a win in the August 18 Evan Shipman Handicap at Saratoga Race Course when taking on Sunday’s fourth race at Belmont at the Big A, a one-mile optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up.

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the 4-year-old son of Central Banker was last seen posting a visually-impressive victory in the one-mile state-bred Evan Shipman, rallying from six lengths off the pace under Flavien Prat to overcome a pinched beginning and draw clear by 1 1/4 lengths over Maker’s Candy, completing the course in 1:37.27.

Rodriguez said it was rewarding to see the talented chestnut become a stakes winner off a three-month respite that came due to illness shortly after winning an optional claimer in May here.

“Stepping up to the stakes, it was a big step,” said Rodriguez. “He had gotten sick on us before and had to regroup. He looks good right now. So far, so good – thank God.”

Bank Frenzy, who was purchased privately after his win two starts back for trainer Lisa Lewis, is eyeing the state-bred $250,000 Empire Classic on October 27 here, but Rodriguez said it made sense to have another start in between with how well the gelding has been training.

“It’s a little quick back for us, but he is acting good, and we’re going to go and see what we have,” said Rodriguez. “We’re pointing for the New York-bred stakes. He ran a big race last time, so let’s just hope for the best.”

Bank Frenzy, who was bred by Chester and Mary Broman, will emerge from post 3 in the field of six under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Rodriguez also provided an update on multiple stakes-winner Antonio of Venice, who has not raced since winning the NYSSS Times Square in April here. The sophomore son of Laoban returned to the work tab on August 30 at Saratoga and followed with a half-mile breeze in 51.88 seconds on September 6 over the Spa main track.

“He’s coming along good,” said Rodriguez. “We’ll breeze over here at Belmont probably Sunday. We’ll let him tell me when he’s ready to go. He don’t owe us nothing and he’s paid his own way.”

Campaigned by Rodriguez with Michael Imperio, Robert Cotrone and Hibiscus Stables, Antonio of Venice also won the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way last year at the Big A and the Damon Runyon in March over the Ozone Park oval. He boasts a lifetime record of 9-4-2-1 with $535,744 in earnings.

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