New York-Breds at the Races: September 21 to 27 by Bill Heller
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New York-Breds at the Races: September 21 to 27 By Bill Heller Willet Delivers Again at 3-5 Overcoming a dawdling early pace, odds-on Willet quickly took the lead in early stretch then held off Miss Valentine late to win the $100,000 Princess Dixie Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at Belmont Park by a half-length Friday afternoon. Angel Arroyo rode Willet, a five-year-old mare co-owned and trained by Jimmy Iselin, who has now won two straight and six of 12 lifetime. The daughter of Jump Start out of Katina K by Distinctive Pro, bred by Michael Martin, finished second in her career debut then won three straight at odds of 3-5, 1-4 and 1-10. Her best race may have been her second by a neck to Nefertini in the Grade II Go for Wand Stakes last November in her final start as a four-year-old. She didn’t return to the races until June when she was a tiring fifth to super sprinter Dance to Bristol in the Grade III Bed of Roses. After being nosed in the Lottsa Talc Stakes by Clear Pasaj at Saratoga, she won the Union Avenue Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths over Clear Pasaj. Joel Rosario rode Willet in those two Saratoga starts before suffering an injury that still has him out of action. Iselin, who co-owns Willet with Charlotte Assoulin and Eli Gindi, turned to Arroyo for the Princess Dixie. Willet went off the 3-5 favorite in the field of five traveling 7 ½ furlongs, breaking from the outside post. Fiftyfour Forever, the 30-1 longshot of the quintet, took a clear lead under Manuel Franco. Without any pressure, she sailed through a quarter in :24.75 and a half in :49.48. Mischief Maker was second and Willet in the clear on the outside in third. Mischief Maker went after Fiftyfour Forever on the far turn two-wide as Willet advanced three- wide. Willet quickly took over in early stretch and opened a clear lead through three quarters in 1:12.42. Then Irad Ortiz, Jr. got Miss Valentine, the 5-2 second choice, rolling on the outside. She made up ground quickly, but Willet held her safe by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 1:30.71. Mischief Maker finished third, 3 ½ lengths behind Miss Valentine, who was defeated by Willet for the fourth time in her last nine starts. Willet now has six wins, four seconds and one third in 12 career starts and earnings approaching $400,000. **************************************************** Overcoming the outside post in a field of 11 and a wide trip, A Shares Stables’ May Shares nosed Missy Bay in a $70,000 New York-bred maiden special weight on the grass for two-year- old fillies at six furlongs Friday. Linda Rice trains May Shares, a daughter of Stonesider out of I Drink Alone by Intidab, who was bred by Jennifer Contessa and ridden by Cornelio Velasquez. May Shares had finished second by a length and a quarter, four lengths clear of Flying KC in third, in an impressive debut at Saratoga at 4-1 odds. She went off the 8-5 favorite Friday. Velasquez got May Shares away third as First Summation and Honeychild skirmished on the lead. Skirmished put Honeychild away on the far turn as May Shares moved up three-wide around them. Then Summation, sent off at 3-1 odds under Irad Ortiz, Jr., dug in. May Shares, though, kept up the pressure as Javier Castellano deftly rallied 7-1 Missy Bay up the inside. Faced with pressure inside and outside, First Summation finally weakened. In the final 100 yards, May Shares and Missy Bay raced head to head before May Shares inched ahead at the wire, winning in 1:09.62. **************************************************** In an exciting finish Friday, Team Tristar Stable’s four-year-old New York-bred filly Always Home held off fast-closing Implied by three-quarters of a length to win a one-mile $31,000 conditional $20,000 grass claimer in a final time of 1:36.92. Zencat was just a head back in third. Always Home’s victory was her second straight following a maiden claiming score for trainer/breeder Joseph Lostrito. Sent off at 14-1 odds under Rajiv Maragh, Always Home settled in sixth as 4-1 Zencat took an early lead before being passed by NY-bred Zekes Surprise, a 12-1 shot ridden by Javier Castellano. Always Home moved up four-wide on the far turn to take a run at Zeke’s Surprise, who held well. There were six horses across at one point in mid-stretch, before Always Home spurted clear. Implied came flying late to finish second. Always Home, a daughter of Skip Away out of Bounding Boldly by Bounding Basque, improved her turf record to two wins, one second and one third in eight starts. Carolinian Follows Grass Romp with a Game Victory on Dirt Thursday Dogwood Stable’s two-year-old speedster Carolinian padded his resume Thursday afternoon at Belmont Park. Returning to dirt after a 6 ¼-length maiden grass victory, he won a six-furlong $62,000 New York-bred allowance race wire-to-wire by a length in a snappy 1:10.21. Carolinian had finished second twice and sixth in three dirt starts before trainer Gary Contessa switched him to turf. With Javier Castellano aboard, Carolinian aired on the front end as the 9-5 favorite to break his maiden. On Thursday, Castellano chose to stick with So Lonesome, who had won his debut comfortably at 2-1 odds. He’d go off the 6-5 favorite. Luis Saez, who had ridden Carolinian in his first two starts, regained the mount. They’d go off at 5-1, the highest odds in the field of five. Breaking from the rail, Carolinian zoomed out of the starting gate, immediately opening a three- length lead. Saez let him roll on the front end through a quarter in :22.45 and a half in :45.13. At one point, he had a six-length lead. Through the stretch, the only horse making up ground on Carolinian was So Lonesome, who came flying up the rail. But Saez had the wire measured, and Carolinian held on to win by a length. There was a gap of more than five lengths back to Captain Toews in third. Carolinian, a colt by Yes It’s True out of Storm Dancer by Always a Classic, was bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan. He now has two wins and two seconds from five starts, for earnings topping $110,000. **************************************************** In a $26,000 maiden claimer at seven furlongs on the turf Thursday, Baal Perazim ran down front-running Princessbellaoncal, then held off Going Going Gone to win by three-quarters of a length under Manuel Franco in a final time of 1:23.73. All three horses are New York-breds. Baal Perazim, a homebred owned by S. Goldfarb, M. Dubb. I. Davis and High Grade Racing, is a four-year-old filly by Wild Dessert out of Valid Precision by Valid Appeal. Trained by Gabriel Goodwin, Baal Perazim improved her grass record to one win, one second and two thirds in seven starts. She is zero-for-11 on dirt with one third. **************************************************** Six String Stable’s first-time starter I Got Id rallied late down the center of the course Thursday to win a six-furlong $70,000 New York-bred grass maiden special weight for two-year-olds by three-quarters of a length over Junger in 1:10.24. Maybrys Challenge led most of the way and still had the lead in mid-stretch before tiring. I Got Id, Junger, and Social Rebellion closed in quickly, with I Got Id prevailing under Rajiv Maragh. Junger edged Social Rebellion by a head for second. Carlos Martin trains I Got Id, a colt by Freud out of Sweet Stormy End by Precise End who was bred by Michael Spielman. Sally’s Dream Defeats Shakeira Again in Open-Company Allowance Score Wednesday In the Yaddo Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at Saratoga on Aug. 16, Sally’s Dream finished fourth to Dayatthespa, two lengths ahead of Shakeira in fifth. On that day, Sally’s Dream went off at 12-1 odds, and Shakeira at 5-1. Six weeks later at Belmont Park, Sally’s Dream beat Shakeira again, this time by a nose, to win a $65,000 open allowance. Shakeira was the even-money favorite. Sally’s Dream, owned and trained by Randi Persaud, was the 4-1 third choice. Actually, both New York-breds appeared up against it in the race as Edie, the 9-5 second choice under Irad Ortiz, Jr., set an absolutely glacial pace on a firm turf course: a quarter in :26.38, a half in :50.65 and three-quarters of a mile in 1:14.60. Rajiv Maragh had Sally’s Dream alternating in second and third with Speedy’s Gal. Javier Castellano kept Shakeira a close fourth. Heading into the far turn, Speedy’s Gal faded as Sally’s Dream moved up two-wide and Shakeira advanced three-wide to engage Edie. In mid-stretch, Edie appeared to be home free, but both Sally’s Dream and Shakeira kept coming. In deep stretch, Edie gave the lead up and Sally’s Dream struck the front as Shakeira closed in on her outside. They hit the wire in 1:43.50 with Sally’s Dream ahead by a nose.