Funny Guy gets breakthrough victory in deep renewal of Albany

By Sarah Mace

The stakes portion of this summer’s Saratoga New York-bred Showcase card concluded with a treat: one of the largest, deepest renewals of the $250,000 Albany Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds in recent years.

When the dust settled after the sophomores had covered 1 1/8 miles, Funny Guy, a colt by New York sire Big Brown who is campaigned by Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable and trained by John Terranova, came away with a breakthrough victory under regular rider Rajiv Maragh. If that weren’t enough, earlier in the card in race 4, Funny Guy’s juvenile half-brother captured a maiden special weight for the same breeder, owners and trainer.

Making his ninth career start in the Albany, the consistent Funny Guy had finished in the exacta in six of eight prior races. He broke his maiden last December 22 at second asking, eking out a neck win after going 6 1/2 furlongs in the mud. Unplaced in the Rego Park on January 13 after attending a wicked pace, he returned in mid-March following a brief freshening to run a solid second in a first-level state-bred allowance. He followed up with a determined victory in the Times Square division of the New York Stallion Stakes (NYSS) series on April 20.

Second to Albany rival Blindwillie McTell in the Mike Lee Stakes on May 27, Funny Guy then took a two-race turf detour, contesting the NYSS Spectacular Bid and Cab Calloway divisions on grass. Each time he had to settle for a runner-up finish behind the talented Jimmy Bond-trainee Rinaldi.

As Terranova sees it, “He’s been versatile on both [turf and dirt], although he’s better on dirt. We kind of knew that after the last couple of races. I think he’s just a good horse that likes to run and he was able to tolerate the turf. We ran for a couple of nice purses the last two times. Given his first race on the grass we tried it again, and ran into Jimmy’s horse, Rinaldi, who I think is a really nice turf horse.”

Let go in the Albany at 7-1 odds, Funny Guy settled in mid-pack and took the clubhouse turn three-wide. On the backstretch the chestnut colt raced at the fence in the clear behind the vanguard, while the speedy Not That Brady set all the early splits, carving out an opening quarter mile in 23.54, half in 47.76 and six panels in 1:11.49.

Funny Guy began to pick things up late on the far turn, angled out four wide at the quarter pole and embarked on a strong drive.

Meanwhile Not That Brady at the fence had been joined to his outside by Blindwillie McTell and Just Right. Funny Guy inhaled the entire trio and shook clear.

Bankit, with a well-timed and menacing move down the center of the track, tried to spoil Funny Guy’s party, but ran out of real estate and Funny Guy hung on to get the win by a head.

Doups Point finished third 2 3/4 lengths behind Bankit. Not That Brady completed the superfecta. Finishing next in order of finish were Blindwillie McTell, Just Right, Kazmania, Daddy Knows and Dancers for Token. Make Motime was a gate scratch. After one mile in 1:36.57, the final time for nine furlongs was 1:49.35. [VIDEO REPLAY[4]]

Rajiv Maragh said, “He broke well, which I was hoping to do to gain position, and we got a nice run into the turn. He was nice and relaxed in the backstretch, and we were just biding our time until it was time to go.

“In the stretch, it was clear sailing and we went for it. For a moment there he got a little lost on the lead being in front and was kind of waiting a little on horses. I had to keep him to his task and fortunately the wire came up before the other horse got me.”

Terranova added, “There was a bit of a pace in here. We thought we’d just break away from there and see where he put him, get comfortable and let him do his thing. He’s a really smart colt and he’s very handy, so if he has to go inside of horses or outside, it doesn’t really make a difference. He’s done all that so far, and taken a lot of dirt.

“It looked like he had to kind of muscle his way through there [in the far turn], but then I saw Rajiv take another hold of him at the five-sixteenths pole I knew he had a lot of horse. I said, ‘All right, let’s just get a clear run down the stretch.’ He put him in the right spot to get it done. He’s just a good, honest horse.”

Bred by Hibiscus Stable, Funny Guy brought only $10,000 as a yearling when purchased by RSB Farm at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale. Gatsas Thoroughbreds bought him for $45,000 the following year at the OBS spring sale. Funny Guy’s record now stands at three wins and four seconds from nine starts and he has bankrolled $389,645.

He is one of eight winners from eight foals to start out of Heavenly Humor, a Kentucky-bred five-time stakes winner and stakes producer purchased by Hibiscus Stables with Funny Guy in utero at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton New York fall mixed sale for $25,000.

Heavenly Humor’s juvenile colt by Twirling Candy named Three Jokers brought more joy to the day for Funny Guy’s connections when he broke maiden at first asking earlier in the card, in race 4, by 2 3/4 lengths going 5 1/2 furlongs. Heavenly Humor foaled a colt by Overanlyze this past April.

Funny Guy’s sire, Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown[6], stands at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions[7]. His 2019 stud fee was $5,000.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/08/23/funny-guy-albany-stakes/

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In fourth try, Offering Plan gets up to win the West Point Stakes

By Bill Heller

For Michael Dubb, Nantucket Thoroughbreds, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith’s seven-year-old New York-bred horse Offering Plan, the fourth time was the charm in the mile-and-a-sixteenth $150,000 West Point Stakes for New York-breds on grass on Friday’s Showcase Day at Saratoga Race Course. After finishing third by a neck to King Kreesa in the stakes in 2016, second to Get Jets in 2017 by a half length and second in last year’s stakes to Kharafa by the same margin, Offering Plan gamely rallied between horses under Javier Castellano to take the race by a neck. Sent off at 2-1 in the field of seven, Offering Plan won in 1:41.18.

“I’m so proud of him, at his age to come back another year and give a really good performance and finally win this race,” Offering Plan’s trainer Chad Brown said.

Dot Matrix, who was 5-2 under Joel Rosario, finished second, one length in front of 2-1 Therapist and Irad Ortiz Jr. Everyonelovesjames, who was 12-1 with Eric Cancel, finished fourth, a half-length behind Therapist.

C.W. Swann and Cygnet Farm bred Offering Plan, a son of Spring At Last out of Rosalie Road by Street Cry who is trained by Chad Brown. Offering Plan was dropping back to New York-bred company off a rallying seventh by three lengths in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont Park July 12th.

Castellano settled him in fourth Friday as Everyonelovesjames winged it on the front end, leading by two to 2 1/2 lengths through an opening quarter-mile in :23.02, a half-mile in :46.99 and three-quarters in 1:11.71.

Then the pack closed in as both Therapist and Dot Matrix gained quickly while Offering Plan needed a place to go. Castellano sent him between Therapist and Dot Matrix and Offering Plan surged to take a narrow lead on Dot Matrix. He held that narrow margin all the way to the wire to win the stakes which eluded him three times. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

“I think the way he did it was phenomenal,” Castellano said. “I’m very proud of him. He’s an amazing horse, a real pro. He knows what he’s doing. I’ve been on him for his last 12 races and he always shows up. He never gives up. I’ve fallen in love with this horse.”

Offering Plan is now nine-for-27 in his all-turf career with five seconds, six thirds and earnings of more than $860,000.

“We’ll try to run him more at the end of this year, but it’s definitely his last year, I can tell you that,” Brown said. “He’s done a lot for us. We want to make sure he has a proper retirement.”

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/08/23/offering-plan-west-point/

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Unbeaten City Man romps in the Funny Cide Stakes

By Bill Heller

Reeves Thoroughbreds and Peter and Patty Searles’ two-year-old colt City Man may never reach the heights of Funny Cide — Sackatoga Stable’s New York-bred who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes — but he’s done everything he’s been asked to in winning his first two starts. He won his maiden debut by three lengths at Saratoga at 6-5 under Joel Rosario on July 18. On Showcase Day for New York-breds Friday at Saratoga, he added his first stakes triumph, taking the 6 1/2 furlong $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths under Rosario as the 2-1 favorite in the field of nine in 1:16.93 for trainer Christophe Clement.

Cleon Jones, who was 3-1 under Jorge Vargas, finished second, one length ahead of Listentoyourheart, who was 5-1 under Manny Franco. The Italian American, who was 10-1 with Javier Castellano aboard, finished fourth, a length and three-quarters behind Listentoyourheart.

Moonstar Farm bred City Man, a son of Mucho Macho Man out of City Scamper by City Zip.

In his debut, City Man was seventh early before rallying. On Friday, he broke much more sharply from the three post, getting away second as Bull of Bayren, who was 20-1 on the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr., took the early lead. Bull of Bayern led City Man by a length and a half in an opening quarter-mile in :22.25.

“I was expecting him to be further off the pace,” Clement said. “Exact opposite. He broke sharp and Joel let him run his race.”

City Man narrowed the margin to three-quarters of a length in a :45.35 half-mile, then made his move for the lead.

Though he raced a tad greenly, City Man surged past Bull of Bayern and opened up on the field, winning by himself. [VIDEO REPLA[3]Y]

“He broke very well today,” Rosario said. “The first time he broke a little slow. The race was a little longer, so I was very happy with him. He tried hard and it was great. In the stretch, he was very comfortable. I asked him to go and he went.”

In the winner’s circle, Jack Knowlton, the managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, presented the Funny Cide Trophy to the winners.

With two wins in two starts to begin his career, City Man has earned more than $150,000. And while most people associate Clement with grass racing, he has had his share of outstanding dirt horses, too, including Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist.

City Man’s connections are going to have a lot of fun finding out just how good he is.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/08/23/city-man-funny-cide/

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Stars align for Fierce Lady in Seeking the Ante

By Sarah Mace

After suffering the narrowest of nose losses to My Italian Rabbi in the Stillwater Stakes on July 18, Fierce Lady bounced back in style on Saratoga Showcase Day. The dark bay daughter of Competitive Edge overcame a bump at the start and rallied from just off the pace to win the sixth running of the $200,000 Seeking the Ante for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Trained by Dermot Magner, Fierce Lady made a big splash in her Belmont debut on June 22. Rocketing out of the gate, she never looked back, winning a 5-furlong sprint by 6 1/4 lengths. She completed the distance in 56.47, earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 87 and was dubbed a “TDN Rising Star.”

An eventful interlude followed before Fierce Lady took on My Italian Rabbi in the Stillwater. Her smashing debut earned her a spot in the Fasig-Tipton July selected horses of racing age sale. She made the trip and when the bidding stopped, the final offer of $725,000 did not meet Fierce Lady’s reserve, nor did the connections did conclude any post-sale deal.

The filly’s Fasig-Tipton consignor Archie St George explained the Fasig-Tipton outcome as follows: “The number they wanted was obviously big, but they race and she came here with the idea that if she brought what they wanted, great. If not, they can race her. I know that they thought she had a lot of talent as 2-year-old and they weren’t willing to sell her unless they got a premium.”

Sent off as the odds-on favorite under regular rider Javier Castellano, Fierce Lady did not have clean break, bumping and ending up in tight quarters, but was able to set up shop in in fourth on the back stretch, while 11-1 Time Limit took control of the pace, clocking sharp early fractions of 22.24 and 45.11 tracked intently by My Italian Rabbi

Advancing into third in the far turn with 1 1/2 lengths still to make up on the leader, Fierce Lady was asked in earnest in upper stretch.

Fierce Lady collared My Italian Rabbi in upper stretch, took a bead on the pacesetter, but Time Limit proved very tenacious. The pair dueled until the final strides when Fierce Lady was able to claim the top spot, ultimately securing the victory by a neck. Following six furlongs in 1:09.97, the final time for 6 1/2 panels was 1:16.73. [VIDEO REPLAY[3]]

Castellano was pleased the way his mount adapted to being bumped and squeezed at the break. “I didn’t have the best start out of the gate and I liked the way she relaxed today,” the pilot said. “It means she doesn’t have to be on the lead or have to be close to the pace. I’m very happy the way the race unfolded. Now we know she can go either way, on the lead or come from behind. They stretched her out a little bit to go 6 1/2 [furlongs], and she showed that she can get the distance. I think we have a little potential with her.”

As to Fierce Lady’s fierce determination in the drive, Castellano said, “When I hooked [Time Limit], she never gave up. She kept trying, even past the wire galloping out. I liked the way she did it. She’s a fighter. Those little horses, they always try harder.”

Magner said, “We thought we’d be on the lead, but we weren’t, so Javier went to Plan B. She’s a little racehorse. I was hoping they were going pretty hard [up front] from where we were sitting. It was a brilliant ride, an intelligent ride.”

As to the future, Magner said, “We’ll take her back to Belmont and give her a few weeks off and look at the New York-bred races down there.”

Bred by Sugar Maple Farm, Fierce Lady is the most recent of three winners out of Anjorie, a New York-bred stakes-placed daughter of A. P Jet. Anjorie has also produced stakes placed Bluegrass Jamboree (Bluegrass Cat), who has earned over $300,000. Anjorie currently has a yearling filly by Brody’s Cause, no foal in 2019 and has been bred to Practical Joke.

Fierce Lady brought $52,000 as short yearling at the 2018 Keeneland January sale before Magner acquired her for $75,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale. She RNA’d for $170,000 at the OBS March sale after working a furlong in :10 flat. From two wins and a second in three starts, Fierce Lady has earned $164,100.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/08/23/fierce-lady-seeking-the-ante/

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Belle of the Spa lights up toteboard in Yaddo upset

By Bill Heller

There seemed to be little reason for Anthony McCarthy’s homebred five-year-old mare Belle of the Spa to be in the mile-and-a-sixteenth $150,000 Yaddo Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares on the turf on Showcase Day Friday at Saratoga Race Course. She’d lost to English Soul, one of her opponents in the Yaddo, by 8 1/2 lengths in her previous start when she finished sixth, and English Soul finished second in an open allowance race at Saratoga July 31. Belle of the Spa had never even been in a stakes before Friday.

That didn’t prevent McCarthy and trainer Bruce Brown from taking a shot in the Yaddo. Maybe they knew that Fifty Five, the Chad Brown filly who would have been an odds-on favorite in the Yaddo, would scratch to run in the $400,000 Grade 2 Ballston Spa Stakes Saturday at Saratoga.

Regardless, they gave Belle of the Spa a shot. And her jockey Dylan Davis, son of a great grass rider Robbie Davis, delivered one hell of a ride on the lead. More importantly, Belle of the Spa didn’t give in when confronted in mid-stretch by Munchkin Money, the 8-5 favorite in the Yaddo field of six under Junior Alvarado. Munchkin Money put a head in front of Belle of the Spa, who, at 31-1, fought back on the inside, reclaimed the lead and won the Yaddo by a neck in 1:43.75.

Belle of the Spa’s victory touched her connections. “This filly is named after Anthony’s mother who passed recently, so it couldn’t mean more,” Brown said.

Kreesie, who was 8-1 with Jose Ortiz riding, finished third, a length and a quarter behind Munchkin Money while a half-length in front of 5-2 Wegetsdamunnys and Joel Rosario in fourth.

Belle of the Spa, a daughter of Pure Prize out of Awakened Beauty by Devil His Due, had shown proficiency on turf, with three victories, one second and one third in eight starts. But she hadn’t hit the board in two prior Saratoga turf starts, the last with Dylan Davis aboard when she was sixth.

Nobody told Davis or Belle of the Spa that they didn’t belong in the Yaddo and she broke sharply from the three post and beat English Soul and Manny Franco, the 9-5 second choice, to the lead.

Munchkin Money broke well, too, and Alvarado settled her in second. Belle of the Spa, though, took a clear lead. That allowed Davis to set a slow pace with a two-length lead after a :25.08 opening quarter-mile.

Sensing the pace was slow, Alvarado moved Munchkin Money within three-quarters of a length of Belle of the Spa, who continued at a glacial pace, hitting the half-mile in :50.61 and three-quarters in 1:15.63. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

“I wanted to take control and I was allowed to slow the pace, so I took advantage of it,” Davis said. “I had a lot turning for home.”

Then Munchkin Money moved for the lead around the far turn and to the top of the stretch. Munchkin Money drew even with Belle of the Spa and put a head in front, but Belle of the Spa responded immediately, taking the lead back and then digging in and fighting off the favorite all the way to the wire for the sweetest win of her career.

“I would have been happy with second at mid-stretch, but she just kept fighting,” Brown said.

Davis couldn’t have been prouder of his filly: “I thought that Junior was going to keep going on after he headed me, but I felt like my horse was still fighting pretty hard.”

Hard enough to win her stakes debut.

Now four-for-nine on grass with one second and one third, Belle of the Spa also has raced twice on dirt and she has total earnings of more than $200,000.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/08/23/belle-of-the-spa-yaddo-upset/

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Newly Minted makes added distance look easy in Fleet Indian

By Sarah Mace

Beach Haven Thoroughbreds’ Newly Minted came into the $200,000 Fleet Indian for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies with one big question to answer. Although her resume already sported three wins in four careers starts including two stakes victories, how would she take to racing 1 1/8 miles around two turns when her longest race so far was seven furlongs?

When the dust settled, Newly Minted was all alone at the wire with a much-the-best victory over a competitive field. The Fleet Indian kicked off the stakes portion of the Saratoga Showcase Day card. The companion race for 3-year-old males, the Albany Stakes would be run near at the end of the card to bookend the stakes sequence.

A daughter of Central Banker, Newly Minted was unraced as a juvenile, but ever since she burst onto the scene on April 13 for trainer Linda Rice has been a force to reckon with. That day she broke her maiden on a muddy track at Aqueduct by open lengths, only to wheel right back seven days later to capture the Park Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes (NYSS). The combined margin of victory for the two wins was 13 1/4 lengths. Next out Newly Minted switched up her front-running tactics, stalking and pouncing to prevail in Belmont’s Bouwerie on May 27 by 2 1/2 lengths.

Newly Minted got her first taste of defeat in her fourth race. Making a turf experiment in the NYSS Cupecoy’s Joy on June 23, she finished third as a beaten favorite. Trainer Linda Rice regrets the decision in retrospect, joking “I hate talking about that.” Rice explained, “It was the best opportunity in front of us at the time. She had breezed well on the turf and Central Bankers had been running well on the turf, but she clearly did not like it. I wish we could erase that from her form, but what’s done is done.”

Rice freshened Newly Minted for 61 days before the Fleet Indian, opting not to ship to Finger Lakes for the New York Oaks on July 24. She said, “Mentally and physically [Newly Minted] needed a little more time to recover. I saw some things in her in the paddock in the Bouwerie. Her nerves were a little on edge.”

Newly Minted exited post two cleanly under Jose Lezcano as the odds-on favorite and embarked on a tracking trip in the two-path 1 1/2 lengths behind Maiden Beauty (11-1), who broke from the rail and carved out swift early fractions of 22.99 and 46.66.

Brought along patiently until the far turn, Newly Minted came up to challenge Maiden Beauty, took over the lead with three furlongs to go, then took the rest of the field to school.

Cutting the corner, she effortlessly opened up an insurmountable margin, ultimately crossing the wire a nine-length winner. Kid Is Frosty (7-2) closed into second, 5 3/4 lengths ahead of Elegant Zip in third. Completing the order of finish were Wait a Minute, Maiden Beauty and Behind the Couch. After one mile in 1:36.99, the final time for nine furlongs was 1:50.63. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Jose Lezcano, aboard for all five of Newly Minted’s starts, reported, “We got a very good trip. She broke good. I wanted to be forwardly placed and she was there. I was slightly concerned in the first half, we were moving at a pretty good pace, but she was the best filly in the race. She’s very talented. I think she can run in open company now. She’s very nice and does everything right. Whatever you ask her to do, she does it. Linda does a great job with her.”

Rice, for her part, was very confident that the extra distance would not be an issue, saying, “This filly had trained so well into this race, and conformationally, she’s built like a filly that would get two turns, so I was pretty comfortable running her at the distance today.”

As far as the way the race unfolded, Rice said, “Going into the first turn, Jose was trying to get position and the put up a :22 and four quarter and I was a little nervous about that and the half mile was pretty fast, but she’s a nice filly. Jose did a beautiful job of getting her in position in the first turn and I was happy with what he did there despite the fractions.”

The two-turn success opens up some more doors for Rice, but she is in no hurry to rush into open competition before next year. “I just want to take one step at a time. Maybe open company and then a graded stakes next winter, as she’s turning four would be a good thing. But we’re just going to try and let her come along. I’m trying to take baby steps with her.”

Newly Minted has earned $346,350 from four victories, including her three stakes wins, and a third for Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, who purchased her for $110,000 at the 2018 OBS March sale.

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Newly Minted is the second foal out of the couple’s homebred two-time winner Newbie (Bernardini), both of whose offspring to start have won. She has a juvenile filly by Carpe Diem named Coco Cookies, an unnamed yearling filly by Speightstown and foaled a filly by Classic Empire on April 29. She has been bred to American Pharoah.

Newly Minted’s sire Central Banker[3] stands at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs. His 2019 stud fee was $7,500.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2019/08/23/newly-minted-fleet-indian/

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