Yo Cuz makes it three straight in East View
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Yo Cuz rolls to third straight stakes victory in Sunday’s East View at Aqueduct. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.
Tom Gallo didn’t want to leave last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training empty handed.
The head of Dream Maker Racing, who tested out Fasig-Tipton’s internet bidding system early in the sale, set a budget and waited for a New York-bred filly selling as Hip 209[2] to come through the ring. The daughter of Laoban, who galloped during the presale under-tack show, eventually arrived and bidding quickly passed that threshold.
“The budget was $75,000,” Gallop said. “I wound up going almost double the budget, but we liked her enough. We had scoped out several of the other horses, but we were not in the ballpark for the ones that were coming up. But we didn’t want to leave without one. We liked her and liked the fact that the horse didn’t breeze.”
Gallo and his team, which included Andrew Calvano, ultimately bought the filly now named Yo Cuz using the internet bidding system for $125,000. She’s since won three times – all stakes – in four starts and banked just shy of $400,000 for the Dream Maker partnership.
The latest victory came Sunday in the $100,000 East View, the Closing-Day feature for the Aqueduct winter meeting. Yo Cuz and jockey Jose Ortiz, riding back in New York after returning from the Dubai World Cup card Saturday at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates, won the 7-furlong East View by 5 1/4 lengths over Stone Creator. Yo Cuz won in 1:26.94.
“I’ve been in on a few of their horses and she is clearly the best so far,” said Dave Wagman, a member of the Dream Maker partnership that owns Yo Cuz. “The New York program is what they preach and it’s a lot of fun to get the chance to come out and run in a stakes race like this. She’s now won three of them. It’s a fabulous program and we love it.
“I enjoy it. There’s a lot more to learn from what you see on TV and being a fan is a tiny glimpse of it. I’ve enjoyed getting to see behind the curtain. She’s a really, nice filly.”
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Yo Cuz continues to impress jockey Jose Ortiz after latest stakes victory in Aqueduct’s East View. NYRA Photo.
Yo Cuz, the 3-5 favorite in the field of six from post five, expected to have some company on the lead with Silver Fist making her first start from the rail for trainer Chuck Lawrence and the multiple stakes-placed Sandy’s Garden just to her inside. Silver Fist stumbled bad at the break, going to her nose and spotting the field several lengths. Sandy’s Garden broke well but not as well as Yo Cuz, who led up the backstretch on Ortiz’s quite hold.
Silver Fist regrouped enough to come up the inside to get within a half-length of Yo Cuz to the quarter in :23.97, with Sandy’s Garden and Stone Creator not far back.
Yo Cuz continued to lead through the half in :47.99, a half-length in front of Stone Creator and Kendrick Carmouche. Around the turn it boiled down to Yo Cuz and Stone Creator, before the former cut the corner turning for home and opened up. She led by 4 1/2 lengths past the eighth pole and 6 furlongs in :13.52 and after a crew cracks of Ortiz’s left-handed whip in deep stretch Yo Cuz cruised home.
Stone Creator held second by a neck from the late-running Captainsdaughter, who finished third and 9 1/2 lengths in front of Sandy’s Garden. Salsa a Parte and Silver Fist completed the field.
“She’s a nice filly. I was expecting [Sandy’s Garden] to show some speed, too,” Ortiz said. “I broke good and did my thing and ended up by ourself up there [on the lead], so I took it. She did the rest. She finished up well. It’s very windy around the turn, so I think you’ll see a lot of slow times today, but she did everything right. She keeps moving forward. It’s a heavy track. I know she’ll be a lot better when she gets to Belmont; the track will suit her a little better.”
Yo Cuz added the East View to her maiden-breaking victory in the 7-furlong Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes Dec. 18 at Aqueduct and the 1-mile Maddie May Stakes Feb. 21 at Aqueduct.
Bred by Maggie Seidman’s Seidman Stables and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, Yo Cuz is the second foal out of the Tale of Ekati mare Steve’s Philly. A $50,000 purchase by Seidman Stables at the 2015 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training, Steve’s Philly is out of the Gone West mare Striking Wonder, who is out of multiple Grade 1 winner Wonder Again from the family of Grade 1 winners Colonel Liam, Tribulation and Graceful Darby.
Steve’s Philly is also the dam of the 3-year-old New York-bred Palace Malice gelding Uncle Jerome, who is in training in Maryland with owner and trainer Michael Gorham. Seidman, through McMahon of Saratoga, sold Steve’s Philly’s short yearling colt by Laoban for $160,000 at the OBS winter mixed sale in January. Steve’s Philly wasn’t bred in 2021 and was bred in early February to Connect.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/YoCuz-EastView.jpg
- Hip 209: https://www.fasigtipton.com/catalogs/2021/0517/209.pdf
- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/yo-cuz-the-east-view2-scaled.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/03/27/yo-cuz-makes-it-three-straight-in-east-view/
6 NY-bred winners on Claiming Championship card
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Honey Money, one of two winners on the day for Central Banker, romps in the $60,000 Sis City Saturday at Aqueduct. NYRA Photo.
Owners and breeders of New York-breds enjoyed a bountiful day Saturday at Aqueduct, pocketing more than $71,000 in awards for wins alone on the New York Claiming Championship program.
Six New York-breds won on the 10-race $620,000 Claiming Championship card, open to horses that started for a prescribed claiming price in 2021-22. The breeders’ awards totaled $39,187.50 on the day, while owners’ awards came to $26,125. Stallion owner awards for the day’s two winners totaled $6,325.
Central Banker, New York’s leading sire in 2021 who stands at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, sired two winners on the card with Honey Money in the $60,000 Sis City Starter Stakes and Dark Money in the $55,000 Kelly Kip Starter Stakes.
Honey Money, a 5-year-old daughter of Central Banker out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Bullish Sentiment bred by Klaravich Stables, won the 1-mile Sis City by 4 lengths under Trevor McCarthy. Trained by Wayne Potts for owners Frank Catapano and Nicholas Primpas, Honey Money improved to 7-for-22 with $330,870 in earnings in the Sis City.
“She’s game and she always gives 100 percent,” McCarthy said. “She’s a much better filly on the lead but she would get there and just wait. I worked her the other morning with blinkers on and she worked like a gorilla.”
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Dark Money, gave Central Banker his first winner in the Kelly Kip. NYRA Photo.
Dark Money, a 6-year-old gelding by Central Banker out of the Purge mare Candelabra bred by Cedar Meadow Inc., won his third straight race in the Kelly Kip. Sent off the 3-5 favorite in the 6-furlong event, Dark Money won for owner Flying P Stable, trainer Tom Morley and jockey Jose Gomez. Morley claimed Dark Money for $25,000 out of his win Feb. 19 in his prior start. The gelding improved to 13-for-31 with $466,207 in earnings.
“He’s a really cool horse,” Morley said. “We’ve had him before and we claimed him back with this race in mind. It was the owner’s idea. He came into the race in super shape. Jose said he just rocked back when they opened the gate and he missed the break, which is very unlike him for a horse who shows that amount of speed.”
Michael Foster’s Witch Hunter started the big day for New York-breds with a dominating victory in the second race on the card, the $45,000 Belle Gallantey Starter. The 5-year-old daughter of Khozan out of the Congrats mare Wave Bye Bye won the 7-furlong Belle Gallantey by 9 lengths as the 1-4 favorite. Dylan Davis, who rode four winners on the day, rode Witch Hunter for trainer Charlton Baker. She improved to 7-for-25 with $158,330 in earnings.
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Witch Hunter, Central Banker’s first winner on the card, gave Dylan Davis one of his four wins Saturday at Aqueduct in the Belle Gallantey. Joe Labozzetta/NYRA Photo.
“She handled it the way she should have. It was easy all the way,” Baker said. “The owner claimed her in Florida (for $8,000 May 21, 2021, at Gulfstream) and she improved a lot for him. We’ve just maintained where she was at. She’s a nice filly. She’s a hard-knocker and she tries.”
Davis also rode Gus Ginesin’s Blewitt to victory in the $75,000 Stud Muffin Starter. Sent off the 2-1 favorite in the field of 10 in the 11-furlong Stud Muffin, Blewitt won by 4 1/2 lengths over Air Attack for his ninth win in 25 starts to boost his bankroll to $350,765. Bred by Repole Stable, Blewitt is an 8-year-old by Uncle Mo out of the Montbrook mare Stopspendingmaria. Toscano claimed Blewitt for $25,000 out of a victory going 9 furlongs Dec. 31 at Aqueduct.
“I had Air Attack [win this race] last year and this year I had Blewitt,” said winning trainer John Toscano Jr. “The old man got good. He’s peaking now as an 8-year-old. He loves two turns. If you look at his form, his one-turn races aren’t as good.”
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Whistling Birds scores mild upset in the $80,000 Caixa Eletronica. NYRA Photo.
Epona Racing Stable’s, Clyde Jasinki’s and Toga Party Racing Stable’s Whistling Birds won the day’s biggest purse, taking the $80,000 Caixa Eletronica by three-quarters of a length over Zoomer. Bred by Pinnacle Farms Bloodstock LLC, the 6-year-old Jimmy Creed gelding out of the Unbridled mare Unshuttered improved to 8-for-27 with seven seconds and earnings of $333,958. Chris Englehart claimed Whistling Birds for $40,000 out of a runner-up effort going 1 mile last May at Belmont Park.
“He’s a very decent horse and has a big heart,” said winning jockey Eric Cancel.
Irving Kalensky’s and Joseph Loner’s No Salt closed the card and gave Davis his fourth victory in the $45,000 Dads Caps Starter as the 7-10 favorite. Bred by Larry Goichman, the 5-year-old gelding by Tonalist out of the Street Sense mare Shea Derby improved to 5-for-20 and $172,321 in earnings. Mike Miceli took over the gelding’s training last fall and he’s won or placed in five of six starts since.
“He’s been a very consistent and pleasurable horse to train,” Miceli said. “He was cut out to be a decent horse and it’s a little late in the game for him, but he’s making up for it now.”
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HoneyMoney-SisCity.jpg
- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DarkMoney-KellyKip.jpg
- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WitchHunter-BelleGallantey.jpg
- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WhistlingBirds-CaixaEletronica.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2022/03/27/6-ny-bred-winners-on-claiming-championship-card/