Waitwaitdonttellme in time to win Niagara Stakes

Waitwaitdonttellme worked against a day-long speed bias and ended a seven-race losing streak with her first stakes victory in Tuesday’s $50,000 Niagara Stakes to highlight the Independence Day program at Finger Lakes.

The 3-year-old daughter of Mucho Macho Man tracked a quick early pace and wore down the pacesetting Warsaichi inside the final furlong to improve to 2-for-11 in her career with a second and five thirds. Luis Perez rode the winner for M. Anthony Ferraro, who co-owns the bay filly with Gags Racing Stable LLC.

Warsaichi, winner of the Lady Finger Stakes and Shesastonecoldfox Stakes last year at Finger Lakes, took the early initiative from the gate under John Davila Jr. and ripped through the opening quarter-mile in :22.98 just ahead of Lockbox. Waitwaitdonttellme and Isabel Luvs Gold tracked behind those two up the backstretch.

Warsaichi continued to lead around the far turn as 6-5 favorite Waitwaitdonttellme moved into second approaching the half-mile split in :46.35. The early leader held the lead by 1 ½ lengths past the eighth pole as Waitwaitdonttellme cut into the lead approaching the final sixteenth.

Waitwaitdonttellme took over from there and went on to win by a half-length in 1:11.57 over the fast track. Warsaichi held second, 6 lengths clear of Lockbox with Fancypants, Tumbles and Isabel Luvs Gold competing the lineup.

Bred by Mulholland Springs, Waitwaitdonttellme is out of the winning Silver Deputy mare Yolie’s Choice and was purchased as a short yearling by Grade One Investments for $45,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale.

Waitwaitdonttellme is one of 10 winners out of Yolie’s Choice and the mare’s first stakes winner. Yolie’s Choice is also the dam of New York-bred winners Bud White and Farmers Choice, and the unraced New York-bred 2-year-old Solomini colt Stanley Rough, who sold for $50,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, and a yearling colt by Thousand Words. The yearling and weanling colt were both bred by Hidden Lake Farm LLC.

Yolie’s Choice is also the dam of Southern Blessing, a $230,000 purchase at 2013 OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training who was a three-time winner and runner-up in the Grade 2 Sanford Stakes in 2013 at Saratoga Race Course.

Out of the Group 3-winning Southern Halo mare Old Star, Yolie’s Choice originally sold as a yearling for $110,000 at the 2004 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale. She’s since been sold for six figures three more times, including in foal to Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags for $105,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Waitwaitdonttellme earned $30,000 for the Niagara victory, boosting her bankroll to $67,835. She finished third in her last three starts – all at Finger Lakes – after starting the season with three runs at Tampa Bay Downs. Waitwaitdonttellme’s last victory came in an open-company maiden special weight, when she won by 10 1/2 lengths in her third start after finishing behind Warsaichi and Isabel Luvs Gold in her first two outs.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/07/04/waitwaitdonttellme-in-time-to-win-niagara-stakes/

---

Whatlovelookslike takes control in Port Washington

Barry K. Schwartz’s homebred Whatlovelookslike bolstered her dam’s already impressive resume with a victory in her stakes debut Tuesday in the inaugural running of the $116,250 Port Washington to kick of the Independence Day program at Belmont Park.

The 4-year-old daughter of English Channel won the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes by 1 3/4 lengths over Golden Rocket with odds-on favorite Runaway Rumour third in the field of four. Flavien Prat rode the winner of trainer Todd Pletcher.

Whatlovelookslike improved to 2-for-3 on the season and became the third stakes winner produced by the Proud Citizen mare Jonata, joining La Fuerza and Stonewall Star.

The 2-1 second choice coming off a win in a 1-mile state-bred allowance-optional May 26 at Belmont, Whatlovelookslike broke first and then raced in second behind longshot pacesetter Freddymo Factor. She and Prat tracked through early fractions of :24.68 and :50.57 over the course labeled good after heavy rains in the late morning and early afternoon.

“When I hit the first turn, I thought, ‘Perfect,’ ” Prat said. “I was comfortable and on the lead. And then [Freddymo Factor] got a little rank and hooked up with me. I couldn’t go around … so I decided to stay on his inside and it felt like the pace wasn’t strong, so I could keep myself in there. She was happy, so at the end it turned out good.”

Whatlovelookslike took control with a little more than a half-mile to run, then withstood a challenge from multiple stakes winner Runaway Rumour to her outside and Golden Rocket to her inside. Whatlovelookslike repelled them both and drew away late to win in 1:45.37.

“She did well. She broke sharp for Flavien and he got her in a comfortable position on the front end and she was able to hold off the favorite and the horse to the inside of her,” said Byron Hughes, Pletcher’s assistant. “She trains well in the mornings and is always pretty competitive in her workouts.”

Golden Rocket held second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Runaway Rumour with Freddymo Factor fourth. Sanura, the 7-5 second choice on the morning line, and main track only entrant Sunset Louise were scratched.

Bred and foaled at Schwartz’s Stonewall Farm in Granite Springs, Whatlovelookslike is the third foal out of Jonata. La Fuerza, a 6-year-old full sister to Stonewall Star and Jonata’s first foal, won three stakes carrying his owner and breeder’s black and white colors in 2018. He won four of eight and earned 4261,610.

Stonewall Star, a 3-year-old daughter of Flatter, is 4-for-8 with a second and three thirds for $285,058 in earnings. Third in the Grade 2 Beaumont Stakes presented by Keeneland Select in April at Keeneland Race Course, Stonewall Star also won this season’s Wide Country Stakes at Laurel Park and Franklin Square Stakes at Aqueduct. She won Aqueduct’s Key Cents Stakes last season for Schwartz and trainer Horacio De Paz.

Jonata is also the dam of the New York-bred winner Citizen K, a gelding by Mizzen Mast also trained by De Paz.

A $100,000 purchase by Schwartz at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale, Jonata won two of 17 starts with five placings and $140,800.

Whatlovelookslike has made all 10 of her starts on the grass, including her second-place effort via DQ in her debut during the 2021 Saratoga meet. She needed three more tries to break her maiden – that coming at the 2022 Saratoga meet – before winning two more times in five starts in allowance or allowance-optional events.

The Port Washington was worth $68,750 and boosted Whatlovelookslike’s bankroll to $285,550.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/07/04/whatlovelookslike-takes-control-in-port-washington/

---