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/

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