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/

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