Bold Journey rallies to take Fall Highweight

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Bold Journey flies late to win Friday’s Grade 3 Fall Highweight at Aqueduct. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.

Bold Journey, carrying the second lightest impost and only picking up three pounds from his last start, rallied from last to score his first stakes victory in Thursday’s Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct.

The 2-1 second choice carrying 128 pounds, Bold Journey won by a length from 3-2 favorite Durante in the $194,000 stakes. Jose Ortiz rode the winner, a half-brother to New York-bred Horse of the Year and multiple divisional champion Americanrevolution, for trainer Bill Mott and owners Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber

Bold Journey came into the Fall Highweight off a nose victory in an Oct. 12 open-company allowance-optional at 6 furlongs during the Belmont at the Big A meeting. Durante exited a win in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler in late October and Rotknee, the eventual third-place finisher, came in off a win in the Hudson Stakes on the Empire Showcase Day program.

That trio vied for favoritism and Durante took the initiative from the start after being hard sent to the lead under Manny Franco under top weight of 134 pounds.

Durante led Win for Gold, fourth in the Hudson Stakes and the 5-1 fourth choice, by a half-length through the opening quarter mile in :22.68 just ahead of Rotknee and Cowan. Bold Journey lagged more 6 lengths behind to that point.

“He likes to do that, especially when there’s a little bit of pace to help him,” said Ortiz, who rode Bold Journey last time out. “The last couple times we’ve been sitting at the back and making one run and it worked out for me both times. The horse is doing very good. Mr. Mott has him in great form.”

The positions remained the same around the far turn as Win for Gold ramped up the pressure on Durante approaching the half in :46.06. Bold Journey continued in fifth to that point and at the top of the stretch before Ortiz angled him out toward the center of the track in the straight to fly past the field less than 100 yards from the finish.

Bold Journey edged clear at the finish for his sixth win in 19 starts, picking up $110,000 for the win and boosting his bankroll to $486,243. Durante held second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Rotknee under 130 pounds. Cowan and Win for Gold completed the field.

Ortiz liked how the race unfolded, especially when Rotknee and Dylan Davis weren’t in a usual spot of vying for the lead early.

“Rotknee didn’t break that well otherwise the pace would have been more aggressive,” Ortiz said. “Everything should have unfolded a bit easier for me, but Manny was able to clear him and unfortunately Dylan had to take a hold and that horse doesn’t like that, he likes to run free. I was a little nervous when I saw Dylan had to take a hold because I figured the pace wasn’t going to be as fast as I thought it could be. Approaching the quarter-pole, I was approaching the field nice and easy and when I asked him to go, he responded very well.”

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Bold Journey, a half-brother to New York-bred Horse of the Year and incoming first-year stallion Americanrevolution, earns some love after his first stakes victory. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.

Bred by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, Bold Journey is one of three winners out of the winning Super Saver mare Polly Freeze. Named New York-bred broodmare of the year in 2021, Polly Freeze produced the Kentucky-bred Wicked Strong mare Text Dont Call, won two of 16 starts and earned $42,109.

Americanrevolution, a son of Constitution and Polly Freeze’s second foal, earned New York-bred Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old honors in 2021 after a 5-for-6 season highlighted by victories in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap, Empire Classic Handicap and Albany Stakes. He recently retired to stand his first season in 2024 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson.

Polly Freeze’s fourth foal, the 3-year-old Collected filly Paleta, sold for $60,000 as a broodmare prospect at the recent Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Polly Freeze is also the dam of a yearling filly by Frosted that sold for $150,000 at the Keeneland September sale and a weanling colt by Constitution born March 18.

A $75,000 RNA at the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale, Bold Journey later sold for $80,000 to McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, agent, at the 2021 OBS April sale. He won one of two starts at 2 before a second in the Gander Stakes in February 2022. Ninth in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes that March, Bold Journey didn’t return to stakes company until this past April when fifth in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets at Aqueduct.

The Fall Highweight marked Bold Journey’s fourth win in nine starts and he improved his 2023 earnings to $337,610.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/11/24/bold-journey-rallies-to-take-fall-highweight/

Making the Jump: Steeplechaser Kiyomori wins stakes at Aiken

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Todd Wyatt meets Kiyomori and Graham Watters after they won Saturday’s Holiday Cup at the Aiken Steeplechase. Tod Marks Photo.

By Sean Clancy

“Will he be steeplechase horse of the year?”

Todd Wyatt was thinking big a day after Kiyomori dominated Saturday’s Holiday Cup at the Aiken Steeplechase. The New York-bred son of First Samurai and the steeplechase stakes winner The Grey Express earned his second jump win in three tries since joining Wyatt’s barn this fall.

Hall of Fame trainer Janet Elliot retired this summer and offered the gray 4-year-old to Wyatt. Owned and bred by Gregory Hawkins and foaled at River Valley Farm in Gansevoort, Kiyomori repaid Elliot’s faith with a maiden win at Virginia Fall Oct. 14, a third against allowance foes at the International Gold Cup two weeks later and a front-running win on the final day of the season.

Jockey Graham Watters, replacing the injured Harrison Beswick for the feature, put Kiyomori on the lead in the three-horse affair, turned back Total Joy by three quarters of a length. Our Boy Wes finished third after 2 1/8 miles in 4:01.

“Janet has done all the work, raised him, broke him, trained him, managed his career,” Wyatt said. “We had him a few weeks before he won at Middleburg. Harry and I thought the 4-year-old stake at Aiken was the right race. Janet suggested the allowance race at the Gold Cup, and I think it made the difference.”

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Kiyomori (right) leads Total Joy over the final jump en route to victory Saturday in Aiken. Tod Marks Photo.

The Grey Express won over hurdles in Ireland before joining Hawkins and Elliot. The daughter of King’s Theatre won the Mrs. Walter M. Jeffords Stakes at Saratoga in 2013. She retired in November of that year and joined Hawkins’ small broodmare band. Her first foal,  Mekong, finished second over timber in November. Born a year later, Saigon won a flat race at Laurel and a jump race at Foxfield in 2022. Her next foal, Webb, won on the flat in 2022 and over hurdles in 2023. Camcha, a daughter of Get Stormy, finished second in her debut for Christophe Clement this summer before finishing 11th at Saratoga. The Grey Express is also the dam of an unnamed 2-year-old Karakontie filly and a weanling colt by Demarchelier, both bred in New York by Hawkins.

“It’s great for Greg Hawkins and it’s great for Janet,” Wyatt said. “She asks me every once in a while how he’s doing but she doesn’t check on what we actually do with the horse, she trusts us. It’s nice to have someone who has been in the trenches to bounce ideas off. It was her idea to go to the Gold Cup and I think that was the deciding factor at Aiken. Having that race three weeks ago certainly helped him see it out.”

Kiyomori made two starts for Dave Donk at Belmont at the Big A in 2022 before returning to Elliot where he made four starts before transferring to Wyatt. The Maryland-based trainer had to audible after Beswick was injured in the second race of the five-race card.

“It was a shame Harry couldn’t ride him, he gave him a nice ride at Gold Cup, dropped him in, gave him a little more education, finished up nicely with the thoughts on the race at Aiken,” Wyatt said. “Harry got hurt in the second race. We asked Jamie (Bargary) to ride him, he gets hurt in the third race. We said weren’t going to ask anybody until after the fourth race. We were lucky to have Graham fall into our lap. A good jockey and a nice horse in front is dangerous.”

Kiyomori will enjoy a deserved rest this winter before aiming at a spring campaign. With two wins on his record, he’ll move into the novice stakes division for 2024.

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t be a Saratoga horse,” Wyatt said. “He’s such a good mover, it would be on our radar. He’s a novice horse for the spring, we’ll pick out a spot or two in the spring with the hopes of going up there for the Jonathan Kiser.”

And perhaps an earlier trip in April.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/11/19/making-the-jump-steeplechaser-kiyomori-wins-stakes-at-aiken/

Tricky Temper digs deep to win Key Cents

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Tricky Temper edges away late to win Saturday’s $100,000 Key Cents at Aqueduct. NYRA Photo.

Jeremiah Englehart wasn’t sure where Tricky Temper would excel – on dirt or turf – when he sat down to talk about the promising prospects and established veterans in his stable just before the start of this year’s Saratoga meet.

“I haven’t necessarily figured out if she’s dirt or turf, but the way she’s been working she’ll get a dirt start at first,” Englehart said in his Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour that appeared in The Saratoga Special’s second edition of 2023. “She could be a real nice filly.”

Tricky Temper proved that a few weeks later, winning an off-the-turf maiden race. The 2-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, who cost owner Mark Stanley $230,000 at the OBS April sale, took it up a notch Saturday with a determined victory over Cara’s Time in the $100,000 Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct.

Tricky Temper won her first stakes in the 6-furlong Key Cents, after a fourth in the Seeking the Ante at Saratoga and a second in the off-the-turf Matron at the Belmont at the Big A meet. She also finished ninth, beaten 8 lengths against open company, in the Chelsey Flower going long on the grass last time out.

Back on the main track and facing just five foes in the Key Cents, Tricky Temper and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. went to the post as the 9-5 favorite. They needed almost every step of the stretch to wear down Cara’s Time, winner of the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes two starts back, but got up in time to win by a head in 1:11.74 over the fast main track.

“She broke well and put me in a beautiful spot. I just bided my time,” said Ortiz, who won the Notebook Stakes earlier on the card and riding his fourth of five winners overall on the day. “The horse in front of me [Cara’s Time] is a nice filly, so I just used her like a target and got there on time. Jeremiah did a great job with her. He was very positive and told me she was doing really well and to ride her with confidence.”

Dylan Davis took the initiative early on Cara’s Time, putting the daughter of Not This Time on the lead shortly after the break and to a sharp quarter-mile in :22.76. My Shea D Lady and Tricky Temper took up the chase up the backstretch and around the far turn, as Cara’s Time continued to lead through the half in :46.78.

“I was optimistic on her today,” said Davis, who rode Cara’s Time in the Gimma and in her second last time out in the Maid of the Mist Stakes on Empire Showcase Day. “Cutting back from the mile, I thought she definitely would be strong here at 6. She’s plenty fit and Mitch [Friedman, trainer] did a great job. She’s getting better every start and I really thought that we were home a winner.”

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Tricky Temper gave Irad Ortiz Jr. the response he asked for to win Saturday’s Key Cents. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.

Ortiz felt the same in midstretch as Tricky Temper continued to cut into a 1 1/2-length deficit in midstretch. They eventually wrested the lead inside the sixteenth pole and won by a neck. Cara’s Time finished 6 1/2 lengths clear of the Englehart-trained Unicorn Cake, with My Shea D Lady, Soloshot and Alley’s Song completing the field.

“She responded for me down the lane … that horse was a little bit better,” Davis said. “My filly, she’s very quirky and you’ve got to stay with her. She’ll drop you if you’re not paying attention to her. She ran great.”

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, Tricky Temper is the fourth foal out of the stakes-winning Any Given Saturday mare Winter Book. One of 17 New York-bred juveniles that sold for six figures at the OBS April sale, Tricky Temper is a full-sister to winner Mischief Mogul and a half-sister to winner Winter Wolf. A six-time winner and earner of $148,299, Winter Book is also the dam of New York-bred yearling filly by Gift Box.

Tricky Temper improved to 2-1-0 in five starts and earned $55,000 to boost her bankroll to $146,210.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/11/18/tricky-temper-digs-deep-to-win-key-cents/

Works for Me lands stakes score in Notebook

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Works for Me (outside) edges Detective Tom late to win Saturday’s $100,000 Notebook Stakes at Aqueduct. Joe Labozzetta/NYRA Photo.

Fresh off back-to-back placings in open stakes, Works for Me made a winning return to the state-bred ranks with a victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Notebook Stakes for 2-year-olds at Aqueduct.

A homebred son of Daddy Long Legs for KatieRich Stables, Chris Connors and Larry Appel, Works for Me and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. wore down stubborn frontrunner Detective Tom late to win the 6-furlong Notebook by a head. Aggelos the Great came up just short in his bid up the inside to finish third in the 10th renewal of the Notebook.

“Obviously, having Irad is great; it’s an asset,” winning trainer Joe Lee said. “I was pretty comfortable not with the race, but just comfortable having Irad. The way it turned out, we were outside and we were able to sit and rate today as opposed to being on the lead. In his last race on turf, [he was] kind of stuck down inside and had to get to the front again, so he’s never really rated. If you look back at his races, he’s always having to go to the front; not because he wants to or because of the jockey, but because of the way the race set up, the break of the race and so forth.”

Works for Me came into the Notebook off a second in the off-the-turf Futurity Stakes Oct. 8 and a close third in the 6-furlong Atlantic Beach Stakes on the turf Nov. 4, both during the Belmont at the Big A meeting.

The 6-5 favorite in the field of eight, Works for Me bobbled a bit at the break as 15-1 longshot Detective Tom zipped off to an easy lead through the opening quarter-mile in :23.28. Works for Me recovered from his start and put pressure on the leader around the far turn, and the two were separate by a length through the half in :47.04.

Detective Tom, fifth last time out in the Bertram F. Bongard and making his first start for Michelle Nevin, spurted away again in the stretch and led by a length in midstretch. Works for Me cut into that margin inside the eighth pole before getting up in time in 1:12.06 over the fast main track. Detective Tom finished three quarters of a length in front of 2-1 second choice Aggelos the Great. Perliano, Always a Warrior, Wine Responsibility, Bonne Chance and Ice the Kicker completed the field.

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Saturday’s Notebook produced a three-way photo with Works for Me (6) edging Detective Tom and Aggelos the Great. NYRA Photo.

“My horse was trying,” Ortiz said. “When I turned for home, I waited as long as I could. He never gave up and he was there. When I called his attention, he was responding. It was a good feeling I thought. I thought I could get there any time.”

Works for Me started his career in Kentucky, finishing a close third in a 5-furlong maiden special weight May 18 at Churchill Down for trainer Daniel Leitch. Transferred to Lee after that effort, Works for Me won a 5-furlong maiden at Belmont Park June 23 before a fourth in the Funny Cide Stakes on the Saratoga Showcase Day program in late August.

The Notebook was worth $55,000 to Works for Me, who improved to 2-1-2 in six starts and earnings of $160,150. Lee and Works for Me’s other connections considered Sunday’s $120,000 Central Park Stakes on the turf but opted to return to the main track Saturday.

“The owners saw that with the odds, the grass and having to go a mile for the first time, they thought that maybe the better option was going against New York-breds short on the dirt,” Lee said. “I know he ran well on the turf last time, but pretty much it was the owners’ decision, so I guided them on it.”

Foaled at Doyle Farm in Schuylerville, Works for Me is the first foal out of the Soldat mare Bella’s Game, a two-time winner in eight starts and earner of $58,850. A $90,000 purchase at the 2017 OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale, Bella’s Game is a half-sister to stakes-placed She’s Like Thunder from the family of 2001 Kentucky Derby runner-up Invisible Ink.

Bella’s Game did not produce a foal in 2022, when she did not sell in foal to Beau Liam at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale. She delivered a filly by Beau Liam, bred in New York by Taylor Barraclough and Shane Barraclough, in early April.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/11/18/works-for-me-lands-stakes-score-in-notebook/