Cicciobello charges home to win Thunder Rumble

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Cicciobello and Jose Lezcano triumph in Saturday’s Thunder Rumble. NYRA Photo/Joe Labozzetta.

By Paul Halloran

Derek Ryan figured Cicciobello would be forward in Saturday’s New York Stallion Series $125,000 Thunder Rumble Stakes at Aqueduct, even though he was cutting back from 1 1/8 miles to 7 furlongs.

“Usually he breaks running, so I figured he was going to be up close to the pace,” the trainer said. “It looked like he missed the break and it worked out good.”

Cicciobello did indeed break last and trailed the eight-horse field after a quarter-mile in a brisk :22.34, with Antonio of Venice and Light Man laying it down on the front end. The 5-year-old gelding by Bellamy Road out of the Eddington mare Spa Sunrise was still seventh after a half-mile, but the :45.44 split indicated the race might set up for closers and that is exactly what happened.

Jose Lezcano, riding Cicciobello for the first time, started moving on the turn and was forced to go wide when General Banker, also closing fast, drifted out in the stretch. Cicciobello was able to overcome the ground loss and outduel General Banker to the wire, winning by a neck at 20-1 for his first stakes score. The final time was 1:23.84.

“On paper, I thought there would be a lot of speed, so I let him break and not rush him,” Lezcano said. “At the three-eighths pole, I let him go and he started to pick it up. He came with a run . . . my horse gave me what I need to win the race.”

Bred by owner Massimino Rapuano’s My Way Stable, Cicciobello is the sixth foal and second winner out of Spa Sunrise, who won twice in a 15-race career. Her Sunrise Saturday won once in nine starts. Cicciobello improved his career record to 16-4-1-1 with $248,410 in earnings.

“He is a very honest and hard-knocking horse,” Ryan said. “He is a cool horse to be around. He is about 17 and 2 (hands/inches), and a big, gentle giant. I’m glad to get the win.”

Cicciobello broke his maiden as a 4-year-old last year, won a state-bred allowance at Saratoga and ran a respectable fourth in the Empire Classic Stakes. He lost his first three starts this year, but ran well in finishing fourth in the Evan Shipman at Saratoga. After winning an allowance at Monmouth, he ran last by 26 lengths in the Empire Classic.

“He gives you his all,” winning owner Rapuano said. “I saw him come flying and when he got the lead I said, ‘This is ours.’”

Bellamy Road, who won the 2005 Wood Memorial by 17½ lengths and ran seventh in the Kentucky Derby, formerly stood at Irish Hill and Duchess Views Farms in Stillwater. New York’s leading sire of winners four times, he sired 2018 New York-bred Horse of the Year Diversify. He is retired at Old Friends in Kentucky.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2024/11/23/cicciobello-charges-home-to-win-thunder-rumble/

Golden Rocket shines in Staten Island

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Golden Rocket wins the Staten Island Stakes at Aqueduct Saturday. NYRA Photo/Chelsea Durand

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Ballybrit Stables-bred Golden Rocket gave trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci his first stakes victory in the United States in the $120,000 New York Stallion Series Staten Island Stakes at Aqueduct Saturday.

Golden Rocket took advantage of her inside post to settle on the rail early in the 7-furlong stakes over a sealed dirt track. After the field got sorted in the first sixteenth of a mile, Manny Franco put his mount at Sunday Girl’s tail through a :23.26 first quarter followed by a :46.77 half with pressure coming from right behind her from the eventual leader and Lisa’s Vision at her hip on the outside.

The longtime leader left a hole for Golden Rocket to challenge for control and by the top of the stretch, they were head-to-head. Sunday Girl wasn’t willing to give in that easily and Golden Rocket had to deal with her sticking close until they entered the final furlong.

At that point, Sunday Girl grudgingly started to drop back, and Golden Rocket raced to a 3 1/2-length win in 1:25.13. Sunday Girl kept anyone else from passing her and finished second, 2 lengths clear of Lisa’s Vision in third. The victory was Franco’s fourth on the Aqueduct card.

“I’m super happy,” Kantarmaci said. “Under my name, this is my first stakes in the United States. We used to do everything with Mertkan [his brother]. Now he is on vacation. I’m so emotional. Life is so good. She ran very good last time and today was the perfect trip for her. It was excellent. She got the job done. Manny gave us a perfect ride.”

Both Kantarmacis are natives of Turkey and they have long worked together. Mertkan trained the bulk of the stable in the U.S. from 2016 through Oct. 5, finding success with Grade 2 winner Evvie Jets among others, when he handed full training duties to his brother.

Golden Rocket has registered two wins and one other top three finish in seven starts this year for owners John Witte and Morris Kernan. In all, the mare has won six of 27 starts with 10 other top three finishes for $413,262 in earnings. The mare’s first stakes victory came in the 2022 NYSSS Statue of Liberty as a 3-year-old, when she was part of the Patricia Farro barn. Kantarmaci and Witte claimed her for $45,000 out of a win Oct. 10.

Golden Rocket is out of the Touch Gold mare Taty’s Gold, who also produced Golden Rocket’s full-sister Golden Oldie, a winner of three races. In all, the mare has produced four winners from as many to race, including the seven-time winning New York-bred Admiral Kitten gelding Matty’s Express.

Taty’s Gold was also a successful racemare. She won nine of 44 starts with 11 placings for $213,460 in earnings. She is one of nine winners from 10 runners out of Broad Brush’s Eyes Aglow. The extended family also includes champion Gilded Time and Grade 1 winner Hardest Core.

Golden Rocket’s Grade 1 winning sire Alpha started his stud career at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, who stood him on behalf of Darley. Exported to stand at Haras Bagé do Sul in Brazil in 2019, the stallion returned to the U.S. at the end of last year and is pensioned at Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2024/11/23/golden-rocket-shines-in-staten-island/

Slumber colt Jack and Jim wins Central Park

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Jack and Jim stays clear late in Saturday’s Central Park Stakes. Coglianese Photos

By Paul Halloran

Graham Motion is not known for having his first-time starters cranked to the max – he clicks at 11 percent in that category in the last five years – so when one of them wins, it’s worth noting.

Such was the case with Jack and Jim, a Madaket Stables homebred who parlayed a maiden win Sept. 22 into a stakes score, closing from seventh after a half-mile to win the Central Park Stakes for 2-year-olds Saturday at Aqueduct. Jack and Jim was one of seven New York-breds in the open stakes.

“I never expect my horses to win first time, but he’s a horse we’ve always liked,” Motion said. “Did I expect him to win? No. But I thought he’d run well the first time.”

Manny Franco was content to sit well off the pace set by Not for Hire, determined to get to the lead despite going wide on the first turn of the mile turf race. He led down the backstretch through a quarter-mile in :23.20 and a half in :47.59. Franco stayed inside as long as he could, taking Jack and Jim off the rail on the far turn, which proved to be the winning move.

As the leaders bunched up at the top of the stretch, Franco got first jump on the other closers, including favorite Early Adopter, who made a wide, late move under Flavien Prat, and got to the wire a half-length in front in a final time of 1:36.42. Smooth Breeze was second, while Early Adopter settled for third.

“That was super,” said Motion, who added a ring bit after his horse’s debut. “He did it really nicely. I loved where he was down the backstretch and it kind of set up well for him. Manny was in the clear. We changed his equipment this time. He was a little more manageable and that really helped. What a pro. He just did it so nicely.”

Motion trained Jack and Jim’s dam, the French-bred Monette, in her two U.S. starts at the end of her career in 2018, saddling her to a second in the Matron Stakes at Belmont and an off-the board finish in the Jimmy Durante at Del Mar. By Slumber, an English-bred $1.4 million earner who sired Motion’s Grade 3 winner Sy Dog, Jack and Jim is the first foal produced by Monette.

“I was happy when we passed the five-eighths,” Franco said. “I had separation of the horses in front of me, so I say I’m going to put my horse in the middle of the track. I see what’s going on in the turn so I decided to stay outside and I think that was the best I could do. I knew that I was going to have the horses in front of me [beat]. I was a little worried for the closers.”

Motion said he would take Jack and Jim to Florida in the next month and point for race no sooner than February.

Slumber, who stands at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, has sired three stakes winners this year. – Grade 3 turf victor Fluffy Socks and Grade 1 steeplechase winner Jimmy P are the others. Jimmy P completes his 2024 season in Sunday’s Grade 1 Colonial Cup in Camden, S.C.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2024/11/16/slumber-colt-jack-and-jim-wins-cental-park/

Shoot It True writes comeback story in Notebook

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Shoot It True heads for home in Saturday’s Notebook Stakes. Chelsea Durand/Coglianese Photos

By Paul Halloran

Trainer Wesley Ward entered two fillies in Saturday’s Notebook Stakes for 2-year-old New York-breds at Aqueduct Racetrack, both of whom had already beaten males. He opted to scratch Phoebeinwonderland and run her vs. fillies in Sunday’s Key Cents Stakes, leaving Shoot It True to take on the boys in the Notebook.

Good decision.

Off a 198-day layoff, Shoot It True, a $340,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling in 2023, showed no signs of rust, taking the lead early in the 6-furlong stakes and cruising to a 4 ¼-length win.

“She’s a big, imposing filly,” Ward said. “She’ll be much better as a 3- and 4-year-old. I told Dave (Reid, of Ice Wine Stable) she was 80-percent fit. I thought her ability would get her there.”

Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Shoot It True took control in the first furlong and led through a quarter-mile in :22.43, chased by Kenny Be, who remained on her flank through a half-mile in :46.12. Once they straightened out and Dettori asked her, Shoot It True drew clear and was an easy winner. The final time was 1:10.17.

By Munnings out of the Malibu Moon mare To the Moon Alice, Shoot It True was an impressive maiden winner against the boys at Keeneland April 5, then took the lead and faded to fourth in the Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs 27 days later.

“I was hoping to get her a stakes win early in the year,” Ward said. “I ran her back off a big win. I shouldn’t have and it cost me.”

That prompted Ward to put her on the shelf for five months, bringing her back to the work tab at Keeneland Oct. 1 and giving her six workouts before the Notebook. He thought she would have a better chance than Phoebeinwonderland, who drew the far outside post in Sunday’s stakes.

“This filly (Shoot It True) is much better and to me it wouldn’t matter where we ran her,” Ward said, a sentiment echoed by Dettori.

“He was very confident, my boss,” Dettori said. “In fairness, he’s always confident, but he said she’s special. She broke really good and was good in the gate. Last time, she was a bit hot, but [today] she was very calm, broke well and got to the lead on her own terms pricking her ears. The only concern was I couldn’t get her to switch leads, but she was going forward, so don’t fix what’s not broken. She was very good. I really like her.”

Shoot It True, bred by Old Tavern Farm in Stillwater, is the fourth foal and second winner out of To the Moon Alice. Her Two for Charging won a claiming race at Aqueduct Friday. Ward picked out Shoot It True for Ice Wine Stable and Smart Choice Stable at the Saratoga sale, though he is not taking credit for being particularly clever.

“She was the talk of the sale. She’s a beautiful physical, by a great stallion. It was a Joe Johnson no-brainer,” Ward said, a reference to what the former NBA All-Star called his decision to re-sign with the Boston Celtics 20 years after the organization first drafted him.

Ward said Shoot It True would get another break, with a spring return planned.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2024/11/16/shoot-it-true-writes-comeback-story-in-notebook/