Landed adds Broadway to strong resume

Lael Stable’s Landed returned from a four-month layoff to pick up her third stakes victory in Sunday’s $125,000 Broadway for older New York-bred fillies and mares at Aqueduct.

Employing her successful front-running style under Frankie Pennington, Landed controlled the 7-furlong Broadway from the start and won by a length over the late-running Sweet Brown Sugar. Off since finishing third in an open allowance-optional going 9 furlongs October 23 at Keeneland, the 4-year-old daughter of Omaha Beach won in 1:24.78.

Trainer Wesley Ward prepped Landed for her return at his main Kentucky bases at Keeneland and Turfway Park.

“She’s a win machine, that filly,” Ward said. “She just keeps on winning. She kind of bounces out of there and if we can get there [to the front], then she just keeps running. She’s just a sweetheart of a filly to train. She does everything right and has no issues at all.

“She’s one of those horses that’s right up at the front of the stall ready to go. I had her at Keeneland pointing for this race from her last start and we just gave her some time off – meaning she was still in her stall, just backing off her a little. She was always up at the front of the stall saying, ‘I’m ready to go.’ She’s a really cool horse to be around.”

Sent off as the 5-2 second choice in the field of six behind, Landed and Pennington took control early out of the chute and led Speightful Lily and 2-1 favorite My Magic Wand through the opening quarter-mile in :23.17. Those three maintained that position to the half in :46.59, with Landed up by a half-length over Speightful Lily.

Landed cruised into the stretch, spurted away from those early challengers and opened up by 2 1/2 lengths in midstretch. Multiple stakes winner Sweet Brown Sugar and Lane Luzzi made a run at the leader late but couldn’t make the ground at the finish to be a clear second. Speightful Lily finished another 2 1/4 lengths back in third, followed by Caldwell Luvs Gold, Tough Street and My Magic Wand.

“She broke sharp. She was wanting to go, so I went ahead and let her go,” Pennington said. “It was just a waiting game with her. She ran very big off the layoff.

“She has natural speed, so I wanted to be forward anyways, but it just happened to work out perfectly for me. I can’t ask for anything else. I’ve been watching all day, and speed has been holding, but I’ve seen them come from a little off of it, too, so I saw she could run off the pace, too. She ran good from off of it in her first start, but with her natural speed and when she broke, since I had the opportunity to go on with the lead, I took it.”

Bred by Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable, Landed is a half-sister to New York-bred champion, multiple stakes winner and millionaire Venti Valentine out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold. Landed improved to 5-for-8 with the victory and boosted her bankroll to $366,760.

Lael Stable purchased Landed for $500,000 out of the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings, making her the most expensive New York-bred of the sale.

Landed is the seventh foal out of Glory Gold, who was purchased by Final Furlong for $13,000 in foal to Venti Valentine at the 2018 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Glory Gold is also the dam of multiple stakes winner and $516,625-earner Espresso Shot, a $69,000 purchase by Final Furlong Racing out of the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, and two other winners.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/02/23/landed-adds-broadway-to-strong-resume/

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Bernietakescharge earns first stakes win in Heavenly Prize

Robert Rosenthal’s and Bradford Bernstein’s homebred Bernietakescharge took control from the start and didn’t relinquish the lead en route to her first stakes victory in Saturday’s $145,500 Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct.

The 4-year-old daughter of Take Charge Indy overcame a bump at the start from odds-on favorite Weigh the Risks and led throughout the 1-mile trip of the Heavenly Prize for a 6 1/4-length victory over that foe under Romero Maragh. Trained by Domenick Schettino and sent off as the second longest shot of the five runners at 17-1, Bernietakescharge picked up her second straight victory in third in her last four starts. She won in 1:38.53 over the fast track.

“It was fast up front, but she runs like that. That’s the way she likes to run,” Schettino said. “When she gets to the quarter pole, if she’s still in front, a lot of times she’ll kick away and she continues to go forward.

“I [saw] the favorite [Weigh the Risks] sitting there third, I was like, ‘well with his half a mile, maybe the favorite’s going to come.’ But then when I saw the quarter pole and I [saw] the favorite start to really, the jockey was working on her, I [saw] my filly just taking a little breather, I knew we had a good shot once we turned for home.”

Maragh said taking the lead from the start was always the plan. He’s ridden the half-sister to recent stakes winner Bernieandtherose for her last four starts, including a nose victory and a 6 1/4-length score going 9 furlongs, and that knowledge and time in the morning paid off.

“The goal was definitely to get the lead with her because she’s a quirky filly,” Maragh said. “As long as she’s clear or on the lead, she’ll give her honest, best effort. When horses come up to her, it pushes her even more and that was the game plan to establish the lead early.

“I’ve worked her in the mornings, too, and when she works by herself, you wouldn’t think she would win a stakes. She just goes by herself at a nice galloping speed. When she’s with company, she’s a completely different horse. So, I could tell by how she is in the morning that the afternoons are different with her.”

Bernieandtherose, also a homebred for Rosenthal and Bernstein trained by Schettino, won the East View Stakes February 8 at Aqueduct. The same ownership and trainer tandem campaigned the dam of those two fillies, the Freud mare Berning Rose.

Berning Rose won two of three starts, including the 2017 Maid of the Mist Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park.

“It’s great,” Schettino said. “Bob Rosenthal and his family, I trained every horse; the mom, all the siblings. Jan Durrschmidt, where we raise the horses at Indigo Farm. It’s a special feeling.”

Berning Rose’s first foal, Berning Honor, went 1-3-1 in 10 starts and earned $82,573. Bernietakescharge improved to 5-for-15 with two seconds and two thirds and earnings of $354,580 in the Heavenly Prize. Berning Rose is also the dam of the 2-year-old Always Dreaming filly Roseberns Dream and a yearling colt by Central Banker. She was bred to Americanrevoluation in 2024.

Bernietakescharge was entered in Sunday’s Broadway Stakes at 7 furlongs, but Schettino liked the distance and setup of the open-company Heavenly Prize better for the filly.

“The distance and a shorter field, and seeing the horse on the outside [Aussie Girl] had never been on the dirt, that’s a question mark there. ,” he said. “She was training super, and once she was training the way she was, I told Bob Rosenthal, ‘let’s take a shot in this race here.’ Plus, she had a better post position in this race than she does tomorrow.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/02/22/bernietakescharge-earns-first-stakes-win-in-heavenly-prize/

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Sheriff Bianco upsets snowy Say Florida Sandy

Sheriff Bianco returned on seven days’ rest and ended a 21-race losing skid with a victory through light snowflakes in Saturday’s $125,000 Say Florida Sandy Stakes at Aqueduct.

The 7-year-old Speightster gelding came away with his first stakes victory in the 7-furlong Say Florida Sandy, upsetting his five rivals at 14-1 under Ruben Silvera. Owned by A Bianco Holding Limited and trained by Linda Rice, Sheriff Bianco finished third last Saturday in an open-company 7-furlong allowance-optional at Aqueduct.

“He loves 7 furlongs,” said of Sheriff Bianco, who improved to 1-2-1 in six starts at the distance. “It is a New York-bred, 7-furlong [stakes] and frankly, I’ve had the horse quite a while, and here and there it has looked like he’s tailed off at times.

“We’ve given him a few breaks and I ran him for a claiming price last time out. I was pretty happy with that performance, I thought it was an uptick in his performances, and because of that I said, ‘let’s give him a shot in the New York-bred stakes because seven-eighths is probably his sweet spot.’ ”

Sent off as the second longest shot on the board at 14-1, Sheriff Bianco raced fourth early as Mama’s Gold set the pace ahead of Shipsational and Doc Sullivan through the opening quarter-mile in :23.64.

Mama’s Gold continued to lead around the far turn with Shipsational ramping up the pressure approaching the half-mile split in :46.90. Mama’s Gold still led into the lane before Shipsational took over outside the eighth pole, past 6 furlongs in 1:11.80 under Eric Cancel.

Silvera kept Sheriff Bianco in the clear through the lane and the gelding rolled past Shipsational at the sixteenth pole. He widened his advantage from there, winning by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:24.94.

“I tried to follow the instructions and [Rice] told me, ‘stay behind the speed, comfortable,’ ” Silvera said. “I had a perfect trip and I come behind the speed waiting for the stretch. I tried switching the lead two times, but he never switched. I tried hard in the end and he won.”

Shipsational held second, three-quarters of a length in front of Doc Sullivan. Locke and Key, Mama’s Gold and Whittington Park completed the field.

Sheriff Bianco earned $68,750 for his first stakes victory and improved to 7-for-41 in his career with 23 placings and earnings of $811,863. Seven of those placings came in stakes, including a third three starts back in the Alex M. Robb and a runner-up effort in the 2023 Empire Classic Stakes on Empire Showcase Day.

Rice said Sheriff Bianco could return in the $125,000 Haynesfield for older New York-breds April 6 at Aqueduct.

“He’s good at one turn, whether it be 6 [furlongs] to a mile, it is really where he wants to be,” she said. “He’s even run well at a mile and an eighth at times. The seven-eighths is probably his best spot, but I would assume we will go to the Haynesfield next.”

Bred by SF Bloodstock LLC and foaled at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, Sheriff Bianco is the fourth foal out of the Perfect Soul mare Summer Rules. A half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Peace Rules, Summer Rules is also the dam of stakes winner Never Gone South, a four-time winner an earner of $244,135; and Sister’s Duty, an earner of $79,213.

Summer Rules is also the dam of Nelson Gate, an unraced 3-year-old gelding by Kitten’s Joy who sold for $30,000 to Christophe Clement, agent, at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale. Nelson Gate has turned in three breezes this winter at Payson Park Training Center, including a 3-furlong drill in :38.60 February 10.

SF Bloodstock also bred a colt by Quality Road out of Summer Rules that sold as a weanling for $375,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale. Summer Rules returned to Quality Road for the 2024 season.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/02/15/sheriff-bianco-upsets-snowy-say-florida-sandy/

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Bernieandtherose extends win streak in East View

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Robert and Brad Rosenthal’s homebred Bernieandtherose extended her streak to three straight victories Saturday with her first stakes win in the $121,250 East View Stakes at Aqueduct.

Making her stakes debut in the 7-furlong stakes, Bernieandtherose broke on top and took an early lead as the field of five ran out of the chute. The daughter of Accelerate’s lead didn’t last long with race favorite Naive Melody flying to the front as Bernieandtherose settled on the rail in third through the opening quarter in :23.53.

Naive Melody wasn’t challenged down the backstretch, but Storm Changer changed that on the turn when she grabbed the lead halfway around the bend. Storm Charger looked to have it wrapped up in the stretch with Naive Melody fading and Bernieandtherose a few lengths behind.

Bernieandtherose targeted Storm Changer as they flashed past the furlong pole and closed the lead with every stride. Jockey Katie Davis put the whip away in the final sixteenth as Bernieandtherose collared the leader and pulled ahead. By the time they reached the line, Bernieandtherose had a half-length advantage with the clock stopping in 1:26.35. Storm Changer finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of third-placed Naive Melody.

“You know, it’s funny, she popped right out of there, but knowing the other horses going into the race like Wesley Ward’s [Naive Melody] and the other horse, they could go a :45, and I wasn’t looking to go a :45,” Davis said. “Yes, she broke on top, but I wasn’t trying to rush her off her feet, because I don’t want to be in that speed duel. So, I let them go, sat the pocket for the first time ever with her, she didn’t mind it, and I tipped her out and she came running home.”

Trained by Domenick Schettino, Bernieandtherose’s only loss came on debut when third by just half-length in October. She broke her maiden one start later by 7 3/4 lengths before ending the year with an easy 6 1/4-length victory in an Aqueduct allowance-optional.

The filly may jump on the Kentucky Oaks trail for her next start, though Schettino didn’t commit to that route after the race.

“I’ll have to speak Mr. Rosenthal about that and see which way we go, if we stick with the New York program coming up or the Busher,” he said. “First of all, we’ll see how she comes out of this race and go from there. I don’t think distance is an issue – I think she’ll go two turns. The mare [Berning Rose] won the Maid of the Mist going a mile and the sister won going long, so I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it either down the road.”

Bernieandtherose is the second stakes performer out of Freud’s New York-bred stakes winner Berning Rose, who was also bred by the Rosenthals. Berning Rose is the dam of three winners from three to race.

Berning Rose’s other runners include last year’s East View runner-up Bernietakecharge, who has three stakes placings to her name. That 4-year-old Take Charge Indy New York-bred won her own 2025 debut in an allowance-optional January 11 at Aqueduct.

Berning Rose is one of seven winners out of her own stakes-winning dam Peach Flambe, who is also the granddam of multiple New York-bred stakes placed Bernt Again.

Berning Rose foaled a New York-bred Always Dreaming filly in 2023 named Roseberns Dream and a Central Banker New York-bred colt last year.

The mare was part of Americanrevolution’s first book in 2024 with that stallion standing for $12,500 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson. He sired his first foal January 19.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/02/08/bernieandtherose-extends-win-streak-in-east-view/

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Sand Devil improves to 3-for-3 in Damon Runyon

By Paul Halloran

It wasn’t nearly as easy as his first two starts or the tote board indicated it would be, but Sand Devil dug in down the stretch Saturday at Aqueduct to take the Damon Runyon Stakes and remain undefeated.

The Chester and Mary Broman homebred outlasted a game National Identity to win the New York-bred stakes 3-year-olds by a neck, a margin trainer Linda Rice thought was closer than necessary.

“I thought he should have opened up in the middle of the turn,” Rice said of jockey Jose Lezcano. “They went slow down the backside and we were inside the other speed horse. It is what it is. I thought he should have opened up more. He gave the other horse too much of a chance.”

A son of Violence out of the Bromans’ homebred Mineshaft mare Mineralogist, Sand Devil didn’t have to work too hard to get to the lead in the 7-furlong stakes. National Identity broke first, but Lezcano came up the rail to take the advantage heading into the turn through a quarter-mile in :24.52 and a half in :48.58.

He maintained a three-quarter-length advantage around the turn, but never extended it, as Rice would have preferred. National Identity almost pulled even at the eighth pole and, after Sand Devil regained some breathing room, came running again but couldn’t catch the winner. The final time was 1:24.66.

“Today was the first time he had a tussle and he dug it out,” Rice said. “That other horse can run a little bit, but, like I said, they went slow early and sprinted home, and it was a strategic mistake for Jose to give that horse a chance to get head-and-head. He’d already had an advantage, and he should have used it, but we got to the winner’s circle and we move forward.”

Sand Devil, who doesn’t actually turn 3 until February 15, is the fifth foal out of Mineralogist, a multiple stakes winner out of the graded stakes-winning and New York-bred champion Seeking the Gold mare Seeking the Ante. Mineralogist’s most productive progeny to date is the Broman homebred Can You Diggit, a stakes winner by Tiznow who banked $436,555 in a 20-race career. Pretty Clever, a daughter of Hard Spun, earned $179,480.

“The other horse gave me a good run, but my horse is very nice,” Lezcano said. “Today, we go slow and the horses sprinted hard home. My horse is a big horse and he isn’t that quick when you ask him – it takes him a couple strides to get into full stride, so this is why the other horse come very close to him. He kept responding every stride I asked him to. My horse had the advantage today, but still my horse had (to put up a good performance) to win. Every race, he improves more and more.”

Sand Devil arrived in Rice’s barn at Saratoga in July after a few setbacks. She said that within a few months he started to show some talent, but she took her time with him. He broke his maiden December 8 and followed that with a 12 1/2-length allowance score January 2, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

Rice considered running in the Withers Stakes February 1, but opted to keep the colt in state-bred company and sprinting for one more start. Open company awaits, however, with the Gotham Stakes March 1, a 50-point Kentucky Derby prep race, a definite possibility, according to Rice.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/02/08/sand-devil-improves-to-3-for-3-in-damon-runyon/

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