Yo Cuz cruises to second straight stakes victory in Monday’s $100,000 Maddie May at Aqueduct. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.
By Tom Law
Maggie Seidman thinks of her horses – ex-racehorses, broodmares, young foals or even horses she’s sold – as members of her family.
“They’re like my kids,” Seidman said Monday afternoon before heading off to celebrate her grandson’s second birthday. “They’re just beautiful animals and do these things we ask them to do. They deserve a good life.”
Yo Cuz, one of the horses Seidman sold, continued to live the best version of her good life Monday with a victory in the $100,000 Maddie May Stakes on Aqueduct’s President’s Day card. Jose Ortiz came in from Florida to ride the daughter of Laoban for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and owners Dream Maker Racing and Yo Cuz delivered a 3 1/4-length score in the 1-mile stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Seidman watched at home and enjoyed every moment of Yo Cuz’s front-running triumph.
“I’m really excited; my baby won,” she said.
Yo Cuz continued a strong run for Seidman and her Tale of Ekati mare Steve’s Philly, who she named for her late husband and his hometown. Yo Cuz won the Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes in mid-December. About a month later Seidman sold her short yearling full brother for $160,000 to Reeves Thoroughbred Racing at the OBS January winter mixed sale. Now, about a month later, Yo Cuz added a second stakes victory in the 1-mile Maddie May.
“She’s strong willed and confident,” Seidman said. “I’ve had horses that were terrified of everything. She never was as a baby. She was happy. You look at the foal and you have an idea sometimes.”
The second foal out of Steve’s Philly, Yo Cuz was born and raised at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs.
“They don’t pamper them, they get them out,” Seidman said. “They’re not in a hot house. When she was born she got up right away, stared at everybody. She’s always been a happy baby. This one was special. It was hard to see her go but I’m happy for them.”
Seidman was thankful for a call from Dream Maker’s Tom Gallo after the race. Dream Maker bought Yo Cuz for $125,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training, after the filly impressed in presale gallops and did not turn in a timed breeze. Gallo said that was a positive selling point after the Fifth Avenue and Seidman said after the Maddie May that it was by design.
“I talked to Mark Roberts at Hidden Brook and said, ‘I don’t see going in :10 and pushing them,’ ” Seidman said. “They do those two-minute licks in :12,: 24, :36. I said, ‘I’d rather have the horsemen see my horse gallop strong and make the decision. If I lose money, or don’t feel right, I’ll keep the horse.’ We heard a lot of people were vetting her out. She looked beautiful.”
Bettors liked the looks of Yo Cuz in the Maddie May, sending her off at 9-10 in the field of six ahead of flashy maiden winner Stone Creator, Busanda Stakes third Reigning Chick and Franklin Square Stakes third Thinking It Over.
Yo Cuz brushed the side of the gate at the break and veered out a touch before Ortiz regrouped and put her on the lead. They led out of the chute and into the backstretch by a length over Stone Creator in :23.41 for the opening quarter-mile with Moam and Thinking It Over chasing ahead of Caragate and Reigning Chick.
“Being on the outside sometimes they break a step out, but I corrected her nicely,” Ortiz said. “She has very good early speed and she put me where I wanted to be without using her. I thought the (Stone Creator) would probably go, but I took the lead so easy and I think that’s why Kendrick [Carmouche] let us have it.”
Carmouche and Stone Creator, a 5-length winner in her debut Jan. 16 for Charlton Baker and owner-breeder Roddy Valente, continued to chase a length back as Yo Cuz hit the half in :46.91. Yo Cuz opened up on the turn and after clicking past 6 furlongs in 1:12.10, she and Ortz were 2 lengths clear. They margin widened in the lane, to 3 1/2 at the eighth pole, and Yo Cuz cruised past the finish in 1:38.91. Stone Creator held second, 4 ½ lengths in front of 26-1 longshot Caragate with Reigning Chick fourth.
Jose Ortiz made the smart move to fly up from Florida to ride Yo Cuz in Monday’s Maddie May. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.
The decision to fly up from Florida, regardless of the fact there was no President’s Day card at Gulfstream Park, was an easy one for Ortiz.
“Bill asked me to come up and I said, ‘sure,’ ” he said. “We won the $500,000 race last time, today it was just $100,000 but I really like her going forward. She’s very good.”
Yo Cuz picked up $55,000 and boosted her bankroll to $332,800 from her record of two wins in three starts. Gallo said the $200,000 Park Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series going 6 ½ furlongs April 24 at Aqueduct could be next.
“She was very impressive,” Gallo said. “This was sort of a test for her. There were horses with some legitimate form in here and she looks like she’s improving. At this time, that’s a great thing.”
“What we’re aiming for is probably the New York Stallion Stakes Series … unless Bill (Mott) looks at the tape and says something else. This was sort of a prep race for that. We’ll take it one step at a time. Hopefully, she eats up and is in good shape tomorrow.”
A $50,000 purchase by Seidman Stables at the 2015 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training, Steve’s Philly is out of the Gone West mare Striking Wonder, who is out of multiple Grade 1 winner Wonder Again from the family of Grade 1 winners Colonel Liam, Tribulation and Graceful Darby.
Steve’s Philly is also the dam of the 3-year-old New York-bred Palace Malice gelding Uncle Jerome, who is in training in New York with owner and trainer Michael Gorham. She didn’t produce a foal in 2022 but was bred last week to Connect.
“Everything seems OK with Steve’s Philly; she’ll come back to New York in 90 days if everything is fine, and foal in New York,” Seidman said. “I don’t breed them every year. I personally don’t. … I let them stay with their babies and recover. Economically people say it’s silly, but I think it’s better for my horses. So, she got a year off, she’s fully healthy and has had easy pregnancies. Mike McMahon, my stable manager, went all over, looked at the physicals, the races, everything and settled on Connect.”
