Yo Cuz rolls to third straight stakes victory in Sunday’s East View at Aqueduct. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.
Tom Gallo didn’t want to leave last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training empty handed.
The head of Dream Maker Racing, who tested out Fasig-Tipton’s internet bidding system early in the sale, set a budget and waited for a New York-bred filly selling as Hip 209 to come through the ring. The daughter of Laoban, who galloped during the presale under-tack show, eventually arrived and bidding quickly passed that threshold.
“The budget was $75,000,” Gallop said. “I wound up going almost double the budget, but we liked her enough. We had scoped out several of the other horses, but we were not in the ballpark for the ones that were coming up. But we didn’t want to leave without one. We liked her and liked the fact that the horse didn’t breeze.”
Gallo and his team, which included Andrew Calvano, ultimately bought the filly now named Yo Cuz using the internet bidding system for $125,000. She’s since won three times – all stakes – in four starts and banked just shy of $400,000 for the Dream Maker partnership.
The latest victory came Sunday in the $100,000 East View, the Closing-Day feature for the Aqueduct winter meeting. Yo Cuz and jockey Jose Ortiz, riding back in New York after returning from the Dubai World Cup card Saturday at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates, won the 7-furlong East View by 5 1/4 lengths over Stone Creator. Yo Cuz won in 1:26.94.
“I’ve been in on a few of their horses and she is clearly the best so far,” said Dave Wagman, a member of the Dream Maker partnership that owns Yo Cuz. “The New York program is what they preach and it’s a lot of fun to get the chance to come out and run in a stakes race like this. She’s now won three of them. It’s a fabulous program and we love it.
“I enjoy it. There’s a lot more to learn from what you see on TV and being a fan is a tiny glimpse of it. I’ve enjoyed getting to see behind the curtain. She’s a really, nice filly.”
Yo Cuz continues to impress jockey Jose Ortiz after latest stakes victory in Aqueduct’s East View. NYRA Photo.
Yo Cuz, the 3-5 favorite in the field of six from post five, expected to have some company on the lead with Silver Fist making her first start from the rail for trainer Chuck Lawrence and the multiple stakes-placed Sandy’s Garden just to her inside. Silver Fist stumbled bad at the break, going to her nose and spotting the field several lengths. Sandy’s Garden broke well but not as well as Yo Cuz, who led up the backstretch on Ortiz’s quite hold.
Silver Fist regrouped enough to come up the inside to get within a half-length of Yo Cuz to the quarter in :23.97, with Sandy’s Garden and Stone Creator not far back.
Yo Cuz continued to lead through the half in :47.99, a half-length in front of Stone Creator and Kendrick Carmouche. Around the turn it boiled down to Yo Cuz and Stone Creator, before the former cut the corner turning for home and opened up. She led by 4 1/2 lengths past the eighth pole and 6 furlongs in :13.52 and after a crew cracks of Ortiz’s left-handed whip in deep stretch Yo Cuz cruised home.
Stone Creator held second by a neck from the late-running Captainsdaughter, who finished third and 9 1/2 lengths in front of Sandy’s Garden. Salsa a Parte and Silver Fist completed the field.
“She’s a nice filly. I was expecting [Sandy’s Garden] to show some speed, too,” Ortiz said. “I broke good and did my thing and ended up by ourself up there [on the lead], so I took it. She did the rest. She finished up well. It’s very windy around the turn, so I think you’ll see a lot of slow times today, but she did everything right. She keeps moving forward. It’s a heavy track. I know she’ll be a lot better when she gets to Belmont; the track will suit her a little better.”
Yo Cuz added the East View to her maiden-breaking victory in the 7-furlong Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes Dec. 18 at Aqueduct and the 1-mile Maddie May Stakes Feb. 21 at Aqueduct.
Bred by Maggie Seidman’s Seidman Stables and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, Yo Cuz is the second foal out of the Tale of Ekati mare Steve’s Philly. 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 Maryland with owner and trainer Michael Gorham. Seidman, through McMahon of Saratoga, sold Steve’s Philly’s short yearling colt by Laoban for $160,000 at the OBS winter mixed sale in January. Steve’s Philly wasn’t bred in 2021 and was bred in early February to Connect.
