With the Angels overcomes adversity to keep unbeaten record intact Sunday in the Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.
By Alec DiConza
With the Angels did not appear to be a lock to win Sunday’s $100,000 Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct despite her 1-5 odds as the eight-horse field turned for home.
After breaking from post one and not showing quite enough early speed to get to the front, the 2-year-old daughter of Omaha Beach sat behind horses for the first time in her career and had to negotiate her way through traffic rounding the far turn under Jose Ortiz. Nevertheless, With the Angels once again proved to be too much for her competition and won the 6-furlong stakes event for 2-year-old New York-bred fillies by 2 lengths, improving her unbeaten record to 4-for-4 for trainer Linda Rice.
The change in tactics wasn’t a surprise for Rice, who knew the race featured a lot of horses with early speed.
“I told Jose the one-hole kind of wasn’t ideal, and I anticipated a lot of speed in this race and that it was probable we’d want to take the opportunity to sit off of it and see how she handled that,” Rice said.
What did present a cause for concern was how With the Angels could not get clear running room coming around the far turn and found herself sitting fifth with less than three-eighths of a mile to go. Any anxiety about her chances was quickly washed away when the filly owned by Winning Move Stable, John Oxley, Lady Sheila Stable, Rideau Racers and Sanford Robbins unleashed a powerful late kick to mow down the frontrunners and win with what appeared to be plenty left in the tank. She finished the 6 furlongs in 1:10.56.
“It looked like the five horse was backing up into her and this and that, and she worked her way around it,” Rice said of her filly’s trip. “She was a little wide coming down the stretch, but I was happy to see her run (them) down. It really helps us going forward next year, and we know she’ll do that (rate). It’s a great way to cap off her 2-year-old season, so we’ll send her home and give her a couple months off.”
The Key Cents victory was the third straight stakes win for With the Angels, who already boasted a strong 2024 resumé with triumphs in the Joseph A. Gimma and Maid of the Mist.
Ortiz, who has ridden With the Angels in each of her starts, credited the filly’s connections for managing her well and getting her ready for a 3-year-old campaign in 2025.
“She is a nice filly,” Ortiz said. “Linda and the owners have done an amazing job managing her and picking the right spots. They are developing a nice filly so hopefully next year she keeps getting better.”
With the Angels has now earned $283,250 in her career.
Bred by Joseph DeRico and foaled at River Valley Farm in Gansevoort, With the Angels is out of the three-time winning Pulpit mare Sister Margaret. She’s the dam of three other foals to race, including stakes-placed filly Maggy’s Palace. With the Angels sold for $350,000 at the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale.
