Funny How and Katie Davis cruise to the finish in Sunday’s Broadway Stakes at Aqueduct. NYRA Photo.

By Tom Law

Ray Handal was anxious to run Funny How a second time late in last year’s Saratoga Race Course meeting.

He’d watched the then 3-year-old Overanalyze filly come back from a few setbacks, finish a good third in her July 9 debut at Belmont Park and then train well later that month and in early August upstate. Handal had a race in mind for Funny How when The Saratoga Special came calling for its annual Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour on Whitney Day.

“Very typical of a first-timer that needed one from me,” Handal said of the filly’s debut. “I’m thinking she’ll move up a ton second time out.”

Funny How did move up, finishing third again on a sloppy track Aug. 26, and hasn’t lost since. She’s won five straight since that 4 1/4-length defeat, the most impressive victory coming in Sunday’s $100,000 Broadway Stakes at Aqueduct. Funny How not only extended her win streak in the 7-furlong Broadway, she landed her first stakes victory in her seventh start.

“She’s a filly that’s just overcome adversity from Day 1,” Handal, who trains Funny How for Adelphi Racing Club and Matt Cutair’s Cutair Racing, said after the Broadway. “She had some setbacks when she was younger. She had a soft tissue [issue] in her back ankle and we gave her the time off and she overcame all that.

“She just has tenacity and a will to win and an amazing fight to her. She’s overcome trips. She overcomes bad breaks like she did today. She finds ways to win.”

Katie Davis picked up her first stakes victory on the New York Racing Association circuit aboard Funny How, who won by 4 1/4 lengths over Betsy Blue and Bank Sting in 1:25.82 over the fast track.

Handal called the Broadway a “massive performance” for Funny How, a $120,000 purchase at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale. Bred by Hibiscus Stable, foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham and out of the Distorted Humor mare Heavenly Humor, Funny How is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and $638,645-earner Funny Guy, stakes winner Super Humor, stakes-placed $342,170-earner Three Jokers and five other winners.

Funny’s How’s people – members of Adelphi Racing Club and Cutair Racing – celebrate the 4-year-old filly’s first stakes victory Sunday. NYRA Photo.

The Broadway was Funny How’s second straight victory at 7 furlongs, along with an open-company allowance score Jan. 7 at Aqueduct under Davis. She also broke her maiden in open company during the Belmont at the Big A meet before back-to-back victories in the state-bred ranks last fall.

“I always thought she would be fine at the middle distances from seven-eighths or even a mile,” Handal said. “She won the sprints just because she’s so talented.”

Sent off as the 5-1 third choice behind 4-5 choice Bank Sting and the 5-2 Betsy Blue – two of the top older state-bred fillies and mares in training – Funny How found herself last of six through the opening quarter-mile after tossing her head at the start while pinched back between rivals at the break.

“When I warmed up with her, she threw a buck jump, so she was feeling really good,” Davis said. “She was eager to get out of the gate. I was OK that she didn’t break as well. I kept her calm and relaxed and made that one move with her while all the speed goes.”

Davis and Funny How raced into fourth as November Rein hit the opening half in :46.87, with Know It All Audrey and Honey Money in close pursuit. Bank Sting and Betsy Blue dropped toward the back of the field around the far turn, just as Funny How continued her sustained run into the lane.

Funny How took command outside the eighth pole, running away from Know It All Audrey and a back-pedaling November Rein, with Betsy Blue and Bank Sting starting to re-rally. Funny How cleared from there, widening her advantage in deep stretch. Betsy Blue edged Bank Sting by a head for the place spot, with Know It All Audrey 1 3/4 lengths back in fourth. Honey Money and November Rein completed the field.

“I’ve known her for a while since she came to the barn and I was galloping for Ray,” Davis said. “When I first got on her, Ray said, ‘You’re going to like this one’ and I said, ‘Do not take me off of her.’ We just got along really well. We understood each other.

“Every time I get on her and breeze her, she just keeps improving. Fillies sometimes go the wrong way, but this one just keeps improving. They did it right with her. They took the steps and moved her forward and didn’t break her heart. They really got the most out of her and she’s still doing amazing.”

Funny How picked up $55,000 for her fifth win in seven starts to boost her bankroll to $262,660. She’s one of nine winners out of Heavenly Humor, who won seven of 18 starts including five stakes on the Northern California circuit in the mid-2000s.

Hibiscus Stables purchased Heavenly Humor in foal to Big Brown for $25,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga October mixed sale. The resulting foal was Funny Guy, a five-time stakes winner who finished second in the Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes in 2020. Hibiscus also bred Three Jokers and a yearling New York-bred colt by The Factor from the mare.

Handal didn’t pinpoint Funny How’s next start, but remained as bullish Sunday as that morning back in August.

“We’ll let the dust settle, see what kind of figures she runs and see what options we have going forward. We’re not discouraged from anything. This was a massive performance today.”

Still going strong at age 9, Red Knight wins the William L. McKnight Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Jeff Zamaiko/Gulfstream Park Photo.

Tom Egan and Chad Stewart strategized a plan late last year to give Red Knight a break after the Grade 1, $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf in advance of a 9-year-old campaign in 2023.

“How long should we turn him out here?” Egan asked Stewart, who runs the Grace Full Acres Training Center in Ocala with his wife and veterinarian Dr. Laurie Stewart.

“No more than a month,” Stewart said. “Don’t let him get too settled down, just a month and then get him back to the racetrack.”

That’s the plan Egan followed and Red Knight showed yet again how beneficial that break would be with a victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 William L. McKnight Stakes presented by Davidoff Cigars on Gulfstream Park’s Pegasus World Cup Day undercard. The Pure Prize gelding, bred by and the lone horse owned by Egan’s Trinity Farm, led a 1-2-3 finish for trainer Mike Maker in the McKnight with a 1-length victory over Value Engineering as the 3-1 second choice. Wicked Fast finished third in the $200,000 stakes to complete the Maker trifecta.

“He’s a superb racehorse,” Egan said. “He loves what he’s doing. He was tugging when they walked him in (to the paddock). He’s just incredible.”

Irad Ortiz Jr., two days removed from winning his fourth Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding jockey, rode Red Knight to victory in the 1 1/2-mile McKnight in 2:25.11 over the firm turf.

Red Knight collected his third graded stakes victory in the McKnight, adding it to his wins in last year’s Grade 2 Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs and Grade 3 Sycamore at Keeneland in 2020. He’s won six stakes overall and improved to 11-for-32 with eight seconds and earnings of $1,330,013.

“As I call him, he’s a gift from above. He really is,” Egan said. “You’d never get into racing and think you’d have a horse like that.”

Foaled at Keane Stud in Amenia, Red Knight is one of five winners produced by the late Isabel Way, whom Egan bought for $60,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. She won once in 11 starts, earning $71,149, but has produced two stakes winners.

Ortiz let Red Knight trail the field through the opening half-mile as Abaan, Agitare, Channel Maker and Pao Alto scrimmaged through sharp splits of :24.18 and :48.27. They advanced to ninth as Abaan clicked off the mile in 1:37.31.

“Thank God I had a good trip from tough post 11,” Ortiz said. “He’s perfect for the distance because he relaxes very well. With 5 furlongs to go he started to gain ground on the outside and I just let him do his thing.”

Red Knight cruised past rivals around the far turn and only had stablemate Value Engineering to run down in midstretch. He collared that foe inside the eighth pole and drew off to win while drifing out just a bit in deep stretch.

“Irad had Red Knight settled in the back of the pace. The pace was hot, which favored him. The rest is history,” Maker said. “I had a lot of confidence in him. The first time he ran for us, he hadn’t run in a year and won. He likes to run fresh. He loves his job.”

Maker won his fifth McKnight, adding Red Knight to scores in 2017 with Taghleeb, 2018 with Oscar Nominated, 2019 with Zulu Alpha and 2021 with Tide of the Sea. He finished 1-2 in the 2019 and 2021 editions.

“One, two, three and five,” Maker said, adding a fifth-place from Temple. “We just missed the superfecta. Every horse ran a great race and I’m proud.”

Egan said he’d discuss with Maker what to do next with Red Knight, adding that it’s a safe bet it won’t include another run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (where he finished 11^th at Keeneland). A trip to Lexington – possibly by way of Ocala again – might still be in the cards.

“He doesn’t need that and I don’t either,” Egan said of the Breeders’ Cup. Ideally, and I have to talk it over with Mike, I’d like to send him back to the farm in Ocala for February, and then go to Mike in March in Kentucky and then run in the Dixiana Elkhorn at Keeneland. As Mike says, he’s a fantastic layoff horse. It was 84 days here, he’s had some long layoffs. When he ran second at Kentucky Downs a couple years ago it was a 231-day layoff. He’s amazing.”

Stonewall Star picks up second stakes victory in Sunday’s Franklin Square at Aqueduct. Chelsea Durand/NYRA Photo.

Barry Schwartz’s homebred Stonewall Star continued her forward movement that started back in late summer with a victory in Sunday’s $100,000 Franklin Square Stakes at Aqueduct.

Coming off a third in open company in the Gin Talking Stakes last month at Laurel Park, the 3-year-old daughter of Flatter dominated the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin Square from start to finish en route to a 6 1/4-length tally under Kendrick Carmouche. Trained by Horacio De Paz, Stonewall Star added the Franklin Square to her victory two back in the Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct and improved to 3-for-6 overall in her young career.

“I’m very happy,” De Paz said. “She controlled the race and was able to get it done. We figured we would get her into the race like she usually runs and nobody really pressed her, and she really kicked on. I told Kendrick, ‘Just have fun, she’s your kind of horse.’ ”

Carmouche, riding the filly out of the winning Proud Citizen mare Jonata for the first time, relished that bit of confidence from De Paz.

“Catch me if you can,” he told De Paz.

That’s exactly how the Franklin Square unfolded, and nobody caught Stonewall Star.

Sent off as the 6-5 favorite against her five opponents – which included stakes-placed Security Code and Little Linzee – Stonewall Star took the lead shortly after the break and opened up a length through the first split in :22.93 over the fast track.

Carmouche said the first quarter felt much softer and continued to keep the filly alone on the lead around the far turn and to the half in :46.30.

“The horse warmed up really well,” he said. “It looked like I was the speed of the race and the track is favoring speed. I just broke and went and made myself a winner. They said 22, but it felt like I went 23 the first quarter, that’s how easy I had it going down the backstretch.”

Carmouche gave a look back over his right shoulder turning for home as Stonewall Star lengthened her stride and her advantage to 3 1/2 lengths in midstretch. No serious threat emerged from there and Stonewall Star cruised through the final furlong to win in 1:19.20.

“When I asked her, she leveled off and did everything perfectly,” Carmouche said. “I’m just grateful for the owner and trainer to give me the shot.”

Little Linzee made a mile rally in the lane to finish second, three quarters of a length in front of Security Code with Stonewall Star’s early stalker, Banterra, a head back in fourth. Lockbox and Starry Midnight completed the field.

Stonewall Star picked up $55,000 for the win to pad her bankroll to $195,808. Stonewall Star started her career with a runner-up to Security Code late in the Saratoga Race Course meeting before a win at Belmont at the Big A and a third against males in the New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes in mid-October. Those three races proceeded her 4-length win the Key Cents and her third in the Gin Talking, where she led in midstretch.

De Paz said she’ll most likely stay in her home state and face fellow New York-breds in the immediate future, possibly in the March 24 East View Stakes.

“We’ll look at the stakes schedule in New York and keep her around here for right now,” De Paz said. “She’s worthy of [open company] and I will definitely take a look at both of those races.”

Bred and foaled at Schwartz’s Stonewall Farm in Granite Springs, Stonewall Star is the fourth foal and one of two stakes winners out of Jonata. La Fuerza, a 6-year-old full sister to Stonewall Star won three stakes carrying his owner and breeder’s black and white colors in 2018. He won four of eight and earned 4261,610.

Jonata is also the dam of New York-bred winners Citizen K, a gelding by Mizzen Mast also trained by De Paz; and Whatlovelookslike, a 3-year-old by English Channel who won at Saratoga in early September and is 2-2-1 in seven starts with $155,250 for trainer Todd Pletcher.

A $100,000 purchase by Schwartz at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale, Jonata won two of 17 starts with five placings and $140,800.

Betsy Blue adds another open-company stakes, the Interborough, to season-ending victory in Garland of Roses. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.

New year, same result for Betsy Blue.

Cloud Nine Stable’s 5-year-old Tonalist mare picked up where she left off in late 2022 with a rallying victory in Saturday’s $97,000 Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct. Betsy Blue closed from last after the opening half-mile to run down leaders Miss T Too and stablemate Piece of My Heart inside the final sixteenth for her second straight stakes victory for trainer Linda Rice and jockey Jose Lezcano.

Sent off the 1-5 favorite in the field of five reduced by the scratch of Easy to Bless, Betsy Blue also improved to 10-for-21 with seven seconds and two thirds and $659,510 in earnings.

“The numbers say she shouldn’t be doing this, but she continues to just find a way,” said Jerson Nauricio Suarez, a partner in the Cloud Nine group that came on board as the mare’s owner before her victory in the 2021 Bouwerie Stakes on Big Apple Showcase Day at Belmont Park.

Betsy Blue went 5-3-1 in 11 starts last year, earning $379,010, and Rice and the Cloud Nine group are optimistic for another strong campaign in 2023.

“We’ll just play it by ear. I’ll see what the Barbara Fritchie looks like,” Rice said of the Grade 3 stakes for fillies and mares February 18 at Laurel Park. “I’d prefer to stay in New York when I can. I’d rather not ship and run. She’s run very well at Aqueduct so I just assume I’ll keep her here if I can. But I will look at the Barbara Fritchie. The long-term goal would be the Distaff (April 3 at Aqueduct).”

Kentucky shipper Miss T Too, a daughter of Into Mischief making her final start before heading to the breeding shed, took the early lead not long after the break. She led and jockey Eric Cancel led by a head from Flight to Shanghai with Self Isolation close up. Betsy Blue trailed early but inched up to fourth as Miss T Too hit the opening quarter-mile in :23.54.

Miss T Too continued to lead around the far turn and held a half-length advantage over Self Isolation. Betsy Blue continued wide around the bend and into the lane and made a run toward Miss T Too and Piece of My Heart outside the eighth pole. Betsy Blue gained the advantage just inside the sixteenth pole and drew away late to a 1-length win in 1:25.94 for 7 furlongs on the fast track.

Piece of My Heart, second to Betsy Blue in an optional-allowance in mid-September during the Belmont at the Big A meet, held Miss T Too a length clear for the runner-up spot. Self Isolation and Flight to Shanghai completed the field.

“I saw the three horses go head-to-head there and I kept her in the clear,” Lezcano said. “In the middle of the turn, [Flight to Shanghai] kind of went out a little, but she was the best filly in the race and she showed it.

“She’s so good. She keeps holding her form and in every race, she keeps running better and better. She’s a nice horse and there’s nothing more I could ask for.”

Betsy Blue also improved to 4-for-6 at 7 furlongs, although her trainer feels she might be more effective going a touch shorter.

“She might be better at 6 1/2, closing into faster fractions,” she said. “I’m not sure seven-eighths to a mile is her best distance but she’s pretty versatile.”

Bred by Blue Devil Racing and foaled at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, Betsy Blue was claimed by Rice for $50,000 out of a victory March 25, 2021 at Aqueduct. Betsy Blue won her next two starts, including the Bouwerie, during a sophomore campaign where she went 4-4-1 in nine starts.

“She’s a great filly to have in the barn for almost two years now,” Rice said. “I was impressed with her first two races before claiming her. I actually was out-shook on her and then we doubled up on her. There was a seven-way shake on her the first time and the second time it was just us. We had to reach a little harder.”

Betsy Blue is the fourth foal out of the stakes-placed Yonaguska mare Honest to Betsy. Her first foal, the City Zip mare Sand City, won two of 25 starts with 10 placings and earned $87,895. Honest to Betsy is also the dam of the unraced 3-year-old New York-bred Unified filly Midnight Confession and a yearling New York-bred colt by Mitole.