Mitole filly among toppers at OBS yearling sale

October 13th, 2022

Hip 30, a NY-bred daughter of champion sprinter Mitole, sold for $125,000 Monday at the OBS October yearling sale. Photo courtesy of Lisa McGreevy.

A New York-bred daughter of champion sprinter Mitole sold for $125,000 Monday to highlight the two-day OBS October yearling sale.

Hip 30, who is out of the Empire Maker mare Sinister Siren, was purchased by Classic Bloodstock for Gary Anderson and wound up the second highest-priced filly and co-seventh most expensive yearling at the sale.

Bred by Trail Creek Stables LLC, foaled at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater and consigned by Lisa McGreevy’s Abbie Road Farm, agent, the filly is the first foal out of the half-sister to stakes-placed Unanimously from the family of Canadian champion Delightful Mary and graded stakes winner Delightful Kiss.

OBS reported sales 50 of the 70 New York-bred yearlings over the two sessions for $938,900, an average price of $19,678.

Hip 602, a filly by leading New York sire Central Banker, topped the open portion of the sale Tuesday on a bid of $43,000 from Kathryn Martin.

Bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds LLC and Spruce Lane Farm, foaled at McMahon of Saratoga in Saratoga Springs and consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, agent, the chestnut filly is out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Lady Daphne.

The Central Banker filly is a half-sister to Lady Jasmine, a New York-bred daughter of Cairo Prince also bred by McMahon and Spruce Lane, and a winner in her debut this summer at Saratoga Race Course. Lady Daphe is also the dam of the winning New York-bred Laoban filly Proper Grammar.

Central Banker, on top of the New York general sire list with more than $4 million in progeny earnings in 2022, stands for $7,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs.

David Basalo purchased the sale’s most expensive New York-bred colt, going to $50,000 for Hip 164, a son of Vino Rosso. Bred by Drumkenny Farm and Joe Senkovich and consigned by Colin Brennan Bloodstock, agent, the colt is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Lauded.

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NY contingent heads to RRP Thoroughbred Makeover

October 11th, 2022

Evaluator, winner of the 2017 Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont Park, is among the 33 New York-breds competing in the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover this week in Kentucky. NYRA Photo.

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Kentucky faces a New York invasion this week with 33 New York-bred off-track Thoroughbreds heading to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington for the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America.

Horses at the Makeover will compete in 10 disciplines with entrants allowed to compete in up to two. To be eligible for the Makeover, a horse had to have worked or raced no earlier than July 1, 2020.

The Makeover concludes Saturday when the top five in each discipline advance to the Finale to compete for the title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion and $10,000 prize.

The Makeover begins Wednesday. Fans can also watch a livestream of the Finale on the RRP’s website at 8 a.m. ET Saturday.

  • 54 New York-breds were entered in the Makeover in August with 33 scheduled to ship to Kentucky this week. Those 54 horses made up 12.6 percent of the field pre-scratches – up from 12.2 percent of the entries at last year’s ‘Mega Makeover’ that combined the 2020 and 2021 classes. That is the third best of all states and sits just one horse behind taking the second spot.
  • The 33 New York-breds showing this week averaged 13 starts, one win and three placings in their career with average earnings of $46,274. Two of the New York-breds never made a start – but did register at least one work to qualify for the event – and one other only made one start.
  • Four of the horses made at least 40 starts with the 8-year-old mare Patrona leading the charge with 47 starts. The mare started at eight tracks, including races at Fingers Lakes, Belmont Park and Aqueduct. Dearie made the second most starts with 43, including starts at all four New York tracks.
  • Evaluator is the only stakes winner in the group with a win in the 2017 Sleepy Hollow Stakes. The 7-year-old gelding also placed in the Damon Runyon and Albany Stakes during his career that featured earnings of $375,148. He is the highest earner of the group and leads four horses who earned six figures during their careers.
  • The Show Hunters discipline features the most New York-breds after scratches with 13 entered, followed closely by Dressage with nine entries. Every discipline has at least one New York-bred entered as of Sunday, with multiple horses entered in every discipline except for Freestyle (that horse being the aforementioned Evaluator, who is also entered in Dressage).
  • Wondering which sire has the most New York-bred entries? That honor goes to Central Banker (Easy Banker and Our Lady of Winloc) and Teuflesberg (Ariesberg and Diggin For Dough), with two apiece. Overall, 31 stallions have a New York-bred entry in this year’s Makeover. McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds has the most entries as a breeder with five. Irish Hill Century Farm follows with two and Hidden Lake bred one horse on its own and co-bred Empire Station with Daniel Hoogstra.

NYTB is joined by the New York Racing Association and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association in sponsoring the $2,500 Empire State Success Story prize for the competition’s leading New York-bred. Find out more about the Thoroughbred Makeover and the horses entered at www.tbmakeover.org.

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Lady’s Golden Guy defends Leon Reed title

October 10th, 2022

Lady’s Golden Guy secures second straight Leon Reed Memorial Stakes Monday at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.

Different year, similar outcome with a twist in Monday’s $35,000 Leon Reed Memorial Stakes at Finger Lakes.

Lady’s Golden Guy, winner of last year’s Leon Reed via the disqualification of My Boy Tate for a medication positive, didn’t need a ruling this year and topped that same rival on the square to highlight the holiday card in Western New York. Lady’s Golden Guy defeated My Boy Tate by a length in the 6-furlong Leon Reed for his third win in six starts this season and first stakes since last year’s Leon Reed.

My Boy Tate finished 6 lengths clear of Lady’s Golden Guy in last year’s Leon Reed but was subsequently disqualified for an overage of a Class 4 therapeutic medication. My Boy Tate, a 10-time winner and $722,788-earner, returned from Michelle Nevin’s Belmont Park base for the 2022 renewal and went to the post as the 3-5 favorite. Lady’s Golden Guy went off as the 3-1 second choice in the field of six under Nazario Alvarado for owner and trainer Debra Breed.

Disco Deano came away fastest from the gate before Wow Brown slipped through to his inside to take control. Wow Brown led Acalteque by a half-length through the opening quarter-mile in :22.45 with Lady’s Golden Guy and Disco Deano side-by-side and chasing, ahead of the tandem of My Boy Tate and Nueva York.

Wow Brown shook off Acalteque and opened up a 1 1/2-length lead to the half in :46.67 with Lady’s Golden Guy the closest pursuer. Nazario guided Lady’s Golden Guy alongside the leader into the lane, just as Jose Gomez angled My Boy Tate off the inside to make their run. Lady’s Golden Guy opened up past the eighth pole and 5 furlongs in :58.67 and held off My Boy Tate’s late run. Wow Brown finished 2 1/4 lengths back in third, 2 lengths ahead of Nueva York with Disco Deano and Acalteque completing the field. Lady’s Golden Guy won in 1:11.43 over the fast track.

Lady’s Golden Guy earned $21,000 for the victory, the Golden Ticket gelding’s 10th in 27 starts, to boost his earnings to $219,825.

Bred by Ronald Breed, the 5-year-old Lady’s Golden Guy is out of the winning Value Plus mare Valuable Lady.

The Breeds claimed Valuable Lady for $7,500 when she finished second in late January 2012 at Aqueduct. She won three times for her new connections before being retired after the 2013 season.

Lady’s Golden Guy is Valuable Lady’s second foal. Her first foal, the New York-bred Willcox Inn gelding Invaluable Will, went 3-9-5 in 33 starts and earned $128,906 for the Breeds. Valuable Lady’s other two foals to race are winners – Lady’s Golden Guy’s 4-year-old full sister One Ticked Lady, and the 3-year-old Bellamy Road filly Road to Royalty.

Valuable Lady did not produce a foal in 2020 or 2021 but is the dam of a New York-bred colt by War Dancer born in late February 2022.

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Irish Hill program produces strong yearling sale

October 10th, 2022

Hip 101, who led all New York-breds at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling sale, learned his early lessons at Irish Hill Century Farm. Fasig-Tipton photo

You want to get a yearling ready for a sale? Take a walk. A good, long walk. Mix in some hills, get out there and put in the work. That’s the plan at Stillwater’s Irish Hill Century Farm, where a Girvin colt learned his early lessons en route to leading the New York-breds to sell at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic’s fall yearling sale at Timonium, Md. Oct. 3-4.

Irish Hill’s Rick Burke called the exercise a “power walk,” and said it does wonders for young horses.

“It’s a lot of walking,” Burke said. “We do it the old-style way. We don’t use a free walker. We hand walk them. We start out gradually and by the end it’s 2 1/2 miles. We have a 15-acre field that slopes down when you go in, curves up across the top to where it’s fairly flat and comes back down. Everything is gradual. It’s really good for them.”

The regimen paid off when the dark bay colt bred by Mary Lester sold for $140,000 to Tom McCrocklin for Champion Equine. The bid topped all New York-breds at the sale, and was the 10th-highest price overall. Out of the unraced Tiznow mare Tiz Possible, Hip 101 hails from a championship family. Second dam Proud Spell won an Eclipse Award as the champion 3-year-old filly of 2008 thanks to Grade 1 victories in the Alabama and Kentucky Oaks.

Foaled in February at Irish Hill, the Girvin colt took time to mature and was not pointed for Fasig-Tipton’s summer New York-bred sale at Saratoga.

“He’d catch your eye, he just needed time,” said Burke. “He would have gotten lost in the mix at Saratoga. We started in sales prep a few months ago and he was still a little bit immature. The last six weeks he was maturing into himself, the muscle was coming on and he got looking better and better.”

Vinery Sales’ Derek MacKenzie made the same assessment when he saw the colt at Irish Hill this summer, and again when he joined the consignment at Timonium. The colt dealt with Maryland’s rainy and chilly weather, and plenty of scrutiny from buyers.

“It was a good market if they looked good and they vetted good,” said MacKenzie, “but they’ve got to handle everything too, no matter where you take them, and he did.”

Again, the Irish Hill sales prep played an important role.

“They get groomed every day, hooves picked, manes and tails combed, we start bathing them about three or four weeks out and getting them used to that,” said Burke. “Come sale time they’re so well-handled they show pretty good and with the long walking they don’t get tired.”

Burke gives the yearlings weekends off, just to keep them fresh and engaged.

“We walk them five days a week,” he said. “I’ve found that they need a break. By the fifth day, they’re a little frustrated and just want to finish. By Monday, they’re waiting by the door wanting to go again like, ‘Let’s go.’ ”

The five-day schedule also eases the farm’s workload, just a little.

“It’s the old-style way, but it requires manpower,” Burke said. “You’re handling them the whole time too, which really helps them, but it takes time. We’re not set up to do a lot of horses, but that’s OK.”

Tiz Possible delivered a War Dancer colt in 2022 and was back in foal to the New York stallion for next year.

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Broman homebred Makin My Move wins Honey Bee

October 7th, 2022

Chester and Mary Broman’s homebred filly Makin My Move closed from the back of the pack to land her first stakes victory in Friday’s $75,000 Honey Bee Stakes at the Meadowlands.

Bred by and foaled at the Broman’s Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, the 3-year-old daughter of Carpe Diem won the 5-furloong turf stakes by 1 3/4 lengths over Kodama under Kendrick Carmouche.

Sent off as the 8-5 favorite in the field of six, Makin My Move came away last of six early and trailed as Ulikeapples led through the opening quarter-mile in :22.17. Ulikeapples opened up and continued lead through the half in :47.41 with Kodama, Lady Zeta and Makin My Move giving chase.

Kodama and jockey Jaime Rodriguez took the lead into the stretch, just ahead of Making My Move, Ulikeapples and Lady Zeta. Makin My Love and Kodama dueled in the stretch with the former edging away late to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Kodama held second by 2 1/2 lengths over Still My Babe. Makin My Move won in 1:00.53.,

Makin My Move improved to 4-for-8 with the win and boosted her earnings to $210,550.

Trained by John Kimmel, Makin My Move came into the Honey Bee off a close fourth in the Galway Stakes in late July at Saratoga Race Course. She won her prior start – in a 5 1/2-furlong turf optional at Saratoga – after another win in a 7-furlong allowance in early July at Belmont.

Making My Move is the second foal out of the multiple stakes-winning More Than Ready mare Hard to Stay Notgo. Bred by the Bromans, Hard to Stay Notgo won three of eight starts and earned $212,440, including the 2015 Franklin Square Stakes at Aqueduct and Niagara Stakes at Finger Lakes.

Hard to Stay Notgo’s first foal, the stakes-placed Uncle Mo mare Gotta Go Mo, won three of 13 starts and earned $176,760.

Hard to Stay Notgo is the dam of a yearling filly by Flatter and a weanling filly by Mendelssohn, both bred in New York by the Bromans.

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NYTB to host Saratoga membership meeting/seminar Oct. 16

October 6th, 2022

NYTB logoThe New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. will host its annual general membership meeting at educational seminar Sunday, Oct. 16 at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs.

The event, which features a free barbecue and cocktail hour for attendees, runs from 5-7 p.m. and all are encouraged to RSVP by Friday, Oct. 14 at nytbreeders.org/events.

Veterinarian and NYTB Board Member Dr. Scott Ahlschwede of Rood & Riddle will moderate the panel “Success at the Sales,” which will cover expectations, preparation, sale selection, veterinary information, what buyers want and other topics.

Sponsored by the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund (The Fund) and Boehringer-Ingelheim, the panel will feature speakers Michael McMahon (McMahon & Hill Bloodstock), Dr. E.C. “Pug” Hart, D.V.M., Derek MacKenzie (Vinery Sales), and Francis Vanlangendonck (Summerfield Sales).

Three $1,000 scholarships will also be available for students enrolled in Agricultural or Equine Studies and Vet Technicians.

The meeting and seminar will be conducted the day before the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale Monday, October 17. Fasig-Tipton cataloged 235 entries for the sale, which begins at 10 a.m.

Those wishing to attend the seminar and membership meeting must RSVP by Oct. 14 at nytbreeders.org/events. For more information, send an email to info@nytbreeders.org.

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Girvin colt tops NY-breds at Timonium

October 4th, 2022

Hip 101, a Girvin colt, led all New York-breds at this week’s Fasig-Tipton Timonium yearling sale. Fasig-Tipton photo

Derek MacKenzie didn’t exactly call it the moral of the story, but . . . believe him when he says he “would go to the Arctic” to look at a horse for the Vinery Sales consignment. The move paid off Monday when a Girvin colt brought $140,000 to top all New York-breds at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale at Timonium, Md.

“Someone called me and said, ‘Hey come look at this horse in the field,’ MacKenzie said of a trip to Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater. “He was with a bunch of colts and I went out there and he caught my eye right away. I had a feeling that it was him because you could see his dad in him and I was really impressed. You never know what to expect with something like that.”

Bred by Mary Lester out of the unraced Tiznow mare Tiz Possible, the colt wasn’t nominated to Fasig-Tipton’s summer New York-bred sale at Saratoga, but Timonium fit the schedule. He wound up cracking the overall top 10 at the sale on a bid by Tom McCrocklin for Champion Equine.

A February foal, the dark bay is a half-brother to winner Francisca Spell. Second dam Proud Spell was champion 3-year-old filly of 2008, an earner of $2.1 million and is the dam of stakes winner Indian Spell, stakes-placed winner Estrucan and five other winners.

Grade 1 winner Girvin’s first foals are 2-year-olds this year and launched him to a strong start at stud. Damon’s Mound won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special this summer while Atomically and Devious Dame also won stakes.

That pedigree, the sire power, and the colt’s conformation, rewarded MacKenzie’s decision to visit Irish Hill.

“He was really nice, and stayed that way,” he said, “and the sire is really hot. I never don’t go see them. That’s why I have so many horses.”

Beyond the Girvin colt, Vinery’s consignment went 44 deep and included several New York-breds. A Solomini colt brought $55,000 on a bid by agent Julie Davies. Agent Nick Sallusto bought a Leofric filly for $50,000 while bidding for Thorostock. Trainer Tim Hills landed another Solomini colt for $50,000.

“The Solominis that didn’t quite get into Saratoga did well here, the Leofrics we brought here did really well,” MacKenzie said. “They were very close to being in that sale [at Saratoga] maybe but we came here. They were nice horses. It was a good market if they looked good and they vetted well.

See the Girvin colt’s catalog page.

Michael Kipness purchased Hip 416, a filly by Central Banker out of the stakes-placed Posse mare Might Be, for $100,000 during Tuesday’s session.

Bred by Richard Nicolai and foaled at Carlland Stables in Avon, the filly was consigned by Maryland-based Marshall Silverman. The filly is the first foal out of the $228,605-earner Might Be, runner-up for Nicolai’s Fortune Farm in the 2017 Empire Distaff Handicap at Belmont Park. Might Be also finished second in the 2019 Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes at Finger Lakes.

Cary Frommer purchased the second most expensive New York-bred colt at the sale, going to $90,000 for Hip 218.

Bred by Newtown Anner Stud, foaled at Jack’s Farm on the Hill in Millbrook and consigned by Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, the Flatter colt is out of the winning Arch mare Cap. A full-sister to stakes winner Sower and half-sister to stakes winner Vast, Cap is the dam of the winning Kitten’s Joy mare Widow of Nain.

Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 65 of the 77 New York-breds offered during the two sessions for $1,452,300, an average price of $22,343 and median of $12,000.

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Gone and Forgotten wins Arctic Queen in sprint return

October 3rd, 2022

Barry Schwartz’s homebred Bustin Stones filly Gone and Forgotten collects second straight stakes win Monday in the Arctic Queen at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.

Barry Schwartz’s homebred filly Gone and Forgotten returned to a sprint distance for the first time since early June and came away with her second stakes victory in Monday’s $35,000 Arctic Queen at Finger Lakes.

The 4-year-old daughter of Bustin Stones added the 6-furlong Arctic Queen to her victory last time out in the Jack Betta Be Rite going 1 1/16 miles Aug. 15 at Finger Lakes. She ran in back-to-back 1-mile and 70-yard tests prior to that win, winning a state-bred optional-allowance and finishing second in an open allowance.

Sent off as the 4-5 favorite against five other New York-bred fillies and mares in the Arctic Queen, Gone and Forgotten made quick work of the opposition with her ninth victory in 12 starts, all at Finger Lakes, for trainer Michael Ferraro.

Gone and Forgotten and jockey Luis Perez broke from the gate on top before relinquishing the lead to the speedy 3-year-old Queens Dancer from the inside. Queens Dancer led to the opening quarter-mile in :22.69, about 3 lengths clear of Gone and Forgotten with Steel My Heart and Sabreen just to the outside.

Tax Me Naught, runner-up to Gone and Forgotten in the Jack Betta Be Rite last time, entered the fray and came up inside the eventual winner as they gave chase to Queens Dancer around the far turn and to the half in :45.83. Gone and Forgotten shook that rival off and later the pacesetter in the stretch, taking the lead just inside the eighth pole and drawing off in deep stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Gone and Forgotten won in 1:11.27.

Jackie Davis, the jockey aboard Queens Dancer, filed an unsuccessful objection against the winner for alleged interference in the stretch. Queens Dancer held second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Tax Me Naught in third. Sabrine, Party in the Raine and Steal My Heart completed the field.

Gone and Forgotten earned $21,000 for the victory to pad her career bankroll to $171,705.

Foaled at Schwartz’s Stonewall Farm in Granite Springs, Gone and Forgotten is the third foal and one of three winners out of the stakes-winning Yes It’s True mare Little Rocket. Her other two New York-bred foals also won at Finger Lakes – the Scat Daddy mare Tropical Storm Em in 2019 and the 3-year-old Maclean’s Music gelding Red Fortress, a winner in a maiden special weight Sept. 27 also for Schwartz and Ferraro.

Little Rocket won five of 19 starts for Schwartz from 2012 to 2014. She won the 2014 Susan B. Anthony Stakes and finished third in that year’s edition of the Jack Betta Be Rite, both at Finger Lakes. She’s out of the Pentelicus mare How About Now, winner of the Grade 2 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga in 1996 for Schwartz and trainer Mike Hushion.

Little Rocket was sold in foal to Tamarkuz for $19,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She produced a filly by that sire in Turkey this April.

Bustin Stones, an 18-year-old undefeated Grade 1-winning son of City Zip, stands for $2,500 at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham. He came into Monday ranked sixth on the New York general sire list with progeny earnings of more than $1.2 million in 2022

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Dancing Buck lands Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint

October 1st, 2022

Dancing Buck lands first graded stakes victory in Saturday’s Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes. NYRA Photo.

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

War Dancer’s stakes-placed Dancing Buck added a stakes win to his resume against open company with a victory in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Saturday.

Racing over 6 furlongs on the yielding turf at Belmont at the Big A, Dancing Buck went straight to the lead from the start. Making sure no one would come close to him, he kept more than a length on the field through fractions of :23.19 and :46.25. Around the turn, the Michelle Nevin trainee increased his lead to have a few lengths in hand turning into the stretch.

He took a breather at that point and let race favorite Arzak think he had a chance, before putting that idea to rest in the final furlong. Dancing Buck spurted away under hand urging to win by an easy 5 lengths in 1:09.60 with Voodoo Zip and Yes and Yes in second and third.

“I took advantage of the break because he broke so sharp,” said jockey Manny Franco. “I just went on with him and he did the rest. He was nice and comfortable on the lead and he got it done. He’s getting better with age and Michelle has been doing a great job with this horse.”

The first graded stakes winner for Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions resident War Dancer, Dancing Buck is also the third stakes winner for his third crop sire.

Nevin will look to make the gelding his sire’s first Grade 1 winner with a tilt in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, a spot she’s eying for his next start at Keeneland next month.

“I’d really like that,” she said. “I thought he ran huge in Saratoga going five and a half. He was unlucky to get nipped up there [in the Lucky Coin on September 2].”

Co-owned by breeder J and N Stables with Diamond M Stable, the 4-year-old gelding is a third-generation New York-bred. He is out of the multiple stakes-placed Catienus mare Frivolous Buck, a half-sister to stakes-placed Buck Mountain. Buck Mountain also produced the stakes winning New York-bred Our Last Buck.

Frivolous Buck has produced two winners from five to race with the other winner being the three-time victor Brockmoninoff. Two of her other runners have earned placings in their run.

Frivolous Buck has a 3-year-old War Dancer gelding named Buckortwo also in training with Nevin. Her 2-year-old War Dancer filly Mz Big Bucks – the mare’s youngest foal – is working regularly at Belmont Park.

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Finest Work lands first stakes in John Hettinger

September 30th, 2022

Finest Work holds off late challengers to win Friday’s John Hettinger for her first stakes win. NYRA Photo.

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

The Repole Stable-bred Finest Work recorded her second straight victory Friday when she won the $125,000 John Hettinger Stakes at Belmont at the Big A.

The 4-year-old Outwork filly stretched out to 1 1/8 miles from the 1 1/16 miles that she won over at Monmouth Park last out. Finest Work broke from the widest gate in the field of nine and split the field, racing about 5 lengths off pacesetting 100-1 longshot Vienna Code, in the early stages. Finest Work was happy to bide her time through fractions of :23.40 and :48.37 with four rivals a few lengths in front of her and four horses behind her down the backstretch, while 3-1 second choice Make Mischief kept pressure on the longshot leader.

The field tightened entering the far turn with the eventual winner going widest of all in the midst of a five-way battle for the lead.

That battle was quickly ended with Finest Work and Make Mischief the only two left near the front at the eighth pole. Make Mischief eventually gave in close to the line and Finest Work was clear of all challengers. The late-closing duo of Marvelous Maude and Runaway Rumour nearly spoiled her chance at the first stakes win but the wire came soon enough. Finest Work won by a half-length over Marvelous Maude in 1:48.50 over the firm turf. Runaway Rumour finished a neck back in third and a neck in front of fourth-place finisher Make Mischief. Pure Bode, Classic Colors, Ice Princess, Classic Lady and Vienna Code completed the field.

Trained by George Weaver for Ted Hoover, Finest Work won her first stakes and recorded her fourth victory in five starts this year. She also improved to 5-2-2 in 11 career starts and boosted her earnings to $272,050 with the win.

“By the three-eighths, I felt they were getting kind of close to me,” said winning jockey Manny Franco. “I gave her her head a little bit and she was making her move a little early, but at the same time, that’s the move I wanted to do because I wanted to get the jump.

“George did a great job. This filly is improving a lot and it seems she’s got it [figured out]. I’m just glad to be part of the win. She did really well.”

Foaled at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, Finest Work was a $40,000 short yearling purchase by Rose Creek Farm at the 2019 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. She went through the ring two more times – going unsold at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale and selling again to Rose Creek Farm for $40,000 2019 OBS October yearling sale.

Finest Work is out of winning Pleasantly Perfect mare Nero’s Pleasure, who was purchased by Repole for $60,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February mixed sale. The mare was sold two years later, in foal to the Repole-raced Overanalyze, at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale to Phil Lebherz and Alan Klein for $95,000.

Finest Work’s dam is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Burning Roma and the stakes-placed dam of 2016 champion female sprinter Finest City and stakes winner Grand Prix.

Nero’s Pleasure’s last live foal was the Overanalyze filly she was carrying when sold in 2018. Named Autism Prism, that 3-year-old has won three starts with her last victory coming two starts ago at Canterbury Park.

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