Bernietakescharge back to winning ways in $125K Bay Ridge
Robert Rosenthal and Bradford Bernstein’s New York homebred Bernietakescharge notched her third career stakes score in Sunday’s $125,000 Bay Ridge, a one-turn mile for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Domenick Schettino, the 4-year-old daughter of Take Charge Indy entered from a pacesetting second to Valtellina in the nine-furlong Empire Distaff on October 25 here, and added to previous stakes success after taking the state-bred Critical Eye in June at Saratoga Race Course and the open-company Heavenly Prize Invitational in February over course and distance.
Ridden to victory by Ruben Silvera, Bernietakescharge emerged from post 5-of-7 and was sent to the front to duel for command with post-time favorite Landed, the two skipping ahead to mark the opening quarter-mile in 22.96 seconds over the fast main track.
“I just tried to break good because she likes to be in front – she likes the competition,” said Silvera, who was also aboard for the Empire Distaff effort. “I put her in the game in the beginning, and she kept running. She’s a good filly."
A trio of contenders were bunched behind the top duo with Cupid’s Heart even further back in sixth as the half-mile elapsed in 45.59 and the pacesetters widened their advantage from an advancing Cupid’s Heart, who was angled inside rivals to make her bid in the turn.
Landed and Bernietakescharge were stride-for-stride through three-quarters in 1:10.05 while Cupid’s Heart altered course to attempt to go around them, but Bernietakescharge dug in gamely to inch past Landed passing the eighth pole while keeping Cupid’s Heart at bay and crossing the wire 2 1/4 lengths in front in a final time of 1:37.77.
“She does [fight to win],” Schettino said. “Her running style, she wants to be close or on the lead. Ruben didn't take anything away from her today and she was training super for this race.”
Cupid’s Heart was three-quarter-lengths better than Landed with Fast and Frisky running on to complete the superfecta. Atlantis Queen, Five to Two and Soloshot completed the order of finish.
Schettino said his main concern in the field was the Wesley Ward-trained Landed, who scratched out of Turfway Park’s My Charmer last Sunday.
"I was worried about her,” Schettino said. “She was in at Turfway, I was hoping she ran there actually. That didn't happen, but then I told Ruben, 'you can't take away from her running style. Landed will probably go, let the best filly win.' She was training super. She ran gutsy today, I'm proud of her.
“She ran the way she was training,” the trainer added. “She ran a gutsy race today. I’m proud of her.”
Bernietakescharge is out of the stakes-winning Freud mare Berning Rose and is a half-sister to sophomore filly Bernieandtherose, a dual stakes-winning New York homebred for the same connections. Bernietakescharge banked $68,750 in victory while improving her record to 20-7-3-2 and returning $6.94 on a $2 win wager.
Manny Franco, aboard the Bruce Levine-trained runner-up Cupid’s Heart, said the daughter of Cupid shied from the path along the inside in the lane.
“It was a good set up, but we were second best,” Franco said. “The winner was battling for the lead and kept on going. She hesitated a little bit and that’s why I went around but the winner never came back.”
Live racing resumes Wednesday at the Big A with an eight-race card for Closing Day of the Aqueduct fall meet. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.
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