Celtic Dawn tries turf in NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy
Blue Devil Racing Stable’s New York homebred Celtic Dawn is 2-for-2 on dirt and will try the lawn for the first time in Saturday’s $150,000 Cupecoy’s Joy division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for eligible New York-sired sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by Carlos Martin, the Honest Mischief gray defeated elders by 1 1/4 lengths last out in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance on the local main track on May 14. Piloted by returning Hall of Fame-rider Javier Castellano, Celtic Dawn traveled off-the-pace in third-of-6 through the half-mile in 45.31 seconds, taking over from a game D’s a Rock in the final sixteenth and inching clear to stop the clock in 1:17.16. The performance earned a field and career-best 72 Beyer Speed Figure.
“This is an interesting spot, I’m excited about running her,” Martin said. “She is moving really well right now. I’m happy with the way she ran off the layoff. She put on some weight out of the race, which is a great sign for fillies.”
Celtic Dawn’s victory came off an over eight-month layoff dating to a winning debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs in an August off-the-turf maiden at Saratoga Race Course. She subsequently received successful surgery for a fractured pastern in the left front at the nearby Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.
“I think she’ll be fine with the six furlongs, she won the other day going six and a half furlongs,” Martin said. “She broke her maiden at five and a half furlongs, and hopefully she’s got enough speed to put herself into the race.”
Celtic Dawn [post 5, Javier Castellano], who was entered for the turf on debut, now tries the surface versus eligible-sired sophomore fillies. She is out of the Paddy O’Prado mare Tapa Liath, a two-time winner on turf for Marc Holliday’s Blue Devil Racing Stable. Paddy O’Prado, himself, was a Grade 1-winner on turf, in addition to strong dirt efforts, including a third in the 2010 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.
“I’m really curious to get her on the turf. We were initially going to try to run her last year first time out on the grass, because of pedigree on the mom’s side,” Martin said. “It got rained off and she’s now won twice on dirt, but I think she’ll handle anything. I can’t be any happier with the way she’s coming into the race.”
Empire Equines’ New York homebred Encantar [post 6, Dylan Davis] returns to six furlongs off a prominent third-out graduation going 1 1/16 miles versus elders on May 8 at Belmont at the Big A. Trained by David Donk, the Solomini bay responded well in the lane after tracking the pace under returning rider Dylan Davis, gamely holding off Soaring Spirit by a neck in a final time of 1:44.94.
Encantar previously made two starts, both sprinting six furlongs over the Saratoga main track last summer, including a debut second to a runaway Grazie over muddy and sealed footing in July.
“Her win was a good race off the layoff going long, which may be her best game, but this is the Stallion Series. It is only six furlongs, I would be concerned that is too short for her, but we are looking for black type and she belongs with this company,” Donk said. “The negative might be the distance, but we’ll get to run her two turns in Saratoga this summer.”
Encantar is out of the Mineshaft mare Sandra’s Mine, a half-sister to the Donk-trained New York-bred dirt stakes-winner Water’s Edge. Her second dam is state-bred stakes-placed Sandra.
Donk also sends out the Bernardo Mongil, III’s unraced Carmen Amalia [post 7, Dalila Rivera] for her career debut. The Combatant chestnut, bred in the Empire State by Monhill Farm, is out of the multiple dirt stakes-winning New York-bred Sky Mesa mare Sapphire Sky, who was trained by Donk and produced synthetic stakes-winner Sky Flower.
“I’m not sure if she’s turf or dirt, but this filly has trained well,” said Donk. “Her dam won a couple stakes, and she really loved the mud, she loved it wet. So, this is an interesting filly. She is a lovely mover.”
Rounding out the field are Miss Jane Hathaway [post 4, Reylu Gutierrez] for trainer James Ferraro; Dancingwithdestiny [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] for conditioner Michael Dini; Galileans Girl [post 1, Nazario Alvarado] for trainer Linda Dixon; and Clap Back [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for conditioner Charlton Baker.
The Cupecoy’s Joy is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 11-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m Eastern.
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