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Clement saddles two for $150K License Fee

by Mary Eddy

Trainer Christophe Clement and co-owner West Point Thoroughbreds will send out two contenders in Gal in a Rush and Dontlookbackatall for Sunday’s Listed $150,000 License Fee, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for older fillies and mares, at Belmont at the Big A.

Gal in a Rush, co-owned with Chris Larsen and Titletown Racing Stables, makes her first start off a near nine-month layoff after a pair of strong allowance-level victories last summer. The 5-year-old Ghostzapper bay was last seen scoring by 2 1/2 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong optional claimer in August at Saratoga Race Course, sweeping from eight lengths off the pace under Flavien Prat to run down pacesetter and returning rival Lady Milagro at the top of the stretch. The effort was awarded a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

“The Clements are very pleased with how she’s coming into her 5-year-old season,” said Jason Blewitt, Executive Vice President of West Point Thoroughbreds. “She just got better and better last year – you can see her getting better with age, like a good Ghostzapper. She looks as good as she ever has.”

The consistent mare has hit the board in 9-of-13 starts, including a close runner-up effort a half-length back of multiple graded stakes-winner Bubble Rock in the Grade 3 Matron as a juvenile, and another close third-place effort in the Stewart Manor to close out that campaign, both sprinting six furlongs over firm Belmont Park turf.

Gal in a Rush was winless in five starts as a sophomore, but earned more black type with a second-place effort in the 6 1/2-furlong Alywow at Woodbine. She improved greatly last year when winning or finishing a close second in each of her four outings, including the aforementioned win at Saratoga and another allowance victory sprinting seven furlongs with a more prominent trip in July at Belmont.

Bred in Kentucky by Tom and Mary Lou Teal and Adena Springs, Gal in a Rush was a $375,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the winning Dynaformer mare Hudson River Gal.

Prat has the call from post 2.

Dontlookbackatall, co-owned with Scarlet Oak Racing and Titletown Racing Stables, made her 4-year-old debut on March 31 at Gulfstream Park with a narrowly-beaten runner-up effort to graded stakes-placed Miss Speedy in a five-furlong optional claiming turf sprint.

The Peace and Justice dark bay returned from a more than five-month respite to pounce from 2 1/2 lengths off the pace and just missed the win by a half-length after drifting a touch in the final eighth of a mile. The effort was awarded a career-best 89 Beyer.

“She shows up and runs big,” said Blewitt. “She always seems to fire a monstrous race. She has more of a modest background, but she’s all racehorse. We love the both of these fillies.”

Like her stablemate, Dontlookbackatall posted a similar juvenile campaign in 2022 when contesting the Matron and Stewart Manor at Belmont at the Big A, finishing fourth in both events. As a sophomore, she finished first or second in each of her six outings, led by a pair of pacesetting allowance victories at the License Fee distance. She closed out the year with a game runner-up effort to graded stakes-winner Danse Macabre in the Glen Cove in October over good Big A turf.

A $150,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Dontlookbackatall was bred in Pennsylvania by A1A Racing and is out of the winning Arch mare Celtic Arch, a half-sister to Ronja – dam of multiple group-winner Flaming Rabbit and multiple group-placed Ross.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride from post 4.

Bakster Farm and Gerald Ibister’s graded stakes-winner Honey Pants [post 5, Manny Franco] makes her second outing for trainer Jonathan Thomas on the heels of a narrow defeat in the six-furlong Queen over Turfway Park’s Tapeta on March 16. There, the daughter of Cairo Prince flew home from four lengths off the pace to hit the wire in a thrilling three-way photo a head behind the victorious B G Warrior and in a dead heat with Swall for place honors.

Honey Pants made her first 17 outings for Clement, including six stakes placings, before being moved to the barn of Phil D’Amato for five starts in California, led by her first graded triumph in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas two starts back in January at Santa Anita Park. There, she utilized her usual stalking tactics and, despite jockey Frankie Dettori losing his crop in upper stretch, found enough late to get her head down over Elm Drive to equal a career-high 91 Beyer.

The $90,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase was bred in Kentucky by Betz/Lamantia/J. Betz and is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner King Henny, as well as Given Star, the dam of Grade 1-winner One in Vermillion.

Honey Pants is cross-entered in the Grade 3 Whimsical Saturday over Tapeta at Woodbine. Thomas indicated Thursday his preference is to run the filly over the Big A turf.

Dianette Rivas and Amanda Laderer’s Kentucky homebred stakes-winner Lady Milagro [post 3, Luis Rivera, Jr.] returns from a near five-month layoff for trainer Carlos Martin. The 5-year-old First Dude mare was last seen finishing a distant seventh in the five-furlong Abundantia on New Year’s Eve at Gulfstream to close out a 12-start 4-year-old campaign.

Martin said a sharp five-furlong work in 58.05 seconds over the Gulfstream Tapeta eight days out from the Abundantia may have hindered her chances.

“She disappointed us a little at Gulfstream and she had worked a little too fast before the race on Tapeta pulling in the morning, and she just wasn’t herself that day,” said Martin. “She showed a little speed for three-eighths of a mile, but usually, even if she gets beat, she puts up a fight, and she didn’t that day. But she’s back now and we’ll put a line through that race.”

Lady Milagro posted a pair of wins last year in wire-to-wire fashion when defeating Gal in a Rush by a nose in a first-level allowance last April here, and with her first stakes triumph in the local six-furlong Autumn Days in November. The latter effort saw Lady Milagro lead with sharp fractions of 21.69 seconds, 43.84 and 55.41 over the firm footing with returning pilot Luis Rivera, Jr. in the irons at odds of 51-1. She held a five-length lead at the stretch call and kept on strongly down the lane to post the easy 1 1/2-length victory in a final time of 1:07.55, awarding her a career-best 91 Beyer.

“I knew she shouldn’t have been 50-1 in there – she always has kept decent company. Her speed is dangerous and she had such a great race on the grass last time in New York, so it makes sense to give her a chance here,” said Martin. “She’s doing well.”

Completing the field is Neal Hayias’ stakes-placed Risk Free [post 1, Jose Gomez], who has hit the board in 18-of-26 lifetime starts for trainer Eddie DeLauro. The 4-year-old daughter of American Freedom finished second in the off-the-turf Floral Park in October here and wheels back on eight days’ rest after a closing fourth-place effort in a local six-furlong turf allowance.

The pair of Linda Rice trainees Hot Fudge and Everyoneloveslinda have been entered for the main track-only.

The License Fee is slated as Race 3 on Sunday’s eight-race card, which co-features the Listed $150,000 Gold Fever in Race 7. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

The Grade 3, $175,000 Beaugay, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares originally scheduled for Sunday, will be brought back for Saturday, May 11 with entries to be taken Wednesday.

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