G1-winner Leslie’s Rose returns in G3 Vagrancy

Whisper Hill Farm’s Leslie’s Rose will cut back in distance to make her seasonal debut for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in Sunday’s Grade 3 $175,000 Vagrancy, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Belmont at the Big A.

The Vagrancy is slated as Race 7 on Sunday’s stacked 10-race card which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 Westchester in Race 9, the Grade 3, $175,000 Beaugay in Race 8 and the Listed $150,000 License Fee in Race 3. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Leslie’s Rose [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 124 pounds], a 4-year-old Into Mischief bay, won the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Ashland last April at Keeneland in thrilling fashion, besting 2023 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Just F Y I by three lengths.

She has made her last three outings traveling nine furlongs in Grade 1 races won by eventual Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna. Leslie’s Rose did not relish the sloppy and sealed going when off-the-board in the Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs; and followed with two runs at Saratoga Race Course when a 5 1/2-length second in the DK Horse Acorn in June and a pacesetting fourth in the Coaching Club American Oaks in July.

Leslie’s Rose, a debut 9 1/4-length winner at the Vagrancy distance here in November 2023, wintered at Palm Beach Downs in Florida where she worked a half-mile in 49.91 seconds Saturday.

“She broke her maiden at Aqueduct [sprinting]. I think it’s a good starting point for her,” Pletcher said. “She has enough tactical speed to be effective going six and a half [furlongs].”

The $1.15 million Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Galileo mare Wildwood Rose – a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Materiality and Grade 2-winner My Miss Sophia.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. has entered a strong duo in graded stakes-placed R Disaster [post 1, Jose Ortiz, 118 pounds] and multiple stakes-winner Haulin Ice [post 5, John Velazquez, 122 pounds], who is cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill.

C2 Racing Stable, Paul Braverman, Miller Racing and Timothy Pinch’s Haulin Ice has won 4-of-8 starts since being purchased privately and joining the Joseph, Jr. barn for a runner-up effort in the Game Face in June at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old Coal Front grey, bred in Arkansas by Eugenia Thompson-Benight, made her first five starts at Oaklawn Park for trainer Lindsay Schultz, winning three times and finishing second twice.

Haulin Ice, who dominated the Azalea at second asking for Joseph, Jr. in July at Gulfstream, has improved significantly in her most recent two outings at Oaklawn Park, posting frontrunning scores in the Downthedustyroad Breeders’ [91 Beyer] against fellow state-breds on March 1 and Listed Matron [101 Beyer] on March 29. The latter victory over a muddy and sealed track saw Haulin Ice best returning rival Almostgone Rocket by five lengths.

She has worked back twice at Palm Meadows Training Center, including a half-mile breeze in 49.95 on April 25.

Averill Racing, Two Eight Racing and ATM Racing’s R Disaster arrives from a close runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on March 9 at Gulfstream Park – a race won by Nic’s Style, who has won 7-of-8 starts.

R Disaster, a 4-year-old Awesome Slew bay, tracked the pace of stablemate Spirit Wind through splits of 21.67 seconds and 44.13 over the fast main track. R Disaster took over in mid-stretch, but could not fend off the rallying Nic’s Style, who scored by a neck in a final time of 1:16.53 for the 6 1/2-furlongs. The runner-up effort registered an 85 Beyer Speed Figure for R Disaster, who had posted a 92 three weeks earlier when wiring a six-furlong optional-claimer at the Hallandale Beach oval.

R Disaster boasts a perfect in-the-money record of 7-4-3-0 for purse earnings of $225,180. She is out of the eight-time winning Gottcha Gold mare Making Havoc, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-placed R Adios Jersey.

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and Ten Strike Racing’s Almostgone Rocket [post 2, Flavien Prat, 118 pounds] will look for her second stakes win in the Empire State for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay won her first three starts, culminating in a six-length score in the six-furlong Listed Jersey Girl in June at Saratoga. The prominent romp saw Almostgone Rocket overcome a bobbled start to take command through a half-mile in 44.72 before opening up by 5 1/2-lengths at the stretch call and bounding home in a final time of 1:09.52 over the fast footing. The winning effort earned a career-best 99 Beyer to cap a perfect sophomore season.

The $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase returned to action in the aforementioned Listed Matron, landing a distant second to Haulin Ice.

Almostgone Rocket, out of the multiple stakes-winning Jump Start mare Bound, has worked back twice over the Churchill Downs dirt, including a half-mile effort in 48.80 Sunday.

Rounding out a solid field is graded stakes-placed St. Benedicts Prep [post 4, Jose Lezcano, 118 pounds], a last-out second in the local Grade 3 Distaff for trainer Linda Rice; as well as Socially Selective [post 6, Junior Alvarado, 118 pounds], a last-out third in the Distaff for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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