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Gala Brand eyes G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; Poppy Flower returns to action in $125K Floral Park

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• Gala Brand eyes G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; Poppy Flower returns to action in $125K Floral Park
• Jody’s Pride on the fence for Breeders’ Cup after Matron score
• Sterling Silver to target listed Pumpkin Pie or state-bred Iroquois
• Belmont at the Big A Week 6 stakes probables

Despite finishing a troubled fourth as the favorite in last Wednesday’s Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Belmont at the Big A, Arnmore Thoroughbreds and Even Keel Thoroughbreds’ Gala Brand remains on target for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 3 at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the chestnut Violence filly won on debut going 5 1/2 furlongs on August 3 over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course and followed with a victory against males in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on August 31 at the Spa. In the last out Miss Grillo, Gala Brand broke from post 7 and was last-of-11 through the entire backstretch run. Although she was left with too much to do turning for home, she still managed to weave her way through traffic along the inside to finish fourth.

“I think that was a very unfortunate trip and post all the way around,” recalled Arnmore Thoroughbreds’ CEO Megan Jones. “I don’t think that race took anything away from her. We’ve got her back in Saratoga and she’s doing well. I think we’ll send her out to California for the Breeders’ Cup. She deserves to be there as much as any other filly in the race. I wouldn’t judge her based off her last race. She didn’t really get a chance to run that day.”

Jones said the Miss Grillo was a beneficial learning experience for her talented filly.

“It was good for her to have to come inside of horses. She still did the best she could with that little bit of ground,” Jones said. “It is what it is. We had a wonderful summer with her up in Saratoga and going into the Breeders’ Cup, I think she’s quite live.”

Jones said Gala Brand has already taken the Arnmore Thoroughbreds partners on a wonderful ride.

“I’m just very grateful to my partners,” Jones said. “They always show up for me and it’s lovely when that can be rewarded, especially with horses that don’t always have things their way that they still run their race and come with a big run at the end. I have an incredible group of partners that support me each year, and it’s nice to be able to reward them at Saratoga or the Breeders’ Cup.”

Arnmore Thoroughbreds will be represented by graded stakes winner Poppy Flower in Saturday’s $125,000 Floral Park for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward at Belmont at the Big A.

A 4-year-old Lea chestnut trained by Mott, Poppy Flower has not raced since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Caress on July 22 at Saratoga, which saw Roses for Debra defeat Wakanaka and returning rival Bubble Rock by 2 1/2 lengths. Poppy Flower defeated Bubble Rock by a nose in the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 9 at Belmont Park one start after finishing a late-rallying second to Bubble Rock in the License Fee on May 7 at Belmont.

“It’ll be exciting for those two to renew that,” Jones said. “Poppy seems to be doing well. She’s coming off a little break now. She got a little sick at the end of Saratoga, so we took our time to bring her back and let her tell us when she’s ready to go again. She came back incredibly well. We’re looking forward to getting her back going on Saturday.”

Poppy Flower earned two stakes victories during her sophomore campaign, taking the Stormy Blues last June at Laurel Park two starts before a one-length win in the Galway last August at Saratoga.

“She’s a little bit trip dependent, but even when she doesn’t get the right trip she still shows up and tries her best. That’s the hard knocking kind of horse you want,” Jones said. “She comes back healthy every spring and develops forward. Now that she’s had that little break, we’ll keep going on her. We’ll just kind of see what happens, hopefully the weather holds up for us. Bill knows how to get them ready.”

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Jody’s Pride on the fence for Breeders’ Cup after Matron score

Parkland Thoroughbreds’ Kentucky homebred Jody’s Pride, co-owned with Sportsmen Stable, could target the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park on November 3 after drawing off to a strong 3 1/4-length score in Sunday’s $150,000 Matron, a six-furlong sprint for juveniles that was moved off the turf, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Jorge Abreu, the daughter of American Pharoah is undefeated through two lifetime outings, her other victory coming with a 10 1/2-length romp in her August 9 debut at Saratoga Race Course, which was also an off-the-turf event.

While a trip to the Breeders’ Cup for either the Juvenile Fillies or Juvenile Fillies Turf certainly remains on the table, Steve Weston of Parkland Thoroughbreds said he is content to take his time with his beloved homebred as she would make her first start beyond sprint distances at the Breeders’ Cup.

“She’s doing well and we had a discussion this morning about where to go and what to do. I hope we can go, and ego says we want one of our own there, but we are more concerned about her future,” Weston said. “It’s a big ask to go a mile or a mile and a sixteenth for the first time against the best in the world. We just don’t want to put her in over her head.”

Weston added that should they decide to make the trip to California, the Juvenile Fillies Turf would be their race of choice as opposed to the Juvenile Fillies on dirt.

“I’m leaving the decision on turf or dirt up to Jorge, but I think he would prefer to go on the grass going only a mile versus a mile and a sixteenth on the dirt,” Weston continued. “Turf is our first choice, but we have to be realistic because the European horses may make it hard to get into the turf and it would be easier to get into the dirt race.”

The Juvenile Fillies Turf would mark a turf debut for Jody’s Pride, who is well bred for the grass as her mother, the Parkland Thoroughbreds-campaigned Jody’s Song, was undefeated through two starts on grass. Additionally, her sire, 2015 Triple Crown Champion American Pharoah, has produced Grade 1-winning turf fillies Harvey’s Lil Goil and Marketsegmentation.

“We bought Jody’s Song as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton sale in Saratoga. She had a short career and fortunately, I was able to send her to Coolmore to live as a broodmare,” said Weston. “I chose Uncle Mo for her first mating and she had a lighter-bodied filly. Then the second time, I saw that Pharoah has been doing really well on the turf and Jody’s Song was a turf horse. The people at Coolmore said Jody’s Pride was one of the nicest little fillies that was born on the farm. Jody’s Song and her foals couldn’t have gotten better care than they did at Coolmore.”

Jody’s Song produced two more colts by American Pharoah before passing away this year, leaving Weston hopeful that Jody’s Pride can continue a great legacy for her late dam.

“It’s been a very exciting time for us and we are excited about her future,” said Weston. “When you breed one and get these wins, it is different than purchasing the horse. It’s very special and now we have problems that are good problems.”

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Sterling Silver to target listed Pumpkin Pie or state-bred Iroquois

Mark T. Anderson’s multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Sterling Silver worked a half-mile in 48.11 seconds Friday over Big Sandy in her first breeze back since being disqualified from victory and placed second in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A.

“She's doing super. It was a very easy breeze. It looked like she was just galloping,” trainer Tom Albertrani said. “She worked in 46 and change before the last race, so this was nearly two seconds slower. She's in great form.”

The 4-year-old Cupid grey crossed the wire first by four lengths in the Gallant Bloom, besting the Jose Lezcano-piloted Headland, who was a half-length in front of the Junior Alvarado-piloted Caramel Swirl. To secure the victory, Sterling Silver, with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano up, rallied from an outside position and crossed the path of a retreating Beguine and into the path of the onrushing Caramel Swirl, who was also squeezed by the pacesetting Headland inching off the rail.

Following a stewards’ inquiry and allowed claims of foul from Alvarado against both Castellano and Lezcano, a double DQ saw Caramel Swirl elevated to victory with Sterling Silver and Headland demoted to second and third, respectively.

Last year, Sterling Silver finished a distant third in the Gallant Bloom en route to a ninth-place effort in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland. This year, she will stay local and target either the listed $135,000 Pumpkin Pie at seven-furlongs on October 28 or the 6 1/2-furlong Iroquois against fellow state-breds on October 29.

“We tried it [the Breeders’ Cup] last year and we just don't know if she's up to that caliber. She ran really well in her last start and it's a shame she got disqualified, but we just thought the Breeders’ Cup might be over reaching a little bit,” Albertrani said.

Albertrani said the popular grey, who earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure in the Gallant Bloom, is expected to return for a 5-year-old campaign.

“I believe she'll stay in training another year. It looks like she's just getting better,” Albertrani said.

Bred by Mallory Mort and Karen Mort, Sterling Silver, out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor, is a dual state-bred stakes winner with scores last season in the Franklin Square at the Big A and Bouwerie at Belmont.

Itsakeyper, co-owned and bred by Albertrani, is listed at 20-1 on the morning line for Saturday’s $125,000 Floral Park, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward.

Albertrani said the 7-year-old New York-bred daughter of Brilliant Speed, who sports a record of 38-5-4-5 for purse earnings of $296,940, could potentially stay in the race should it come off the turf due to expected inclement weather Saturday.

“She's doing really well,” Albertrani said. “She ran well on the sealed track once before, so I wouldn't hesitate. My other option is to run her in the New York-bred allowance race on Thursday, if the race goes.”

Itsakeyper’s five wins have all come on turf, including back-to-back claiming scores this summer at Belmont. She enters Saturday’s test from rallying fourth in a state-bred optional-claiming tilt on September 17 here.

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Belmont at the Big A Week 6 stakes probables

Thursday, October 19

$125K Glen Cove

Probable: Beauty of the Sea (Joe Orseno), Danse Macabre (Kelsey Danner), Future Is Now (Michael Trombetta), Lady Beth (Chad Brown), Personal Pursuit (Mark Casse), Queen of the Mud (Graham Motion), Risk Free (Edward DeLauro), Ticker Tape Home (Casse), Violet Gibson (Saffie Joseph, Jr.)

Friday, October 20

G3 Knickerbocker

Probable: Commandeer (James Toner), King Cause (Mike Maker), Master Piece (Rick Dutrow, Jr.), Pioneering Spirit (Linda Rice), Rockemperor (Brown), Siege of Boston (Toner), St Anthony (Neil Drysdale), Wicked Finn (Kelly Blake)

Saturday, October 21

$150K Athenia

Probable: Beaute Cachee (Brown), Favor (Pletcher), Miss Dracarys (Neil Drysdale), Sparkle Blue (Graham Motion)

Possible: Panama Red (Stidham)

Sunday, October 22

$125K Carle Place

Probable: American Know How (Tom Morley), Bal A Kazoo (Robert Gorham), Gaslight Dancer (Mike Maker), Mischievous Angel (Brown), Sir Lancelot (Stidham), Vacation Dance (John Kimmel)