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Graded-stakes winner Title Ready ships to New York for G2 Kelso

by NYRA Press Office

• Graded-stakes winner Title Ready ships to New York for G2 Kelso
• Barese returns to Aqueduct looking for more stakes success in Empire Classic
• New York-bred Champion Bank Sting returns to action in $150K Iroquois; Freedom Trail slated for stakes debut in $120K Awad
• Sweet Mystery will hope to solve first two-turn test in Empire Distaff
• Sunday’s Closing Day at Belmont at the Big A to prompt mandatory payouts

Charles Fipke’s Kentucky homebred Title Ready has been the textbook definition of a class horse throughout his 34-race career. On Saturday, the 7-year-old son of More Than Ready will seek his second graded stakes victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso going a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A.  

Title Ready captured last year’s Grade 3 Louisiana at Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots for trainer Dallas Stewart before an international endeavor in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, finishing a distant 11th to Mystic Guide. Still in search of his first victory this season, Title Ready completed the trifecta in the Grade 2 Alysheba on May 6 at Churchill Downs behind Grade 1-winners Olympiad and Happy Saver. 

Initially campaigned by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Title Ready made his debut for Stewart in July 2020 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claimer at Keeneland, which he won by a head. 

“He’s an old veteran. A consistent training horse. He’s been a very fun horse to be around, so we’re trying to give him a shot in there,” Stewart said. 

Title Ready is out of the Monarchos mare Title Seeker, who also produced graded stakes winner Seeking the Title – the dam of Grade 1-winning millionaire Seeking the Soul, both of whom were also trained by Stewart. 

“It’s a tried and true family. They like to run,” Stewart said. “He’s got a great pedigree and he’s been a solid horse from a solid family so it’s pretty exciting.” 

Stewart has tasked Emma-Jayne Wilson with piloting Title Ready, who breaks from post 4. 

“She does a lot of riding for Mr. Fipke and he wanted to give her another opportunity and I thought it was a good idea. She’s a very good rider,” Stewart said. 

The Kelso offers the top-four finishers a free nomination and starting fee in the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile slated for December 3 at the Big A. Stewart expressed interest in bringing Title Ready back for the Cigar Mile, the last Grade 1 in New York for the calendar year, should he put up a strong effort. 

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Barese returns to Aqueduct looking for more stakes success in Empire Classic  

Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Barese found his best stride earlier this year at Aqueduct Racetrack, scoring a pair of state-bred stakes wins in the Rego Park and Gander and convincing his connections to test deeper waters in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial. 

After his brief tenure on the Kentucky Derby trail this spring and trips to Thistledown and Finger Lakes this summer, Barese returns to the Big A looking for more stakes success in Sunday’s $250,000 Empire Classic for 3-year-olds and up traveling nine furlongs over the main track on Closing Day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. 

Peter Proscia of Paradise Farms Corp. said he looks forward to seeing Barese back at Aqueduct for his first start off a two-month respite. 

“He’s training very well into the race and has had the time we wanted to give him,” said Proscia. “It’s a good spot and we have to go against the older horses, but it’s a restricted race and we’re excited about it. He likes that track and we expect a big effort.” 

Trained by Mike Maker, Barese’s two Aqueduct stakes wins were part of a three-race win streak that the son of Laoban posted to kick off his career, beginning with a debut maiden score last May at Belmont Park when defeating a field that included subsequent graded stakes winner Coinage. After an eight-month respite, he returned with his victories in the Rego Park and Gander, which were won in off-the-pace fashion by 2 3/4 lengths and 1 1/4 lengths, respectively, before running an even fifth in the Wood Memorial. 

Proscia said Barese was well worth the wait.

“We thought it was best to give him time to grow up and now he has shown up well,” said Proscia. “He’s had some harder company and showed he could run in there. He’s turned out to be a real nice horse, and as a New York-bred, that’s been a great.”  

Barese cut back to sprinting in his next outing, finishing third in the NYSSS Times Square at 6 1/2 furlongs before stretching back out to nine furlongs in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown where he finished fourth. Returning to state-bred company proved to be the right move for Barese in his next outing, romping to a four-length score under Ricardo Santana, Jr. to equal his career-best Beyer of 89. He arrives at the Empire Classic off a runner-up finish to Bossmakinbossmoves in the Albany going nine furlongs over a sloppy and sealed Saratoga main track on August 26. 

“The two turns on Sunday is a challenge, but he ran a big race last time going two turns,” said Proscia. “The slop might have been tough, and the winner liked it a bit better than we did. We’re hoping for a big effort. Mike and his team have done a great job.” 

Proscia said Barese has found his niche with prominent trips in routes after starting off his career as an off-the-pace sprinter. 

“I think he’s gotten closer to lead as he’s going longer,” said Proscia. “He’s been strategically placed properly in his last starts. I think he’s an above average horse and can compete in open company. Mike just thought this would be a good race for him now. We’ll see what happens here and take it one race at a time.” 

Barese drew post 2 with Manny Franco in the irons, something Proscia said he is pleased with.  

"The two turn races when he’s gotten good post position have been good and saving ground is important, so I expect the same thing in there," said Proscia. 

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm, Barese has banked over $370,000 in total purses through a record of 8-4-1-1. Barese is out of the unraced Successful Appeal mare Right Prevails, a full-sister to graded stakes winner Closing Argument. He was a $150,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and is a full-brother to stakes-placed Breakfastatbonnies. 

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New York-bred Champion Bank Sting returns to action in $150K Iroquois; Freedom Trail slated for stakes debut in $120K Awad  

Reigning New York-bred Champion Older Mare Bank Sting will emerge off a four-month layoff to take on a field that includes four other last-out winners in Sunday’s $150,000 Iroquois for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-olds and upward going 6 1/2 furlongs on the Big A main track. 

The 44th Iroquois is one of eight stakes races for New York-breds worth a cumulative $1.6 million on Empire Showcase Day, to be run on Closing Day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. 

Trained by John Terranova, Bank Sting has not raced since a triumph in the Dancin Renee on June 26 at Belmont Park, defeating fellow New York-bred stakes winners The Important One and Kept Waiting by 5 1/2 lengths under return pilot Joel Rosario. The 5-year-old daughter of perennial New York leading sire Central Banker appeared to not care much for the main track at Saratoga, according to Terranova, who said he opted to wait until the fall to give her another start. 

“We took her up there and she just wasn’t training the right way,” Terranova said. “The track was very demanding, and she just didn’t like it. She’s always been a horse that’s had sensitive feet at times, but she’s been good throughout her career. Up there, things just weren’t right. It was more of a case of her not caring for the track. She would have one good breeze, then a so-so one, then another good one and then another so-so one. This actually has been the first year we sent her up there and pretty much from the get-go, she didn’t care for it.” 

Victories in last year’s Critical Eye at Belmont Park and NYSSS Staten Island at Aqueduct earned Bank Sting New York championship honors for her 4-year-old campaign, which saw her garner five wins in six starts. This year, she has expanded on her stakes conquests, capturing the La Verdad on January 2 as well as the open company Heavenly Prize Invitational on March 6, both at Aqueduct. 

“She breezing really well and we’re excited to see her back. It should be a competitive race,” Terranova said. 

Bank Sting will have her work cut out for her in Sunday’s engagement, where she will square off with 2021 New York Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Venti Valentine as well as dual Finger Lakes stakes winner Gone and Forgotten and Mosienko, who streaks into the Iroquois off four straight victories. 

Bank Sting, owned by breeders Joseph G. and Anne McMahon and Hidden Brook Farm, is out of the Precise End mare Bee in a Bonnet. She boasts a bankroll of $582,050. 

Terranova will be seeking a stakes double on Belmont at the Big A closing weekend when he saddles Freedom Trail for Saturday’s $120,000 Awad for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf. 

The son of freshman sire Collected, owned by Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stables and Steven Schoenfeld, was a 13-1 upset winner of his last-out career debut going the Awad distance on September 25 over the Big A outer turf. 

“We thought he could run. We had some expectations that he could run, he was just kind of an immature 2-year-old colt early on,” Terranova said. “Going into the race he had been doing everything right going into the race and it was time to get him started. It was a big run, he was wide and I was pleased he got up. We had seen glimpses of good stuff from him this summer.” 

In his maiden coup, Freedom Trail went from sixth-to-first in the last two points of call to win by a head. Terranova said it’s still too early to tell if making one big run will be the bay colt’s running style. 

“It was his first start so you can never say for sure,” Terranova said. “He’s still young and unseasoned so we’ll see how he develops over the next few races. Going into Saturday, he’s doing really well.” 

Freedom Trail was a $150,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, where he was consigned by Wavertree Stables. He is out of the War Front mare Freedom, whose dam Refugee also produced Grade 1-winners Executiveprivilege and Hoppertunity. 

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pick up the mount from post 4 as the 3-1 morning line second choice. 

Terranova also reported on graded stakes winner Midnight Stroll, who added more black type to her pedigree when third in the Grade 2 Raven Run last Saturday at Keeneland. He said the daughter of leading third crop sire Not This Time is still Kentucky with no set plans for her next start. Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies aspirant You’re My Girl, second in the Grade 1 Frizette, is also at Keeneland. 

Terranova added that Curragh Stables’ Fluid Situation, who defeated winners at 23-1 odds going six furlongs on October 16 over good turf at Aqueduct, could try stakes action in Florida sometime this winter. 

“The turf gets a little soft here this time of year,” Terranova said. “He will come to Florida this winter with me when I go to Tampa in a few weeks with some. I’m not sure where we’ll run him. It could be here, but it could be down in Florida.” 

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Sweet Mystery will hope to solve first two-turn test in Empire Distaff  

Gallagher's Stud homebred Sweet Mystery will make her stakes and two-turn debut in Sunday's $250,000 Empire Distaff, a nine-furlong test for state-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on Closing Day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. 

Trained by Pat Quick, the sophomore Cupid grey boasts a perfect in-the-money record of 5-2-2-1, including a last-out allowance win over older state-bred company traveling one mile at the Big A. 

With returning rider Jose Lezcano up from the inside post as the odds-on favorite, Sweet Mystery battled to the inside of Know It All Audrey through a half-mile in 48.14 before putting a head in front after three-quarters in 1:13.25 and dueled gamely to the wire with that rival to secure the half-length win in a final time of 1:38.51. 

"She was expected to win that race, but there was a speed horse in there that we knew would go to the front," Quick said. "We had to go with that horse and it showed me that she had a lot of fight in her. Her ears were pinned back the whole time and she wasn't going to let that horse pass her for anything. That was very encouraging. She hasn't shown us her best race yet." 

Sweet Mystery has improved her Beyer Speed Figures in each of her five outings, garnering an 86 for her last-out win. Now, the talented grey will have to pass her first two-turn test, while tackling seasoned stakes foes. 

"I think she'll do great. She raced a mile last time and had plenty left at the end. We've been training her on the training track, so she's going two turns a lot there,” Quick said. “She's training great and seems to be getting better and better, so we'll give it a shot.” 

Sweet Mystery is out of the Elusive Quality mare Fanfire, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Straight Story. Her third dam, Felicita, produced multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Take Charge Lady. 

"Physically, she's a big, strong beautiful filly. She keeps her weight on pretty good,” Quick said. “She has nice conformation and is well balanced. She has everything going for her. She has the pedigree and the physique, and she has talent.” 

Sweet Mystery, who will exit post 4 under Lezcano, is listed at 5-1 on the morning line. 

"She's very classy. She'll do whatever you want her to do. She can go to the front, or she can come from behind - whatever the rider asks her to do,” Quick said. 

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Sunday’s Closing Day at Belmont at the Big A to prompt mandatory payouts  

Closing Day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on Sunday will feature mandatory payouts for all pools. The Empire Showcase Day card celebrates the best of the Empire State, featuring an all state-bred card offering eight stakes races worth $1.6 million, topped by the $250,000 Empire Classic and $250,000 Empire Distaff. 

The 10-race card, with a first post time of 12:35 p.m. Eastern, will close the curtain on the 28-day Belmont at the Big A fall meet.  

Live racing will remain at the Big A for the 29-day Aqueduct fall meet offering 33 stakes, 10 of them graded events, worth a total of $6.375 million. The fall meet will run from Friday, November 4 through Saturday, December 31.