Walter Wlodarczyk Photo

Greavette looks to double up on stakes scores in $120K Stewart Manor

by Ryan Martin

Upland Flats Racing’s Pennsylvania-bred Greavette returns to open company in Saturday’s $120,000 Stewart Manor, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Last out, the Astern bay provided trainer Jamie Begg with his first career stakes score, staving off the late charge of multiple stakes-placed Dancing Spirit to graduate in style in the Finest City, a six-furlong sprint restricted to state-breds on October 16 over the Presque Isle Downs synthetic.

With Gaddiel Martinez up, Greavette blitzed through splits of 21.95 seconds, 45.10 and 57.43 en route to a head score in a final time of 1:10.57.

Greavette made her first two starts on firm turf, landing eighth on debut in July at Belmont Park before rallying from off the pace to finish a close second in September at Colonial Downs.

Begg, a former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, went out on his own in December 2020. He said it wasn’t a shock to see Greavette on the engine last out.

"She closed in the race at Colonial, but she had missed a bunch of works because I couldn't get her in any races here," Begg said. "But this filly has always been very keen to go early, so I think the ship down to Colonial and missing some works was more the reason that she laid off of it. I wasn't all that surprised when she blew to the lead like that last time. That's more her mentality."

Begg said it’s possible that Greavette could change tactics Saturday with other speed signed on for the Stewart Manor.

"Running her back this quick, if she's a little dulled down, there's a chance she could be more versatile. I was pretty happy with the way she ran at Colonial. She just ran out of real estate which probably won't happen here," Begg said.

Greavette was purchased for $92,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds-in-Training Sale. She is out of the Forestry mare Convertible, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Cosmic Kris and multiple stakes-placed Foret.

Begg said he and owner Patrick Lewis of Upland Flats Racing had heard good reports on the filly ahead of the sale, but that seeing was believing.

“The owner is big into numbers and he loves that stallion, Astern, and thinks he's very undervalued,” Begg said. “I went to see her and she was a big, beautiful and classy looking filly. From buying her there to bringing her here, she just blossomed and got even better.”

The Canadian-born Begg provided his barn star a nautically-themed name, honoring a wooden boat company located in Muskoka, Ontario. The filly impressed enough in her early training that Lewis bought one of the boats to use at Saratoga in the summer.

However, that Greavette didn’t run to expectation on debut was a major disappointment for Begg and team, who subsequently made a host of equipment changes for her second start, including the addition of blinkers.

“I thought there's no way this horse looks and trains as well as she does and isn't any count,” Begg said. “We made a whole rash of equipment changes. She's not the easiest horse to train and we had her in some equipment and took a bit of it off.

“So, when she showed a little bit at Colonial, I was happy,” Begg continued. “And to win a stake cemented everything we thought was right. We thought she was probably the top horse in the barn all along and she showed it there.”

Romero Maragh, who breezed Greavette at Belmont ahead of her stakes score, has the call from post 10.

Victoria’s Ranch and R.T Racing Stable’s Camila T [post 5, Carlos Olivero] earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for her impressive 13-length debut score on August 19 sprinting five-furlongs over firm Monmouth Park turf.

The Juan Carlos Avila-trained daughter of No Nay Never followed last out with a distant off-the-board effort after setting the pace while stretching out to 1 1/16-miles here in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo. She has since breezed over the Monmouth main track in preparation for her return to sprinting, including a bullet half-mile on October 20 in 49.60.

Gregory Hoffman, R. T Racing Stable and Clay Scherer’s Irish-bred Ever So Sweet [post 12, Kendrick Carmouche] graduated at second asking last out on September 16 in a six-furlong turf sprint here over firm going.

The Brad Cox-trained Calyx bay finished a close second on debut in July at Saratoga when less than a length back of Kodiac Wintergreen, who exited that effort to finish fourth in the Juvenile Fillies at Kentucky Downs when missing second by a head and a neck.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour will send out West Point Thoroughbreds, Martin Delfiner, and Scarlet Oak Racing’s Independenceavenue [post 7, Victor Carrasco] following a second out maiden score in September over the green at Colonial Downs. The dark bay daughter of Mr Speaker was initially entered in the October 8 Matron at Belmont at the Big A, but scratched when the race came off the turf.

Rounding out a talented field are the Christophe Clement-trained pair of Marco T. [post 1, Manny Franco] and Gram [post 9, Dylan Davis]; stakes-placed Toupie [post 2, Jorge Ruiz] for conditioner Graham Motion; the Kevin Rice-trained stakes-winner She’s Fire [post 3, Jorge Vargas, Jr.].; Love to Eat [post 4, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Mike Maker; second-time starting maiden Shop Lifting [post 6, Trevor McCarthy] for trainer Tony Dutrow; maiden winner Rosie Jeeks [post 8, Fergal Lynch] for trainer Chad Brown; and maiden winner Nicky Jolene [post 11, Jairo Rendon] for conditioner Robert Falcone, Jr. Caress has been entered for main track only.

The Stewart Manor is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card which also features the $120,000 Atlantic Beach in Race 6. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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