Italian Soiree seeks more graded success in G3 Glen Cove

Hit The Bid Racing Stable, Morplay Racing and Randall Hartley’s Italian Soiree will turn back slightly in distance for Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Glen Cove, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by John Terranova, Italian Soiree [post 1, Samuel Marin, 122 pounds] will look to bounce back from an off-the-board effort last out in the Grade 2, $2 million [$1M KTDF] Music City on September 6 at Kentucky Downs. There, she attended a rapid pace in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint and faded to 11th-of-12.

The uncharacteristic effort came on the heels of a stalking one-length score at odds of 14-1 in the Grade 3 Coronation Cup, contested over 5 1/2-furlongs of good turf on July 11 at Saratoga Race Course.

“She came back from Kentucky Downs well,” Terranova said. “We gave it a good try over that course in Kentucky, but some do well over it and some you end up just scratching your head. Now, we'll cut her back to a traditional course like we did at Saratoga.”

The versatile Uncle Mo bay has shown ability on both turf and dirt, graduating in July 2024 when romping to victory in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint over the Big A main track.

She was subsequently second one month later in the Grade 3 Adirondack over dirt at Saratoga Race Course before switching to turf and landing a 3 1/4-length fourth in the one-mile Grade 1 Natalma last September at Woodbine and a 2 3/4-length fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Jessamine last October at Keeneland.

Italian Soiree tried her luck on the Kentucky Oaks trail over the winter with a distant fourth in the Listed Suncoast at Tampa Bay Downs and then returned to turf in April in the one-mile Listed Memories of Silver here where she was a troubled fifth after being checked hard.

She entered her Coronation Cup coup from a non-threatening effort in the six-furlong Jersey Girl in June over the Spa main track.

Terranova said Italian Soiree appreciated a return to turf sprinting.

“We were looking to cut her back for a while and it all came together Opening Weekend at Saratoga, which was nice,” Terranova said.

Terranova noted that Italian Soiree has continued to improve with time and racing.

“She was always kind of a slender type of young filly, and I think she's definitely filled out,” Terranova said. “As she gets to the latter part of her 3-year-old year now, she's matured physically and mentally she's stayed very sharp. Hopefully, this race sets up good for her and she brings her 'A' game.”

Bred in Kentucky by Repole Stable, Italian Soiree, a full-sister to stakes-winner Be Better, is out of the Smart Strike mare Social Call - who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Old Time Hockey. She was a $600,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. 

Danbro Farms’ Me Governor [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 118 pounds] won the Stewart Manor here in November, posting a frontrunning three-quarter length score over returning rival Annascaul in the six-furlong sprint over firm turf.

Trained by Carlos David, the consistent dark bay daughter of The Factor has banked $248,463 via an 11-4-2-1 record and enters from a prominent 2 1/4-length score in a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance at Colonial Downs. Her ledger includes a third in the Colleen last July at Monmouth Park and a runner-up effort in the Melody of Colors in March at Gulfstream Park.

The $42,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase has trained into this event at Monmouth where she worked a half-mile in 49 flat this morning over the main track.

Me Governor is out of the winning Trappe Shot mare Mocha Chip – a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Morning Fix and Listed stakes-placed Espressa.

Trainer Miguel Clement will send out a pair of strong contenders in dual stakes-winner Love Cervere [post 2, Manny Franco. 120 pounds] and dual stakes-placed Annascaul [post 10, Junior Alvarado, 118 pounds].

Edward Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Love Cervere enters from a closing three-quarter length second to Listed stakes-winner Saturday Flirt in a lucrative 6 1/2-furlong allowance sprint on September 6 at Kentucky Downs.

The Kentucky Downs allowance tilt to Big A turf stakes angle worked wonders on Thursday here for Clement, who sent out Intricate Spirit, recently second to next-out Listed Juvenile Mile-winner Street Beast at Kentucky Downs, to take down the Grade 3 Futurity.

“I entered Intricate Spirit in an allowance at Kentucky Downs and sure enough the horse that beats me comes back to win the million dollar race. And then I entered this stakes filly [Love Cervere], who is a queen, in the allowance and we had a rough trip and got beat,” Clement said.

Love Cervere was a half-length second to highly-regarded Nitrogen in the one-mile Listed Ginger Brew in January at Gulfstream Park and two starts later captured the Take the A Train by a neck over course and distance with a last-to-first rush over good turf in May.

The Into Mischief bay doubled up with a prominent score one month later in the Listed Alywow over 6 1/2-furlongs of good Woodbine turf before returning to closing tactics when a 1 1/2-length third in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Galway in August at the Spa.

Love Cervere, who graduated on debut here in November, is perfect in two starts at the Big A.

“She loves the course. She's versatile so she can be forwardly placed or come from off the pace. It's very exciting,” Clement said.

Love Cervere, out of the stakes-placed Black Minnaloushe mare Panther Strike, is a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Chapalu and dual stakes-placed Caroline Test. She boasts a consistent 7-3-2-1 record for purse earnings of $270,462.

Waterville Lake Stables’ New York-homebred Annascaul will look to secure her first open company win, entering from a stalking 3 3/4-length state-bred allowance score over 5 1/2-furlongs of firm turf on August 23 at Saratoga.

She has worked back twice over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including a half-mile in 49.95 October 3.

“She was very impressive to win at Saratoga, and worked well,” Clement said.

The American Pharoah chestnut graduated in her August 2024 debut in frontrunning fashion at the Spa and two starts later was second in the aforementioned Stewart Manor when facing open company.

Annascaul opened her sophomore campaign with a prominent three-quarter length fourth to Love Cervere in the Take the A Train and followed with a stalking second in the 5 1/2-furlong Blue Sparkler in July at Monmouth ahead of her recent allowance score.

Annascaul is out of the stakes-placed Exchange Rate mare Epping Forest. Her second dam, Andraste, is a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winner Vicar.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is represented by Tracy Farmer’s Abientot [post 9, Dylan Davis, 122 pounds], who will look for her first win since taking the Grade 3 Matron over course and distance last October with a deep-closing score under returning rider Dylan Davis.

She has hit the board in 3-of-6 starts since, including third-place finishes in the Listed Limestone in April at Keeneland and Grade 3 Coronation Cup in July at the Spa along with a runner-up effort try to returning rival Pop Idol in the Listed Galway on August 7 at Saratoga.

Abientot, by Not This Time, will look to bounce back from a distant sixth in the Grade 2 Music City.

“She likes three-quarters of a mile,” Casse said regarding the slight cutback from the Music City. “Obviously, Saratoga is a little short for her because they go five and a half furlongs. She likes Aqueduct, and she likes this distance.”

Trainer George Weaver has entered a pair of talented fillies in dual stakes-winner Pop Idol [post 5, John Velazquez, 120 pounds] and Grade 3-placed Flat Out Time [post 3, Javier Castellano, 118 pounds], who would be making her turf debut.

Pop Idol, owned by Weaver in partnership with R. A. Hill Stable, concluded her juvenile campaign with a frontrunning score on November 23 in the Shady Well at Woodbine, a six-furlong Tapeta sprint restricted to fillies bred or sired in Ontario.

The Maclean’s Music bay made a winning seasonal debut on August 7 in the Listed Galway, showing the way to a one-length victory over Abientot in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint over firm Spa turf. Last out, she attended a swift pace before landing a distant fourth in the restricted Zadracarta over firm going on September 21 at Woodbine.

Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson and Andrew Atkinson’s Flat Out Time is by popular sire Not This Time, who over the weekend at Keeneland produced the winning turf trifecta of Friday’s Grade 2 Jessamine in Imaginationthelady, Infinite Sky and Time To Dream as well as the winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile with New York-bred Rhetorical.

Flat Out Time is out of 2020 Grade 3 Iowa Oaks-winner Flat Out Speed, a half-sister to Can Group, who captured the 2023 Grade 2 Bourbon on grass at Keeneland ahead of a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Park.

The $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale purchase was acquired privately after a winning debut in March for Annie Hines. She won second time out for her new connections in July at Delaware Park, posting a one-length win in a six-furlong optional-claimer ahead of another third-place effort in the six-furlong Grade 3 Prioress in August at the Spa.

Rounding out a talented group are Grade 3-placed It Ain’t Two [post 7, Eric Cancel, 118 pounds]; as well as two-time winners Slightly Busy [post 8, Jose Gomez, 118 pounds, blinkers ON] for trainer Amelia Green and Somnium [post 6, Katie Davis, 118 pounds] for owner-trainer-breeder Elizabeth Merryman. Stone Smuggler and Army Gal are entered for the main-track only.

The Glen Cove is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 11-race card which also features the Listed $150,000 Artie Schiller in Race 4. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

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

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.