Love Cervere arrives in time in inaugural Take the A Train

Trainer Christophe Clement and Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario enjoyed their second collaborative stakes victory on Saturday’s card when Love Cervere rallied to capture the inaugural running of the $150,000 Take the A Train, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.
 
“She had a very good trip,” Rosario said. “She showed a good turn of foot. We are happy with that. Thank you to Christophe and the whole team for the opportunity.”
 
Campaigned by Edward Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, the Into Mischief bay notched her first stakes victory on the heels of a fifth-place finish in the 7 1/2-furlong Listed Sanibel Island on March 29 at Gulfstream Park, and a runner-up effort in the one-mile Listed Ginger Brew in January there to kick off her campaign.
 
Miguel Clement, son of and assistant to Christophe Clement, said he was pleased to see Love Cervere land her first stakes victory after flashing her talents with a game half-length loss to subsequent multiple graded stakes-winner Nitrogen in the Ginger Brew.
 
“I thought she was very unlucky in her first stakes attempt at Gulfstream,” Clement said. “Today, the cutback was clearly the trip. She’s 2-for-2 sprinting on the grass and she’s a very talented filly – we’re very thankful for the connections.”
 
Expertly piloted from off the pace by Rosario, Love Cervere emerged well from post 4 in the nine-horse field, but was unhurried and settled in eighth as an eager Gata Brazil bounded to the front to lead the field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.87 seconds over the good turf with the Clement-trained Annascaul sitting just off her in second.
 
Rosario said he was content to let Love Cervere sit wherever she was comfortable.
 
“That is where she wanted to be,” Rosario said. “It looked like everyone got into their positions. I just tried to ride the race the way it was coming up. I was letting the horse get into her stride. When she was ready to go, she’ll go, and she did.”
 
Disco Star, under Dylan Davis, was in last down the backstretch, but made an early move widest of all to begin to pick off rivals entering the turn while Rosario remained patient aboard Love Cervere. At the front, Irad Ortiz, Jr. urged Annascaul to challenge for command through the half-mile in 46.40, but a stubborn Gata Brazil clung to her precarious lead into the lane with several closers readying to make their bid.
 
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano was aboard a loaded Hey Bertie as she initially attempted to range up outside of the pacesetter, but dove back down to the inside to threaten the new leader Annascaul. The race appeared to be between these two inside the final sixteenth, but Disco Time and Love Cervere kept finding more as they charged down the center of the course to make for a thrilling finish. Disco Time and Annascaul were out-footed in the final strides as Love Cervere swept by a game Hey Bertie in the shadow of the wire, edging clear to post the neck win in a final time of 1:10.25.
 
Hey Bertie finished a half-length ahead of Disco Time with the New York-bred Annascaul a nose better than the oncoming Warming. Marvelous Madison, Gata Brazil, Wisconsin Gal and Lovely Emma completed the order of finish. Serving Time and Bunratty Manor, who finished sixth in the Grade 3 Mamzelle today at Churchill Downs, were scratched.  
 
Clement said he was proud of the effort from both fillies for the barn.
 
“Annascaul struck the lead a bit early and perhaps paid for it late in the closing stages – she looked like the winner at the eighth pole,” Clement said. “Perhaps a little cut in the ground wasn’t to her benefit and Love Cervere finished tremendously well and got the job done today.”
 
Clement added that Love Cervere – along with recent optional-claiming-winner Make Haste – are likely to be pointed to the Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly on June 8 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, while Annascaul is probable for the state-bred John Hettinger on June 29 here.
 
“We’ll speak to the connections and come up with a plan,” Clement concluded.
 
Castellano said the Cherie DeVaux-trained Hey Bertie gave a good account of herself in her stakes debut after starting her career a perfect 2-for-2 in sprints at Fair Grounds Race Course this winter.
 
“She ran a good race, just got beat by a better horse today,” Castellano said. “She gave me a good run. She settled behind the speed. She did everything right, she covered up, cut the corner, and saved all the ground… just got beat. She finished really strong inside on the rail. The rail was open. I cut the corner at the quarter-pole, put her straight, just got jumped by the outside horse and just got beat.”
 
Bred in Kentucky by Edward Seltzer and Beverly Seltzer, Love Cervere adds to a debut graduation in November over course and distance. The bay filly is out of the stakes-placed Black Minnaloushe mare Panther Strike and is a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Chapalu and dual stakes-placed Caroline Test. She banked $82,500 in victory while returning $12 on a $2 win ticket. 

Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont at the Big A with a nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern

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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