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NYSSS Great White Way winner Geno likely for $100K Gander

by NYRA Press Office

• NYSSS Great White Way winner Geno likely for $100K Gander
• Ailsa Morrison notches first NYRA win
• Seidman thrilled with $500K NYSSS Fifth Avenue champ Yo Cuz and maiden winner Bold Journey
• Happy Medium earns 103 Beyer Speed Figure in allowance romp
• Un Ojo to stretch out after runner-up NYSSS Great White Way effort

Mendham Racing Stable’s New York homebred Geno made a successful dirt debut in Saturday’s seven-furlong $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way for eligible state-sired juveniles at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trainer David Donk said Geno will eye a return to state-bred stakes company in the $100,000 Gander on February 12 at the Big A.

“He cooled out really well, it was a pretty easy race on him,” Donk said. “He’ll stick around. If he was just a grass horse, I would have turned him out for a bit.”

The Big Brown bay made a winning debut in September at Belmont against fellow New York-breds, followed by two starts against open stakes company, including a close second in the November 5 Awad.

Donk said he would like to see Geno stretch out in distance in the one-mile Gander.

“I’m not going to shorten him up. I’d rather go longer than shorter,” Donk said. “He’ll get a little spacing and we’ll go from there. We’ll see how he runs there, I could always come back on the dirt or back to the grass in April. It will give me a lot of options.

“I debated first time out whether I should run him on dirt or turf,” Donk added. “He’s a very good workhorse and he breezed very well on dirt going into this race. It was a big effort.”

Donk trained Geno’s dam Weekend Hottie, a Sun King mare, through her last eight-of-27 career starts, all of which were on grass.

“She was an average mare, but this is a pretty good looking horse. He’s big and scopey,” Donk said.

Bred in New York by Pete Martine [Mendham Racing Stable], Geno brought his lifetime earnings up to $337,250 following Saturday’s winning effort, which garnered a 61 Beyer Speed Figure.

Donk said Joseph Bucci’s Shesawildjoker, winner of the Shesastonecoldfox at Finger Lakes two starts back, will target the $100,000 Franklin Square on January 15 for 3-year-old New York bred fillies going 6 ½ furlongs. The daughter of first-crop sire Practical Joke was a last-out third in the November 21 Key Cents at the Big A.

Donk said five-time winning turf sprinter Big Package, also a New York bred by Big Brown, is currently turned out at Dr. Patty Hogan’s Hogan Equine in central New Jersey.

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Ailsa Morrison notches first NYRA win

Canadian-born apprentice jockey Ailsa Morrison, a 23-year-old native of Moncton, New Brunswick, picked up her first NYRA circuit win Friday at the Big A, guiding Cover Photo to a 3 1/2-length score in a six-furlong claiming sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Cover Photo, sent to post at odds of 9-1 for owner-trainer Marvin Richards, tracked in second position as Dazzling Speed led through a leisurely half-mile in 48.02 seconds. Morrison, a 10-pound apprentice, angled the 5-year-old Munnings chestnut into the four-path, taking command in upper stretch and drew clear for a resounding win in a final time of 1:13.66.

“It's a dream come true,” Morrison said. “The plan was just to get her out well and give her a clean trip. I tipped out because the trainer said she didn't like kick back. Once she got clear, she started running. We were able to get the job done and get the win. I really can't thank the team enough for preparing her as well as they did. They told me she was ready for something good and they weren't wrong.”

Morrison’s family moved to Windsor, Ontario when she was 10-years-old and the aspiring rider started to ride event horses, representing Canada at the North American Junior Championships on two occasions.

She said she started galloping horses as a way to supplement her eventing competitions, eventually landing an opportunity to work for Mike Cooke at Classic Mile in Ocala.

“I was teaching the babies how to go around there and I was learning with them. I just fell in love with it more and more every day,” Morrison said.

In 2018, Morrison followed her dream of becoming a jockey to Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario and got her first job at the track working for trainer Roger Attfield – a member of both the Canadian and U.S. Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

“Roger Attfield really helped me out a lot,” Morrison said. “The following year I worked for Scott Fairlie and he gave me my first winner at Fort Erie. His wife, Michelle Rainford, is a former jockey and she helped me out tremendously.”

Morrison finished off-the-board with her first mount on October 5, 2019 at Woodbine, but the determined rider found her way to the winner’s circle in her fourth start by guiding the Fairlie-conditioned Dot’s Last Call to victory two weeks later at Fort Erie.

The young rider said her first win was made even more memorable by the encouragement of fellow rider Sahin Civaci, who she passed aboard the tiring You’re Batman in the stretch run.

“I was coming on the outside of him and he yelled out, 'Go Ailsa go!'” recalled Morrison. “That moment was very special - to have the other jock supporting you and wanting you to do well.”

Morrison continued to ride through December 2019 before taking an opportunity to breeze horses through the winter of 2020 at Payson Park for another Hall of Fame trainer in Bill Mott.

“I have so much respect for Bill. He's such a class act individual,” Morrison said. “He goes over every horse with a fine toothed comb every morning. The attention to detail the barn has is incredible - it's a well-oiled machine and runs so smoothly. I think that attention to detail makes all the difference in the afternoon as well.”

Morrison said one of the highlights of working for Mott was being the regular breeze rider for Channel Maker – a multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire – and a fellow Canadian-bred.

Channel Maker, a high-headed chestnut, enjoyed a tremendous 2020 campaign, winning back-to-back Grade 1s in the Sword Dancer at Saratoga and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont en route to Eclipse Award-honors as Champion Turf Male.

“To sit on a horse of that class and that caliber, it gives you goosebumps,” Morrison said. “He just has that energy and essence to him. He has a little bit of an unorthodox way of going, but that's what makes him even more special.”

Morrison said she also learned a great deal as the breeze rider for multiple graded-stakes winning filly Obligatory, who won the Grade 2 Eight Belles and Grade 3 Chilukki at Churchill Downs this year.

“She was my filly to ride from the day she came in and she's been really cool to work with. I got a lot of opportunities there and I learned a lot,” Morrison said.

That Mott was able to use Morrison on some of his top horses is high praise for a young rider.

“I like to think I have a calming effect on a horse,” Morrison said. “Bill always said my greatest asset is my hands because of my time with the show horses and being able to have them quiet and communicate with their mouth that way. Really, that's your only means of communications with them when you're out there with them in the afternoon.”

Morrison is represented by agent Mike Sellitto, who also represents Mott’s first-call rider Junior Alvarado and journeyman Benjamin Hernandez.

During the summer months, Morrison made regular visits to the Equicizer located behind the jock’s room underneath the NYRA press office, practicing her craft under the watchful eye of Alvarado and a host of local riders including Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

“Junior is a great guy and a great rider. He’s helped me out a lot,” Morrison said. “The Equicizer is a must-use tool for a rider and I really appreciated him and the other jockeys – like Johnny V - taking time out of their day to help me out.”

The apprentice returned to the saddle in November at the Big A, finishing second with Him She Kisses in a starter allowance sprint. She’s off to a great start at the Big A winter meet with a record of 10-1-2-2 heading into Sunday’s card.

Although mounts can be hard to come by in a competitive colony, Morrison said she is working to make the most of every opportunity.

“All of the jockeys here are top tier and the cream of the crop. I'm very fortunate to be able to ride with them,” Morrison said. “People might look at it as being a disadvantage for me with so many good riders here, but I think from a standpoint of learning and getting better there couldn't be a better group to be around.”

And rather than waiting for mounts to come, Morrison said she’ll continue to work on her craft each morning and afternoon at the track.

“I just want to be better than I was yesterday. I want to keep learning as much as I can so I can be the best rider that I can be. Where that takes me, we'll see,” Morrison said. “I want to work on my finish down the stretch and just continue to get stronger and better at it. It's something that comes with the mounts and time - and the Equicizer. I'll keep working at it.”

***

Seidman thrilled with $500K NYSSS Fifth Avenue champ Yo Cuz and maiden winner Bold Journey

Breeder Maggie Seidman expressed a sense of pride when Dream Maker Racing’s Yo Cuz captured Saturday’s $500,000 NYSSS Fifth Avenue in gate-to-wire fashion over the Aqueduct main track.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the daughter of Laoban asserted command down the backstretch, fending off a late rally from two-time winner Morning Matcha to win by 1 ¾ lengths. The win in the seven-furlong sprint for eligible state-sired juvenile fillies garnered a 68 Beyer.

Seidman said the victory was a sentimental one as she named the dam of Yo Cuz, Steve’s Philly, after her late husband.

“When my husband passed, I named her Steve’s Philly because my husband grew up in Philadelphia and went to school there. Because she was in memory of my husband, she meant a lot to me.” Seidman said. “Yo Cuz was born on the farm and that was the second foal. They said she got up right away and was looking around. She has a nice personality, and I was so excited to see her win convincingly.

“As a youngster, the mare was pretty feisty and this one was just as feisty,” Seidman added. “She’d be in the field and no one bumped her. She was bossy.”

Yo Cuz sold for $125,000 last May to Tom Gallo of Dream Maker Racing out of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale. Seidman credited consignor Hidden Brook Farm for doing a professional job with the filly during the sale.

“I kept her and this is the second foal,” Seidman said. “I put her in the 2-year-old sale and only galloped her, she did not breeze. Mark Roberts at Hidden Brook, who had her, is all for that and he did a great job with her. The mare has a good pedigree. She comes from the same family as Wonder Again. I was one of the partners in Laoban, so I bred her to Laoban.”

Seidman said she was happy Yo Cuz was purchased by well-respected connections.

“I was so excited because I really loved the connections. They’re a good group,” Seidman said. “They supported the fact that she galloped, which is important to me as a breeder. I am very involved with aftercare. You take care of the horse first, that’s how I am. They know Mark Roberts and Hidden Brook is a quality organization.

“I wanted to buy back into her, and I was with a group of people. I think we went up to about half of what she went for and bowed out,” Seidman added. “I felt that she was an excellent horse. She’s a New York-bred and the New York program is amazing. If you’re an owner, you get points and if you’re an owner-breeder and have a horse that wins, it helps because it’s an expensive sport.”

One race prior to Yo Cuz capturing the NYSSS Fifth Avenue, Bold Journey, a 2-year-old half-brother to Grade 1-winner Americanrevolution, broke his maiden by 6 ¾ lengths going six furlongs.

An $80,000 purchase at the April Ocala Breeders’ Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, Bold Journey, bred in New York by Fred Hertrich and John Fielding, posted a runner-up debut effort in November at the Big A in the care of trainer Carlos Martin for Seidman Stables.

Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, and Team Penney Racing bought into Bold Journey following the debut effort and the horse was transferred to the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

“It’s really exciting. I bought his horse in April before Americanrevolution started doing well,” Seidman said. “They took their time with him [Americanrevolution] and we’re going to the same thing with this guy. I don’t like to rush my 2-year-olds. I got a call from the three other partners, very good people. We’ll see how he does going forward. There are some nice races at Aqueduct.”

Bold Journey was bought at the OBS April Sale by McMahon and Hill Bloodstock.

“I use Mike McMahon as my stable manager and I have all my horses at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds,” Seidman said. “It’s interesting because his mother Anne and I were in the same freshman class at Skidmore years ago. My husband has been gone for eight years, so I go to Mike for advice. When we try to buy or sell a horse, he’s there for me.”

Happy Medium earns 103 Beyer Speed Figure in allowance romp

Jay Em Ess Stable’s Happy Medium equaled his career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure when he coasted home the seven-length winner of a non-winners of two optional claimer going 6 ½ furlongs Sunday at Aqueduct.

A 3-year-old son of Runhappy, Happy Medium has gone 3-for-4 this year, his only loss coming in his debut where he finished third going seven furlongs at Aqueduct in March.

Michelle Nevin, who trains the Kentucky-bred gelding, said that she was pleased with Happy Medium’s effort.

“He’s doing all the right things,” said Nevin. “We’re very happy with him and we are taking each logical step as he’s gone along and he’s really shown up.”

Happy Medium earned his first 103 Beyer with a 9 ¼ length maiden special weight winner at Belmont in his second start. He followed with a five-length victory over a sloppy and sealed main track at Aqueduct on November 13.

Nevin said Happy Medium’s effort Saturday was the best of his career.

“Yesterday, he looked more in control of the race every step of the way,” Nevin said. “When he broke his maiden, he did it easily but it maybe didn’t look as impressive as yesterday.”

Nevin said she is content to take her time with Happy Medium, who finished the 6 ½ furlongs in a final time of 1:15.88, 1.53 seconds off the track record of 1:14.35.

“We’ll just get past this and get past this, get back to training, and see how we are and then we’ll make our decisions down the road a little bit,” Nevin said. “We’re going to have to see how he comes out of this race. It was a huge effort, so I’m not in a rush to pick a spot. Once I feel like he’s back on his feet again, we’ll see what’s available to us.”

Nevin also provided an update on multiple stakes winner My Boy Tate and stakes winner Our Last Buck, who finished second and third, respectively, in the Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series on December 5.

My Boy Tate, whose last win came in the Leon Reed Memorial at Finger Lakes Racetrack two starts back, worked a half-mile in 49.55 Sunday morning over Belmont Park’s dirt training track.

Nevin said the 7-year-old gelding could be headed to the $100,000 Say Florida Sandy – slated for January 8 at the Big A - for a fourth time after winning the seven-furlong sprint for state-breds in 2018 and finishing off the board the last two years.

“He’s doing good,” Nevin said. “We’re happy with how he’s been. I think there’s a spot for him in January, so we’ll see.”

Our Last Buck also worked Sunday, completing his half-mile drill over Belmont’s training track in 51.89. Nevin said she will bide her time and let the 7-year-old gelding let her know what the next move will be for him.

“He’s going great, too,” said Nevin. “We aren’t in any rush and we’ll see what becomes available for him.”

Un Ojo to stretch out after runner-up NYSSS Great White Way effort

Trainer Tony Dutrow said Cypress Creek Equine’s Un Ojo will target races going beyond a mile following his game runner-up effort going seven furlongs in Saturday’s $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series for eligible state-sired juveniles.

Un Ojo, who made his first start for trainer Dutrow in the Great White Way, has shown improvement across his four starts this year, breaking his maiden at second asking and finishing fourth in the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs in his first try at the stakes level.

“When I went over him this morning, he seemed very good,” Dutrow said. “I was extremely happy that he continues to improve. You can see in each race that he keeps getting a little better. And he continued that pattern yesterday. He was ridden impeccably too.”

The son of Laoban, who is missing his left eye, was piloted from the outermost post 11 by jockey Trevor McCarthy and raced three-wide down the backstretch before being swung to the center of the racetrack between rivals in the turn and making a bid for the lead at the top of the stretch.

With urging from McCarthy, Un Ojo closed the gap between him and pacesetter Unique Unions but lost momentum when eventual winner Geno drifted out and brushed up against Un Ojo’s eyeless left side and defeated the gelding by a half-length. With both an objection from McCarthy and a steward’s inquiry resulting in no change to the order of finish, Dutrow said he was not upset with the ruling by the stewards.

“At 63 and having done nothing but horse racing my entire life, I’ve seen those calls yesterday go either way,” Dutrow said. “The stewards don’t have an easy job; nothing is easy with horses. Should the horse have stayed up? Sure. If the horse had been taken down, would that have surprised me? No. But I’m not complaining. I don’t have a problem with them keeping the horse up.”

Dutrow believes that Un Ojo’s lack of vision might have contributed to his loss of momentum.

“I strongly think that if Un Ojo had both eyes, that little bump wouldn’t have done anything to him,” said Dutrow. “As I was watching it, I really thought he was going by [Geno]. Then we saw the head on and at the bump, his momentum stopped. And I do think it’s because he has no left eye. When he’s bumped, he doesn’t know what is going on. So he was startled and if he had been able to see the horse coming in, I don’t think it would have been a problem.”

Un Ojo is out of the multiple stakes winning A.P. Indy mare Risk a Chance, who herself is out of graded stakes winning mare Seeking the Ante. Dutrow said he is confident that the dark bay’s pedigree will allow him to stretch out going forward.

“I think the horse is crying to go a mile or a mile and an eighth,” said Dutrow. “I don’t think there’s a question about that being out of an A.P. Indy mare. I believe strongly that he can’t wait for that. We’ve got no plans for him to be a six or seven furlong horse. I did learn that he’s a decent enough horse to overcome a distance he does not prefer.”

Dutrow said he does not have a specific race circled on the calendar yet for Un Ojo.

“We aren’t going to make the Jerome [on January 1] and I haven’t really looked into it yet or talked to the client,” said Dutrow. “We would have to consider something at a mile and an eighth in February next.”