Rhiannon earns career-best 95 BSF in course record score

• Rhiannon earns career-best 95 BSF in course record score
• Mischief Lady doing well after NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy win
• Sunday Girl looks to make turf debut in $125K John Hettinger

CHP Racing’s Rhiannon took to the Belmont at the Big A turf like a bird in flight Friday, making a successful return to the races in a nine-furlong optional-claimer over the outer course in a 1:45.60 record time.

With Irad Ortiz, Jr. up for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, the 5-year-old Medaglia d’Oro mare showed the way through splits of 24.10 seconds, 47.97 and 1:11.66 over the firm footing. She opened up by 3 1/2-lengths at the stretch call and finished up strong under a hand ride to score by four lengths, besting the previous course record of 1:45.70 set by Deterministic in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy on May 3. Deterministic exited that effort to capture the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The Florida-based Phil Hatfield, who operates CHP Racing with his wife, Christine, was thrilled with the performance which earned a career-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She had to run, but she made it look easy,” Hatfield said. “I think there was more in the tank there if you really wanted to push her. It was nice to break that record up there at Aqueduct.

“It was an exciting race for us because that mare has been stop, start, stop, start. Chad has done a great job and been very patient with her,” he added.

The lightly-raced bay was making just her fifth career start and first since a prominent four-length allowance score here in November in her lone start last year. She made three sophomore starts, including a second-out graduation in September 2023 before a close fifth in the Grade 3 Pebbles that November, both at the Big A.

Rhiannon was selected by Mike Ryan for $550,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was broken in Florida by Niall Brennan.

“She has all the talent in the world. Hopefully, she comes out of the race in great shape,” Hatfield said. “Mike found her for us at the yearling sale in 2021 and she went from Kentucky to Niall Brennan, who breaks all our yearlings, and they always liked her. In fact, Niall’s assistant said she was his favorite that year. Chad saw her and liked her, and he’s had her ever since – of course, off and on, because she’s had little things that come up and needed time to heal, but she always comes back with a vengeance.”

Rhiannon is out of the graded stakes-winning Uncle Mo mare Auntie Joy, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Divine Oath. Rhiannon's fourth dam is Hall of Famer Personal Ensign.

A potential next spot for Rhiannon could be the Grade 1, $500,000 Dunkin’ Diana on July 12 at Saratoga Race Course.

“That’s what everybody is talking about, and we hope that happens,” Hatfield said. “She’s exciting. She’s a big mare, probably 16.3 [hands] but a lot of refinement – she’s my kind of horse, elegant with a lot of leg underneath her. She has every bit of that.

“My wife named her, obviously a big Fleetwood Mac fan,” Hatfield added, with a laugh. “When she gets ready to race, we turn that song on and crank it up and get motivated for the race.”

Hatfield said it’s a privilege to have horses with Brown, who has won the Diana a record nine times.

“He loves to win every race there, doesn’t he - but the Diana, especially,” Hatfield said. “If she ends up in the Diana, we’ll get up there one way or the other. It’s fun to have horses with him…Rhiannon has proven herself now, so we’ll look forward to seeing where he goes with her.”

CHP Racing co-owns the Brown-trained Praetor with William H. Lawrence and Gainesway Stable. The sophomore son of Into Mischief graduated by a neck here in September over another famous son of Into Mischief in Sovereignty, who went on to capture both the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

“I say that to people all the time,” said Hatfield of the frontrunning maiden win traveling a one-turn mile. “He looks a bit like Sovereignty if you look at him head on with that narrow little star, strip, snip on his face. He’s an impressive horse with a lot of talent.”

Praetor, a $725,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, romped by 7 1/2-lengths in his seasonal debut in March in a one-mile optional-claimer at Gulfstream Park, but faltered to a 5 1/2-length third as the favorite in his two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Lexington in April at Keeneland. The top-two from the Lexington have since posted good results with the victorious Gosger returning to run a game second to Journalism in the Grade 1 Preakness, while runner-up Bracket Buster captured Saturday’s Listed NYRA Bets Pegasus.

Praetor was nominated to the Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on Belmont Stakes Day June 7 at Saratoga Race Course but did not enter.

“He got sick. He was ready to go. He was cranked and ready to do well Chad thought and unfortunately, we had to pull back,” Hatfield said. “He’s back training again, but I’m not sure where Chad has him pointed.

“He was a little disappointing in the Lexington,” Hatfield added. “I think they thought the two turns that early was too long for him and that’s why they were going to shorten him up and put him in the Woody Stephens but that didn’t come to pass. We’ll see.”

Hatfield also noted that their dual graded stakes-winner Saffron Moon was retired following her third-place finish in the Grade 3 Modesty on Kentucky Oaks Day May 2 at Churchill Downs.

The 6-year-old Malibu Moon mare provided CHP Racing with their first graded wins, kicking off her 2025 campaign with a pair of victories over the Tampa Bay Downs turf by taking the Grade 3 Endeavour in February and following one month later with a three-quarter length score in the Grade 2 Hillsborough.

“She won graded races back-to-back this winter in Florida. Unfortunately, in the race on Kentucky Oaks Day, she came in third and she ended up getting injured and we had to retire her,” Hatfield said. “Hopefully, Rhiannon can pick up where she left off this year.”

Saffron Moon, out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Crocus Hill, banked $499,325 via a 12-5-2-2 record. Her second dam is multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Vacare, who captured the 2006 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

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Mischief Lady doing well after NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy win

Paddock Proud’s Mischief Lady relished the sloppy and sealed main track when capturing Saturday’s $150,000 Cupecoy’s Joy division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a six-furlong off-the-turf sprint for eligible New York-sired sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Edward Barker, the New York-bred Honest Mischief bay set the pace under Ricardo Santana, Jr., en route to a 2 1/2-length score over Boston’s Phinest in a final time of 1:09.65.

Mischief Lady was running on dirt for her fifth time in six career starts, including a runner-up effort in the Lady Finger as a maiden in September at Finger Lakes Racetrack and a third-out graduation in October here.

“She’s doing great,” Barker said of Mischief Lady’s status Sunday morning. “I think she ran to her ability. She ran a really good race and she was ready to run that kind of race. Sometimes when they go from two to three, they go the other way, but she definitely went the right way.”

Mischief Lady was making her second start of the year after a similar local pacesetting score at 6 1/2 furlongs under Sahin Civaci in January. Both sophomore wins earned a career-best 73 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She was clearly the speed in yesterday’s race, that’s a big advantage,” said Barker. “I loved the way she ran. I envisioned the race that way. It doesn’t work out like that all of the time, but it did when we gave her the winter off after she won her last race [in January]. She responded very well and was training super, and now we have the whole year ahead of us.”

Barker said Mischief Lady’s next target is undecided. Saratoga Race Course offers the Johnstone, formerly run as the Johnstone Mile, contested at seven furlongs this year on July 30 for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, however Barker said he would prefer facing straight 3-year-olds.

“I haven’t even looked. I’d like to stay against 3-year-olds if I could,” Barker said, adding that he’d like to keep Mischief Lady around one turn. “Sprinting only, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, the $57,000 2024 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the Friend Or Foe mare Miss Buff, a full-sister to graded stakes-placed New York-bred millionaire Mr. Buff and a half-sister to stakes-placed Quick to Accuse.

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Sunday Girl looks to make turf debut in $125K John Hettinger

Mitre Box Stable, Clear Stars Stable and Eighth Note Stable’s Sunday Girl, on the bench since early March, is aiming to make her turf debut in the $125,000 John Hettinger, a six-furlong sprint over the outer turf for New York-bred fillies and mares, on June 29 at Belmont at the Big A. The Hettinger was previously run at nine furlongs in September.

Trained by David Duggan, the consistent 4-year-old daughter of Central Banker boasts a three-race win streak against open company that includes a pair of allowance-level scores in December and February, and a last-out win by a nose in the six-furlong Correction on March 2 over next-out Grade 3 Distaff runner-up St. Benedicts Prep.

“She’s doing very good. We didn’t go down to Delaware as it was too tough off a layoff,” Duggan said of the May 31 Rehoboth won in dominant fashion by R Disaster. “We’re trying something new with the turf, but that’s where we’re at. We worked her on the turf at Saratoga [in July] and she worked fine on it, but until you get into the heat of battle, you never know.”

Sunday Girl has proven to be a gift that keeps on giving, winning 6-of-8 lifetime starts and finishing off-the-board just once, good for nearly $400,000 in total purse earnings. Her scores include the NYSSS Park Avenue last April at the Big A, going wire-to-wire to post a decisive three-length score under Katie Davis, who has been aboard for all but one of her starts.

“We’ll just do the best we can, and this is a good step,” Duggan said. “Maybe she runs well on the turf, and we find a new opening with that. Six furlongs works, so keeping it simple.”

Bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and Eighth Note Stable, Sunday Girl was a $100,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and is out of the winning Harlan’s Holiday mare Lady Daphne, who has already produced two winners on turf.

Wizard Stables’ Walk With Me, also a New York-bred 4-year-old Central Banker filly, found the winner’s circle on Friday at the Big A after losing the lead in the stretch and battling back to claim victory over Grace Reformed in Race 2, a nine-furlong allowance for state-bred fillies and mares.

Ridden by Romero Maragh, Walk With Me – with blinkers back on – set the tempo through splits of 24.06 seconds, 48.37 and 1:12.61 over the fast footing with Photo Finish tracking in second and Grace Reformed near the rear of the field.

Walk With Me was asked for more approaching the turn and turned back the bid of Photo Finish in the lane but was left to deal with Grace Reformed as she stormed up along her outside and claimed command near the eighth pole. Maragh never stopped riding and Walk With Me responded kindly, retaking command in the final yards to win by a neck in a final time of 1:50.38.

Duggan said the stakes-placed filly, who was previously well-beaten in a turf allowance going 1 1/16 miles on May 17, relished Friday’s distance and surface as she earned a career-best 70 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Every time we ran her going a mile, I thought she would have run better,” Duggan said. “Her attributes were always distance, and we never got that opportunity other than going a mile, so I thought we’d try turf and that she’d move forward there, but that completely bombed. She came back and trained well, and I knew that if the mile and an eighth didn’t work, she’d need a drop in class. It worked great, and she showed a lot of grit. I’m happy with what I saw.”

Duggan said Walk With Me will be pointed to a second-level allowance next.

Bred by Richard Nicolai, Walk With Me – a $100,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale – is a full-sister to stakes-winner Bold Fortune and is out of the dual stakes-placed Posse mare Might Be.