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Senza Parole signs on for G1 Frizette

by Christian Abdo

Don Alberto Stable’s Kentucky homebred Senza Parole is set for her highly anticipated second start in Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette, a one-mile test for juvenile fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

The Frizette offers a “Win and You’re In” berth for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 1 at Del Mar. The Frizette also offers the top-five finishers 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Gun Runner chestnut made one of the most impressive debuts of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet, winning a six-furlong sprint by 7 3/4-lengths over next-out open-lengths winner Stunner on August 23.

There, Senza Parole bumped with a rival at the start but still showed speed, before being taken back to travel in third position early under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. She took over nearing the half-mile call and cruised to a much-the-best victory under a hand ride in a final time of 1:09.84. The performance was awarded a 94 Beyer Speed Figure, the second highest debut number for a 2-year-old of the year, behind $1.3 million colt Ferocious’ 96.

“She was very impressive,” said Brown. “We were cautiously optimistic that she would put in a good performance first time out and run to her works, but you never know, especially at Saratoga.”

Senza Parole [post 8, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] has breezed back four times since the win, most recently covering a half-mile in 48.20 seconds on September 28 on Saratoga’s Oklahoma dirt training track, ranking second-of-140 workers at the distance.

“She’s good. She had another good work and she’s been a brilliantly fast horse, so we’ll test her stretching out,” Brown said.

Out of the winning Street Cry mare Senza Te, Senza Parole’s second dam is graded stakes-winner Sacristy, who produced Grade 1-placed Flor De La Mar, and is a half-sister to Mozu Superflare, a Group 1-winner in Japan.

C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable’s graded stakes-winner The Queens M G [post 2, Dylan Davis] won the Grade 3 Adirondack and Listed Schuylerville over the summer at the Spa, but most recently was a distant fifth in the Grade 1 Spinaway on August 31 there.

Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. the Thousand Words dark bay put a head in front at the half-mile call of the seven-furlong Spinaway before weakening over the muddy and sealed footing.

The Queens M G, out of the Grindstone mare Show Queen, was originally a $3,500 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, before being bought privately after a victorious debut at 45-1 odds for trainer Israel Acevedo in April at Keeneland. Her first effort for current connections was an off-the-board result in the 5 1/2-furlong Astoria on June 6 at Saratoga ahead of her pair of stakes wins.

Joseph, Jr. will also saddle Paradise City [post 6, Manny Franco], who won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden on debut by one-length on September 6 at Gulfstream Park. The McKinzie bay is owned by C2 Racing Stable, Kuehne Racing, Shining Stables, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch.

Out of the graded stakes-winning Yankee Gentleman mare Washington Bridge, Paradise City was a $105,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Sean Shay’s New York-bred Another Cleeshay [post 7, Junior Alvarado] was a dominant winner in her lone start to date on August 30 at Saratoga. Trained by Gary Contessa, the Volatile chestnut tossed her head at the break, but was able to recover and set the pace in the 6 1/2-furlong maiden restricted to horses that Sold or RNA-ed for $50,000 or less, drawing off to win by 9 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:18.34.

“She was throttled down and extending her lead at the wire, and that was 6 1/2 furlongs, not six, so she definitely acts like she will run all day,” Contessa said. “I do not think the distance will be a problem. I like to take a shot.”

Another Cleeshay received a 69 Beyer in victory and almost certainly will have to improve from a numbers standpoint, but Contessa was quick to remind horseplayers of when he saddled 2-year-old Nutella Fella to a 54-1 upset in last summer’s Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga.

“I think this is a very logical spot to take a chance. I don’t really care what the handicappers think, let’s not forget we won the Hopeful and paid $111 last year,” said Contessa. “She’s training with enthusiasm, she’s run one time and she overcame a bad start to win by open lengths, so this makes a lot of sense to me and I’d like nothing more than to be at Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Another Cleeshay, bred by 3C Stables and purchased by Contessa for $40,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, is out of the Tapit mare Hummingbird Hill - a half-sister to Grade 2-placed Fifth Avenue and stakes-placed Shoptate.

Joseph Imbesi’s Florida homebred Social Fortress [post 9, Jaime Rodriguez] dominated the one-mile Sorority with a gate-to-wire seven-length score on August 24 at Monmouth Park. Trained by Jamie Ness, the Social Inclusion dark bay won on debut in similar fashion, drawing off to an 11-length victory sprinting five furlongs off-the-turf on July 13 at Delaware Park.

Social Fortress completed her pre-race preparations with a half-mile bullet work in 47.80 seconds on Sunday at Delaware Park, fastest-of-26 workers at the distance.

“She’s coming off of two wins, including the Sorority, and this was a race that was kind of on our radar the whole time. She has worked well, had a good workout this morning at Delaware so we are going to come up and take a shot,” said Ness. “She’s proven she can go two turns, this is a one-turn mile, but it proves that the distance I don’t think is an issue for her.”

DeSales 85’s graded stakes-placed Icona Mama [post 10, Kendrick Carmouche] rallied from 6th-of-14 for third in the one-mile Grade 3 Pocahontas last-out on September 14 at Churchill Downs. Trained by Flint Stites, the Maximus Mischief bay was previously second in the off-the-turf 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing on August 18 at the Spa, earning a career-best 76 Beyer in the 3 1/2-length defeat to Kimchi Cat.

Rounding out the field are stakes-winner Whatintheliteral [post 4, Jorge Ruiz] for conditioner Jena Antonucci; maiden-winner Pondering [post 3, Flavien Prat] for trainer Brendan Walsh; in addition to maidens Snowyte [post 1, Joel Rosario, blinkers ON] for conditioner Danny Gargan and Scottish Lassie [post 5, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Jorge Abreu.

The Frizette is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 12-race card, that also features the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne - a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in Race 8 - along with the Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational [Race 5] and the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint [Race 6]. 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/.

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