Weigh the Risks returns to action in Listed Pumpkin Pie

Klaravich Stables’ Weigh the Risks will make her return to stakes company in Friday’s Listed $150,000 Pumpkin Pie, a seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Mendelssohn chestnut was last seen dominating a seven-furlong allowance on July 23 at Saratoga Race Couse, romping by 7 3/4 lengths with a wire-to-wire trip engineered by Manny Franco. The win garnered a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure, and was her third from her last four efforts, which included a runner-up effort over the local going in the one-mile Heavenly Prize Invitational in February.

Weigh the Risks is 2-for-3 over the Big A main track, including another nine-length trouncing of a one-mile optional claimer in November when switching back to dirt following three off-the-board efforts on turf.

A $205,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, Weigh the Risks is out of the Candy Ride mare Beautiful Liar, who also produced dual stakes-winner Cheapskate Diva.

Dylan Davis has the call from post 8.

Blue Devil Racing Stable’s Patricia Ann [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche] matched a career-best 89 Beyer last out for a game runner-up effort to the in-form R Disaster in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Gallant Bloom on September 27 here.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 4-year-old Enticed filly is in search of her first stakes win, and brings a consistent 5-for-7 on-the-board record over the Big A main track, including a 3 3/4-length allowance score sprinting six furlongs last November. She has had one work since the Gallant Bloom effort, covering five furlongs in 1:01.25 on Friday over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“We freshened her up a little bit – it was a hard effort, and she tends to want to keep her weight on between races, so we decided to wait for the Pumpkin Pie,” Martin said. “She loves it here at Aqueduct and has a good record over the track. Last time, we hooked a pretty tough filly from Saffie Joseph who is on a roll, but I thought our filly ran like we always thought she could run.”

This year, Patricia Ann made one start in January before a more than six-month respite that ended with a second to Weigh the Risks in her aforementioned Spa optional claiming win in July. She followed with two off-the-board efforts over sloppy and sealed going in August at Saratoga and over turf in the local Floral Park in September ahead of the Gallant Bloom.

“Last year, she was on the cusp of being a stakes filly. It’s been a frustrating road back, but now we’ve got her running good again, so it would be exciting to win on Halloween,” Martin said.

Out of the unraced Rahy mare Soother, Patricia Ann was a $20,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. She is a half-sister to dual graded stakes-placed Carotari and stakes-winner Canisy.

“She was a $20,000 buy and she’s up to $240,000 in earnings and was second in a Grade 2, so she’s been pretty good to us,” Martin said. “She was named after my wife’s sister, who passed away, so this has been really nice.”

Stephen Rousseau’s Nic’s Style [post 5, Sahin Civaci] makes her return from a nearly eight-month layoff dating to her first graded victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on March 8 at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old Uncaptured mare has won with both pacesetting and stalking tactics, and enters from a streak of four consecutive stakes wins, including last year’s Pumpkin Pie by 3 1/4 lengths.

Nic’s Style holds an ultra-consistent 7-for-8 record, led by her neck score over R Disaster in the Hurricane Bertie and a 2 1/2-length annexing of the seven-furlong City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes in December at Tampa Bay Downs. Her stakes streak also includes the six-furlong Minaret in February at Tampa.

The $25,000 purchase at the 2021 OBS October Yearling Sale is out of the unraced Street Sense mare Sense When, and her second dam is Will O Way, who was four-times graded placed over synthetic.

Kirwan Equine Group’s Taliesin [post 1, Frankie Pennington] has proven a valuable claim for trainer Jacinto Solis, who haltered the daughter of Vekoma for $25,000 out of an eight-length maiden victory at third asking January at Parx Racing when trained by Kathleen DeMasi.

“She gets better and better,” Solis said. “Kathleen DeMasi always does a good job, and I said to [the owner] that I think we should claim her. So we did, and we were the only ones who dropped on her. It turned out to be a good thing.”  

Since then, Taliesin has won 4-of-7 starts for new connections, her wins coming by a combined 30 1/4 lengths. Last out, she was an impressive winner facing elders in a seven-furlong optional claiming tilt on September 20 at Parx, where she broke cleanly and led each step of the way to cross the wire nine lengths in front in a final time of 1:22.18.

“She’s doing good,” Solis said. “This is going to be a little different this time and some different competition, but hopefully she can get the same kind of break as last time.”

Taliesin has shown adaptability in her seven starts for Solis. She notched a pair of optional claiming scores in June and July at Parx with stalking trips ahead of her stakes debut in the Listed Cathryn Sophia, where she set a pressured pace and faded to fourth in the one-mile and 70-yard tilt won by Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff contender Dry Powder.

“This race will be way different, so we will see,” Solis said of tactics. “Hopefully, she’ll run like last time. We’ve got the same rider, who knows her, so hopefully we get some luck.”

Completing the field are Grade 3-winner Scalable [post 2, Edgard Zayas] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; Grade 2-placed Volleyballprincess [post 9, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Louis Linder, Jr.; Grade 3-placed St. Benedicts Prep [post 3, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Linda Rice; dual stakes-placed Alani [post 7, Andy Hernandez] for trainer Michael Moore; and stakes-placed Maggy’s Palace [post 6, Christopher Elliott] for trainer James Ryerson.

The Pumpkin Pie is slated as Race 8 on Friday’s nine-race card, which also offers the Listed $150,000 Tempted in Race 2. First post at Aqueduct on Friday is 1:05 p.m. Eastern with the property open for simulcasting from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. to accommodate the Breeders’ Cup Future Stars program from Del Mar.

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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