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​Timeless Journey cuts back for $100K Biogio’s Rose

by Ryan Martin

Merrylegs Farm’s stakes-placed homebred Timeless Journey will see less ground for her next engagement in Sunday’s $100,000 Biogio’s Rose for older Empire State-bred fillies and mares going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Ray Handal, the 6-year-old Verrazano mare enters from a victorious effort in a nine-furlong open company allowance on January 26 over a muddy and sealed Big A main track. There, she stalked a close fourth along the rail under Dylan Davis down the backstretch before finding an opening around the far turn and powering home a 1 1/2-length winner. This effort came one month following a runner-up finish at a one-turn mile behind Frost Point, who exited that race to capture the Heavenly Prize Invitational in February. 

“She’s in good shape. She’s been breezing super, and I think she’ll be good going the distance. The cutback should be fine, she’s got a lot of bottom underneath her and I think she’s tactical enough,” Handal said. “She’s kept good company and she’s been in great condition through the winter. She’s shown me all the time that she’s ready to fire another big one.”

Timeless Journey was campaigned primarily on turf by her original trainer Christophe Clement, including a trio of wins as well as a third in the 2021 Ticonderoga at Belmont Park. She made her first start for Handal on grass when a troubled fifth in allowance company on October 29 at Belmont at the Big A, which was her first start off a nearly six-month layoff. 

“She was coming off a bit of a freshening. I thought her better races from a figures standpoint had been on the turf at that point,” Handal said. “The plan was to run her on the dirt through the winter anyway. I figured that would be a good comeback spot to get her back and let her find her legs underneath her and then switch on over. It was pretty seamless.

“She had a little bit of a bad trip that race,” Handal added. “She got stuck down and buried on the inside with nowhere to go.”

Despite her versatility, Timeless Journey will likely remain on dirt through the year barring any tailing off in form. 

“Maybe it would be something that we do to switch things off,” Handal said. “Right now, there’s no reason to stop running on dirt. She’s doing super on it right now against good company.” 

A second generation homebred, Timeless Journey is out of the three-time stakes winning Utopia mare Matchmadeinheaven. 

Davis will retain the mount aboard Timeless Journey [120 pounds] from post 3. 

While Timeless Journey cuts back in distance, Flying P Stable’s stakes winner Impazible Donna [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche, 122 pounds] will go past seven furlongs for the first time in her 18-race career. 

The 6-year-old Mission Impazible mare was second to eight-time winner Mosienko going seven furlongs in September at Saratoga before capturing the seven-furlong NYSSS Staten Island on December 4 at the Big A. These efforts encouraged trainer Bruce Levine said to try the mile with her. 

“I used to think she was just a sprinter, but her best two races have been going seven-eighths,” Levine commented. “She doesn’t act like she gets tired at all and there aren’t too many more spots that we’re eligible for, so we’re going to give this a try.”

Impazible Donna will strive to make amends following a distant fifth going 6 1/2 furlongs on February 24 behind stakes-winner Let Her Inspire U. 

“There was a lot of speed in there and she just kind of got ran off her feet,” Levine said. 

Five-time winner Know It All Audrey [post 2, Manny Franco, 118 pounds] will attempt to round back into top form following a distant fourth-place finish in the state-bred Broadway on February 12. 

Owned by Three Player’s Stable in partnership with trainer Oscar Barrera, III, the 4-year-old Shackleford filly has won four of her last seven starts including a pair of victories at the Biogio’s Rose distance. 

Know It All Audrey was a two-length winner of a state-bred allowance event on November 4 over the local going before completing the exacta behind New York-bred Champion Venti Valentine in the Bay Ridge on December 17. She returned to action in victorious fashion on January 19, defeating familiar foe Mia Bea Star by two lengths. 

Completing the field are multiple stakes placed Captainsdaughter [post 5, Eric Cancel, 118 pounds] and four-time winner Mia Bea Star [post 1, Romero Maragh, 118 pounds]. 

The Biogio’s Rose is slated as Race 3 on Sunday’s nine-race program at the Big A. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct winter 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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