Classic Q is all class in G1 Just a Game presented by Resolute Racing
Classic Q proved once again that she is all class as she went right to the front and never looked back to take the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game presented by Resolute Racing, contested by fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at one mile over the Saratoga Race Course inner turf on Day Four of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
Campaigned by Gary Barber, Blue Crevalle Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the 4-year-old filly bested a field of seven others while never being threatened as she set fast fractions of 23.62 seconds, 47.17, 1:10.09 and 1:21.27 on the firm turf under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez. She was pulling away late in the stretch before crossing the wire in a sizzling 1:33.84.
The French shipper Mandanaba, who had taken advantage of a ground-saving trip under Clement Lecoeuvre, tried to catch Classic Q to no avail and finished 1 1/4 lengths behind. The Chad Brown-trained Segesta came home in third as the 9-5 favorite under Flavien Prat.
Classic Q notched her second graded win after scoring in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on May 2 over Portfolio Duration, who won the Grade 1, $750,000 New York on Friday here. Despite her gate-to-wire triumph, the filly did give her connections, including dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, some anxious moments before the gate opened.
"This one was eventful, too. She [Classic Q] did her own flyover when the flyover came. When the planes came over she went crazy. Then when she got out on the track she wouldn’t move," said Casse, who won the 2015 Just a Game with champion Turf Mare Tepin.
But once the running started the daughter of Classic Empire, who was also a Grade 1 winner trained by Casse, was a pure professional.
“I knew when they went in 47 [seconds for the half-mile] that it was going to take somebody special to beat her. I kept telling [my wife] Tina, ‘Johnny’s waiting. Johnny’s waiting.’ You know her, she’s just extremely ornery. He said she was being so good and when they loaded the last horse, she started acting up. Then, when she breaks, you can’t rush her or she’ll run off. He gets along with her. He knows her well," said her trainer. “She’s always been talented, really talented. She’s amazing. She had double ankle surgery before she ever made her first start, that’s why she was so late getting started. She’s just been unbelievable."
Velazquez, who added a third Just a Game to his stellar resume but his first since Stephanie's Kitten in 2013, said, “That trip was about what we expected. I was expecting that she'd break well, that she'd be on the lead. I tried to save her the best I could, so I'd have something left to ask for. It is nice when it works out that way. She had a good finish, but that's what we were expecting out of her."
Mandanaba, who is owned by His Highness The Aga Khan's Studs and conditioned by top French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, garnered praise from her rider.
“She ran very well, said Lecoeuvre. "Like most French fillies, she’s not very fast at the start. After 100 meters, she was fast to take a good position. We had a good race after, behind the winning filly. She did good [from there] and fought a lot for the finish. She’s a really good filly. The winner was going easy in front of me and I tried to follow her, but my filly had to learn about the small corner [tight turns]. Maybe she would have to come [to Saratoga] again, so she will know for next time.”
Brown was looking for his 9th Just A Game win in the last 10 years and he also sent out Sandtrap, who finished sixth. Prat remarked of Segesta's third-place run, saying “I was in a good position, and she ran a steady race. She was in position and stayed in contention.”
Deep Satin, the Casse-trained And One More Time, Sandtrap, Fast Market and Buttercream Babe followed the top three home.
With the win, Casse added another Grade 1 to his Belmont Stakes Racing Festival ledger after winning two Grade 1s on Friday with Nitrogen in the Ogden Phipps presented by Ford as well as the DraftKings Acorn with Counting Stars.
“I think I’ll just retire,” Casse said, with a laugh. “I’ve been coming here since I was 10. I wish my dad was here. I used to stand up there [in the clubhouse] because we didn’t have a box. I would stand for races and races to watch. Saratoga has been my life since I was a little boy. It’s been my dream, so to be able to accomplish what we’ve done this weekend it quite amazing.”
When asked about a potential start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Dunkin’ Diana at nine furlongs for older fillies and mares on July 18 at Saratoga for Classic Q, Casse said, “we’re going one race at a time.”
Classic Q was bred in Kentucky by Winning Bloodstock and she is out of the Scat Daddy mare Lovely Em. Her record now stands at 15 5-3-1 and her bankroll is $1,349,865. She returned $14.44 for a $2 wager.
The Just a Game was part of a power-packed card featuring seven graded stakes and topped by the 158th edition of Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.
Live racing resumes Sunday with an 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker in Race 4 and the Grade 3. $200,00 Soaring Softly in Race 8. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and the best way to bet every race of the five-day meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
