Emerging star Sculcos Folly sparkles on New York Showcase Day
Michael Dubb’s Sculcos Folly won his fourth straight race, and third in stakes company, with an authoritative romp in the Mike Lee on Wednesday’s New York Showcase Day card, the Opening Day program of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival which featured six $200,000 New York-bred stakes to celebrate the best of racing in the Empire State.
“New York Showcase Day once again demonstrated the tremendous strength, quality, and momentum of the New York-bred program in helping to kick off this year’s Belmont Stakes Racing Festival,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc (NYTB). “We are thankful to NYRA for their continued partnership in highlighting the New York-bred program. The success and visibility of New York-breds reflects the dedication and investment of the breeders, owners, trainers, and horsemen who help make New York the premier state-bred program in North America.”
Sculcos Folly [No. 1, $8.32] put away the favored Grade 3-placed Bravaro to romp by 5 1/2-lengths in the hotly-anticipated seven-furlong Mike Lee for sophomores in Race 8. The Redesdale colt has won his last four outings by a combined 29 1/2-lengths.
Dubb noted the team had considered entering Sculcos Folly in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun.
“There’s a lot of dark days in the winter and you really wait for days like this. A lot of hard work, a lot of planning and thinking of places and races. We agonized over where we were going to run the horse,” Dubb said. “We felt that he was good enough to run in the Woody Stephens. Based on the performance he put on, he might have been competitive there, but at the end of the day, this is a 3-year-old and he’s got plenty of time to prove how good he is.”
Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr. and piloted by Jaime Rodriguez, Sculcos Folly exited the inside post and dueled with Bravaro through splits of 22.08 seconds and 44.36 over the fast main track in front of the tracking Party in the Army. While Bravaro dropped back, Sculcos Folly continued to find more from the top of the lane and powered clear to win in a final time of 1:21.60.
B Thedonald, off slow, rallied late to earn place honors followed by Party in the Army, Bravaro, Wamo, Max Money, Time to Roll, multiple stakes-winner Arctic Beast and Stickupwithoutagun.
Dubb, with an eye on future targets, credited Dutrow, Jr. with bringing the improving sophomore along the right way.
“We’ll go big-game hunting later, but this was a very salty field. This was a class test,” Dubb said. “We knew he could run fast, but he had to run fast against good, proven horses. He did it in the toughest of conditions, breaking from the rail, pressed the whole way through fractions of 44 and one, so I’m just over the moon.”
Sculcos Folly, bred by Lannister Holdings, graduated at second asking when entered for a $25,000 tag in July at Monmouth Park and followed with a $20,000 claiming score in November at Laurel Park. He was off a step slow in his seasonal debut when second in an optional-claimer on January 9 at Laurel and was unstoppable in his next three outings at Aqueduct Racetrack, taking an optional-claimer on January 22 by 9 3/4-lengths, the state-bred Gander in March by 5 3/4-lengths and the NYSSS Mind Your Biscuits for eligible state-sired sophomores on April 11 last out by 8 1/2-lengths.
Sculcos Folly was a $70,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the 10-time winning Johannesburg mare Cool Johanna, who also produced stakes-placed winners D’fever and Zolo.
Gallagher’s Stud’s homebred Alan Turing [No. 3, $25.62] made his stakes debut a winning one for trainer Pat Quick and jockey Junior Alvarado in the Commentator [Race 9], a nine-furlong route for 3-year-olds and up.
It was an emotional victory for 94-year-old Marlene Brody of Gallagher’s Stud, who noted she still loves the sport some 50 years after purchasing the property, with her late husband Jerry, in Ghent, New York in 1976. Initially a registered Black Angus cattle breeding facility, they launched their thoroughbred operation in 1978.
Brody was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in the New York-bred program last month by the NYTB.
“It definitely is [still exciting],” Brody said. “Because when you see them born, when you see them grow up, they are babies. I wanted six children, and I didn't get one, but at least I have a lot of horses, those are my babies.
“Alvarado is so good. He's so good. That was a really nice race,” she added.
The 4-year-old Omaha Beach gelding stalked on the inside behind the pace set by Dr. Kraft, who marked splits of 23.33 seconds and 47.37 with 2024 Commentator victor Drake’s Passage sitting in second. Bank Frenzy, winner of last year’s Commentator, was hard-ridden entering the turn, and made a wide bid under Manny Franco while Drake’s Passage attempted to push forward after three-quarters in 1:11.07, but Dr. Kraft stayed in command to the top of the stretch.
Alan Turing was coaxed along the rail and, with Bank Frenzy and Drake’s Passage stalling, remained the only threat to the stubborn Dr. Kraft in the final eighth. A narrow opening along the rail allowed Alan Turing to continue his inside run and keep a half-length clear through the final hundred yards, stopping the clock in 1:48.39.
Dr. Kraft was 2 1/4 lengths ahead of the late-running Russian Realm in third with Bank Frenzy, Quick to Accuse, Wynstock, Drake’s Passage and Donegal Surges completing the order of finish. Iron Dome was scratched.
Quick said he wasn’t surprised by the 11-1 victory.
“He’s been training great, he looks great; everything was going his way,” Quick said. “We had to take a shot. I felt great coming into this race, just the way he was doing. He deserved the chance.”
Now a four-time winner from 15 starts, Alan Turing has hit the board in nine of his last 10 outings. He is out of the stakes-placed Sadler’s Wells mare Honoria, making him a half-brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Maximova.
The state-bred stakes action kicked off in Race 2 as Sequel Racing homebred Venetta [No. 1, $10.62] stalked and pounced to a 1 1/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Bouwerie for sophomore fillies.
Trained by Danny Gargan and piloted by Kendrick Carmouche, the Yaupon bay broke awkwardly and saved ground in third position as state-bred stakes winner Galinda dueled on the lead with Hot Currency through a half-mile in 45.40. Hot Currency took over at the stretch call, but Carmouche tipped Venetta out five-wide and took command in the final jumps to stop the clock in a final time of 1:22.63. Hot Currency completed the exacta by three lengths over Galinda with Victory Hall, Irish Lullaby and Pinky Brier rounding out the order of finish. Celestial Body was scratched.
Venetta, a half-sister to Grade 3-placed multiple stakes-winner Mrs. Orb, is out of the Silver Train mare Gypsy Angel.
Hilly Fields Stable homebred Being Betty [No. 5, $7.38] landed her first stakes win in Race 3, the Mount Vernon for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf course.
Trained by Lisa Bartkowski and ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Being Betty broke sharply from post 4-of-6 and went forward in tandem with Spinning Colors but settled back and let that foe proceed to take a clear advantage into the first turn and lead the field through splits of 24.85 seconds, 49.75 and 1:13.59 over the firm footing. Being Betty is out of the stakes-winning Hilly Fields homebred Lady Joan.
Ortiz, Jr. coaxed the 5-year-old daughter of Weekend Hideaway up to challenge for the lead in the final turn, and kicked clear at the stretch call. Midnight Concerto swung wide for a game bid down the center of the course and gained on the leader, but Being Betty held sway in the final sixteenth to score by a half-length in a final time of 1:41.74.
Midnight Concerto completed the exacta, followed by Five G, National Archive, Spinning Colors and Trail of Gold. Awesome Czech and Dividend Recap were scratched, as were main track-only entrants Bam’s Bliss Kiss and Bernieandtherose.
Gary Barber’s Mi Bago [No. 6, $11.66], with Jose Ortiz up for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, made every pole a winning one to capture the Kingston in Race 4, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up.
The multiple stakes-winning Vekoma bay, racing with blinkers off, showed the way through splits of 23.89 seconds, 47.02 and 1:10.76 over the firm inner turf. George Briggs stalked from second position and dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Spirit of St Louis rallied wide through the final turn, but there was no reeling in Mi Bago, who scored by 4 1/2-lengths in a final time of 1:39.61. Spirit of St Louis completed the exacta by one length over George Briggs followed by Bettrluckythangood, Smooth Breeze, Leon Blue and Funny Factor. Main track-only entrants Shipsational, Shadow Dragon, Buttah, Annexperience and Dear Chairman were scratched.
Mi Bago, bred by Highclere, is now 7-for-16 with additional stakes scores in the 2024 Listed Algonquin, 2024 Listed Pulpit, as well as the Dania Beach and Listed Colonel Liam last year.
Robert Rosenthal and Bradford Bernstein’s homebred Bernietakescharge [No. 7, $8.58] notched a repeat victory in the Critical Eye [Race 5], posting the win in near-identical style as last year to tally her fourth career stakes victory in the nine-furlong route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
Trained by Domenick Schettino, the 5-year-old Take Charge Indy mare took command from the stumbling post-time favorite Landed, and led under jockey Manny Franco through splits of 23.36 seconds and 46.26.
Landed was asked for her best from Hall of Famer John Velazquez after three-quarters in 1:10.22, but spun her wheels while Bernietakescharge stayed strong at the helm and Valtellina launched her bid from sixth early. Valtellina gave game chase in the stretch, but there was no catching Bernietakescharge as she kept on willingly for the 1 3/4-length victory in a final time of 1:47.83.
Valtellina was six lengths better than Walk With Me, with Boxed Wine, Lika Rolling Stone, Landed and Hello Beauty completing the order of finish.
A half-sister to the dual stakes-winner Bernieandtherose, who is entered in an optional claiming race here tomorrow for these same connections, Bernietakescharge is out of the stakes-winning Freud mare Berning Rose.
Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with an 11-race card for Day Two of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, highlighted by the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup – a ‘Golden Ticket’ event offering the winner an automatic berth into the Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup – in Race 10, the Grade 2, $250,000 Intercontinental in Race 8, the Grade 3, $300,000 Pennine Ridge in Race 3 and the $175,000 Jersey Girl in Race 2. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
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