Sassy C W set to shine in $150,000 Astoria
Patricia’s Hope and Carolyn Wilson’s speedy Sassy C W will make her stakes debut in Thursday’s $150,000 Astoria, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies on Day Two of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, at Saratoga Race Course.
The Astoria is slated as Race 3 on a star-studded 10-race card that includes the $150,000 Listed Tremont for 2-year-olds in Race 1, along with the Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental for older filles and mares sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs on turf [Race 7], and the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker [Race 9] for older horses going one-mile on the lawn. First post on Thursday’s program is 12:40 p.m. Eastern with admission gates open to the public at 11 a.m.
Trained by Larry Rivelli, Sassy C W [post 3, Jareth Loveberry] enters from a 5 1/4-length pacesetting romp as the mutuel favorite in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden sprint on April 30 at Churchill Downs.
Sassy C W zipped through splits of 21.91 seconds and 44.89 over the fast main track, scoring in a final time of 51.34 under a hand ride from Jareth Loveberry. The impressive effort registered a 65 Beyer Speed Figure.
“We were kind of expecting it. She had been really, really good since Day One,” Rivelli said. “It's nice to see them do in the afternoon what they've done in the morning. She was well-meant that day. She came out of the race good and she's ready to go.”
The winning effort earned the rare comment line on the chart of, ‘rocket ship.’
“That made laugh when I saw it on the comment line the next day, but they're right, she can fly,” Rivelli said.
Sassy C W was purchased for $375,000 at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds-in-Training where she worked in 9.4. She is by Yaupon, who was a perfect 3-for-3 at the Spa, including a win in the 2021 Grade 1 Forego, and is out of the Tiznow mare Sassy Miss Sue – a full-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Tiz Miz Sue and a half-sister to dual stakes-winner Bulletin.
"She's quick. We like to buy athletes,” Rivelli said. “The breeding is good, too, but she was just a real precocious looking filly at the sale. She's worth every penny, no doubt about that. The future is bright for her as long as she stays sound. She's got a real good mind on her and I think she's going to be super tough in this spot.”
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will send out D.J. Stable’s New York-bred Vernon Valley [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] fresh from a 2 1/2-length score in an open-company maiden on May 23 at Belmont at the Big A.
The Vekoma dark bay, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, lunged at the start and was bumped by a rival before settling into third position. She chased the pace of Street Sue through a half-mile in 46.17 and took over at the three-sixteenths despite not switching leads and racing greenly in the lane en route to victory in a final time of 58.87 and earning a 51 Beyer.
“I'll take every Vekoma you can give me. They've been impressive,” Casse said. “She won quite easily despite going all over the place and not focusing. She's got some talent that filly and she showed it the other day. I think you'll see even more out of her in the future.”
Vernon Valley, bred by Trail Creek Stables, was purchased for $130,000 at the OBS October Yearling Sale. Her third dam, Deputy’s Delight, produced multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Delightful Kiss – a half-sister to the Casse-trained Grade 3-winner Delightful Mary, who took 2010 Sovereign Award honors as Canada’s Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.
A competitive field also includes Varinisi [post 1, Luis Saez], who arrives from a 4 1/4-length maiden score for trainer Chasey Deville Pomier on May 15 at Evangeline Downs; as well as the maidens Gena B [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Horacio De Paz, Looks to Kill [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for conditioner Amira Chichakly, and the Melanie Giddings-trained first-time starter Ticket to Ride [post 4, Shaun Bridgmohan].
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