Epic Style streaks into $175K Autumn Days
Speedway Stables’ Epic Style brings a three-race win streak, including a pair of stakes wins, into Saturday’s $175,000 Autumn Days, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont Park.
Trained by Michael Stidham, the 4-year-old Good Magic dark bay returned to sprinting after a freshening and reeled off a trio of rallying wins, beginning with a 6 1/2-furlong optional-claiming score on August 30 at Kentucky Downs. She followed with a pair of Listed wins, taking the six-furlong Sweet Briar Too on September 19 at Woodbine and the first division of the seven-furlong Perfect Sting last out on October 23 here.
Stidham said the freshening following a fourth-place finish in a one-mile optional-claimer on June 26 at Colonial Downs benefitted the filly.
"We were targeting certain races, and it made sense to give her a little bit of a break," Stidham explained. "It's been an issue trying to find a distance that suits her. When we found these races, we felt these were the spots we needed to target.
"She fits in that 6-to-7-furlong sprint distance and we're enjoying her running as well as she has," Stidham added.
Returning pilot Antonio Fresu was aboard Epic Style for the first time in the Perfect Sting and was content to watch proceedings from last-of-7 as Cupids Crush showed the way through a half-mile in an unpressured 45.24 seconds over the firm footing. Epic Style was angled out wide for the stretch run and showed a powerful turn-of-foot to get up in the final jumps and head returning rival Cupids Crush in a final time of 1:20.20.
"I was a little worried she had too much to do down the lane,” Stidham said. “According to Fresu, he said he thought he had enough horse to win by more, but he knew he had the leader in his sights, and she was doing it fairly easy. Visually, it didn't quite look that way, but the way he described it was that he had that horse whenever he wanted it.”
Epic Style’s Sweet Briar Too score was aided by an electric pace set by Miss Vyvyanne, who zipped through a half-mile in 43.92 seconds.
“The Woodbine race had a ton of speed in it, and it looked like it was going to set up for her. That last race did not seem to have the same set up and that's why we were worried,” Stidham said. “It [cutting back to six furlongs] should add to the pace and hopefully set it up for her closing kick. She's been training well and doing really well at Fair Hill.”
Stidham noted he expects to play a part in the upcoming winter meet at Belmont Park which will be contested exclusively over the Tapeta main track.
Overnight purses at the winter meet have been increased by 23 percent with more than $26 million in overnight purse money on offer. The average overnight purse will see a per-race increase of nearly 10 percent. Specific purse levels for the Belmont Park winter meet are published at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/incentives/#overnightpurses.
“We're leaving a string at Fair Hill. Our main string goes to the Fair Grounds, but we've always had a second string at Turfway or Oaklawn. With Belmont coming up with Tapeta, it made sense to give that a try, so we'll see how it works,” Stidham said.
Epic Style [post 10, Antonio Fresu], a half-sister to stakes-winner Cashcheckorcharge, is out of the Grade 3-winning Sky Mesa mare Final Mesa – a half-sister to the Grade 3-winning New York-bred Uncle Camie.
Bred in Kentucky by Tom Durant, Epic Style has banked $408,065 through a 14-5-3-2 record.
Parkland Thoroughbreds, Sportsmen Stable and Avanti Stable’s Jody’s Pride [post 5, Edgard Zayas] is a Grade 2-winner and Grade 1-placed on dirt but will seek her first turf win in her seventh attempt in the Autumn Days.
Trained by Jorge Abreu, the 5-year-old American Pharoah mare finished second in the 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita Park and last year took down the Grade 2 Ruffian traveling a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A.
Jody’s Pride has dabbled in turf racing throughout her career with a 6-0-1-2 record on the lawn, coming closest to victory last out when a half-length second to well-regarded Gratefully in the second division of the Listed Perfect Sting.
The versatile mare competed in off-the-turf events in her first two career starts, winning both, led by a convincing score in the six-furlong Listed Matron in October 2023 at Belmont at the Big A that led her to the Breeders’ Cup.
“All along, I knew she was looking for the turf and going shorter, that’s what she wants to do,” Abreu said. “Just because she ran second in the Breeders’ Cup doesn’t mean she wants to go long. I always liked her since Day One. I debuted her on the turf and it came off, and she won. Then I put her in the prep for the Breeders’ Cup [Matron], it came off the turf and she won. I think she’s a better turf horse than she is a dirt horse.”
Last out, Jody’s Pride rated a ground-saving third under Edgard Zayas as Gratefully, a winner of 6-of-7 starts, marked the half-mile in 46.43. Jody’s Pride was tipped out at the quarter-pole and took aim at the leader, chasing gamely but ultimately settling for a strong second in a final time of 1:20.32.
“The winner had an easy lead and she’s a good horse,” Abreu said. “When I saw her by herself on the lead, I knew I was in trouble. She’s [Gratefully] a filly that gets really brave when she’s on the lead – you can’t take nothing away from her.”
Abreu said the talented Jody’s Pride is continuing to improve.
“I think she’s one of those fillies that’s getting better with age, too,” Abreu said. “Another thing I learned with her is I think she’s a horse that runs better with a little gap between her races. We’re going to run her here, give her 45 days off at the farm, and then bring her back at the Fair Grounds.”
Bred by Mr. Steve Weston, of Parkland Thoroughbreds, Jody’s Pride is out of the undefeated Parkland-campaigned Scat Daddy mare Jody’s Song – a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Make Mischief.
Trainer Miguel Clement sends out a competitive pair of graded stakes-winners in Les Reys [post 8, Samuel Marin] and Love Cervere [post 6, Manny Franco].
West Point Thoroughbreds, Peter Leidel and Winters Equine’s Les Reys, a 5-year-old French-bred daughter of Penny’s Picnic, is in search of her first win since a three-quarter length score in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion last October over the Woodbine Tapeta. She has hit the board in 2-of-7 starts since, including a rallying third in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Masters two starts back on September 18.
Les Reys arrives from an off-the-board effort in her attempted Grade 3 Ontario Fashion title defense on October 17.
Bred by Athanase Poulopoulos and Haras du Hoguenet, Les Reys won the Listed Prix Volterra in June 2024 at Longchamp in her final start for trainer Didier Guillemin and made her first stateside start a winning one that September with a rallying half-length score over eventual Grade 1-winner Dynamic Pricing in the Listed Winter Memories at the Big A for the late Hall of Famer Christophe Clement.
Stone Base and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Love Cervere boasts an ultra-consistent 15-6-2-2 record topped by a victory in last year’s Grade 3 Glen Cove over six furlongs of firm footing at Belmont at the Big A.
The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay owns four additional turf sprint stakes wins, capturing the Floral Park two starts back here on September 19, the Listed License Fee in May at Belmont at the Big A, the Listed Alywow last June at Woodbine and the 2025 renewal of the Take The A Train for Christophe Clement.
Bred in Kentucky by Edward Seltzer and Beverly Seltzer, Love Cervere is out of the stakes-placed Black Minnaloushe mare Panther Strike and is a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Chapalu and dual stakes-placed Caroline Test.
A robust field includes Kappa Kappa [post 12, Jose Lezcano], winner of last year’s Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland, who will make her turf debut for trainer Butch Reid, Jr.; Group 2-placed Ribaltagaia [post 9, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Graham Motion; multiple stakes-winner Cupid’s Crush [post 1, Julio Hernandez] for trainer McLean Robertson; Gift of Gab [post 11, Jorge Ruiz], winner of the Sensible Lady Turf Dash three starts back at Laurel Park for conditioner Suzanne Stettinius; dual stakes-placed Somnium [post 2, Javier Castellano], who was fourth last out in the first division of the Perfect Sting for trainer Elizabeth Merryman; stakes-placed Delightful Flame [post 4, Katie Davis] for trainer David Duggan; four-time winner Do Gooder [post 3, Adam Beschizza] for trainer Jena Antonucci; and three-time winner Capturing [post 7, John Velazquez] for trainer Stu Hampson. The Marcelo Arenas-trained Kuwaitya [post AE13, Dylan Davis] is also eligible.
The Autumn Days is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which is headlined by the Grade 3, $200,000 Pebbles in Race 9. First post is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.
General admission at Belmont Park is available for $7 when purchased in advance and provides fans with access to grandstand seats on most days, all areas within the first floor of the grandstand and the backyard. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.
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