R Disaster back to winning form in G2 Gallant Bloom
Averill Racing and Anthony Mattera’s Grade 1-winning millionaire R Disaster made every pole a winning one to defend her title in Thursday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Belmont Park.
Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., and piloted by Jose Ortiz, the 5-year-old Awesome Slew mare secured her 10th career win and fourth graded score to put to rest any concerns regarding her off-the-board effort last out in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Ballerina on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course in which she raced from a more than three-month layoff.
“Obviously, coming off of her first time off-the-board, which we knew we didn’t have her prepared well, you still have to see her come back and run well. There’s always going to be that little doubt in your head, so for her to get the win was very good,” Joseph, Jr. said.
R Disaster broke alertly from the outermost post 5 and showed the way through an opening quarter-mile of 22.67 seconds over the fast main track with Munnings Express tracking from second position in front of the stalking trio of Senza Parole, Beauty Reigns and Queen Jubilee.
R Disaster spun the field into the stretch run through a half-mile in 45.78 with Senza Parole looming the main danger under a ground-saving ride from Flavien Prat. R Disaster dug in gamely as Senza Parole angled off the fence late in the lane to take one last shot, but there would be no reeling in the frontrunning leader, who scored by 1 1/4-lengths in a final time of 1:16.17.
“She broke really clean,” Ortiz said. “She looked like she was the fastest horse in the race, so we went out there and took control. She was good enough to win.
“She kicked on really good today,” Ortiz added. “The fractions weren’t very fast, but she was traveling so well and we were the best today.”
Senza Parole completed the exacta by 4 1/4-lengths over Beauty Reigns with Munnings Express and Queen Jubilee rounding out the order of finish. The Joseph, Jr.-trained Paradise City was scratched and will instead run in the Grade 3 Chillingworth on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
Prat said the Chad Brown-trained Senza Parole was game in defeat as she continues to chase an elusive graded win.
“I had a good trip and was second best. She stayed steady,” Prat said.
R Disaster’s graded scores include wins in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom last September at Belmont at the Big A, the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in March at Gulfstream Park and a 2 1/4-length frontrunning score over Ways and Means in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff in May at Churchill Downs.
Joseph, Jr. noted R Disaster is playing catch-up after missing a planned start in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss presented by Mionetto on July 26 at the Spa.
“She had an issue with a hind foot that we had to give her some time,” Joseph, Jr. explained. “It flared up like a year before that too, it was similar, something she always has had and it’s something to deal with. When she tells us, we have to wait.”
A potential rematch with Ways and Means looms for R Disaster in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in October at Keeneland.
“We know we only had one work into this race, but she should move forward now,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We had to wait with an issue and that’s the way it worked out. We knew we had to run in the Ballerina, win, lose or draw because we needed her to get her fitness level back. And today, we’re back on track with her, and all being well, I think we’ll give her a shot in the Breeders’ Cup."
Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and Michael O’Farrell, Jr., R Disaster is out of the eight-time winning Gottcha Gold mare Making Havoc, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-placed R Adios Jersey. She banked $137,500 in victory while improving her record to 18-10-6-1. R Disaster returned $3.02 for a $2 win bet as the 1-2 mutuel favorite.
The Gallant Bloom was the first of six re-scheduled graded events on Thursday’s eight-race program following the cancelation of live racing on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 at Belmont Park due to a powerful nor’easter that brought extremely high winds and heavy rain to Long Island.
Live racing resumes on Friday at Belmont with a nine-race card headlined by the Listed $175,000 Artie Schiller in Race 8, co-featuring the $175,000 Bertram F. Bongard in Race 2, and the rescheduled $175,000 Joseph A. Gimma in Race 3. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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