Susie Raisher Photo

​Forte, Tapit Trice record final works for G1 Belmont Stakes

by NYRA Press Office

• Forte, Tapit Trice record final works for G1 Belmont Stakes
• G1 Kentucky Oaks-winner Pretty Mischievous breezes for G1 Acorn
• Pass the Champagne works at Saratoga for G1 Ogden Phipps
• Harrodsburg posts sharp work for G1 Woody Stephens

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher saw just what he wanted to see out of last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte and Grade 1-winner Tapit Trice in their respective final tune ups for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Under mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 60s, Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Forte visited the main track following the renovation break, and logged five furlongs under Irad Ortiz, Jr. in 59.67 seconds over a fast main track working in company with maiden winner Varatti [59.72]. NYRA clockers caught the son of Violence galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 2/5.

“I thought it was a super good breeze,” Pletcher said. “He went 59 and 3 and it looked like he was doing it well within himself, good gallop out. He came back and cooled out quickly. It was exactly what we were hoping he would go out there and do and I think based off the strength of his breezes, he’s coming into it as well as we hope.”

Forte, out of the five-time stakes winning Blame mare Queen Caroline, won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park this season following his Eclipse Award-earning season last year. He was bought for $110,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Pursuant to HISA Rule 2241(a), Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 6 due to a bruised right front foot. In order to be successfully removed from the list, Forte had to work in front of a regulatory veterinarian, which he completed successfully last week, and then produce a blood sample for review following the breeze.

Pletcher reported Saturday that Forte's blood sample came back negative.

“The bloodwork came back good. All is clear," Pletcher said.

In the same set, Pletcher sent out Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable’s Tapit Trice, who went a half-mile in 49.89 seconds in company with dual winner Classic Catch [50.56]. NYRA clockers caught Tapit Trice galloping out five-eighths in 1:02 flat.

The son of multiple champion-producing stallion Tapit – the sire of four Belmont Stakes winners – was seventh in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby four weeks after a hard-fought triumph in the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland. He will try to make Pletcher the first trainer to notch consecutive editions of the “Test of the Champion” since his former boss and fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas [1994-96].

“I thought he looked great. He’s getting over the ground really well,” Pletcher said of Tapit Trice. “He’s a good-moving horse. We were looking to do a little less with him than we were with Forte, since he ran in the Derby and has had two breezes since then. It was more of a maintenance work for him and it seems like he continues to take to the main track here really well.”

Tapit Trice was bought for $1.3 million at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. His graded stakes-placed dam Danzatrice is a half-sister to 2018 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Jaywalk.

In the next set, Pletcher breezed Whisper Hill Farm’s graded stakes-winning homebred Charge It over the Belmont dirt training track. Also a son of Tapit, Charge It worked a half-mile in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10, Belmont Stakes Day. The Metropolitan offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Santa Anita.

Additional Belmont Stakes workers on the tab Saturday, included the Brad Cox-trained trio of graded stakes-winners Angel of Empire and Hit Show and stakes-placed Tapit Shoes, who each covered five-furlongs at Churchill Downs.

Albaugh Family Stables’ Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire posted the fastest work of the three, covering the distance in 59.80 seconds. Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers Racing, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, Winners Win and Michael Caruso’s Tapit Shoes, who finished second to returning rival Red Route One in the Bath House Row on April 22 at Oaklawn Park, logged his exercise in 1:00.60 while Gary and Mary West’s Grade 3 Withers winner Hit Show stopped the clock in 1:01.60.

The Antonio Sano-trained Belmont Stakes hopeful Il Miracolo recorded a five-eighths breeze on Friday at Gulfstream Park, completing his exercise in 1:00.88. Owned by Alexandres, Inc., the son of Gun Runner enters the Belmont from an allowance optional claiming win on May 11 at the Hallandale Beach oval.

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G1 Kentucky Oaks-winner Pretty Mischievous works for G1 Acorn

Godolphin’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous put together her final piece of work in preparation for Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn presented by Great Jones Distilling Co., working a half-mile over the Belmont Park main track for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Under mostly cloudy skies, the Into Mischief bay visited the main track at about 6:45 a.m. Eastern and covered four furlongs in 47.87 seconds in company to the inside of multiple graded stakes-placed stablemate Gilmore [47.87].

Walsh expressed satisfaction with the move and said Pretty Mischievous is a filly that does things easily.

“That’s typical of her,” Walsh commented. “I think she even went 47 and 4 in her work before the Oaks as well. She’s been doing well since then. Everything seems spot on for her.”

Prior to her Kentucky Oaks conquest, Pretty Mischevious was second to Southlawn in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks on March 25 at its namesake track after triumphs in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra and Untapable at the New Orleans oval.

The Acorn, which is run at a one-turn 1 1/16-miles for sophomore fillies, will be Pretty Mischievous’ first start going one turn since she defeated winners in a seven-furlong allowance optional claimer on October 30 at Churchill Downs. She won her debut going 6 1/2 furlongs over the same surface.

Walsh expressed no concern in cutting back to one turn.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem at all,” Walsh said. “It should work out well for her. She has plenty of natural speed, which is required in this type of race.”

A Kentucky homebred, Pretty Mischievous is out of the Grade 1-winning Tapit mare Pretty City Dancer and is a direct descendant of influential matriarch La Troienne.

Gilmore, a last out third in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile, is on target for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores. The son of Twirling Candy finished second in the Grade 2 Bay Shore traveling seven furlongs two starts back on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“I thought he worked great, too. That was a great work for him,” Walsh said. “He’s not the most generous worker in the morning, but he worked fine. I didn’t want him to go head-to-head with her because I thought they would have gone too fast.”

Gilmore is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Stonestreet Stables, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. He was purchased for $250,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

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Pass the Champagne works at Saratoga for G1 Ogden Phipps

R.A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, BlackRidge Stables and James F. Brown’s graded stakes-winner Pass the Champagne breezed five furlongs in 1:01.58 on Saturday over Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma dirt training track in preparation for the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Trained by George Weaver, the daughter of Flatter posted her second work since a dominant win in the Grade 2 Ruffian on May 6 over the Elmont oval. Weaver said he was pleased with her latest breeze.

“She’s doing very well and worked in a minute and change here at Saratoga,” said Weaver. “She moved well. She’s a good work horse and always looks good when she works. I wanted to bring her up here to Saratoga because she trained well here last year and I thought it would be a good option leading up to the race.”

Pass the Champagne’s Ruffian victory rewarded Weaver for his patience with the now 5-year-old mare, who endured two lengthy respites in 2021 and 2022. She finished a hard-fought second to subsequent two-time Champion Malathaat in the 2021 Grade 1 Ashland in just her third lifetime outing and second start for Weaver before finishing off-the-board in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks that May. She did not return until last February when taking an optional claiming tilt at Gulfstream Park which was followed by another extended layoff.

This year, Pass the Champagne has finished on-the-board in 3-of-4 starts, including her Ruffian victory and runner-up finishes in the Heavenly Cause at Laurel Park and the Wayward Lass at Tampa Bay Downs. She has earned $315,070 in total purse earnings through a lifetime record of 9-3-4-0.

Also on the Saturday work tab for Weaver was Reddam Racing’s Today’s Flavor, who breezed five furlongs in 1:00.98 over the Belmont Park main track. The New York-bred son of Laoban is targeting the Grade 2, $250,000 True North on the June 10 Belmont Stakes Day card.

“He worked well this morning and I’m happy with him,” said Weaver. “He’s another horse that always works well.”

The 5-year-old gelding has won 5-of-6 starts for Weaver since being transferred from trainer Doug O’Neill in the fall. He won three allowance-level contests, one against open company, this winter before suffering his lone defeat for Weaver when a close fourth in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets in April at Aqueduct Racetrack. He rebounded well in his next start to score a dominant 3 3/4-length victory in the state-bred Affirmed Success on April 30 at the Big A.

Bred by Joseph Calvo, Today’s Flavor boasts $284,830 in earnings through a record of 10-5-3-0.

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Harrodsburg posts sharp work for G1 Woody Stephens

Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Kentucky homebred Harrodsburg worked a bullet half-mile this morning in company with maiden stablemate Huntington in preparation for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores at Belmont Park.

Harrodsburg, under jockey Manny Franco, overtook Huntington [49.54] with ease down the lane and stopped the clock in 47 flat.

“I was really happy with it,” said trainer Rob Atras. “They broke off maybe a little quicker than I thought they would, but as they were progressing he caught up to the other horse relatively easily and finished up good.”

The 3-year-old Constitution gelding garnered an 87 Beyer in an impressive debut on March 26 at Aqueduct Racetrack, posting a 2 1/4-length frontrunning score in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up. He followed with a prominent runner-up effort on May 6 here in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance sprint that registered a 99 Beyer, losing by a nose to older stakes-winner Listentoyourheart.

Atras said Saturday’s breeze was designed to let the lightly-raced Harrodsburg work on rating as he prepares for a loaded renewal of the Woody Stephens that includes well-regarded Arabian Lion, a graded-stakes placed son of Justify; and the undefeated multiple stakes-winner Drew’s Gold among others.

“I'm hoping this will help him focus a little more in his races,” Atras said. “In his last two races, he got out in front and got a little bit lost. He's a little green and still learning. It's nothing to be concerned about, but I think he'll be a better horse when he has a target.

“That was a pretty nice horse that beat him,” Atras added. “But I feel like he's still learning and I'm hoping he's going to be a nice horse for us down the road.”

Atras said he expects Harrodsburg will continue to improve with racing.

“He's got enough speed to be a sprinter, but I could see him stretching out to a mile,” Atras said. “He's getting bigger and stronger and I think anywhere from six [furlongs] to a mile, he'll be pretty effective.”

Harrodsburg, a half-brother to stakes-winner Rome, is out of the graded-stakes placed Exchange Rate mare Gracer.

Atras could also be represented during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival by Tartini in Friday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup, a two-mile Widener turf test for older horses.

Owned by Jeremy Ramsland, the 9-year-old Giant’s Causeway gelding sports a ledger of 44-6-9-8 for purse earnings of $300,898 led by a last-out score in the 1 7/8-miles Hasta La Vista on May 6 at Turf Paradise. He worked a half-mile in 50.05 Saturday over Big Sandy.

“We've had him here for three weeks now and he worked this morning and galloped out good,” Atras said. “The Europeans can be tough here, especially at that distance. We'll have to see how he stacks up.”

Atras said that Twin Creeks Racing Stables Kentucky homebred Law Professor, who stumbled at the break last out on May 19 in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special and finished sixth, is enjoying a brief freshening.

“He didn't handle the paddock real good at Pimlico and obviously it wasn't his 'A' race, so he's been turned out at Twin Creeks and will get a little bit of a break,” Atras said. “He'll come back and have a late summer/fall campaign.”

The 5-year-old Constitution gelding posted a pair of nine-furlong stakes scores at the Big A this year, capturing the Queens County in January and Excelsior in April.

Law Professor spent his first 10 starts in the care of trainer Michael McCarthy, taking the off-the-turf 2021 Grade 2 Santa Anita Mathis Mile. He made a winning debut for Atras in September at Kentucky Downs, scoring a half-length victory in the restricted Tapit over turf ahead of a game second to multiple Grade 1-winner Life Is Good in the Grade 1 Woodward on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A. He closed out his 2022 campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland.

Atras said Madaket Stables’ stakes-winner Balpool, who finished fourth last out in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on May 19 at Pimlico, could breeze back Sunday here.

The sophomore daughter of Uncaptured, who utilized a close stalking style in her three victories, was steadied in the early running of the nine-furlong Black-Eyed Susan and was last-of-9 at the half-mile call. She split rivals on the turn for home and made a belated rally to finish nine lengths back of the victorious Taxed.

“It was disappointing to see her back there and taking a lot of dirt,” Atras said. “It took her awhile to settle down from that but even though she was fourth, she kept running at the end going a mile and an eighth. I thought it was a sneaky good race. Unfortunately she didn't hit the board, but I was still pretty happy with her effort.”

Balpool graduated at second asking in February at the Big A. She continued her winning ways at the Ozone Park oval two starts later, taking an optional-claiming mile by 9 1/2-lengths ahead of win in the one-mile Memories of Silver in which she bested next-out stakes winner Downtown Mischief by 3 3/4-lengths.

Atras said Balpool will skip Friday’s 1 1/16-mile Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn here and instead be considered for either the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 1 and the nine-furlong Grade 1, $500,0000 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 22 at Saratoga Race Course.

“I wouldn't be afraid to run her two turns again. We were nominated for the Acorn, but it’s coming back pretty quick,” Atras said. “We'll nominate to the Delaware Oaks and CCA Oaks and see how she's doing and who's going where.”