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Andiamo a Firenze looks to add to family’s legacy in G3 Sanford

by NYRA Press Office

• Andiamo a Firenze looks to add to family’s legacy in G3 Sanford
• Grade 1 Acorn winner Matareya training forwardly for G1 Longines Test 
• Fluid Situation possible for G2 Amsterdam; Midnight Stroll emerges from G3 Delaware Oaks in good order
• Dalika looks to pull off upset in G1 Diana
• Saratoga Race Course Week 2 stakes probables

Ron Lombardi’s Mr. Amore Stable saw success at the highest level with multiple graded stakes-winning homebred Firenze Fire, who took the 2017 Grade 3 Sanford en route to a Grade 1 score in the Champagne at Belmont Park that fall. Lombardi will hope for lightning to strike twice in the Sanford when Firenze Fire’s three-quarter brother Andiamo a Firenze takes on the six-furlong sprint for juveniles on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. 

A dark bay son of Speightstown, the New York-bred Andiamo a Firenze arrives from a sparkling debut win on June 3 for trainer Kelly Breen when he set the pace for a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight over a sloppy and sealed Belmont main track. Andiamo a Firenze widened his advantage to four lengths with a tap of the crop from Irad Ortiz, Jr. and earned an 80 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“He’s doing great and training really well. All systems are go,” said Lombardi. “His win was very impressive and there was some good company there. Irad gave him one tap of the crop just to keep him focused. He’s very mature and seems to be doing everything right. He does it with ease and he seems to be following every step to maturity.” 

The fourth named foal from the Langfuhr mare My Every Wish, Andiamo a Firenze will have big shoes to fill after Firenze Fire put together a career that included a run in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, nine graded stakes victories and over $2.7 million in earnings. 

Lombardi said that having the chance to campaign another horse with Firenze Fire’s potential is “something special.” 

“It was amazing to make it to the Derby with Firenze Fire, and to possibly do that again – Andiamo broke his maiden at Belmont, which puts him a step ahead on that,” Lombardi said. “Firenze Fire won the Sanford and then the Champagne, so we’re hoping [for the same campaign]. There’s a lot of good horses in the Sanford, but we’ll give it a chance.” 

Lombardi noted the physical difference between the two siblings. 

“Andiamo is a little on the smaller side. He likes the slop which Firenze Fire didn’t,” said Lombardi, with a laugh. “Hopefully he can make the distance. Kelly has been great. He’s good with the 2-year-olds and has been taking his time with him.”

In addition to the Sanford, Firenze Fire also earned Grade 1 placings with a third in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and two runner-up efforts in the Forego. Lombardi said he is looking forward to a chance for more Saratoga stakes success with Andiamo a Firenze. 

“It doesn’t get any better than this. This is what you dream about, and there’s no better place than this,” said Lombardi. “Everybody gets along and is there for the day and the horses. It’s so fun and it’s special to win. That’s what it’s all about. To win any race is special, but a stakes race is even more special.” 

Lombardi celebrated another Saratoga stakes win last summer when November Rein took the Seeking the Ante for New York-bred juvenile fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track in August. The daughter of Street Boss followed with a fifth-place finish in the Joseph A. Gimma next out at Belmont before an eight-month respite that ended with a return third in the restricted Bouwerie on May 30 at Belmont. 

November Rein found the winner’s circle again last out in a first-level 6 1/2-furlong allowance facing open company on July 9 over Big Sandy. She tracked in second for the first half-mile before dueling to the wire with pacesetter Baba and getting her head down at the wire in a final time of 1:16.21. 

Lombardi said the dark bay could potentially target a start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Test on August 6 for her next outing. 

“November Rein ran really well and her time was really good, so we’ll point to the Test," Lombardi said. "She had been off since September and she ran seven furlongs back in May; she got tired and needed the race. The next race paid off and I’m excited about it.” 

Out of the multiple stakes winner Ju Ju Eyeballs, November Rein has compiled a record of 6-3-1-1 and earnings of $243,350. 

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Grade 1 Acorn winner Matareya training forwardly for G1 Longines Test

Godolphin homebred Matareya has taken a giant leap forward in each of her starts this year, stepping up in class with every outing and breaking through at the top level when she posted a strong win in the Grade 1 Acorn on June 11 at Belmont Park to remain undefeated this year for trainer Brad Cox. 

It took Cox some time to sort out the best distance for Matareya, who flashed her potential last August with a debut maiden victory sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park before stretching out to two turns and finishing an even fifth in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland. She completed her juvenile year with a pair of runner-up efforts in the 6 1/2-furlong Fern Creek at Churchill Downs and a two-turn mile allowance at Oaklawn. 

“She’s very consistent. We loved her last year and thought she was a top, top filly,” said Cox. “It took me a little while to figure out what she wanted to do – I thought she’d stretch [out] and she didn’t.”

Staying at one turn proved to be the answer for the Pioneerof the Nile filly, who kicked off her sophomore campaign with a six-furlong allowance coup at Fair Grounds Race Course in January en route to her first stakes triumph in the Grade 3 Beaumont in April at Keeneland. She followed with a game 2 1/4-length win in the Grade 2 Eight Belles less than a month later at Churchill Downs. 

Matareya, who is usually the pacesetter or forwardly placed in her races, showed her versatility in the Eight Belles when she stalked from 3 3/4 lengths back in sixth and pounced to victory under a strong ride from Flavien Prat. 

“We cut her back and it’s obviously been the right move,” Cox said. “I thought her two races in Kentucky between the Beaumont and the Eight Belles were really good runs – the Eight Belles she came back [on short rest], as well. At three weeks and five days between runs, she was able to sit off the pace and finish up well. She won two graded stakes and then a Grade 1 this year, so hopefully we keep it rolling.”

Matareya returned to the one-mile distance in the Acorn, but was able to remain at one turn thanks to Belmont Park’s unique configuration. She set the pace in the compact field of four and overwhelmed her three foes, bounding away to an easy 6 1/4-length score in a final time of 1:35.77.

Cox said Matareya’s natural speed, as well as her ability to settle, are her best weapons. 

“She’s a very classy, well-bred filly and has found her thing around one turn. I think seven-eighths is her cup of tea,” said Cox. “I think anything around one turn she’s well suited. She’s very quick out of the gate, gets an early position and then relaxes well enough to finish up down the lane.” 

After securing her first Grade 1 victory, Matareya will now look to add another to her resume in the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Test on August 6 at Saratoga, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies. She had her first work at the Spa with a half-mile drill in 48.87 seconds on Sunday over the Oklahoma dirt training track. 

“It was a good breeze and I think she’ll have three more works before the Test,” said Cox. “She’s doing good, she really is.” 

Cox also noted that Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun could potentially make an appearance at Saratoga this summer in either the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 6, or Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 3 after a last-out fourth in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster on July 7 at Churchill Downs. 

“It’s possible; I haven’t ruled it out,” said Cox. “We’ll leave him at Churchill to train and then make a decision and see who’s pointing for what. The Whitney and Jockey Club Gold Cup are races that could be in play.” 

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Fluid Situation possible for G2 Amsterdam; Midnight Stroll emerges from G3 Delaware Oaks in good order

Following a graded stakes placing when third in the Grade 3 Dwyer, Curragh Stables’ Fluid Situation could target more stakes action in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam on July 31 at Saratoga Race Course. 

The John Terranova-trained Warrior’s Reward sophomore colt set the early tempo in the Dwyer, but was no match for 23-length winner Charge It, who registered a 111 Beyer in victory. Fluid Situation was triumphant at third asking when travelling seven furlongs in a Tampa Bay Downs maiden special weight on March 27. 

“He’d be cutting back from the mile,” said Terranova, who was still at Belmont Park tending to his string downstate. “He was third in the Dwyer behind Charge It, but we won’t be seeing him again. Not sure what we’ll face in a race like that, but he could possibly end up there.”

Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stable and Steven Schoenfeld's Midnight Stroll earned a career-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure for her narrow score on July 2 in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks, where she displayed off the pace dimensions en route to victory for the first time. A two-time frontrunning winner at Tampa Bay Downs earlier this year, the Not This Time filly rated in fourth along the rail, advanced into second approaching the far turn, and fended off a stretch confrontation from stakes-winner Shotgun Hottie to secure her first graded stakes coup. 

Entering off a troubled ninth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico, Midnight Stroll satisfied Terranova with the redeeming effort. 

“That worked out perfectly. We were thrilled that everything went well. She ran her race and we made the right call going down there,” Terranova said. “She came out of it well, she’s up there at Saratoga right now.”

Terranova added that no plans have been made for her next start, and they will monitor the filly in the weeks to come.

“That was a big effort. We want to let her come forward. She’s a little bit of a lighter type at this stage of her life,” Terranova said. “She’s a little framey, so we’ll give her some time to fill out between races. We’re just letting her settle in up there this week and hoping everyone stays in a good rhythm up there. We’ll figure out the spots as we go. Not sure where we’ll land, but we’ll find something as we progress through the summer.”

Also on the grounds at Saratoga for the Terranova barn is multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Bank Sting. The Central Banker mare recorded her second largest winning margin when taking the six furlong Dancin Renee on June 26 at Belmont by 5 1/2 lengths under a hand ride by Joel Rosario. 

Bank Sting, owned by Hidden Brook Farm and breeders Joseph and Anne McMahon, will attempt her sixth stakes win in the $125,000 Johnstone Mile Handicap out of the newly designed Wilson Chute on August 12. 

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Dalika looks to pull off upset in G1 Diana

Bal Mar Equines’ Dalika faces five competitors Saturday in the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana at Saratoga Race Course. The longest shot in the race at 15-1, Dalika will break from post 5 in the 1 1/8-mile turf route for older fillies and mares for trainer Al Stall, Jr. 

A daughter of Pastorius, the German-bred Dalika enters from a second-place finish in last month’s Grade 3 Old Forester Mint Julep at Churchill Downs where she went immediately to the lead and tried to wire the field before being caught late by Gam’s Mission. It was the 6-year-old mare’s first race of her 2022 campaign. 

“She had a freshening for the winter in Camden, South Carolina, and came back to run a nice race in the Mint Julep,” said Stall, Jr. “We kept her training as a 6-year-old just trying to participate and hit the board or get lucky in a Grade 1.”

The gray filly notched two wins last year, including the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park. She finished fifth in her lone start at Saratoga last summer in the Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls.

“She’s been right on the schedule we mapped out for her. She does well up here and is happy up here and tries every time,” Stall, Jr. said. “She will be forwardly placed and she’ll take them as far as she can take them and hopefully we just get lucky.”

Dalika will have to travel an extra sixteenth of a mile in Saturday’s Diana versus what she was tasked with in the Old Forester Mint Julep. Ricardo Santana, Jr. will be in the irons once again. 

A competitive renewal of the Diana will see trainer Chad Brown saddle four horses, including the undefeated Bleecker Street; while Charlie Appleby has sent over Creative Flair from Europe.

Stall, Jr. said the steep opposition won't be cause for changing his approach to the race.

“She’s a horse that you can’t fight. We’ve gotten into tussles with her before and it doesn’t work,” Stall, Jr. said. “We just let her bounce away from there and she just keeps going. We’re not going to change much. They might have to change if they want to, but we have to go because if we get into a war with her trying to slow her down, she gets resentful and doesn’t run her best race.”

Stall, Jr. said he is also looking forward to running FTGGG Racing’s Masqueparade, last year’s Ohio Derby winner, in the nine-furlong $135,000 Alydar on August 4 at Saratoga. 

Masqueparade shipped to Saratoga after a hard fought victory at Churchill Downs in a third-level allowance optional claimer where he nosed out Intrepid Heart in just his second start of the year. 

“He wintered in South Carolina and came back and ran two really good races at Churchill, so this is the third race back,” Stall, Jr. said. “He likes Saratoga and he’s a better version of himself this year.”

Stall, Jr. said that there is no set next step for his colt following the Alydar although he listed the Grade 2, Charles Town Classic on August 26; or the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 3 at Saratoga as a possibility. The Jockey Club Gold Cup offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Keeneland. 

“He could go to Charles Town if he had to, or it would be lovely to go the Jockey Club Gold Cup,” Stall, Jr. said. 

Masqueparade is slated to work Friday morning at Saratoga.

By Upstart and out of the Any Given Saturday mare Cry War Eagle, Masqueparade raced twice here at Saratoga last summer, finishing a respectable third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and sixth in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers to end his 2021 campaign. 

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Saratoga Race Course Week 2 stakes probables

Wednesday, July 20

G1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial

Probable: Chief Justice (Cyril Murphy), Down Royal (Kate Dalton), French Light (Keri Brion), Historic Heart (Brion), Iranistan (Brion), Pistol Whipped (Leslie Young), Redicean (Young)

$125K Suzie O’Cain (NYB)

Probable: Busy Morning (Jorge Abreu), Dream Central (Gary Sciacca)

Thursday, July 21

$125K Rick Violette (NYB)

Probable: Coinage (Mark Casse), Dakota Gold (Danny Gargan), Topic Changer (Christophe Clement)

Possible: Seaver (Timothy Hills), Timbuktu (Brad Cox)

Friday, July 22

G3 Lake George

Probable: Al Qahira (Bill Mott), Eminent Victor (Chad Brown), Sail By (Leah Gyarmati), Skims (Shug McGaughey), Spirit and Glory (Robert Falcone, Jr.)

Possible: Koala Princess (Arnaud Delacour)

Saturday, July 23

G1 Coaching Club American Oaks

Probable: Butterbean (Ken McPeek), Nest (Todd Pletcher), Secret Oath (D. Wayne Lukas), Society (Steve Asmussen)

G2 Shuvee

Probable: Bonny South (Brad Cox), Clairiere (Asmussen), Crazy Beautiful (McPeek), Malathaat (Pletcher), Search Results (Chad Brown)

G3 Caress

Probable: Bout Time (Cherie DeVaux), Caravel (Brad Cox), Miss J McKay (Clement), Robin Sparkles (Bruce Brown), Souper Sensational (Casse), Star Devine (Abreu), Time Limit (Mike Maker), Tobys Heart (Brian Lynch)