Future Is Now returns for Listed Smart and Fancy

The Estate of R. Larry Johnson’s multiple graded stakes-winner Future Is Now will look to double up on local stakes success in Friday’s Listed $150,000 Smart and Fancy, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, the 5-year-old Great Notion bay has won four of her last five starts – all at 5 1/2-furlongs on firm turf - dating to a half-length score in this event last August under regular rider Paco Lopez. The ultra-consistent mare followed with scores at Keeneland in the Grade 2 Franklin [99 Beyer Speed Figure] in October and Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway, by a nose over Pandora’s Gift in her seasonal debut in April before a half-length defeat to Pipsy here in the Grade 2 Intercontinental.

Last out, in the Grade 3 Caress on July 19, Future Is Now exited post 7-of-9 and tracked the early foot of returning rival Twirling Queen through splits of 21.15 seconds and 43.59, angled four-wide for the stretch drive and took command with a sixteenth to run while staving off the deep-closing Zeitlos for a half-length score in a final time of 1:01.08. The winning effort matched a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She had an outside post and came away from there good. It gave him [Lopez] a chance to make some decisions,” Trombetta said. “When you have a little freedom and you're not crowded by a whole bunch of horses, it lets you do your job a little better.

“She's versatile,” Trombetta added. “It's nice if you can do that [stalk], but a lot of it comes from the break and the post position. Once I get her over here and give Paco a leg up, it's in his hands.”

Future Is Now has proven to be a game mare with a nose for the wire, her last five wins coming by less than one length with two placings by narrow margins as well.

"She makes me sweat 'em out, that's for sure," said Trombetta, with a laugh. "She's just one of those really nice horses that does her job well."

Future Is Now [post 6, Paco Lopez, 126 pounds] worked back a bullet half-mile in 48.20 August 1 over the Fair Hill synthetic and followed with a three-eighths work over the Fair Hill dirt Saturday in 37.20.

"She had her final blowout. She's been working along nicely, and we didn't ask her for a whole lot," Trombetta said. "Hopefully she comes out of it well and is ready to go."

Future Is Now, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Call Another Play and multiple stakes-placed Continentalcongres, is out of the Trombetta-trained Johnson homebred Past as Prelude, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Street Magician.

“It's been a good run with that family. They've really done us proud,” Trombetta said.

Future Is Now has banked $884,660 through a 17-9-2-1 ledger.

LNJ Foxwoods’ Kentucky homebred Ellen Jay [post 4, Joel Rosario, 122 pounds] returns from a nearly 10-month layoff for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The 4-year-old Constitution bay graduated at third asking in her turf debut last July at Ellis Park, exiting the outermost post 10 and persevering for a nose victory in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint versus elders. She returned one month later over course and distance to defeat elders once more by 5 3/4-lengths and earn a career-best 92 Beyer.

Ellen Jay closed out her sophomore campaign with a pace-pressing 1 1/2-length score in the Listed Glen Cove traveling six furlongs on October 18 at Belmont at the Big A.

The well-bred filly is out of the LNJ Foxwoods-campaigned and Cox-conditioned Covfefe, who captured Saratoga Race Course’s Grade 1 Test as well as the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita Park en route to 2019 Eclipse Award honors as Champion Female Sprinter and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. 

Ellen Jay has worked steadily over the Churchill Downs main track for her seasonal debut, including a bullet half-mile in 47.60 July 30 and an easy half-mile in 49.60 August 8.

"She's doing great. She came back into Churchill and is gearing up for her 4-year-old campaign. This looks like a decent spot to get her started,” said Blake Cox, son and assistant to trainer Brad Cox. “She's a very nice filly and very fast - just like her mom. It's exciting to have her back in the barn."

Trainer Miguel Clement will saddle a pair of strong contenders in graded stakes-winners Gal in a Rush [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 126 pounds] and Dontlookbackatall [post 7, Manny Franco, 126 pounds].

West Point Thoroughbreds, Chris Larsen and Titletown Racing Stables’ Gal in a Rush, a 6-year-old Ghostzapper bay, will look for her first win in her seventh start since making the grade in the Grade 3 Hendrie last July over synthetic at Woodbine Racetrack.

Along the way, she has hit the board in a trio of synthetic starts, including Woodbine’s seven-furlong Grade 3 Seaway [2nd] last August, the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Presque Isle Downs Masters [3rd] in September, and the six-furlong Grade 3 Whimsical [2nd] in May at Woodbine. Gal in a Rush was a distant fifth last out in her Hendrie title defense attempt on July 5.

West Point Thoroughbreds, Scarlet Oak Racing and Titletown Racing Stables’ Dontlookbackatall, a 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Peace and Justice, boasts a 3-2-1-0 Spa record topped by a neck victory over her graded stakes-winning now stablemate Danse Macabre in last year’s Grade 3 Caress. The Caress score completed a trio of wins preceded by the Listed License Fee last May at Belmont at the Big A and the state-bred Power by Far last June at Parx.

Dontlookbackatall will look to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since the Caress, while making her third start of the season following a two-length fifth last out in the Listed Sweet Briar Too on August 2 at Woodbine.

Dontlookbackatall, a $150,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the winning Arch mare Celtic Arch, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed En Wye Cee. 

GU Racing Stable’s multiple stakes-winner Twirling Queen [post 5, Luis Saez, 122 pounds] also returns for trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo.

The 4-year-old Twirling Candy bay has won 6-of-13 starts, including four stakes scores last year in the Melody of Colors over the Gulfstream synthetic, the Listed Mamzelle over firm Churchill turf, and the Listed Coronation Cup here over firm footing and the Listed Senator Ken Maddy over firm turf at Del Mar.

Twirling Queen will look to make the third start of her current campaign a winning one after missing by less than one length last out with her pacesetting fourth in the Grade 3 Caress.

Rounding out a talented group are multiple graded stakes-placed Benedetta [post 3, Jose Ortiz, 124 pounds], who makes her turf debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen; multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Sunday Girl [post 8, Katie Davis, 124 pounds], who captured the state-bred John Hettinger last out in her turf debut for trainer David Duggan; stakes-placed Risk Threshold [post 2, Junior Alvarado, 122 pounds] for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown; and three-time winner Out too Late [post 9, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 122 pounds] for conditioner Mike Maker. Trainer Phil Bauer has entered Legadema and Little Prankster for the main-track only.

The Smart and Fancy is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.  

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