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G1 Travers-winner Arcangelo’s successes stem from years of hard work from Antonucci

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• G1 Travers-winner Arcangelo’s successes stem from years of hard work from Antonucci
• Gunite, Echo Zulu eye Breeders’ Cup after besting reigning Eclipse Award winners
• Idiomatic garners 101 for G1 Personal Ensign triumph
• Tapit Trice, Forte ‘doing good’ out of G1 Travers; Fierceness headed to G1 Champagne
• G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial winner One in Vermillion makes early departure home Sunday
• Elite Power to train up to G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint; Just F Y I records 70 Beyer from debut triumph
• Bolshoi Ballet registers career-best 107BSF in G1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer
• Roses for Debra targets G2 Presque Isle Masters
• Bolton Landing winner Amidst Waves enjoying Spa days awaiting next start
• Evvie Jets eyes Grade 1 First Lady after G2 Ballston Spa triumph

While some racing fans may be new to the name Jena Antonucci, the longtime horsewoman is far from a novice in the industry.

The 47-year old conditioner has gained a wealth of knowledge in the 13 years since she started her first horse in March 2010 at Tampa Bay Downs, culminating in historic triumphs in this year’s Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in June and the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Saturday with Blue Rose Farm’s Arcangelo.

“I think the journey of getting here is just allowing yourself to grow from every horse you’ve worked with, so it prepares you and your team to handle whatever comes your way, good and bad,” said Antonucci, who became the second woman to train a Travers winner and first since Mary Hirsch saddled Thanksgiving to victory in 1938. “Every horse brings you to this point and I’m extremely grateful to all of those horses who have helped us be ready for a horse like Arcangelo.”

In the weeks leading up to the Travers, Antonucci could be seen daily aboard her pony with the recognizable Arcangelo, traveling along with him to the track each morning and allowing him to take in the sights and sounds of the Spa to prepare for the historic 10-furlong test for sophomores. Patience and thoroughness in Arcangelo’s conditioning and schooling are important to Antonucci, who said there can never be doubt when leading a horse over for any race, let alone the Travers.

“Just never question listening and leaning into the horse,” said Antonucci when asked what lessons she has learned in her career. “I think that has gotten more fine-tuned over the years, and if there’s a doubt, it’s a ‘no.’ Before if there was a doubt, it was, ‘oh, maybe this,’ or, ‘oh, maybe that.’ I think getting stronger and more committed to the constitution of what you’re working towards [is key]. If it’s a ‘yes,’ you make sure you check all the boxes in the process. The horses and your team feed off of it and I think it teaches you to be steady and present. It’s not being overconfident or taking it for granted, it’s owning your space that you’re living in.”

All of Antonucci’s patience and perceptiveness came to fruition once again in the Travers, 11 weeks after Arcangelo stormed home to win the Belmont Stakes and made her the first woman to train a winner of a Triple Crown event. Ridden again by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, Arcangelo placed himself atop the 3-year-old male standings with an off-the-pace trip when saving ground along the inside behind the pace set by Scotland before angling around foes four-wide in the final turn, drawing off to a decisive one-length score over the late-closing Disarm.

“It was a patient ride and wasn’t a perfect trip, but this horse had some rough trips early on [in his career] that helped him yesterday,” said Antonucci. “I think more than anything, Javier has gotten so confident on the horse and believes in this horse, and he [Arcangelo] just feeds off of that in a really cool way.”

Castellano arrived at the barn Sunday morning to check in on his record seventh Travers winner after getting back to work breezing horses as early as 6:30 at the Spa.

“When someone wins the Super Bowl, people think, ‘Oh, you go on vacation now and go to Disney World.’ My neighbor when I won the Belmont said, ‘Oh congratulations, you won the Belmont so now you can go rest and on vacation!’ I said, ‘What?! I’ve got to work horses in the morning,’” Castellano said, with a laugh. “I’m very lucky, fortunate and blessed to win with this beautiful horse who gave me the opportunity to be back in the game and compete with everybody at the top of the game. He can be anything.”

The 46-year-old veteran rider adds to an already impressive resume for the year, which included his first victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby aboard Mage and additional Grade 1 scores in the Beverly D. [Fev Rover] and United Nations [Therapist]. Though it is only August, Castellano is celebrating his best year in terms of earnings since 2019 and currently ranks fifth in earnings amongst all North American riders.

“Thank God, I’ve been so blessed,” said Castellano. “I don’t take anything for granted because this game is hard. You can be at the top one day and at the bottom the next. People think, ‘Oh, you’ve won seven Travers,’ but it’s not easy. I had a little bump in the road, but I try to be positive and consistent, and work hard with dedication, consistency and discipline. It paid back quickly.”

With two of the nation’s biggest Grade 1 wins under his belt, Arcangelo appears ready to give serious challenge to older competition this fall in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Santa Anita Park. For now, Antonucci will retain her usual level-headedness, and allow Arcangelo the time and patience he needs before committing to the year-end championship event. 

“He came back well and is full of himself today,” said Antonucci. “Of course the Breeders’ Cup is on the radar, but horses don’t care about schedules or spreadsheets. We’ll do what we’ve been doing and give him his space. We’ll let him pave the way.”

While Arcangelo paves his own way, the same can be said for Antonucci, who has challenged and defeated the historical trends with every race Arcangelo dominates.

“I’m just so glad the race has helped to validate he’s not a fluke or a one-hit wonder,” said Antonucci. “It allows him to be validated, and I’m grateful for that. Horse and team, I’m most proud of that.”

***

Gunite, Echo Zulu eye Breeders’ Cup after besting reigning Eclipse Award winners

To be the champ, you have to beat the champ. And Winchell Thoroughbreds, in collaboration with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, did just that with two Gun Runner progeny in a pair of Grade 1 events on the Travers Day program at Saratoga Race Course.

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Gunite kicked off Grade 1 action when turning the tables on reigning Champion Male Sprinter Elite Power in the $500,000 Forego going seven furlongs. Piloted by Tyler Gaffalione, the dark bay colt set an easy early tempo and fended off Elite Power’s inside rally to win by 1 3/4 lengths and register a 101 Beyer Speed Figure – his eighth triple-digit number to date.

The redeeming triumph came following the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 29 at the Spa, where he appeared poised for victory at the top of the stretch but couldn’t fend off the late outside rally of Elite Power, who won by a head.

The win was a second Grade 1 victory for Gunite, who captured the 2021 Hopeful at Saratoga by 5 3/4 lengths. He has never finished worse than second at Saratoga in six starts.

David Fiske, the racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds, spoke of Gunite’s consistency and compared him to his multiple stakes-winning New York-bred millionaire Bankit.

“He’s just such a cool horse. He always shows up, he’s always dependable,” Fiske said. “He’s like the new Bankit. You can always depend on him. So far, he’s never let us down. To see him get another Grade 1; one as a 2-year-old, one as a 4-year-old; and head to the Breeders’ Cup for the second year in a row is satisfying and gratifying. He’s so cool and I was so glad to watch him get it done.”

Fourth in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland, Gunite will target this year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita Park and will likely have one more start beforehand.

While the Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh on September 30 at Belmont at the Big A and the Grade 2, $350,000 Phoenix on October 6 at Keeneland – both “Win And You’re In” events for the Sprint – are both logical next targets for Gunite, Fiske did not rule out the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on September 30 as a possible next start.

“We haven’t talked about it, but that could be a possibility,” Fiske said. “I know that Steve has a habit of shipping early, whether it’s to California for the Breeders’ Cup or Dubai for the World Cup. Curlin went to Dubai about two months before and even got a race in over there beforehand. It’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

While Gunite will likely race once before his Breeders’ Cup endeavor, Echo Zulu is likely to train up to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after she secured a “Win and You’re In” berth in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina at Saratoga.

Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds in partnership with L and N Racing, Echo Zulu defeated last year’s Champion Female Sprinter and defending Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive, who also won last year’s Ballerina.

Like Gunite, Echo Zulu also set an early tempo down the backstretch and kept Goodnight Olive at bay in upper stretch before strolling home a 2 1/2-length winner over Goodnight Olive, with dual Grade 1-winner Matareya completing the trifecta.

Echo Zulu produced a 112 Beyer, which is the co-highest figure recorded by any thoroughbred this year. She registered the same number when capturing the Grade 2 Honorable Miss on July 26 at the Spa by 7 1/4 lengths. Godolphin’s Cody’s Wish earned a 112 Beyer when capturing the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan on June 10 at Belmont Park.

“Obviously, we all knew she was fast. A 112 Beyer is the fastest number anyone has run this year and she did it two times in a row. To do that a second time, that was pretty impressive,” Fiske said. “She’s a little bit different than Gunite. Steve said Gunite would probably run again before the Breeders’ Cup. Echo seems to run well when fresh and yesterday was kind of a third race in a cycle. Steve may just wait and train her up to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Echo Zulu, the 2021 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, was second in last year’s Filly and Mare Sprint, where she drew post 13 and was five wide in the through the turn, finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind Goodnight Olive.

“Last year in the Breeders’ Cup, Echo Zulu was a little disadvantaged by post position and how the race shaped up. It just didn’t break her way that day, but she still ran a good second. Yesterday was an excellent race,” Fiske said. “In the filly and mare sprint division there aren’t many Grade 1s, so if Echo Zulu can win again, she’s probably the Eclipse winner. I would think if Gunite could win the Sprint, he would be the champion.”

Last year, Winchell and Asmussen enjoyed their first Grade 1 Travers victory when Epicenter strolled home a 5 1/4-length winner en route to Champion 3-Year-Old Colt honors. They took home the silver medal this time around when graded stakes-winner Disarm launched a strong inside rally, finishing one length behind the victorious Arcangelo. The effort, his first in blinkers, garnered a career-high 103 Beyer.

“He just seems to get incrementally better,” Fiske said. “[The blinkers] didn’t hurt. It’s hard to say how much of a difference they made because he did run some pretty credible races without the blinkers. I suspect he’ll run back with them because like I said, they didn’t hurt him at all.”

Fiske mentioned the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 23 at Parx Racing as a possibility for Disarm, who achieved millionaire status with his Travers effort.

“We really weren’t having that discussion last night, so I’d say all options are on the table,” Fiske said. “Going into the race, there was some talk about the Pennsylvania Derby. I think we were kicking around either [two-time winner] Magic Tap or Disarm as to who might be our Pennsylvania Derby horse. We’ll talk this week, regroup and come up with some sort of plan.”

***

Idiomatic garners 101 for G1 Personal Ensign triumph

Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Idiomatic was awarded a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for her dominant score in Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by two-time Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, Idiomatic led at every point of call under Florent Geroux to draw off strongly in the lane to a four-length triumph in a final time of 1:49.12 over a sloppy and sealed main track. It was her third consecutive graded score and came on the heels of a determined head victory over Classy Edition in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 8 after a bobble at the start and a wide run into the stretch.

“She is doing well and has been since she came back from a layoff [in December],” said Cox. “When the draw came out, I thought based on what we saw on paper, she had a good shot to establish a nice, clear lead and obviously, she did. I didn’t think the mile and an eighth would be an issue because she had just run a mile and three-sixteenths and overcame a tough trip at Delaware. She has a lot of class and it’s a huge update for her pedigree and herself. She’s a serious filly.”

Cox said the daughter of Curlin could be pointed to the Grade 1 Spinster on October 8 at Keeneland, but that he will meet with her owners to make solid plans in the near future. Other potential races include the nine-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame on the same day at Belmont at the Big A. 

“She’s got a nice little win streak going and she came back well,” said Cox. “We’ll talk with Prince Khalid and family and come up with a game plan, but I would say the Spinster is probably the top spot on the radar given the fact it’s a Grade 1 and Juddmonte sponsors the race. The Beldame would be ‘Plan B’ because there’s not a lot of options. Obviously, the Breeders’ Cup is the target to end the year, and we’ll need another race between now and then.”

On Saturday, Cox sent out two other trainees to on-the-board efforts in Grade 1s at the Spa, with Matareya finishing third in the Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap and Verifying placing second in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial.

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Matareya, a two-time Grade 1-winner, was a hard-trying third in the seven-furlong Ballerina behind the victorious 2021 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Echo Zulu and the reigning Champion Female Sprinter Goodnight Olive. The daughter of Pioneerof the Nile tracked in third one length behind the pace and made a brief bid into upper stretch, but weakened and held on long enough to secure show honors by a nose over Caramel Swirl.

“She came back really good and I was very proud of the effort,” said Cox. “It was a good ride to save ground and she was beaten by two Champions, so no disgrace in the performance. I’m happy with the way she looks this morning. I’m not sure where she’ll land, so we’ll talk it over with the Godolphin team. We’ll pursue the Breeders’ Cup, but we’ll probably want one more race. She’s run well enough against these top fillies this year to be in the mix.”

Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor’s Grade 3 Indiana Derby victor Verifying finished second in the H. Allen Jerkens 1 3/4 lengths behind the late-running One in Vermillion after pacesetter New York Thunder fell in mid-stretch due to a catastrophic injury.

Cox said the somber race led to difficulty in taking away anything about Verifying’s first start around one turn since October.

“He looks great this morning, but I don’t really know what to say about the race at all,” said Cox. “He’s going to take some homework on what to do moving forward. I’m not really sure what to do with him. I do like what I saw from him around one turn though, and I like him at seven-eighths and a one-turn mile.”

Cox said it is likely Verifying could target the seven-furlong Grade 1 Malibu in December at Santa Anita Park as a year-end goal.

“We need to figure out something between now and then, but he came back in good order,” said Cox.

***

Tapit Trice, Forte ‘doing good’ out of G1 Travers; Fierceness headed to G1 Champagne

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday that 3-year-olds Tapit Trice and Forte emerged well from their respective third- and fourth-place finishes in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers.

“They’re doing good,” Pletcher said. “Both of them looked well this morning.”

Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable’s Grade 1 Blue Grass winner Tapit Trice, fitted with blinkers for the first time in the 154th Travers, found himself closer to the lead than he had been in recent starts despite breaking a step slow and was still within one length after one mile but was unable to catch the winner, Arcangelo, or Disarm, who rallied up the rail for second.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Tapit Trice wound up beaten 3 1/2 lengths. He also ran third by a length and a half to Arcangelo in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets June 10.

“He got a bit of a wide trip around the first turn, but he got involved and I thought he stayed on steadily through the lane,” Pletcher said. “It was a good third-place effort.”

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Forte, the Champion 2-Year-Old Male of 2022 that went off as the 8-5 Travers favorite, broke from the rail but lost his inside position to Arcangelo early on and trailed each of his six rivals through the first quarter-mile of the Travers.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. was forced to swing well wide in an effort to make up ground, but Forte was unable close on the muddy main track and wound up 4 1/2 lengths behind his stablemate, beaten eight lengths for it all. Forte, who began the year with wins in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, finished second to Arcangelo in the Belmont and went into the Travers off a gutsy nose triumph in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy July 29 at Saratoga.

“It was kind of odd how things unfolded going into the first turn, that we ended up outside the eventual winner,” Pletcher said. “He kind of lost some position there and got shuffled all the way back to last, and then had to go wide to kind of get back involved and just kind of ran evenly from there.”

Pletcher indicated no decision has been made on where either of Tapit Trice or Forte will run next.

“Not yet,” he said. “We’ll give it a few days to see how they are and come up with a game plan.”

Pletcher is pleased with how Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House’s Nest has come out of her third-place finish as the favorite in Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign, just her second start this year following her 2022 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly campaign.

“She’s doing good,” Pletcher said. “She bounced out of the race well.”

Nest settled in third in the Personal Ensign behind Idiomatic, who was able to set sensible fractions up front on a sloppy and sealed main track and had plenty left to repel all her challengers to win by an easy four lengths. Nest battled with Secret Oath through the lane for second but came up a neck short.

“It was hard to make up ground on a sloppy, gooey track when a quality horse gets loose on the lead,” Pletcher said. “I thought she ran hard. It was only her second race of the year so, hopefully, it moves her forward.”

Pletcher said Nest will be pointed to either the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet or the Grade 1, $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster at Keeneland. Both 1 1/8-mile races are October 8.

Repole Stable’s 2-year-old Fierceness, a homebred son of City of Light that dazzled in his career debut Friday, could make his next start on the same weekend in the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne October 7. The Champagne is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile November 3 at Santa Anita.

“I think the Champagne is the most logical next start,” Pletcher said.

Out of the Stay Thirsty mare Nonna Bella, Fierceness led every step of the way in his unveiling, gradually pulling away from his seven rivals to win the six-furlong maiden special weight by 11 1/4 lengths in 1:09.56 over a muddy and sealed main track. The win garnered a 95 Beyer Speed Figure – the second highest number this year for a 2-year-old.

“He was very impressive,” Pletcher said. “He had been training really well leading up to it. We were expecting a good effort, but he actually delivered an even better one than we were hoping for.”

***

G1 Allen Jerkens winner One in Vermillion makes early departure home Sunday

Jonathan Kalman’s One in Vermillion, winner of Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs at Saratoga Race Course, left before sunrise Sunday morning for the 20-hour van ride back to Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.

Trainer Esteban ‘Steve’ Martinez said he pulled the van carrying his first graded-stakes winner out of Saratoga, where they had been stabled in Barn 70 on the Oklahoma training track since August 23, at 4:45 a.m. Sunday.

“We wanted to leave early, before the track opened for training. We didn’t want to bother anybody,” Martinez said. “It’s been a smooth trip. The weather is good. We really enjoyed Saratoga. The people are very nice, and everyone was very good to us.”

One in Vermillion, a gate-to-wire winner of stakes at Turfway Park and Sunland Park over the winter, was outrun in the early stages of the H. Allen Jerkens but was able to make a wide run late to win following the catastrophic injury to leader New York Thunder in mid-stretch.

“We tried to stay close, but it didn’t happen. He didn’t break the way we wanted, and we know there was a lot of speed in that race. [Jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] did a great job on him. He just waited right there. We were happy with the way he ran,” Martinez said. “We are happy for the horse. I can’t believe what happened. That horse was a great horse.”

Martinez said the short-term plan is to remain at Canterbury, where he has a 20-horse stable, until that track closes September 16 and then head to Remington Park, which will host eight stakes September 24 including the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles and David M. Vance for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs.

“So far, that’s the plan,” Martinez said. “Maybe they’ll let us stay a few more days after Canterbury and it’s on to Remington.”

***

Elite Power to train up to G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint; Just F Y I records 70 Beyer from debut triumph

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott reported that Juddmonte’s Elite Power will likely train up to his Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint title defense following a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Forego.

The chestnut 5-year-old son of Curlin entered the Forego from an eight-race winning streak, which included last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint as well as a victory in the last-out Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 29 at Saratoga. In the Forego, he raced along the rail in third before launching an inside rally in the stretch to finish 1 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Gunite.

Mott said Elite Power would probably not target the Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh on September 30 at Belmont at the Big A, a race he won last year en route to his Breeders’ Cup accolade.

“He seemed fine,” Mott said. “He’ll more than likely go straight to the Breeders’ Cup.”

While Elite Power will bypass the seven-furlong Vosburgh, Mott will likely be represented by Godolphin’s Cody’s Wish, who finished a last out third as the favorite in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 5 at Saratoga and breezed a half-mile over the Oklahoma training track on Sunday.

Mott, who sent out Scotland for a pacesetting sixth-place finish in Saturday’s Grade 1 Travers, did enjoy success earlier on the card with George Krikorian’s homebred juvenile filly Just F Y I, who notched a debut score going six furlongs over the main track. The bay daughter of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify collared the Tony Dutrow-trained Shop Lifting in deep stretch to win by a head in the six-furlong maiden test. The effort garnered a 70 Beyer Speed Figure.

“They were pretty high on [Shop Lifting]. Our horse was determined through the stretch and got the job done,” Mott said.

Mott added that no further plans have been made for her next start.

Just F Y I is out of the stakes-placed Street Cry mare Star Act, whose dam was multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Starrer.

***

Bolshoi Ballet registers career-best 107BSF in G1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer

Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Bolshoi Ballet drew off to an impressive 4 1/2-length score in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer, at Saratoga Race Course. The victory in the 12-furlong inner turf test for older horses provided Bolshoi Ballet with a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf in November at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien and piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the 5-year-old Galileo bay earned his second top-flight score on the NYRA circuit after taking the 2021 Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.

“He was good, wasn't he? I fancied him coming out here - he looked well,” said T. J. Comerford, traveling assistant for O’Brien.

The former O’Brien-trainee Stone Age, now in the care of Chad Brown, led at the five-eighths, but was no match for the vigorous run of Bolshoi Ballet, who was in command after 10 furlongs and in front by four lengths at the stretch call hitting the wire under a hand ride in a final time of 2:29.29 over yielding going.

The victory registered a career-best 107 Beyer Speed Figure – a 21 point improvement on his Belmont Derby score.

“He just kept it very simple,” said Comerford of the trip engineered by Velazquez. “He followed the pace and as the pace started to fall away, he took on Stone Age down the back and it was all easy from there. He just ran clear. I think he would be even better on a bit better ground.”

Comerford and Bolshoi Ballet will fly back to Ireland this evening with a return trip for the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on September 30 at Belmont at the Big A under consideration as a springboard to the Breeders’ Cup.

Bolshoi Ballet, who was a dual Group 3 winner in his native Ireland as a sophomore prior to his Belmont Derby win, made only one start in 2022 before launching his comeback in April, coming into the Sword Dancer off a sixth-place finish at odds of 125-1 in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes July 29 at Ascot.

Bred in Ireland by Lynch-Bages and Rhinestone Bloodstock, Bolshoi Ballet is out of the Anabaa mare Alta Anna. He is a full brother to Southern France, who was a dual group-winning stayer in Ireland and Australia. He comes from the same extended family as multiple group winner Bewitched.

***

Roses for Debra targets G2 Presque Isle Masters

John O’Meara and Cheyenne Stable’s Roses for Debra improved her turf record to 4-for-4 after winning Friday’s $150,000 Smart N Fancy, a 5 1/2 furlong sprint on the turf for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

The victory from the 4-year-old gray or roan filly by Liam’s Map added to her Grade 3 Caress triumph on July 22 to contribute two stakes wins at the meet for trainer Christophe Clement. On Sunday, Clement said he is pleased with the way his rising star came out of the race.

“She came out in very good shape. She looks good,” Clement said.

The 1-5 favorite in a field of four, Roses for Debra sat off the pace set by Train to Artemus and Bubble Rock before taking off at the top of the stretch, sprinting past the leading pair under Irad Ortiz Jr. to win by 3 1/4 lengths. The final time was 1:01.82 over the Mellon turf course, rated as good.

Clement indicated that Roses for Debra will follow a similar path towards a potential Breeders’ Cup start that led last year’s Smart N Fancy winner, Caravel, to success in the championship event. She will target the Grade 2 Presque Isle Masters on September 18, a 6 1/2-furlong synthetic sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward. After that could be a start at Keeneland and/or a crack at the division’s most prestigious race in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on November 4 at Santa Anita Park.

“I’ve never trained her, never raced her at Presque Isle, but she did [run there] last year successfully. It’s a Grade 2, she’s a Grade 3 winner so far. Plan is to go there, and then after that we’ll have the Grade 2 at Keeneland or the Breeders’ Cup, a Grade 1. Let’s just go one race at a time,” Clement said.

Though Clement has never raced Roses for Debra beyond six furlongs, he is not concerned about her ability to get the added sixteenth of a mile in the Masters. She easily handled the 6 1/2 furlong trip in last year’s $100,000 Malvern Rose at Presque Isle Downs to win by 3 3/4 lengths for her previous connections. 

On whether he thinks his filly is still suited for the added ground, Clement said, “I think so because I think she rates. I think she’s very kind.”

Roses For Debra now sports a 9-7-1-0 record, and seems to only be getting better. Earning a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure on Friday, Clement is excited for the future of his talented filly.

“We’ve seen some of her talents hopefully and she’s very nice. She’s exciting, nice, and she keeps winning. I like it,” he said.

***

Bolton Landing winner Amidst Waves enjoying Spa days awaiting next start

Amidst Waves, a gutsy winner of the $150,000 Bolton Landing August 20, is enjoying her time in Saratoga as the connections continue to mull over where to run the multiple stakes-winning 2-year-old filly next.

Owned by the partnership of R.A. Hill Stable, BlackRidge Stables, Swinbank Stables, Big Tufff Stables and Black Type Thoroughbreds, Amidst Waves extended her win streak to three races in the Bolton Landing, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint that came less than a month after her victory in the July 29 Colleen at Monmouth Park.

“We haven’t done much with her. She walked a couple days and she’s jogged the last three days. I ran her back quick off of Monmouth. The filly looks good, it’s just a matter of picking out where to run,” trainer George Weaver said. “If it’s a little too quick to go back to Kentucky Downs, maybe we’ll try the Matron. We’ll look at that, and I think there might be a couple races at Keeneland, too.”

The Grade 3, $150,000 Matron sprinting six furlongs on the grass is scheduled for October 8 during the Belmont Park at Aqueduct fall meet.

Amidst Waves, by Midshipman, was sent off as the favorite in the Bolton Landing but was fractious in the gate and found herself trailing all but one horse for the first three furlongs. Once settled, she came with a four-wide run into the stretch and emerged from a three-way photo finish a nose in front Crown Imperial.

“I felt like I was holding aces. I sent [jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] out there and told him what I thought, and he went out and executed,” Weaver said. “When you go into a race and you’re pretty sure you’ve got the best horse and you get the job done, it feels good. There’s many times that something else happens.”

Weaver is enjoying a solid summer at Saratoga with nine wins from 36 starters (25 percent) heading into Sunday’s program, ranking ninth in victories and 11th in purse earnings with $708,900. He also has six seconds, including Sacred Wish in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks July 22 and Let’s Go Big Blue in the Rick Violette August 17, and three thirds.

“It’s been a pretty good meet. We’ve got the nine wins and had a bunch of horses running well and not winning,” Weaver said. “This is a very hard place to win. Over time we’ve had a lot of really good years and it seems like for two or three years before this meet, we’ve been kind of slow – three, four, five wins.

“You’ve just got to have the right horses,” he added. “We’re doing the same things every year. Every trainer learns as they go along. Basically we’re executing the program, you’ve just got to have the right horses for the right races. And, a little bit of luck.”

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Evvie Jets eyes Grade 1 First Lady after G2 Ballston Spa triumph

The Estate of Robert J. Amendola’s Evvie Jets, trained by Mertkan Kantarmaci, won her second graded stakes in an impressive upset of Thursday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa, for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16-miles over the inner turf.

Evvie Jets, known for doing her best running on the lead, found herself 9 1/2 lengths off of the pace at the half-mile call, but saving ground under jockey Manny Franco, who picked up the mount from the injured Luis Saez. As the race’s favorite Technical Analysis, who bested her last time out in the De La Rose, weakened after battling for the lead, Evvie Jets crept closer before surging along the rail to win by a head.

“She was very strong closing this week. I hope anytime she finds a hot pace like that, she will do that,” said Kantarmaci. “I think before this win, we had to be very close to Technical Analysis but couldn’t be. This time, she got bothered by a different horse, which worked out in our favor. We just waited in the fourth position on the rail, saving ground in the turn, to make the stretch closing.”

The daughter of Twirling Candy is now 3-for-5 this year, with the other two wins coming at the stakes level in the Plenty of Grace in April at Aqueduct and Perfect Sting in July at Belmont, which were both run at one mile.

Kantarmaci confirmed the 5-year-old bay came away from the victory in good order. The performance earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It’s perfect. She deserved this. She had the Grade 3, and now she’s Grade 2. Hopefully we can make Grade 1, too.” Kantarmaci said. 

Evvie Jets made the grade in October’s Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont at the Big A. Regarding a possible title defense in that race, Kantarmaci said, “She deserves higher. A higher race. Maybe in Kentucky.”

A possible next outing is Keeneland’s Grade 1 First Lady slated for October 7, going one mile - a distance Evvie Jets has five victories at inside of her 22-7-6-2 record, with $698,680 in earnings.

Bred by Farfellow Farms in Kentucky, Evvie Jets was a $75,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She was haltered for $80,000 by her current connections out of a runner-up effort at Belmont during her 3-year-old campaign.