Midnight Concerto posts stirring victory in $200K Yaddo
Harold Lerner, AWC Stables and Nehoc Stables’ Midnight Concerto was in tight in upper stretch inside rivals, but bravely squeezed through a narrow opening to hit the front and fend off the onrushing Being Betty in Sunday’s $200,000 Yaddo, a 1 1/16-mile Mellon turf route for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course.
In a win that furthered a memorable weekend for jockey Manny Franco following his victory in the DraftKings Travers on Saturday with Leading Change, Midnight Concerto notched her first stakes triumph for trainer Kenny McPeek, doubling up on local scores after taking a state-bred optional claimer by a neck on August 13.
McPeek credited the red-hot Franco with Sunday’s victory over familiar rival Being Betty, who defeated the Chris Elliott-piloted Midnight Concerto by a half-length in the state-bred Mount Vernon on June 3 here.
"I was worried about Being Betty again because she beat us on the nod [in the Mount Vernon], but maybe the difference was Manny,” McPeek said. “He's doing everything right, right now.”
The trainer also credited his Belmont Park-based assistant – Jimmy Jerkens – with the mare’s solid form to land on-the-board in each of her last eight starts.
"Jimmy Jerkens has had her down below [at Belmont Park] and we've brought her back and forth,” McPeek said. “Another example of how we're making a pretty good team.”
The 5-year-old daughter of Mendelssohn emerged from the inside post and kept back as Brokealltherules rocketed to the front to the outside of the prominent Spinning Colors and assumed command through the opening quarter-mile in 22.96 seconds over the firm turf.
The top pair were well clear of Bernietakescharge in third with the field strung out down the backstretch, with Midnight Concerto still along the hedge in a shared seventh ahead of the poor-starting Being Betty through the half-mile in 47.09. The field bunched up in the turn and Bernietakescharge ranged up three-wide to the outside of Spinning Colors, with those two exchanging some bumps straightening for home and drifting in. Midnight Concerto was in tight inside those rivals as she ran up on the tiring pacesetter through three quarters in 1:11.61.
A courageous Midnight Concerto angled around Brokealltherules and squeezed through the narrow opening to stick her head in front of Brokealltherules and Spinning Colors, but a new threat emerged as the Hall of Famer Javier Castellano-piloted Being Betty was rolling down the center of the course to the outside of the advancing Sail With the Wind. Franco implored his charge for one last surge in the shadow of the wire, and Midnight Concerto responded gamely, turning back Being Betty by a nose and Sail with the Wind by a neck in a final time of 1:41.06.
Sail With the Wind finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of the embattled trio of the favored Awesome Czech, Marvelous Madison and Bernietakescharge, with Spinning Colors and Brokealltherules following them home. Cosmic Candy Girl, who finished seventh in an open-company optional claimer on Saturday here, was scratched, along with main track-only entrants Munnings Express, Higher Force and Grace and Grit.
Franco said he was keen to send Midnight Concerto between rivals when Brokealltherules began to drift out and threatened to close the gap.
"Brokealltherules, when we turned for home, she went to the outside a little bit, so I have to go, 'let's go now,' but she didn't hesitate,” Franco said. “She just went to the hole and helped me, and after that I had to hold off the horses outside and she was brave.
"It's unreal, man, but it's happening,” Franco added about his summer at Saratoga where he currently has 62 wins. “I'm working hard every day so you see the results."
McPeek said the Yaddo was a prime opportunity for his mare despite the quick turnaround from her local optional claiming score.
"The spacing in-between races is a little bit of a [concern] - it isn't the time of year to be conservative, you've got a New York-bred stake on the table, and she was 17 days in-between,” McPeek said. “It's asking a bit sometimes, but she's dappled head to toe and obviously got it done."
Lisa Bartkowski, trainer of the valiant Being Betty, was full of praise for her mare to show a new dynamic and run from well back to nearly land the victory.
"What can you do? She was standing perfectly still and as soon as they went to spring the gate, she swung her head around,” she said. “She's never run like that [from the back] ever, so I'm impressed with the way she ran, considering. It's just torture when you point for a race like that and that's the start you have to overcome.
"I have to say, Javier couldn't have ridden her better considering the start,” the trainer added. “It wasn't his fault she threw her head at the start. Very happy with her effort.”
Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Valerie Dailey, Midnight Concerto made five previous stakes attempts, including a third in the Empire Distaff on dirt in October at Belmont at the Big A. Midnight Concerto banked $110,000 in victory while returning $6.94 on a $2 win ticket.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful, McPeek noted that Grade 2 Saratoga Special-winner Twinkle Town will not contest the seven-furlong sprint for juveniles after suffering a setback in his five-furlong workout over the Oklahoma dirt training track in 59.75 seconds on Saturday.
"We weren't happy with the way Twinkle Town came out of his workout and he's not going to be entered into the Hopeful unfortunately,” McPeek said. “I don't think it's anything major, but he's not 100 percent. He's a young horse and we're going to be conservative.
"It doesn't look like it's anything surgical,” he continued. “Best guess is it's either a foot or a shoulder and we're trying to sort it out. This morning, he was walking a little bit tender and just wasn't himself. He's a good-feeling horse and will probably walk out of it in 2-of-3 days, but I'm not going to venture entering him the way that he walked today."
Live racing resumes Wednesday at Saratoga with a nine-race card, featuring the Grade 1, $150,000 Jonathan Sheppard Memorial steeplechase handicap in Race 1. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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