Miss Vyvyanne ships in for Listed Smart and Fancy

Ralph Murray and Calstar Farm’s Miss Vyvyanne ships in from Woodbine Racetrack for Friday’s Listed $200,000 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 Gail Cox, the 6-year-old Rainbow Heir chestnut enters from a two-length score over males in the five-furlong Grade 2 Highlander on June 27 at Woodbine. There, Miss Vyvyanne employed her usual pacesetting tactics through an opening quarter-mile in 22.22 seconds under returning rider Pietro Moran and was never threatened as she stopped the clock in 56.27, which earned a career-best and co-field high 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She ran great,” Cox said. “I think they let her get away with slow fractions early. She went 22 and change, and then she was very hard to catch. She’s fast. She won it easily and came out of it very well.”

Miss Vyvyanne was making her graded stakes debut in her 25th career start and seventh for Cox after being haltered for $32,000 out of a turf sprint win last June there. She is 7-5-1-0 for current connections, all but one of them while frontrunning and sprinting five furlongs with Moran up, the reigning Eclipse Award Outstanding Apprentice.

“We’ve been thrilled with her,” said Cox. “She’s a very nice mare. She’s done well for everybody who has had her, but she really seemed to step up this year. I do like the five furlongs for her, it’d be nice if we could’ve stuck with that, but there’s not many [races at that distance] around right now. I’m hoping that the stretch out isn’t an issue, she’s galloped out well in all of her races, so if that continues, she’d be fine going 5 1/2 furlongs.” 

Miss Vyvyanne has worked back three times since her last race, including a half-mile in 49.20 on August 7 over the Woodbine turf.

“She worked by herself. That was a very good work. We never work her in company because she does a lot on her own,” Cox said. “We tried to keep her a little settled and the turf was in very good shape. She started out easy enough and finished strong.” 

Miss Vyvyanne [post 6, Pietro Moran], 25-12-3-1 overall with $504,971 in earnings, is out of the winning Half Ours mare Caribean Beat. All of her starts thus far have been at Woodbine or Gulfstream Park. 

Peter Leidel’s Zeitlos [post 9, Jose Ortiz] enters from a 1 1/4-length runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Caress over course and distance on July 11. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the 6-year-old Curlin chestnut was also second in that race last year [co-field best 97 Beyer] among her 28-9-7-3 overall record with over $1.4 million in earnings. 

Zeitlos seeks her first win in her 11th start since capturing the Listed Skipat on dirt last May at Pimlico. She is a late-running type, including in her near miss to Movin’ On Up last out in the Caress, which saw a 43.24-second pressured half-mile set by well-regarded Sunna.

Penta Racing’s Delightful Flame [post 2, Katie Davis] posted a career-best 89 Beyer last out when wiring a six-furlong optional claimer by 3 1/2 lengths on June 14 at Belmont at the Big A. Trained by David Duggan, the 4-year-old Flameaway chestnut has made one stakes attempt in eight career starts, an off-the-board finish over course and distance last August in the Listed Galway. 

Delightful Flame, a $75,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale, is out of 2010 Sovereign Award Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Delightful Mary, a Grade 3-winner by Limehouse.

Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Capturing [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] makes her stakes debut in her 10th career start. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old More Than Ready bay closed to win an optional claimer by a nose over course and distance last out on July 10, returning a career-best 87 Beyer. 

Capturing, an $85,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Curlin mare Capture and her second dam is multiple graded stakes-winning Wild Gams.

Rounding out the field are first-time turfer and local dirt Grade 3-winner Praying [post 3, John Velazquez] for trainer Robert Medina; stakes-winner Me Governor [post 1, Manny Franco] off-the-claim by trainer Joe Sharp; dual stakes-placed Itzel [post 7, Tyler Gaffalione] for trainer John Ennis; stakes-placed Le Amazonia [post 4, Junior Alvarado] for conditioner Victor Barboza, Jr.; and maiden winner Ratu Jawa [post 8, Shaun Bridgmohan] for conditioner Douglas Seyler. 

Recent state-bred $200,000 Johnstone-winner Munnings Express is entered 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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