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Pletcher enters triple threat in G1 Alabama

by NYRA Press Office

• Pletcher enters triple threat in G1 Alabama
• Silver Skillet earns 79 BSF for Suzie O’Cain score
• Multiple graded stakes winner Technical Analysis breezes for G2 Ballston Spa
• Johnstone Mile Handicap winner Venti Valentine in holding pattern
• Dr B ready for G1 Ballerina

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher could have as many as three chances to secure his fifth win in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales, at Saratoga Race Course.

Pletcher previously won the 10-furlong test for sophomore fillies with Princess of Sylmar [2013], Stopshoppingmaria [2014], Malathaat [2021] and Nest [2022] and has entered Julia Shining, Gambling Girl and Chocolate Gelatoas he looks to win this event for the third straight year.

The regally-bred Julia Shining [post 3, Luis Saez, 5-1 ML], by Curlin and out of the Pletcher-trained Grade 1-winning A. P. Indy mare Dreaming of Julia, is a full-sister to dual Champion Malathaat.

A Kentucky homebred for Stonestreet Stables, Julia Shining made a visually-appealing debut, rallying from 11th to win by 2 3/4-lengths traveling seven furlongs in October at Keeneland over next-out winner and eventual stakes-winner Positano Sunset. 

She followed with a neck score in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Demoiselle in December at Aqueduct Racetrack, overcoming a bobbled start and a sloppy and sealed main track. Julia Shining has finished third in both of her starts this season, most recently landing three-quarters of a length back of returning rival Defining Purpose in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Ashland on April 7 at Keeneland.

Julia Shining has breezed extensively over the Spa main track, including a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.71 on August 5.

"She should love the mile and a quarter," Pletcher said. "It's not exactly the way we mapped it out going from the Ashland to here, but we got a couple of good solid breezes into her, so we're hoping we have her ready."

Pletcher said Julia Shining will improve with age and racing.

"I still feel like she's physically maturing," Pletcher said. "She's starting to fill out into her frame a little bit. She's another one similar to Malathaat that will continue to improve with maturity."

Repole Stable’s multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Gambling Girl [post, 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 8-1 ML] boasts a record of 11-2-3-3 for purse earnings of $544,910, more than doubling her $200,000 purchase price at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale.

Gambling Girl captured the state-bred Joseph A. Gimma sprinting seven furlongs in September at Belmont at the Big A and two starts later closed to complete the trifecta in the Demoiselle. She remained in training and finished second in the open-company Busanda traveling nine furlongs in January at the Big A before shipping to Oaklawn Park and finishing a deep-closing fourth behind her victorious returning rival Wet Paint in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Honeybee over a sloppy and sealed main track.

Gambling Girl returned to New York and finished a game second in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Gazelle on April 8 at Aqueduct and narrowly missed a 13-1 upset when closing to finish second, beaten a neck by Pretty Mischievous, in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 5 at Churchill Downs.

Gambling Girl was freshened ahead of a third-place finish in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 22 here, landing 8 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Wet Paint, who was a neck better than another returning foe in Sacred Wish.

Pletcher said the Dialed In bay should appreciate the added furlong.

"She's doing well. She had a bit of time off between the Oaks and the Coaching Club. Hopefully, that race under her belt with move her forward," Pletcher said. "That's [the 10 furlongs] a big part of how we scheduled it out and gave her a bit of extra time between starts because we wanted to run twice here."

Bred in the Empire State by Gallagher’s Stud, Gambling Girl is out of the three-time winning Empire Maker mare Tulipmania, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Straight Story. Her third dam, Felicita, produced multiple Grade 1-winner and 2014 Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady.

Repole Stable’s Chocolate Gelato [post 6, Jose Ortiz, 15-1 ML] could be a pace presence in a loaded field of 10 fillies as she looks to make her first start since an even fourth in her seasonal debut in the six-furlong Jersey Girl on June 11 at Belmont Park.

"I need to have a conversation with Mike Repole about it. We entered Chocolate Gelato to take a look and see what the pace scenario looks like," Pletcher said. "It came up a larger field than we expected and it looks like there's a little more pace than we thought there might be. We'll see."

The Practical Joke dark bay captured the one-turn mile Grade 1 Frizette in October at Belmont at the Big A ahead of an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Keeneland. The $475,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase has banked $299,350 through a record of 5-2-0-1.

Pletcher will have a pair of starters in Junipermarshmallow and Soviet Excess in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies.

St. Elias Stables’ Kentucky homebred Junipermarshmallow [post 5, Jose Ortiz, 12-1 ML] is perfect through two starts, rallying to best eventual dual stakes-winner Botanical in her October debut traveling 1 1/16-miles over firm Keeneland turf. She followed with another visually appealing score in the 7 1/2-furlong Wait a While in December at Gulfstream Park.

The stakes score garnered a 72 Beyer Speed Figure, but Pletcher said he likes the way Junipermarshmallow won and noted a strong five-eighths work in 1:02 flat Sunday over the Oklahoma training turf here.

"I thought it was impressive that she was able to win her first two starts like that,” Pletcher said. “I thought her breeze here on the turf leading up to this was very impressive. We're coming in off a bit of a break, but she's doing very well."

Junipermarshmallow is out of the Danehill Dancer mare Elitiste, who is a half-sister to four-time Group 1-winner Alpha Centauri as well as Group 1-winners Alpine Star and Discoveries. She is a direct descendant of Hall of Famer Miesque.

Wertheimer and Frere’s stakes-placed Kentucky homebred Soviet Excess [post 6, Dylan Davis, 15-1 ML] sports a record of 6-2-2-1 for purse earnings of $101,700. 

The Uncle Mo bay finished a close second at third asking to next-out graded stakes-winner Queen Picasso in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight in March over the Gulfstream Park turf. She followed with a maiden score traveling one mile and 70 yards over the Gulfstream synthetic before besting winners in a return to turf at 7 1/2-furlongs over the Hallandale Beach oval.

She enters from an even third in the one-mile Wild Applause finishing two lengths back of runner-up and returning rival Tax Implications.

"She's pretty consistent and shows up every time. We'd expect her to put forth a good effort again," Pletcher said.

Soviet Excess is out of the stakes-placed Tapit mare Westit. Her third dam, Ocean Drive, produced the Pletcher-trained multiple stakes-winner West Ocean.

***

Silver Skillet earns 79 BSF for Suzie O’Cain score

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Rocco and Tango Uniform Racing’s Silver Skillet became racing’s newest stakes winner yesterday at Saratoga Race Course with a strong 3 1/4-length victory in the $125,000 Suzie O’Cain, a 1 1/16-mile test for New York-bred sophomore fillies over the inner turf course. 

Trained by Christophe Clement, the daughter of Liam’s Map rallied from sixth-of-9 under Joel Rosario to take command at the top of the stretch and draw clear of post-time favorite Orange Freeze, who flew home down the center of the course from the back of the pack but could not catch a runaway Silver Skillet. The latter received a 79 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory. 

“She came back well and I thought she was impressive yesterday,” said Clement, who notched his second stakes win of the Spa meet after winning the Grade 3 Caress with Roses for Debra. “It’s great and she’s clean-legged and sound this morning.” 

Silver Skillet, bred by Robert Chasanoff, has relished a switch to the grass after beginning her career on dirt with five starts that included a stakes-placing as a maiden when third in the Maid of the Mist in October at Belmont at the Big A. She tried turf for the first time in a June 10 allowance at Belmont Park and finished second by a neck before shipping up to the Spa to win a July 15 allowance ahead of her Suzie O’Cain coup. 

Clement said he is still mulling over options for Silver Skillet’s next target. The next open-company spot for sophomore turf route fillies at Belmont at the Big A is the nine-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point on October 14, while the next New York-bred spot is the 1 1/16-mile Ticonderoga for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on the October 29 Empire Showcase Day. 

“I don’t know yet. You don’t have many choices – you can go in a New York-bred stakes with older mares, or you can go in open company,” said Clement. “I’m not sure, we’ll see.”

Clement sent out a tetrad of turf workers on Thursday, including Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles’ New York-bred millionaire City Man. The son of Mucho Macho Man covered a half-mile in 48.48 seconds company with Grade 3 Soaring Softly-winner Queen Picasso [47.80].

City Man is eyeing the $200,000 West Point Handicap presented by Trustco Bank on August 27, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for New York-breds 3-years-old and up that he won in 2021. 

“He had a nice work and is pointing to the New York-bred stakes,” said Clement. 

Also on the tab was Moyglare Stud Farm’s graded stakes-winner Amazing Grace, who was last seen finishing a closing third in the Grade 2 Glens Falls on August 3 at the Spa. 

The daughter of Protectionist covered a half-mile in 51 flat, working in company with debut juvenile maiden winner Carson's Run [50.60].

Clement said Amazing Grace had a “good work and is possible” for the 1 3/8-mile Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl on September 2, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Santa Anita Park. 

***

Multiple graded stakes winner Technical Analysis breezes for G2 Ballston Spa

Klaravich Stables’ horse for course Technical Analysis recorded her first serious piece of work since capturing the restricted De La Rose on August 2 at Saratoga Race Course when going a half-mile in 50 seconds flat Thursday over the Oklahoma training turf.

Trained by Chad Brown, the 5-year-old Kingman bay mare has captured at least one stakes race for the past three years during the Spa’s prestigious meet. As a sophomore she captured both the Grade 3 Lake George and Grade 2 Lake Placid before winning last year’s Grade 2 Ballston Spa. Her lone defeat at Saratoga took place in last year’s Grade 1 Diana, where she finished second beaten 1 1/2 lengths to stablemate In Italian. 

Technical Analysis will now target a repeat conquest of the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2, $300,000 Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa on August 24, where she will attempt to join Wait a While [2007-08] and Weekend Madness [1994-95] and consecutive victresses of the race. 

“She worked fine. It was a nice easy breeze for her and I’ll probably wheel her right back in the Ballston Spa,” Brown said. 

A Ballston Spa triumph would also put Technical Analysis, who boasts purse earnings of $964,543, in the millionaire’s club. She has put together a record of 14-7-4-1 which also includes a triumph in last year’s Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico Race Course. 

Bred in Ireland by Rabbah Bloodstock, Technical Analysis is out of the two-time winning Sea the Stars mare Sealife and was bought for $258,109 from the 2019 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

***

Johnstone Mile Handicap winner Venti Valentine in holding pattern

Dan Zanatta, co-founder and managing partner of NY Final Furling Racing Stable, said upcoming racing plans for Venti Valentine are in flux following her half-length triumph in last Wednesday’s $125,000 Johnstone Mile Handicap at Saratoga Race Course. 

The 4-year-old Firing Line chestnut, bred in the Empire State by Final Furlong and Maspeth Stable, earned her fourth lifetime stakes conquest in the Johnstone Mile Handicap, where she tracked in fourth down the backstretch and fanned five wide into the stretch to collar stakes winner Timeless Journey in the final sixteenth. She earned a 79 Beyer for the win, which was her fourth victory in five starts at one mile. 

Zanatta said Venti Valentine, who is trained by Jorge Abreu and owned in partnership with Parkland Thoroughbreds, came out of her hard-fought performance in good shape and they are considering options for the 2021 Champion New York-bred 2-Year-Old Filly. 

“She came out of the race great. She had really high energy going into the race and came out with a bunch of energy,” Zanatta said. “She ran pretty hard so we may want to give her five or six weeks before her next race. I don’t see much for her on the stakes schedule, so I’m not really sure where we’ll take her next. We kind of have to take the wait and see approach.”

While he would prefer to campaign her in her native state, Zanatta did not rule out an out-of-state venture. 

“I’m not sure she really appreciates travelling so we may have to take that into consideration,” Zanatta said. “Being the one-turn mile specialist that she is, there aren’t too many tracks that have that configuration so sometimes travelling doesn’t help us. There could be some turf stakes to enter MTO.”

Zanatta credited jockey Manny Franco, who breezed Venti Valentine in her two works going into the Johnstone Mile, for executing a well-timed ride. 

“That day the track was playing a little slow and a little tiring, which I knew would play to our benefit because she likes that type of track. I thought she’d be a little more forwardly placed, but she was travelling well,” Zanatta recalled. “I thought the pace was honest enough to be able to close into. We just wanted Manny to get her in the clear, and as soon as he did that at the top of the stretch, she really started to make up ground. I thought he rode her perfectly. He had breezed her a couple of times going in and said it was the best she had ever felt. I think that was key. He had a lot of confidence going in, so he rode her with a lot of confidence. That whole relationship worked out well. He rode her pretty darn hard to get her up, so he deserves a lot of credit.” 

In addition to her recent stakes score, Venti Valentine captured the state-bred Maid of the Mist in October 2021 at Belmont Park before a second-place finish beaten a neck in the Grade 2 Demoiselle at Aqueduct Racetrack behind eventual Eclipse Award-winner Nest. In her sophomore debut, she won the open company Busher Invitational at Aqueduct by an astonishing seven lengths while earning a career-best 92 Beyer and rounded out her season with a 3 3/4-length win in the Bay Ridge at the Big A. 

She is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold, who produced multiple stakes-winning New York-bred Espresso Shot, also campaigned by NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Abreu. 

***

Dr B ready for G1 Ballerina 

Cash is King and LC Racing’s graded stakes winner Dr B will target next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Handicap, a seven-furlong main track sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course. The Ballerina offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., Dr B last ran second in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap here on July 26. The six-furlong race was dominated by 2021 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Echo Zulu, but Dr B battled to a strong second over formidable opponents in Frank’s Rockette and Maryquitecontrary. 

“The Ballerina sounds like a crazy spot, coming up very tough, but she’s really doing well,” said Reid, Jr.. “I’ve been up here the last couple of days and my wife [and assistant, Ginny] did a great job with her. She looks spectacular and she’s going to have one more little breeze over the weekend.” 

Before the Honorable Miss, the 5-year-old Liam’s Map bay ran fourth of five in the Grade 2 Bed o' Roses on June 17 at Belmont Park. Her current campaign began with a second in the Grade 3 Vagrancy on May 14 at Belmont Park behind likely returning rival Caramel Swirl. 

A winner of last year’s Grade 3 Go for Wand in December at Aqueduct, Dr B holds a lifetime record of 19-5-7-2 with $435,690 in earnings. 

Reid, Jr. will send out Ninetyprcentmaddie in Tuesday’s Grade 3 Smarty Jones at Parx Racing, a 1 1/16-mile main track route for 3-year-olds. The Weigelia colt has hit the board in 5-of-6 starts this year, only missing in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct in February. He last ran third in the Crowd Pleaser on June 26 at Parx, but worked back a sharp half mile in 48.76 seconds on August 15.

“We were disappointed with his last spot and he came back with a foot abscess. We worked on that and he just breezed brilliantly,” Reid, Jr. said. “We’ve always had high hopes since he was coming along as an early 3-year-old. I think he’s going to be a tough customer to deal with in there.” 

Ninetyprcentmaddie is a Pennsylvania homebred for LC Racing, and sports a record of 10-4-2-2 with $245,730 in earnings. 

Cash is King and LC Racing attempted to earn black type for Pistol Liz Ablazen when sending her out in the Grade 2 Shuvee on July 23 at the Spa. She led the four-horse field through the first half mile before being passed by the two heavy favorites in Nest and Clairiere.

The 4-year-old Daredevil filly was entered as main-track only in Race 2 on Thursday, an allowance optional claiming event, but scratched when the race remained on the turf. 

“We took a crazy shot last time. We realized what we were up against. We were looking to get her some black type but unfortunately it didn’t work out. We’ll have to hunt for another spot, I’ll go over the books tonight,” explained Reid, Jr.

Pistol Liz Ablazen was a $30,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.