NYRA Photo

Remembering Maple Leaf Mel

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• Remembering Maple Leaf Mel
• G1 Whitney-winner White Abarrio to train up to G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic
• Arcangelo posts strong breeze for G1 Travers
• G1 Hollywood Derby, G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf among options for Program Trading; Whitebeam, Technical Analysis could target G2 Ballston Spa
• Pretty Mischievous in good order following G1 Test score
• G3 Troy winner Cogburn eyes Kentucky Downs
• Smokin’ T garners 96 BSF for Fasig-Tipton Lure triumph

Trainer Melanie Giddings returned to work on Sunday morning at Saratoga Race Course even though her heart was still broken after the loss of undefeated 3-year-old filly Maple Leaf Mel, who was just a few short strides from victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Test when she fell to the track.

“I'm here. My crew is here. It's not easy for them either. I spend time with the horses every single day, so we're all here as a team,” Giddings said.

The New York-bred daughter of Cross Traffic was owned by the August Dawn Farm of Hall of Fame NFL coach Bill Parcells, who named the strapping grey after Giddings – a 39-year-old native of Cobourg, Ontario, Canada.

Maple Leaf Mel started her racing career with trainer Jeremiah Englehart and Giddings, his longtime assistant, was there with the young filly every step of the way from before her maiden win in August 2022 at Saratoga and through stakes wins against fellow state-breds in the Seeking the Ante on August 26 at the Spa and the East View in March at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Giddings traveled with the filly through winter training in Florida and back up to Pimlico Race Course in May to win the Grade 3 Miss Preakness in her first start against open company. Along the way, Giddings would post photos and videos on her social media channels of the pair of them together snoozing in Maple Leaf Mel’s stall and one popular video of the towering grey chewing on the zipper of Giddings’ jacket.

“She was my little traveling buddy. It's a sad day. It's what she loved to do,” Giddings said. “She never looked worse than when she came in from two months at the farm. She just loved running and she loved being here at the track. That's what she loved the most.”

When Giddings, a cancer survivor, went out on her own as a trainer, Parcells made the decision to let Maple Leaf Mel move to her namesake’s barn. The success continued as Maple Leaf Mel romped to a frontrunning victory for Giddings in the Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 8 at Belmont Park, earning a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

The filly entered Saturday’s seven-furlong Grade 1 Test undefeated in five starts and led a talented field – that included the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous – through swift splits under her regular rider Joel Rosario.

Maple Leaf Mel was lengths in front of the field as the finish line approached and on the verge of providing a first Grade 1 win for her trainer and Parcells – but she sustained a significant injury to her right foreleg and went down in the final jumps. Despite the immediate response of on-site veterinarians, the filly was humanely euthanized due to the severity of the injury.

“He was wrapping up to the wire and I don't know if she just took a bad step,” said Giddings.

Rosario, unseated in the fall, was body sore after the incident and would require stitches to his lip. He booked off his mounts for the remainder of Saturday’s card as well as Sunday’s racing program.

Pretty Mischievous would cross the wire first in the Test, but the connections – owner Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh – did not bring their horse to the winner’s circle for the customary trophy presentation.

Class often shines when catastrophe shudders, and such was the case on Sunday morning when Walsh gifted the winner’s floral blanket to Giddings.

“It was the right thing to do and we feel terrible for them,” Walsh explained. “If that happened to me and my filly, I don’t know what I would do. I would be distraught. She was the best filly on the day, too, and I feel terrible for Melanie and especially after all she’s been through. I can’t even begin to imagine how she feels.

“We all got in this because of our love for the animals,” he continued. “They may think we’re doing this or we’re doing that, but we genuinely care for them. I’ve never seen the place so somber this morning or even after the races yesterday. Hopefully, we’ll all be able to pick up the pieces and put it all back together again.”

An emotionally exhausted Giddings found comfort in her friends and colleagues Sunday morning in a quiet shedrow full of curious horses nodding their heads above their stalls and one desperately empty home where she used to lay quietly with her friend and dream big.

“She was never going to lose,” Giddings said. “It's hard to say how talented she could have been the rest of her life. She was so fast.”

***

G1 Whitney-winner White Abarrio to train up to G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic

C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano’s multiple graded stakes winner White Abarrio romped to a 6 1/4-length score in Saturday’s nine-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course. In victory, he secured a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 4 at Santa Anita Park.

Trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr. and piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the 4-year-old Race Day colt stalked the early speed of Giant Game before taking command though the final turn. He opened up by five lengths at the stretch call and was never threatened by Grade 1-winning runner-up Zandon and third-place defeated favorite Cody’s Wish, who had won nine of his last 10 outings, including four straight Grade 1 scores topped by a last-out victory in the Grade 1 Met Mile.

“I don't know if it's sunk in yet,” said Dutrow, Jr. who celebrated his 64th birthday Saturday. “I kept anticipating another horse to come challenge him. I felt extremely comfortable when he broke good and was laying off the speed horse - I felt any time that he wanted him, he could have him. I waited for someone to come to our horse and they never did. It was so exciting.”

Dutrow, Jr. said White Abarrio, who earned a career-best 110 Beyer, was in good order Sunday.

White Abarrio was previously trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr. and showed remarkable versatility to win at distances ranging from a 6 1/2-furlong maiden score in September 2021 at Gulfstream to a 1 1/4-length victory in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Florida Derby over the same course.

He made his last start for Joseph, Jr. with a sharp optional-claiming score traveling seven furlongs on March 4 at Gulfstream Park and made his debut for Dutrow, Jr. with a troubled third-place finish in the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Dutrow, Jr. said the horse’s maturity – both mental and physical – allow him to be effective at a variety of distances.

“He is extremely cool on the track,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “He absolutely loves it and he is getting stronger by the minute it seems. So, when a horse has that motor, those two things add up to a whole lot more.”

Dutrow, Jr. had previously noted that White Abarrio thrives on spacing between his races and that he would likely ship the horse out west to train up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“I didn't have to think about it,” said Dutrow, Jr. of the decision. “All you have to do is read his PPs and you'll see the more time he gets between races, the more he shows up. I'd be willing to wait four months or five months to run him. He just shows up when he's fresh. I think we'll send him out to California and get him ready out there for this race.”

Dutrow, Jr. noted that he would love to see White Abarrio repeat his recent schedule in 2024.

“I guess right now we can only say that we would love to run him in the Whitney next year because we know he can get that job done - which is two turns at Saratoga,” Dutrow, Jr. said. “And I would love for the opportunity to run him in the Met Mile next year because I feel that he loves that track.”

***

Arcangelo posts strong breeze for G1 Travers

Blue Rose Farm’s Arcangelo worked five-eighths in 1:00.21 Sunday over the Saratoga Race Course main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers slated for August 26.

Accompanied to the track by trainer Jena Antonucci on her pony and piloted through the work by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets-winner was caught by NYRA clockers galloping out strongly through splits of 1:26 1/5, 1:39 and 1:53.

“It was a little more serious work,” Castellano said. “I usually hold him together. Today, I let him stretch out a little bit. I like the way he did it today - good fractions and a good move. The best thing for him is galloping out - he reaches out longer.

“In the turn, I asked a little bit and he took off. I just dropped my hands and let him roll,” added Castellano. “The boss wanted me to put on a good show today. I had been holding and keeping him fresh, but we are in a stage to make it serious because we are facing the best 3-year-olds in the country. You have to put a good foundation in and I think he does.”

Castellano, who is also the regular pilot of Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner and Travers contender Mage, has yet to make a riding commitment.

Antonucci said Arcangelo nearly got two works for the price of one when the Arrogate colt attempted to join in on another breeze during his impressive gallop out.

“He swapped leads and went to go again,” said Antonucci, with a laugh. “That's a good quality for a horse to have. We finally got him pulled up over the three-eighths pole. He was kind of pleased with himself.

“He's happy and he loves it and he's enjoying it,” Antonucci added. “What better gift could I have?”

A three-time winner of five starts, The $35,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase won the Grade 3 Peter Pan in May at Belmont Park ahead of his Belmont coup.

He has breezed on a roughly every 10-day schedule since returning to the work tab on July 5 at Saratoga. Antonucci said the colt thrives on spacing between his races and works and she is listening attentively to her horse as she prepares him for a cut back to 10-furlongs in the Travers.

“He has a great foundation. His speed is there. I don't need to keep putting more speed into this horse, it's there,” Antonucci said. “Obviously, making sure a horse like this has the foundation he needs when we have to call upon it is the most important thing and that's my focus for him.”

***

G1 Hollywood Derby, G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf among options for Program Trading; Whitebeam, Technical Analysis could target G2 Ballston Spa

Klaravich Stables’ Program Trading earned a career-high 95 Beyer Speed Figure with a hard-fought victory over yielding turf in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational going 1 3/16 miles over the Spa Mellon Turf Course.

Trained by Chad Brown, who won the 2020 Saratoga Derby with Domestic Spending, the sophomore Lope de Vega ridgling kept a spotless record afloat when running on an uncontested lead and battling to the inside of a game Webslinger, who put his head in front at the stretch call. But Program Trading had enough grit to fight back and win by a head under Flavien Prat.

Program Trading entered the Saratoga Derby from a five-length debut score against elders in May at Monmouth and an allowance optional claiming conquest in June at Belmont Park. Both races were run at 1 1/16 miles.

“He showed a lot of heart and handled the distance and the ground well,” Brown said. “I’m very, very pleased. I wasn’t surprised, I wasn’t in any way certain he was going to win the race, but we quite liked the horse. At the eighth pole I said to myself, ‘We’re going to see how good he is now, he has to come back on the inside with inexperience’. He more than impressed me.”

Brown noted that the turf was likely the softest on the inside.

“That’s what I was hearing from the jockeys, but on the other hand it looked like he was always handling well and that’s good to know down the road,” Brown said.

In winning the Saratoga Derby Invitational, Program Trading earned an automatic entry into the $AUD 5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in Australia. But Brown said the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in late fall at Del Mar and the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf in January at Gulfstream Park are both likely options.

“Down the road, the Hollywood Derby looks like a potentially nice race for that horse. I might give him a breather now and give him one prep for the Hollywood Derby,” Brown said. “Good horse for the Pegasus. He handled soft turf, but he handled firm turf at Monmouth, too.”

Additionally, Brown said Program Trading would likely bypass the Grade 3 Jockey Club Derby on October 7 at Belmont at the Big A, due to its three-turn configuration.

Bred in Great Britain by Fittocks Stud & Arrow Farm & Stud, Program Trading is out of the Oasis Dream mare Dreamlike – a full sister to stakes-placed Fashion Fund and half-sister to Group 2 winning stayer Silk Sari. Her third dam was dual Group 1 winner Gossamer – a half-sister to 1994 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Barathea.

On Sunday morning, Brown had his hands full with multiple workers on the Oklahoma training turf. Among these were Juddmonte’s British homebred Whitebeam, who had her second work back since capturing the Grade 1 Diana on July 15 at Saratoga.

Brown said he would discuss the whereabouts of her next start with Juddmonte’s General Manager Garrett O’Rourke and mentioned the Grade 2, $300,000 Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa as a possible target.

“She’s not out of the question for the Ballston Spa,” Brown said. “Our initial feeling was maybe to wait for the First Lady at Keeneland. But I’ll talk to Garrett, see how she comes out and come up with a plan as far as what we think is the best for her development and eventually look at the Breeders’ Cup.”

Whitebeam, by Caravaggio, is out of the Oasis Dream mare Sleep Walk, who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Logician. She is a direct descendant of influential matriarch La Troienne.

Should Whitebeam target the Ballston Spa, she will likely be joined by Klaravich Stables’ horse for course Technical Analysis, who earned her fourth stakes triumph at the Spa in Wednesday’s one-mile De La Rose over the inner turf. The 5-year-old daughter of Kingman won the Grade 3 Lake George and Grade 2 Lake Placid in 2021 before capturing last year’s running of the Ballston Spa.

“I’m leaning towards the Ballston Spa for her. She has such a nice record at Saratoga, she loves it here,” Brown said. “It’s back in about three or four weeks, but she does so well here and it will be her last year of racing for us. Might as well strike while the iron’s hot at Saratoga.”

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.

After saddling Program Trading to his Saratoga Derby triumph, Brown sent out Jeff Drown’s Zandon to a runner-up effort to White Abarrio in the Grade 1 Whitney. The 4-year-old son of Upstart earned a 100 Beyer – his sixth triple digit number in 12 lifetime starts – for his second place finish to White Abarrio, who won by 6 1/4 lengths.

“Zandon looked good. He was a little tired today, but he ran very credible,” Brown said. “The winner was super impressive and I was pleased he was able to get up for second. It frustrates me that he’s not able to break through and have his big win, but he’s a very consistent horse. We’ll just see how he comes out of this race. I hadn’t made any plans other than this, I was really pointing towards the Whitney all year. Now I’ll step back and talk to Jeff Drown give him some feedback on the horse and see what we both think together.”

***

Pretty Mischievous in good order following G1 Test score

Godolphin’s 3-year-old filly division leader Pretty Mischievous, who passed the wire first in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Test, has exited her race well, per trainer Brendan Walsh.

The daughter of Into Mischief added a third top-level tally to her Kentucky Oaks and Acorn wins in May and June, respectively. She also joined her dam Pretty City Dancer, who annexed the 2016 Spinaway, as a Saratoga seven-furlong Grade 1 winner.

In the Test, the bay filly was closing on the far outside, while pace-setter Maple Leaf Mel asserted herself as the likely victress in front. Yards from the wire, when Maple Leaf Mel went down, Pretty Mischievous wrested a would-be second from Clearly Unhinged. Pretty Mischievous and jockey Tyler Gaffalione ultimately won by a head, with 1¾ lengths back to Munnys Gold in third.

“She’s fine, she ate up good and has been eating peppermints all morning here, hanging over the door,” Walsh said. “She ran well yesterday, but it was just a little sharp for her, though she beat some very good fillies. The filly that broke down was the best of the day, but we’re proud of the effort ours gave. That’s her putting in her A-effort, like she always does. She always leaves it all out there and we can’t ask for more than that. I didn’t realize how much she really did close. It just goes to show how good a filly she is to give as good an effort as she did.”

Walsh said he did not have any immediate plans for Pretty Mischievous, but noted it was likely to include a step up in distance.

“We’ll probably go back to the two turns after that. We’re not really leaning anywhere yet, as far as her next race,” Walsh said. “I would say two turns is definite and the Cotillion would be the one that you would think would be the place to go—but I haven’t discussed with the team, so nothing has been decided. She’s won three Grade 1s—or two and a half—and a Grade 2. There’s no one else who’s done that.”

Pretty Mischievous, a Kentucky homebred, sports a record of 9-7-1-1 for purse earnings of $1,756,560.

***

G3 Troy winner Cogburn eyes Kentucky Downs

Clark Brewster and William and Corinne Heiligbrodt’s Cogburn earned a career-high 100 Beyer Speed Figure while keeping his winning form in turf sprints afloat in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Troy going 5 ½ furlongs over yielding Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Cogburn was initially campaigned on the main track, finishing second in last year’s Bachelor at Oaklawn Park and Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico Race Course. But the son of Not This Time has found a new home on grass after capturing a pair of turf sprint stakes at Lone Star Park.

Following a half-length score in the Chamberlain Bridge on May 29, he narrowly defeated multiple stakes-winner Big Chopper in the Grand Prairie Turf Sprint on June 24. In the Troy, Cogburn dove into deeper waters in facing reigning Champion Turf Sprinter Caravel, who finished fourth as the heavy favorite.

Asmussen said the Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint on September 9 at Kentucky Downs would be his likely next target.

“He had run twice on the turf previously and looked very impressive. But obviously it wasn’t against the quality of field that was assembled yesterday,” Asmussen said. “His scheduled next race will be at Kentucky Downs in a ‘Win And You’re In’ for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Hopefully all goes well.”

While Cogburn was in good form on the dirt, Asmussen said he felt he was still not reaching his full potential.

“He’s a horse that always trained really impressively,” Asmussen said. “We just didn’t feel that we were getting the best out of him in his dirt races. He had run fine on the dirt, but we felt there was more there. Obviously, the turf has been key.”

Bred in Kentucky by Bellary Bloodstock, Cogburn is out of the stakes-winning Saintly Look mare In a Jif. Through an 11-6-2-0 record, Cogburn has banked $591,710.

***

Smokin’ T garners 96 BSF for Fasig-Tipton Lure triumph

DATTT Stable’s Kentucky homebred Smokin' T garnered a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure for his off-the-pace score in Saturday’s $135,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for older horses who have not won a graded contest this year, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Smokin’ T bobbled at the start but was expertly piloted by fellow Hall of Famer John Velazquez from 4 1/2 lengths off the pace to race four-wide into the stretch and fend off the New York-bred Dakota Gold by a neck. It was the first stakes coup of his career and came on the heels of a three-quarter-length defeat to Big Everest in the Cliff Hanger on May 27 at Monmouth Park.

McGaughey praised the ride from Velazquez, who rode the son of War Front for the first time since a win three starts back in a second-level optional claimer on May 5 at Churchill Downs in similar fashion.

“He came back good and I’m proud of him,” said McGaughey. “That’s what we wanted – to sit a little bit off the pace. Johnny rode him at Churchill pretty much the same way, so he knew him. He was trying to get him to settle good, he did, and he had horse when they came to him. I thought he rode an excellent race.”

McGaughey indicated Smokin’ T could point to the 1 1/16-mile $150,000 Bernard Baruch on September 4 next in hopes of securing his first open-company stakes coup.

“That’d be a nice thought if he comes out of it good,” said McGaughey. “It’s a bit of a step up, but I think this race will help him. We’ll go from there.”

Smokin’ T now boasts a career record of 15-4-1-4 for purse earnings in excess of $300,000. He is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Ghostzapper mare Wine Princess, who DATTT Farm purchased in 2014 for $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale.

On Sunday, McGaughey sent out several trainees for works over the Spa’s Oklahoma turf training track, including Joseph Allen’s homebred graded stakes-winner Personal Best who went solo and Stuart Janney, III’s homebred graded stakes-placed Limited Liability, who went in company with Allen Stable and Peter Brant’s graded stakes-placed Fort Washington.

Personal Best and Limited Liability each had their first work back since respective starts on July 22 at Monmouth Park, where the former finished fifth in the Grade 3 Matchmaker and the latter finished a close fourth in the Grade 1 United Nations. Fort Washington has not raced since an even seventh in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy on May 6 at Belmont.

McGaughey said plans for Personal Best and Limited Liability’s next outing are yet to be determined. The veteran conditioner added it is unlikely Personal Best would start in the Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl on September 2 at the Spa.

“They worked fine and will run once before we go back to Belmont,” said McGaughey. “Limited Liability won’t run here and we’ll find something for him back there. Personal Best is coming off one race in a good while, so we’ll look for something a little easier than the Flower Bowl."

McGaughey added it is possible Fort Washington could join Smokin’ T in the Bernard Baruch next, but allowance company remains a practical option.

“Fort Washington worked good and solid,” said McGaughey. “He’s eligible for the ‘two-other-than.’ He could also be one of the Bernard Baruch, but we’ll see.”