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Trainer Brittany Russell chasing history in G1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• Trainer Brittany Russell chasing history in G1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap
• The Grey Wizard spellbinding in G2 Belmont Gold Cup score
• Almostgone Rocket targets G1 Test off of Jersey Girl romp
• G3 Sanford a possibility for Tremont winner Studlydoright
• Antonucci and Castellano are back with Astoria-winner Whatintheliteral
• Ways and Means returns victorious in Spa allowance

When it comes to making history, Brittany Russell knows how it works. Just the fourth woman to lead the trainer standings at her home base of Laurel Park and the first to do it twice, both coming in 2022, the 34-year-old went one better in 2023, becoming the first female ever to win more races than any trainer in a single year at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course.

Russell’s success, while prolific, has not been limited to Maryland. Wondrwherecraigis provided the Pennsylvania native her first graded triumph in the 2021 Grade 3 Bold Ruler at Aqueduct Racetrack. She won both Aqueduct’s Carter with Doppelganger – her first Grade 1 victory – and Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3 Suwannee River with Full Count Felicia on the road last year. In April, she defended her Carter title with Hillwood Stable’s Post Time.

Ellen Charles of Hillwood Stable explained after the Carter score why the victory from the grandson of the Maryland-bred Opening Verse mare Merriweather was a meaningful one for her family.

“His granddam is Merriweather, and my grandmother was Marjorie Merriweather,” Charles said. “I always wanted something out of that mare, because my grandmother was a remarkable woman. And you know what? I do believe he’s gotten something from her. He’s been exciting.

“I was born in New York and grew up in Maryland, but it means everything,” added Charles of the Carter score. “It’s so exciting that these beautiful animals can do what he did today and that he pulled it off.”

On Saturday, Post Time returns to New York for the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap, facing the likes of Grade 1 Whitney and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and 2023 Horse of the Year finalist White Abarrio and 2023 Grade 1 Preakness winner National Treasure.

Launched in 1891 and being run for the 131st time Saturday on the undercard of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the Met Mile has never been won by a female trainer.

“The Met Mile is a huge race. It would mean so much to win a race like that,” Russell said. “It’s everything. It’s the relationship with Ellen and it’s the journey that this horse has sort of taken us on. It’s really special if he were to win it.

“To be honest with you, just the fact that he’s taking us there is a really big deal,” she added. “I feel like we’re not just going up there to take a swing. I feel like this horse is doing really good and I feel like he has a shot to be effective.”

Post Time is rated as 7-2 third choice on the morning line behind White Abarrio [6-5] and National Treasure [8-5]. The 4-year-old Maryland-bred son of 2016 Met Mile winner Frosted has been third or better in all 10 of his starts, eight of them wins. He put together four straight stakes wins including the Grade 3 General George at Laurel and Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets on April 6 at Aqueduct before finishing second by less than one length in the Grade 3 Westchester May 3 during Belmont at the Big A.

“It was a tough beat last time, but he didn’t do anything wrong and he came out of it in good shape. That’s horse racing. Let’s move on and worry about the next one,” Russell said. “That’s sort of what we’ve done. He’s had three good breezes. He had a good half [May 25] and a good five-eighths [June 1], so I feel like he’s training right into it like we need him to. That’s a good feeling.”

At this time of year Russell has horses at Laurel, Pimlico and Delaware Park and keeps Post Time with another string at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., headed by assistant trainer Emma Wolfe. Having worked for such trainers as Brad Cox, Chad Brown and Jimmy Toner, Wolfe also serves as Post Time’s regular exercise rider and breeze partner and has been with her charge this week on the Saratoga backstretch as well as Thursday’s paddock schooling session.

“He comes out of the barn on his hind legs. She loves it,” Russell said. “She’s been huge. Emma knows him better than anybody. She does a great job riding him. He’s more mature but he’s always going to have those quirks about him. It’s nice up there because he doesn’t have to go the racetrack and come right back to the barn. They have a thing now where she takes her time with him and he can enjoy his life up there.

“Fair Hill is a great place for him to train,” she added. “He lives in a beautiful barn. The racetrack up there is good, it’s safe, and he’s been running good off of it, so I’m not changing anything.”

Russell’s husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, will be aboard Post Time for the eighth straight race, breaking from post 3 in the field of six at 120 pounds, six less than topweight White Abarrio.

***

The Grey Wizard spellbinding in G2 Belmont Gold Cup score

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and The Estate of Albert Frassetto’s The Grey Wizard exited his hobbit-sized margin of victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup in fine shape, per trainer Graham Motion. Charging from last-to-first in Friday’s featured nightcap, he and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez proved that the opposition ‘shall not pass’ the wire before him in a thriller. Gandalf would be proud.

“He looks really good, this morning. I’m very happy with him,” Motion said. “He scoped clean and he looks really well.”

A fourth career and first graded victory from 15 starts for the son of dual Group 1-winning sprinter Caravaggio - whose progeny rarely find their best efforts beyond one mile, much less two - the effort was a deigned shift back to agreeability for the mercurial sort and an improvement upon his excellent second in last year’s renewal.

“When he first came to us as a colt, he was quite ornery,” Motion explained. “He’s always been a little slow from the gate, but he’s gotten much better. When I ran him back first time this season at Keeneland, I couldn’t believe that he never got in the race. A - he’s quite opinionated and B - he really needs the two miles. That’s what he needs to kind of get in gear. It’s no coincidence his two best races have been in this race. It is unusual for [a Caravaggio] to run that far, but I’ve never had one before him. That’s intriguing. He’s an intriguing horse, for sure.”

Staying races and stamina-laden divisions are often some of the more popular in jurisdictions outside of the United States, but yesterday’s affair, which took 3:18.35 to be decided by a final stride and a short head, was quite the crowd-pleaser for its Saratoga audience.

“I wish they would [embrace longer races],” Motion said. “It seems we are getting further and further away from it. A mile and an eighth is a marathon and I find that very frustrating. Certainly, from our perspective, we get a lot of European horses who want to go farther and I think there’s a real lack of opportunity for those horses over here. If they’re good enough to run in graded races, there really aren’t many opportunities for them. I would love to see more incentives and opportunities because they’re exciting races. What could have been more exciting than that race yesterday? I had a lot of people saying, ‘what a fun race’ afterward.”

The Belmont Gold Cup appropriately offers a ‘Golden Ticket’ automatic berth into Australia’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse, carrying a purse of AUD$8.4 million. Over the same two-mile distance as Friday’s race, the world’s richest handicap is also contested over a left-handed, flat course.

Leigh Jordan, the Executive General Manager - Racing of Victoria Racing Club was in attendance Thursday at Saratoga along with race caller Matt Hill, who called the Belmont Gold Cup. The lucrative Melbourne Cup trophy was also onsite for fans to pose with and take pictures.

Motion said he will speak with Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners before making a decision on whether to travel and take part in ‘the race that stops a nation™.’

“I need to talk to Leigh about there being other incentives and I haven’t even spoken to Aron yet, but I’m as game as anyone with this kind of stuff,” Motion continued. “I think this horse is the right kind of horse to do it with, but it is a huge ask. I’m sure we will discuss it.

“I love the concept,” he concluded. “Yesterday was really cool to have [Victoria Racing Club] here, having the Melbourne Cup here and Matt Hill commentating it. It was really fun and a very different feel to it than usual.”

***

Almostgone Rocket targets G1 Test off of Jersey Girl romp

Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and Ten Strike Racing’s newly-minted stakes-winner Almostgone Rocket will set her sights on the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster on August 3 at Saratoga Race Course after a six-length romp in Thursday’s Listed $150,000 Jersey Girl at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

“She came back in good shape and I’m super happy with how she looks,” said her two-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Brad Cox. “We’re going to zero in on the Test and hopefully she can put in a similar effort.”

The Into Mischief bay brought her record to a perfect 3-for-3 with a prominent trip under Flavien Prat, battling for the early lead with Gray Lightning before putting away her rival in the turn and bounding away to a 5 1/2-length lead at the stretch call. She kept on strongly down the lane to win with ease to stop the clock in 1:09.52 for the six furlongs. The effort was awarded a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

Cox said he was expecting a strong performance from Almostgone Rocket, who entered from two open-lengths victories at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs in April and May, respectively.

“She was on it, mentally and physically, and her works at Churchill have been really, really good,” said Cox. “She really fired home in her works, so we expected a big effort. When we legged the rider up, she was on it and on her toes and showing she was ready to run. I was a little shocked she took control of the race as early as she did, but she breezed up there so easy, Flavien probably could have taken over quicker than he did. It worked out well and hopefully we can get another eighth of a mile out of her.”

Cox said it is rewarding to see the daughter of the multiple stakes-winning Jump Start mare Bound live up to her potential by garnering black type.

“She came in from Ocala last winter and worked in the 2-year-old sale really well, but the ownership group decided to keep her. Obviously, it paid off for them yesterday with her becoming a stakes winner,” said Cox. “She came in with high regard and it took us a little while to get her to the races, but now she’s able to show what she’s capable of getting done.”

Cox is hoping his Thursday momentum carries through the rest of the weekend as Champion Older Dirt Female Idiomatic and dual graded stakes-placed Nash take on Grade 1 company Saturday, while New York-breds Midtown Lights and Caldwell Luvs Gold fly the banner for their stable Sunday on the New York Showcase card to close out the Festival.

Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Idiomatic rides a six-race win streak – all graded stakes – into the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford. She was last seen making a successful seasonal debut on May 3 in the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs with a dominant 3 3/4-length triumph to land her fourth consecutive Grade 1 victory.

“She’s doing amazing,” said Cox. “Her works at Churchill have been great and she’s settled in here [at Saratoga]. Her first morning galloping was quite aggressive, but she’s really settled in these last few mornings. She schooled once and was really good. I’m happy with what we’ve seen from her and physically she looks amazing. She likes it here.”

Cox said the daughter of Curlin, who will emerge from post 5-of-6 under Florent Geroux, knows what is expected of her on the racetrack.

“She’s pretty professional and she’s 5 and knows the drill,” said Cox. “Hopefully, she gets a good trip. I thought she drew well and if she gets a good trip, she should be tough.”

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Nash was cross-entered in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Sunday at Churchill, but will contest the Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on Saturday at the Spa.

“We just wanted to look at both races. Entering so far out, we wanted to make sure to look at each of them,” Cox said of the races that were drawn one week in advance. “We think this is a good spot to give him an opportunity at a Grade 1 and I thought he drew well. If he steps up and gives us the effort he did in the Pat Day Mile, I think he’ll be right there.”

Nash enters from a valiant runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile when second to next-out Grade 1 Preakness-winner and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes contender Seize the Grey with a five-wide move under Geroux. His perfect in-the-money record includes a 10 1/4-length romp at second asking and a 5 1/2-length score in the one-mile Hot Springs in March at Oaklawn. He will exit post 9 in rein to Geroux.

“It was a big run [in the Pat Day Mile], and I wish we could have got there but we got beat by a horse that came out of there to win a Grade 1,” said Cox. “He managed to be second, and hopefully he can move forward off of it.”

Cox will close out the Festival with two New York-breds on Sunday’s card as Clay Scherer, Carson McCord, Gregory Hoffman, Rosemore Racing and Sonny Dotson’s Midtown Lights takes on the co-featured nine-furlong $200,000 Critical Eye, while Dicke Racing’s Caldwell Luvs Gold eyes her second stakes conquest in the seven-furlong $125,000 Bouwerie.

Midtown Lights enters off back-to-back optional claiming victories at Aqueduct Racetrack, led by a last-out 1 1/4-length conquest going one mile against open company on May 11. The daughter of Redesdale stretches out for her longest test yet as she seeks her first stakes win after three previous stakes placings against restricted company.

“She’s been good since we added blinkers and more ground has helped her,” said Cox. “This is the furthest we have run her, but she’s doing well and looks really good. We’ll see what happens. She’s a cool filly.”

Caldwell Luvs Gold, a Goldencents bay, seeks her first win since taking the state-bred Seeking the Ante in August at the Spa. She enters off a sixth in a May 24 state-bred optional claimer at Belmont at the Big A.

***

G3 Sanford a possibility for Tremont winner Studlydoright

A return trip to upstate New York is not out of the question for David Hughes’ Maryland shipper Studlydoright, who became a history-making stakes winner in Thursday’s 126th running of the listed $150,000 Tremont.

The 5 1/2-furlong Tremont for 2-year-olds kicked off the first stakes action at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, where the traditional summer meet begins in mid-July and runs through Labor Day.

“First stakes win in June in Saratoga ever, right?” the Laurel Park-based trainer John “Jerry” Robb said. “The horse came out of it great. He shipped back a few hours after the race and everything’s good.”

Robb celebrated Thursday evening in Saratoga with his wife, Gina, and was headed back Friday morning to Maryland, where he had three horses entered at Laurel. Looking at the replay of Studlydoright’s come-from-behind 1 3/4-length victory at odds of 13-1 off a 4 1/2-furlong debut score at Laurel left Robb in awe.

“I went back and watched it again. It was an impressive late kick,” he said. “At the eighth pole, I was just hoping he would get up and get third. I didn’t see that big kick coming. Honestly, I didn’t even know what I had. None of us knew. He had run the one time in the slop and he was jumping up and down the whole way. It was impressive.”

Robb was involved in the purchase of Studlydoright, bred in Maryland by Glenangus Farm. He is by champion Nyquist and out of the Hall of Famer Curlin mare Peach of a Gal, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Concealed Identity. Studlydoright fetched $110,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale last October after failing to reach his $185,000 reserve at Keeneland a month earlier.

“I knew the pedigree pretty good. I was around when [late trainer] Eddie Gaudet had Concealed Identity. It’s the same family. I just knew the family well,” Robb said. “They’re all different. The last couple I’ve had, you try to get your speed horses ready early because the races are so short. This is a distance horse, so it’s kind of different, but I’ve always said a good horse can win at any distance.”

The Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford for 2-year-olds sprinting six furlongs July 13 at Saratoga is a possibility for Studlydoright, representing another progression in both distance and class and offering more spacing from the Tremont than the listed Bashford Manor June 30 at Churchill Downs, also going three-quarters of a mile.

“We really haven’t talked about it. We were thinking about the race in Kentucky, the Bashford Manor, but that’s back a little quick. At Saratoga they come back with a race going three-quarters in mid-July which is a little better,” Robb said. “The owner is very involved, so I’ll discuss everything with him.”

***

Antonucci and Castellano are back with Astoria-winner Whatintheliteral

Trainer Jena Antonucci, who capped a memorable 2023 with Grade 1 Belmont Stakes-winner Arcangelo taking the Grade 1 Travers in August at Saratoga Race Course, continued where she left off at The Spa with Whatintheliteral gamely winning Thursday’s $150,000 Astoria, a 5 1/2-furlong main-track sprint for juvenile fillies on Day One of the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, at Saratoga Race Course.

Piloted by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, the regular pilot of Arcangelo last year, Whatintheliteral broke sharply from the inside post and paved the way through sharp opening splits of 22.16 seconds and 45.79 over the fast main track with Aoraki applying pressure to her outside in second position and French Horn stalking from third.

The order remained unchanged through the turn and Whatintheliteral continued to battle on the inside of Aoraki for the length of the stretch, fighting on to win by a head in a final time of 1:05.06. After a stewards' inquiry into the stretch duel, the Lord Nelson dark bay was a maiden no longer, and more importantly, a stakes-winner for owners horseOlogy Racing and Craig Steinhart.

In her two prior outings, both 4 1/2 furlong sprints in April at Keeneland with Castellano aboard, Whatintheliteral traveled off-the-pace during the early stages en route to a fifth on debut and next a closing third to miss by less than one length. A change in tactics proved to be rewarding in the Astoria.

“She’s super quick out of the gate. She had a green moment in her first start, coming out of the chute and then seeing the rail. She learned a lot out of that,” said Antonucci. “Then the second start, she just missed, she needed a little more ground and still ran a little green. Yesterday was a huge education, getting bounced around and coming back to fight and be so determined, you can’t teach that. We are excited to see that fight in her.”

Antonucci confirmed Whatintheliteral exited the race in good order, but she has not yet given much thought about where to point her towards next.

“She’s great, came out of the race great. She did well last night and looks all of her normal, sassy-self today,” Antonucci said.

Antonucci said that while her prosperous 2023 has opened doors with new owners, Whatintheliteral was a Florida homebred by her Bella Inizio Farm out of the Freud-mare Lilikoi, who she trained from 2014-2017.

“She’s a homebred, so that is pretty cool. [Last year] didn’t have any effect on this situation, but it has given different opportunities and more conversations with different owners,” Antonucci said. “I keep saying we are going to be careful with some of that because we really like the people we work with and want to enjoy those relationships, be mindful and not have a number of horses too big.”

An example of an owner Antonucci has been working with is horseOlogy Racing, co-owner of Whatintheliteral, which is the racing leg of a minority and women-owned full-cycle thoroughbred training and ownership organization founded by Katie Miranda and herself.

“HorseOlogy Racing is Katie Miranda. She is my business partner with horseOlogy, but this is her separate vein of enjoying the racing side of things,” Antonucci explained, adding that sometimes others can invest through the organization. “We do that with some of the pinhooking stuff we do and developing young horses.”

Awarded a 69 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory, Whatintheliteral is now 3-1-0-1 with $89,129 in earnings.

***

Ways and Means returns victorious in Spa allowance

Klaravich Stables’ Grade 1-placed homebred sophomore filly Ways and Means made a sparkling return to Saratoga Race Course, taking a Thursday allowance against older fillies and mares by 8 1/4-lengths traveling one-mile out of the Wilson Chute.

Trained by Chad Brown, the Practical Joke bay exited post 6-of-8 under Flavien Prat, breaking awkwardly and losing her footing while jostling with a foe before settling outside rivals. She ranged into contention three-wide on the final turn and took command under a hand-ride en route to a facile score in a final time of 1:35.90.

Brown said after the race he was pleased with the effort from Ways and Means, who was making her first start since finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks over sloppy and sealed footing on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

“It was nice. She was bouncing around at the start - her own doing - she didn't come out straight, but Flavien got her quickly in a good position,” Brown said. “It was just what I wanted to see - a good race through the finish, and really get some confidence and put her back on a good path again.”

Ways and Means made her first two starts at the Spa, graduating on debut in August by 12 3/4-lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight. She followed with a troubled second in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Spinaway on September 3, finishing a half-length back of the victorious Brightwork. There, she broke a step slow and had to steady slightly as she attempted to maneuver to the outside, clipping heels with Brightwork inside the three-quarter pole and lost a touch of ground. She traveled wide into the stretch run and fought gamely with Brightwork, but could not get by.

Ways and Means returned in March with a runner-up effort to Power Squeeze in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks ahead of her Kentucky Oaks effort where the Brown-trainee was steadied, wide and collared late.

Brown said Thursday’s effort was an important confidence booster for the lightly-raced but talented filly.

“[Confidence] is very important. Especially with a horse you think this highly of and have big plans for,” Brown said. “I knew I took a bit of a risk rushing her into the Oaks, but I thought she was really good enough. I don't believe it was the distance. I think it was the sloppy track and such and things just didn't go her way that day.”

Brown now has the option of stretching the filly out for upcoming Grade 1 Spa races such as the nine-furlong $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 20 and the 10-furlong $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales on August 17, or turning back slightly for the Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster going seven-furlongs on August 3.

“After a mile race, there are some decisions - you're either going to go further or shorter. There's not going to be races like this, so I have to think about that,” Brown said.

Ways and Means, out of the stakes-winning Ontario-bred Warrior’s Reward mare Strong Incentive, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Surge Capacity and graded stakes-winner Highly Motivated. Both Surge Capacity and Highly Motivated are Klaravich Stables homebreds trained by Brown.