New York-Breds at the Races: December 9 to 11 By Bill Heller Another Davis Brings Home Another New York-Bred Longshot Bomb A day after his sister Jackie won with 48-1 New York-bred His Girl Friday, Dylan Davis rallied Blue Sapphire Farm s two-year-old colt Taoiseach up the rail to take a $57,000 New York-bred allowance/optional $75,000 claimer by three-quarters of a length at 49-1 odds Friday at Aqueduct. He completed the mile and a sixteenth in 1:47.23. Charming Indy and Kendrick Carmouche finished second at 8-1 odds, three-quarters of a length ahead of Vincento, the 3-5 favorite in the field of seven under Irad Ortiz, Jr. Celtic Chaos was another length and a half back in fourth at 6-1 odds. Niall Brennan bred Taoiseach, a son of Dublin out of Sister Marette by Cuvee who sold for just $4,000 in April at Ocala. After finishing eighth in his career debut on turf, Taoiseach finished second then first in a pair of maiden $40,000 claimers on dirt. For the step up to winners Friday, Taoiseach drilled a five-furlong bullet of 1:00 3/5 December 5 th on the Belmont Park training track, fastest of 19 that morning at that distance. Bettors weren t impressed Friday. Inside Straight, who went off at 7-2 odds from the rail, stumbled forward badly at the start, tossing rider Jose Ortiz, who got up and walked away. Taoiseach raced in fourth early behind three dueling leaders. New York Song, who went off at 11-1 odds under Aaron Gryder, had a brief lead before ceding the front to 34-1 Spin Cycle and Chris DeCarlo. Charming Indy was a close third on the outside through a half-mile in :48.96. Spin Cycle still led after three-quarters in 1:14.28 as Charming Indy rallied into second and Taoiseach drew closer on the rail. Charming Indy gained the lead, but couldn t hold off Taoiseach. The win resulted in a two-day Pick 6 carryover of $134,344 heading into Saturday. Taoiseach now has two wins and a second in three dirt starts, for earnings of more than $65,000. Trainer/co-owner Jimmy Iselin, Charlotte Assoulin and Eli Gindi s classy seven-year-old mare Willett rallied past Court Dancer to capture a $65,000 New York-bred allowance Friday under Cornelio Velasquez, completing the six-furlong distance in 1:11.03. Willett was sent off at 7-1 odds and Court Dancer, ridden by Angel Arroyo, went off at odds of 11-1 in the field of seven. Tricky Zippy, the 1-2 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., finished third, a length and a quarter behind Court Dancer. Isabelle finished fourth at 4-1 odds under Junior Alvarado.
Michael Martin bred Willet, a daughter of Jump Start out of Katina K by Distinctive Pro. She was dropping off a sixth in the Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap on November 27 th. Atlantic s Smile, a 21-1 shot ridden by Manuel Franco, took the early lead while pressed by Court Dancer. Willet raced in fifth through a quarter in :23.17. Court Dancer went after Atlantic s Smile and struck the lead through a :46.27 half-mile. Tricky Zippy, who had beaten Willet twice in her last four starts, was poised to pounce, but never really fired. Court Dancer stretched her lead to three lengths in mid-stretch, but Willet took dead aim at her and rolled past her in the final 100 yards. Willet s victory was her 10 th in 28 starts with eight seconds and five thirds, for earnings topping $825,000. Beautifully ridden on the front end by Aaron Gryder, Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence s three-year-old filly Building Permit dueled with odds-on Jules N Rome and Jose Ortiz for a mile, came again after being passed in mid-stretch, and edged away to her second consecutive victory by a length and a quarter in a $59,000 New York-bred allowance/optional $40,000 claimer. She completed the mile and a sixteenth in 1:46.67. Building Permit was sent off at odds of 3-1 and the gray Jules N Rome was 3-5 in the field of six. Chad Brown trains Building Permit, a daughter of Bellamy Road out of Unbridled Blessing by Unbridled s Song who was bred by William Jones, Frank Antonacci, Geoff Stein, David Reid et al and sold for $80,000 as a yearling at Saratoga in August 2013. Building Permit won her previous start by 3 ½ lengths as the 3-5 favorite on November 5 th with Gryder aboard for the first time. On Friday, bettors preferred Jules N Rome, who was dropping off a seventh in open allowance company that ended a two-race win streak. Breaking from post three, Building Permit shot to the lead with Jules N Rome, who broke from the outside post, a tight second on her outside. Building Permit led Jules N Rome by a head after a :24.76 first quarter and by a neck through a :49.51 half-mile. Then Jules N Rome surged on the outside. After three-quarters in 1:13.87, Jules N Rome took a tenuous lead. Building Permit responded immediately on the inside to retake the front and then slowly put the favorite away. Jules N Rome finished second, nearly two lengths clear of 9-1 Jcs American Dream and Angel Arroyo in third. Devious Maddy, who went off at 8-1 odds from the rail under Irad Ortiz, Jr., was another length back in fourth. Building Permit is now three for nine with four seconds, one third and earnings topping $170,000.
The Players Group s five-year-old gelding Onecats Chance, the only New York-bred in the field of five, lost the battle but won the war Friday in a one-mile $44,000 conditional $50,000 claimer. Onecats Chance, ridden by Jose Ortiz, finished second by a nose to Piloting but was placed first when Piloting, ridden by Junior Alvarado, was disqualified and placed third for drifting out badly in deep stretch and knocking Be a Hero into Onecats Chance in a chain reaction. Onecats Chance was sent off at odds of 3-1, Piloting went off at 5-1 odds and Be a Hero was the 6-5 favorite. Andrew Lakeman trains Onecats Chance, who was making his first start off the claim for $25,000 when he finished second as the 7-5 favorite under Joel Rosario. After initially breaking second, the gray Piloting opened a four-length lead on Be a Hero, ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, who broke on top and led through a :24.27 first quarter. Ortiz had Onecats Chance a well-clear third. Piloting maintained that four-length cushion through a :48.93 half-mile and still led by three lengths before both Be a Hero and Onecats Chance gained ground quickly heading into the far turn. Be a Hero took a narrow lead on the outside of Piloting as Onecats Chance continued closing on both of them three-wide. Be a Hero and Piloting alternated on the lead in the final 100 yards as Onecats Chance moved within a head of them. In a wild finish, Piloting won by a nose over Onecats Chance with Be a Hero just a half-length back in third. Wizardly, who walked out of the gate at 5-2 odds from the rail, finished fourth, just a head behind Be a Hero. Carmouche claimed foul against Alvarado and there was a steward s inquiry. Piloting was subsequently disqualified and dropped to third. Onecats Chance is now three for 26 on dirt with six seconds and two thirds, for earnings of more than $200,000. In a mile-and-70-yard $31,000 New York-bred maiden $25,000 claimer for two-year-olds Friday, Mark Valentine s colt King Dublin rolled to a near-two-length, wire-to-wire victory under Israel Rodriguez. By far the longest shot in the field of six at 21-1 odds, King Dublin won in a final time of 1:46.09. Gary Contessa trains King Dublin, a son of Dublin out of Gleaming Lady by Suave who was bred by Stonebridge Farm and sold for $32,000 in April. King Dublin was returning to dirt and dropping back to maiden claimers off an 11 th in his maiden-special-weight grass debut at 74-1 odds. He had shown little in four previous dirt starts. The start of the race was delayed several minutes as four of the seven starters acted up going into the gate or after they got in the gate. High Noon Cocktail, who was to be ridden out of the two post by apprentice Henry Hernandez, wound up a late scratch. Rather than re-load the starting gate, the race proceeded with no horse in the two post.
King Dublin broke from the four post and outsprinted two horses inside him, 9-5 Up With the Sun ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., and 5-2 Hangry ridden by Wilmer Garcia, to the early lead. King Dublin opened a two-length lead through a slow :25.13 first quarter, then led Up With the Sun by just three-quarters of a length after a half in :50.67. The third quarter was even slower than the first two, yet Dublin still led by a length and a quarter after six furlongs in a glacial 1:16.25. Then King Dublin opened up, stretching his margin to four lengths and coasting home. Hangry finished second, six lengths ahead of 3-1 Par, who was adding blinkers under apprentice Eric Cancel. Up With the Sun finished fourth. It was the second winner of the day for first-crop New York stallion Dublin. In Friday s finale, a mile-and-a-sixteenth $31,000 New York-bred maiden $25,000 claimer, apprentice Harry Hernandez put owner/trainer Gustavo Delgado s three-year-old gelding Loose Money on the lead from the rail and he scored wire-to-wire by nearly five lengths. Sent off at 9-2 odds in the field of nine, Loose Money won in a final time of 1:47.14. Bustin the Bank, the 8-5 favorite under Manuel Franco, rallied on the rail to finish second, a length and a half clear of 7-1 Sandy Strikes in third. Who Is the Giant finished fourth at 9-1 odds. Loose Money is a son of Super Saver out of Sax Appeal by Successful Appeal who was bred by Eaton & Thorne and was purchased for $60,000 last year. Loose Money shook off early pressure from 65-1 Oh So Sinister, who was adding blinkers, to set the pace. He led by a head through a half-mile in :48.96. When Oh So Sinister tired, Who Is the Giant rushed into second to press the pace. But after three-quarters in 1:13.56, Loose Money drew off and won by himself. Loose Money now has a win and a third from five dirt starts, and a second and third from six turf tries, for total earnings of just under $40,000. Jackie Davis Wins With Two New York-Bred Longshots Easily Jackie Davis, one of three sibling jockeys in New York, rode two New York-bred longshots aggressively Thursday at Aqueduct and won both races handily. After winning Thursday s opener with 9-1 Sonora, Davis brought home trainer and owner Joe Demola s homebred fouryear-old filly His Girl Friday, a 48-1 longshot as the only New York-bred in a field of six, by eight lengths in a six-furlong $60,000 maiden special weight. Lemondrop Lollipop finished second at 7-2 odds under Manuel Franco. Jemmabelle, an 8-1 shot ridden by Davis brother Dylan, was third, a length and a quarter behind Lemondrop Lollipop. Folk Song, the 1-5 favorite under Junior Alvarado, didn t hit the board.
Demola and his wife Dorothy bred His Girl Friday, a daughter of Freud out of Allens Blessing by Allen s Prospect who had finished an extremely distant seventh in her only dirt start in her career debut on April 17 th. After a four-month freshening, His Girl Friday finished eighth and 12 th on turf. Demola decided to return his filly to dirt and add blinkers. The result was astonishing. His Girl Friday broke third from the two post, but Davis shot her to the lead inside Folk Song. His Girl Friday took a narrow lead on Folk Song through a :23.73 first quarter, then increased her lead to a length and a half. Soon the margin was four lengths through a :46.69 half-mile, and His Girl Friday kept pouring it on. Davis took one peek back over her shoulder in mid-stretch to make sure she was clear, and she was clear by a lot. His Girl Friday won easily in a final time of 1:11.88. In the winner s circle, Demola kissed His Girl Friday on her nose several times. Anyone who bet His Girl Friday would have kissed her too. Jackie, Dylan and young Katie Davis may never match the accomplishments of their dad Robbie, a top jockey who is now a trainer in New York, but they are certainly making quite an impression. Jackie, who is 28, was 55 for 495 for the year before Thursday, and Dylan, who is 31, was 53 for 491. Katie Davis, 23, won her first race in 2014. Earlier Thursday, Jackie Davis hustled Rajkumarie Shivmangal s three-year-old New York-bred filly Sonora, trained by Doodnuath Shivmangal and by far the longest shot in the field of four, to the lead and she scored a surprisingly easy 3 ¼-length victory in a 5 ½-furlong $40,000 conditional $35,000 claimer. Sent off at 9-1 odds, Sonora won in a final time of 1:04.63. Seth Gregory bred Sonora, a daughter of Discreetly Mine out of Road to Mandalay by Sea of Secrets who sold for $77,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in October 2013. She was claimed for $17,000 by the Shivmangals on October 22 nd, when she won by 7 ¼ lengths at 6-5 odds. In her first start for her new connections on December 3 rd, she finished a tiring eighth in a New Yorkbred allowance race at 10-1 odds. Breaking from the outside post Thursday, Sonora got the jump on both Star Dynasty, the 6-5 second choice on the rail ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, and New York-bred Majestic Jessica, who was adding blinkers and went off at 9-2 odds under apprentice Harry Hernandez. Racing three-wide, she led Star Dynasty on the rail by a nose with Majestic Jessica, racing between those two fillies, three-quarters of a length behind through a :22.43 first quarter. Then Sonora cleared both horses and began to edge away. She opened a 2 ½-length lead by running a fast half-mile in :45.89 and was never threatened, winning handily. Ducasa, the evenmoney favorite under Jose Ortiz, finished second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Majestic Jessica. Sonora is now three for 10 on dirt with four seconds and more than $135,000 in earnings.
Bella Joy Romps on the Inner Dirt Track Wednesday at Aqueduct Twin Magnolia Farm s three-year-old filly Bella Joy overwhelmed five opponents on the first day of racing on the inner dirt track at Aqueduct Wednesday, taking a mile-and-70-yard $57,000 New York-bred allowance by seven lengths under Junior Alvarado. Sent off the 2-1 second choice, Bella Joy won in a final time of 1:44.76. Brandini, who went off at 15-1 odds under apprentice Eric Cancel, finished second, some six lengths ahead of North Eight Street, the 7-5 favorite under Jose Ortiz who was making her first start since early February. Majestic Bloom, who stumbled at the start, was a distant fourth under Manuel Franco at 3-1 odds. Lon Wiggins trains Bella Joy, a daughter of Kitten s Joy out of Bella Trella by Cherokee Run who was bred by NY Kitten Foals and sold for $60,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in September 2013. After breaking her maiden by 5 ½ lengths in a race switched from the turf to the main track on October 1 st, Bella Joy was freshened. She returned to the races on November 18 th, finishing fourth on grass. Wiggins switched her back to dirt Wednesday, and it would be hard to imagine her not staying on dirt with no turf racing in New York in the winter. Alvarado, who was riding Bella Joy for the sixth consecutive race, got her away fourth from the four post. Ortiz hustled North Eight Street to the lead, and she set a comfortable pace while pursued by 25-1 Miss Rickles: a quarter-mile in :24.62 and a half-mile in :49.77. Miss Rickles faded and Bella Joy roared into contention, quickly advancing into second before going after the favorite through three-quarters in 1:14.76. Bella Joy blew past North Eight Street and won in hand by a lot. She is now two for four on dirt. She s also had two thirds from eight turf tries, for total earnings of just a tad under $100,000. Darlene and Jerry Bilinski and Harry Patton s homebred Night Madam ran down front-running Legend of Lorelei at the sixteenth pole and went on to a 2 ½-length victory in a mile-and-70- yard $41,000 New York-bred maiden claimer for two-year-old fillies Wednesday. Well ridden by Dylan Davis, Night Madam won in a final time of 1:47.79 at 5-1 odds in the field of six. Legend of Lorelei, ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, was a clear second, more than 11 lengths clear of Flataway, the 9-5 favorite on the rail who was adding blinkers under Manuel Franco. Gary Contessa trains both Night Madam and Legend of Lorelei. Night Madam, a daughter of Midnight Lute out of La La Pazusa by Rockport Harbor, was making her first start in a maiden claimer, but only her second dirt start. Legend of Lorelei sprang to the lead as Night Madam and 43-1 Reyana Dream alternated in second and third behind her through a :24.37 first quarter. Legend of Lorelei maintained a length-and-a-half lead through a half-mile in :50.05. Then Celtic Serenade, who was sent off at 5-2 odds under Wilmer Garcia, made a bold, wide rush from last to momentarily take second before tiring.
Legend of Lorelei still led through three-quarters in 1:16.71 before Night Madam closed in quickly. Night Madam had to work hard to get past the front-runner, but once she did she drew away. In a thrilling finale Wednesday, Gabriel Saez got Two Tone Farm s three-year-old gelding Elusive New Yorker up in the final stride to nose front-running Rich Dalone and Kendrick Carmouche in a six-furlong $31,000 New York-bred maiden $25,000 claimer. Starago was third in between horses, just a half-length behind Rich Dalone, and Bear Clause was only another neck back in fourth after Elusive New Yorker won in a final time of 1:13.20. Elusive New Yorker was sent off at odds of 4-1, Rich Dalone went off at 3-1 odds, Starago was 49-1 and Bear Clause was 20-1 in the field of nine. David Cannizzo trains Elusive New Yorker, a son of Elusive Quality out of Naughty Natisha who was bred by Dr. William Wilmot and Dr. Joan Taylor and sold for $200,000 as a yearling at Saratoga in August 2013. Elusive New Yorker had finished second in his previous two dirt races. Rich Dalone endured heavy early pressure to take a short lead after a half-mile in :46.95. Elusive New Yorker, Starago and Bear Clause all came flying at him late, and he gamely fought all of them to the wire. Elusive New Yorker now has a win and two seconds in four dirt starts. He s also raced five times on turf, for total earnings of more than $40,000.