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Wild Mama steps up in Listed $150K Tempted

by Keith McCalmont

Impressive maiden winner Wild Mama will make her stakes debut in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Tempted, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Mark Hennig for R. Lee Lewis, Ryan Lewis and Anthony Lewis, the American Pharoah dark bay posted a sparkling debut score in a local six-furlong maiden, opening up by six lengths at the stretch call under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. Wild Mama drifted in greenly down the lane but still notched a much-the-best two-length victory in a final time of 1:13.47. The winning effort registered a 68 Beyer Speed Figure.

Wild Mama, who will race with a cheek piece, has worked back four times over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including a half-mile effort Saturday in 49.41 seconds.

"She definitely was green down the stretch,” Hennig said. “We'll add a cheek piece to her equipment because she just got to wandering around a little bit. Hopefully, with that experience she'll be better.

"She's breezed in the cheek piece the last couple times," Hennig continued. "I just put one on the outside to keep her focused on the inside."

Hennig said he is hopeful that Javier Castellano can work out a winning trip from post 6.

"It looks like there's going to be quite a bit of pace in this race on paper, to me, so we'll see how that shapes up and how they handle the mile distance. But she's doing great and hopefully it works out,” Hennig said.

The $380,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Safwah, a half-sister to Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Always Dreaming, Grade 2-winner Positive Spirit and Grade 1-winner and producer Hot Dixie Chick.

Hennig said Wild Mama has more than lived up to her impressive breeding.

"She's been first-class from Day One. She's a lovely filly with a great big stride and does everything right," Hennig said.

WinStar Farm’s Kentucky homebred Impulse Buy [post 9, Jose Lezcano] earned an 83 Beyer for her second-out graduation on October 5 at Keeneland for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The Speightstown bay finished second to eventual Grade 2-placed stablemate Liam in the Dust in her August 11 debut at Ellis Park but returned with aplomb to wire a seven-furlong maiden last out by 11 lengths. She covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.05 while geared down for the final sixteenth, earning an 83 Beyer.

The well-bred Impulse Buy is out of the dual graded stakes-winning Pioneerof the Nile mare Jojo Warrior, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winners A Z Warrior and E Z Warrior.

LNJ Foxwoods and Church Street Stable’s Stunner [post 1, Dylan Davis] earned a field-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure in her second-out graduation on September 26 here for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The Girvin bay, who finished second to well-regarded Senza Parole in her August debut at the Spa, broke outward under Flavien Prat from post 4-of-6 last out but showed the way through splits of 21.98 seconds, 44.86 and 1:09.52 en route to a 6 1/4-length score, stopping the clock for 6 1/2-furlongs in a rapid 1:16.15.

The $190,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase has breezed back three times over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including a half-mile effort Saturday in 48.29 under Cox assistant Dustin Dugas.

"She's a pretty sharp little filly and the work itself was sharp,” Dugas said. “She broke off kindly and finished up nicely with a good gallop out. I'm really happy with the way she breezes. She trains well and her breezes have been spot on. She's earned this shot."

C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable’s The Queens M G [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche] has won 3-of-5 starts, including scores in the Listed Schuylerville and Grade 3 Adirondack at Saratoga which each registered a 73 Beyer.

Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the Thousand Words dark bay was scratched from the Grade 1 Frizette on October 5 here after NYRA Veterinarians observed blood from the nose [not via the lungs] as she approached the gate.

The Queens M G has since worked back twice over the Oklahoma dirt training track, including a bullet half-mile breeze in 47.93 Friday in company with Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile contender Skippylongstocking.

A talented field includes stakes-winners Beautiful Blome [post 5, Romero Maragh] for trainer Anthony Pecoraro, and the John Robb-trained Pure Majestic [post 2, Jevian Toledo]; stakes-placed Fortuna Mia [post 3, Eric Cancel] for conditioner Linda Rice; along with maiden winners Tip Line [post 4, Francisco Martinez] for trainer Uriah St. Lewis, and Five a Side [post 7, Abner Adorno] for trainer John Servis.

The Tempted is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s stacked 11-race card, which also features the Listed $150,000 Nashua in Race 2, the Listed $150,000 Artie Schiller in Race 4 and the $135,000 Stewart Manor in Race 8. First post Saturday is 11:20 a.m. Eastern.

The Big A will be open to the public from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturday so racing fans can watch and wager on the simulcast of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California. Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup program is headlined by the Grade 1, $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships kicks off on Friday, November 1 with five races on its Future Stars program, highlighted by the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Aqueduct will host a nine-race card Friday at Belmont at the Big, featuring the $135,000 Atlantic Beach in Race 8. First post Friday is 12:40 p.m. with the property open for simulcasting from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.