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Abientot back in action in G3 Matron

by Mary Eddy

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will send out Tracy Farmer’s Abientot Sunday in search of his first career Grade 3 Matron victory in the $175,000 six-furlong outer turf sprint for juvenile fillies at Belmont at the Big A.

Abientot returned to turf last out in the Listed Untapable on September 8 at Kentucky Downs, and posted a good third-place finish 1 1/4 lengths behind Kilwin with a rallying trip engineered by returning rider Dylan Davis. The daughter of Not This Time was 4 3/4 lengths back in eighth-of-12 through the first quarter-mile over the undulating course, but improved her position at every point of call to come up just shy, earning a 70 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“I thought she ran great,” Casse said. “Obviously when you run at Kentucky Downs, it’s a new experience. She handled it well and ran well. I think she’ll appreciate being back on a normal turf course.”

Abientot improved from a distant off-the-board finish two starts back in the off-the-turf Bolton Landing on August 18 at Saratoga Race Course, her only race over dirt in four lifetime outings. Previously, she was an even fourth on debut here in June, and a determined half-length winner at second asking in a 5 1/2-furlong turf maiden in July at Saratoga where she was awarded a co-field-best 76 Beyer.

“She ran well there and I think she’ll appreciate the three-quarters,” Casse said. “She broke her maiden going five and a half furlongs and just got up. The Bolton Landing was an experiment that didn’t go the way we wanted.”

The $210,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale is out of the More Than Ready mare Ready Ready Ready, making her a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Malibu Coast and dual stakes-winner Mr. Hustle.

Davis rides from post 10.

Stephen Herriage’s Flirting With Time graduated with aplomb last out with a wire-to-wire score sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on August 29 at Kentucky Downs.

Trained by Joe Sharp, the daughter of Yorkton improved markedly from two distant off-the-board finishes this summer at Saratoga, romping by 7 3/4-lengths under Brian Hernandez, Jr. to complete the course in 1:18.35.

Sharp said the bay has trained forwardly since her breakthrough score, including a 49-second half-mile breeze he engineered on September 30 at Churchill Downs.

“She’s doing great and I worked her myself at Churchill,” Sharp said. “She’s a filly that’s always been high on our radar, she just kind of had some circumstances in her first couple starts. I think what we saw at Kentucky Downs was more of a display of what she’s capable of.”

Flirting With Time debuted on July 18 sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at the Spa and was sent to the lead from the inside post to mark sharp splits of 21.87 seconds and 45.21 before tiring and fading to last-of-10. Her next start was compromised before the race when it was taken off the turf while horses were in the paddock, leaving her to try dirt for the first time over muddy and sealed footing. She tracked in sixth-of-8 throughout the 5 1/2 furlongs and never improved position.

“First time out, she was sent hard from the inside and that wasn’t ever part of the plan. We were rained off in the next start, and then at Kentucky Downs, she broke from there and got into a good rhythm,” Sharp explained. “The energy was just different there. The experience never hurts.”

Sharp added he is confident Flirting With Time does not necessarily need to be in command to be effective.

“She’s quick, but she doesn’t have to have the lead,” Sharp said. “I think she’s not as complicated as her form cycle says she is. She’s pretty genuine.”

Hernandez, Jr. retains the mount from post 7.

Trainer George Weaver will also send out two contenders in Bregman Family Racing’s Laurice [post 8, Manny Franco] and Pop Idol [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], whom he co-owns with R.A. Hill Stable.

Laurice impressed on debut with a half-length victory sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on August 31 at the Spa. There, she pressed the pace and disposed of pacesetter Moonlight Promises in the turn, but was met with a new challenge from the fast-closing Bourbon Milk Punch in the lane. Laurice battled on gamely under Junior Alvarado to notch the narrow score in a final time of 1:02.47, earning a 73 Beyer in victory.

The $460,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is by Bolt d’Oro and out of the unraced Candy Ride mare Major Z. Her second dam, the stakes-placed Double Major, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Shared Belief.

Pop Idol graduated at third asking last out with a 2 3/4-length score in an August 31 maiden over the Woodbine Tapeta. The Maclean’s Music bay stalked and pounced from fourth early on in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint to take command at the stretch call and inch clear under Sahin Civaci. She improved from a third on debut over the same course and distance, and a distant fourth two starts back in an off-the-turf maiden sprint at the Spa.

The $150,000 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale purchase is out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Unspurned, who won the Grade 3 Whimsical in 2015 over the Woodbine Tapeta.

Yougottahavehope [post 12, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] has conditioner Horacio De Paz feeling cautiously optimistic as the New York-bred daughter of Twirling Candy takes on graded stakes company in her first test against winners.

The Barry Schwartz homebred was an eye-catching 5 1/4-length winner of her August 4 debut against fellow state-breds at Saratoga, leading at every point of call to draw off strongly to a 5 1/4-length win in the six-furlong main track sprint. The runner-up in that event, Scythian, exited to graduate next out and is entered in Sunday’s rescheduled Grade 2 Miss Grillo here.

“We liked her a whole lot and she had worked really well on the dirt, but she’s bred for the turf,” De Paz said of her turf stakes-placed dam Beechwood Ella. “We went ahead and got her started on the dirt, and she handled it fine, but we wanted to see how she does on the turf. She got sick on us the last week we were at Saratoga, so that pushed back getting her a start on the turf.”

Yougottahavehope has worked back five times since her win, including a half-mile over Saratoga’s Oklahoma turf training track in 52.52 seconds on August 25.

“She did everything right preparing for her first race,” De Paz said. “This is a little bit of an experiment, but I have faith in her. She’s done nothing wrong and worked well on the turf at Saratoga.”

Completing the field are a competitive pool of maiden winners in Will Not Be Swayed [post 1, Joel Rosario] for dual Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Brad Cox, Baytown Butterfly [post 2, Katie Davis] for trainer Paul McEntee, I'mwishingonastar [post 3, Samuel Marin, blinkers ON] for trainer Michael Dini, Serene Spirit [post 4, Jorge Ruiz] for trainer Jorge Duarte, Jr., Miriam’s Fire [post 5, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Mike Maker, Second Chance [post 9, Junior Alvarado] for Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott, and Civetta [post 11, Flavien Prat] for trainer Brendan Walsh.

The Matron is slated as Race 8 on Sunday’s nine-race card, which features the rescheduled Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo – a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf – in Race 6, and the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame in Race 2. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

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