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Book’em Danno drawn inside in G2 Cigar Mile presented by TwinSpires

by NYRA Press Office

• Book’em Danno drawn inside in G2 Cigar Mile presented by TwinSpires
• Law Professor on the fence for G2 Cigar Mile presented by TwinSpires
• Rice well-represented in weekend stakes at Aqueduct
• Carlos Martin sees bright future for Patricia Ann and Friend Ofthe Devil
• Pretty Ana to get a freshening after G3 Comely score

The biggest win for Atlantic Six Racing’s Book’em Danno came from the inside post in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun in June at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Derek Ryan, the sophomore Bucchero gelding will look for more success from the inside-of-11 in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile presented by TwinSpires, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Book’em Danno breezed a solo five furlongs in 1:01.21 Friday over the Belmont Park dirt training track as he prepares for the one-mile handicap for 3-year-olds and up.

“Everything is good,” said Ryan. “The work got delayed a few days, but he worked good and came out of it good. So, he is good to go. He’s been working pretty good for me, so with a little bit of luck, he will be alright.”

Book’em Danno enters from a neck second to Brunacini in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Perryville on October 19 at Keeneland. He closed along the inside but could only get up for second. He maintained a 10-for-10 on-the-board record, highlighted by the Woody Stephens, in addition to a Grade 1-placing in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in August at the Spa and a head defeat to Forever Young in the Group 3 Saudi Derby in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

“If he gets through, he wins pretty easily,” Ryan said of the Perryville. “We got blocked and a horse came over on him at the eighth pole. It cost him a few lengths; we were the best horse but what can we do"”

Book’em Danno is one of four Grade/Group 1 winners in the Cigar Mile [Mullikin, Locked and Senor Buscador], along with being one of five millionaires [Law Professor, Senor Buscador, Coastal Mission, Post Time]. Book’em Danno will carry 120 pounds - four pounds less than favorite Mullikin and second-choice Post Time’s 124.

“It came up pretty salty. It is a Grade 2 now and used to be a Grade 1, but it is tougher now than when it was a Grade 1,” Ryan said. “Over the years, you always get good horses coming into it. This is his first time going against older horses, but we are dropping a little weight, so that’s got to help.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard from post 1.

“You’d rather be outside, but we seem to be getting this a lot. The last time he got the one hole, Irad got him out of there and he won in the Woody Stephens, so we’ll leave it up to him,” said Ryan. “Good riders don’t need instructions, and bad riders can’t carry them out - that is Lester Piggott’s famous quote.”

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Law Professor on the fence for G2 Cigar Mile presented by TwinSpires

John Holleman’s graded stakes-winner Law Professor is one of five millionaires entered in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile presented by TwinSpires, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Rob Atras, the 6-year-old Constitution gelding has banked $1.07 million through a 24-9-2-3 record and is joined in the one-turn mile handicap for 3-year-olds and up by fellow millionaires Senor Buscador [$12.9M], Post Time [$1.1M], Coastal Mission [$1.09M], and Book'em Danno [$1.01M].

However, the stacked field, which includes four Grade 1-winners amongst 11 entries, has the connections considering re-routing Law Professor to a title defense of the nine-furlong Listed $150,000 Queens County on December 29 here.

“The race came up a little tougher than I was anticipating and every week I was hearing about another contender. So, we’re on the fence of scratching and waiting for the next race – the Queens County,” Atras said. “It [the Cigar Mile] has horses that are fast sprinters stretching out – it’s going to be a fast pace, and I don’t think they’re going to come back. I’m thinking it might put our horse out of his game a little bit – sitting close just off the pace but well within himself.”

Atras said he will discuss options with the connections ahead of Saturday’s test and make a final decision.

Law Professor has proven successful at a one-turn mile here – including a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure for a February 23 optional-claiming score – but Atras believes that the gelding is more effective against graded company when stretched out to nine furlongs as he was in a 1 1/4-length second to Life Is Good in the 2022 Grade 1 Woodward here.

“The Queens County is a good pot - $150,000 – and I think we’ll be one of the top two or three contenders,” Atras said. “That race [February 23] was a much different set-up. We were involved in the race early and we’re sitting just off decent [but not excessively fast] fractions.”

Law Professor launched his career with trainer Michael McCarthy topped by a victory in the off-the-turf 2021 Grade 2 Mathis Mile at Santa Anita Park. He then made 12 starts for Atras from September 2022 through February 23 that included Listed wins in the restricted Tapit at Kentucky Downs in September 2022, the Queens County here last January and the local Listed Excelsior last April.

The talented dark bay sold for $230,000 at the Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale and made one start for trainer Wade Rarick when seventh in the Lake Ouachita in May at Oaklawn Park before returning to the Atras barn.

Law Professor was under consideration for both the Grade 2 Woodward and Grade 3 Vosburgh here in late September, but Atras gave the gelding time and he responded with a hard-fought nose score over well-regarded Bendoog in a nine-furlong optional-claiming tilt on October 25 here. He earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort and the third-place finisher, Tabeguache, came back to win a well-rated optional-claiming mile here.

“He’s had some behavioral problems in the morning – which we have mostly ironed out right now – but we were having trouble getting his breezes in order and we were a little worried about fitness,” Atras said. “But his last three works going into that last race were good and everything was setting up nice. I’d like to do that again before we put him in the box again.”

Law Professor has breezed back four times over the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile in 50.86 November 30.

Kendrick Carmouche is named Saturday from post 6 with Law Professor assessed at 15-1 on the morning line. Carmouche captured this event in 2020 when it was a Grade 1 with 7-1 shot True Timber.

Atras will debut Lianna Stables’ Tale of the Tail [post 11, Manny Franco], a chestnut daughter of Vekoma, here in Race 6 on Saturday, a six-furlong maiden sprint for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies.

“I do like that filly. It’s not an easy race, but I like her post,” Atras said. “I think she has ability. She might need a race to put it all together, but she definitely acts like she can run.”

The $50,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale purchase, a half-sister to dual stakes-winner and first-out victress My Italian Rabbi, is out of the Golden Missile mare Golden Miss.

Tale of the Tail has breezed extensively over the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile work from the gate in 50.89 on December 1.

“The gate work was good,” Atras said. “She’s popped out of there a couple times in the last few weeks. She’s pretty sharp out of the gate.”

Atras noted that Red White and Blue Racing’s multiple graded stakes-winner Neat, a last-out seventh in the Grade 3 Bryan Station on October 26 at Keeneland, has shipped into Fair Grounds to prepare for his 4-year-old campaign.

“We just got him back in at Fair Grounds first thing this morning,” Atras said. “Originally, we were going to target Keeneland in April, but maybe we can look late March since we got him back a little earlier. We haven’t picked anything out yet.”

The 3-year-old Constitution colt banked $850,130 through four wins this year, including scores in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston, the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland, the Grade 3 Manila at Belmont at the Big A and the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga.

Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Kentucky homebred Chasing Liberty has won 3-of-4 starts for purse earnings of $770,901 in a solid juvenile campaign.

The Constitution colt was elevated to victory in the Listed Juvenile Sprint in September at Kentucky Downs and followed with a troubled fourth in the Listed Indian Summer in October at Keeneland. He returned to winning ways last out when stretched out to one mile to post a neck score in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on November 1 at Del Mar.

He worked back a bullet three-eighths in 36.20 November 30 over the Fair Grounds dirt with an eye towards the Texas Turf Mile for sophomores on January 25 at Sam Houston.”

“We had sent him out to the farm for 10 days and then brought him down to the Fair Grounds. He was starting to get a little tricky for the rider to hang on to, so I thought we better do something with him,” Atras said.

Robert V. LaPenta and Madaket Stables’ dual graded stakes-placed Way to Be Marie was last seen finishing third in the Grade 3 Pebbles here while returning from a five-month layoff in the one-mile jaunt over firm footing to finish 3 1/4-lengths back of the victorious No Mo Candy.

“She ran really good. That was a tough field,” Atras said. “She came out of it well and we sent her down to Fair Grounds pretty much right away.”

Way to Be Marie has worked back twice over the Fair Grounds main track, including a half-mile in 50.80 Wednesday. She is pointing to the $100,000 Pago Hop, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for sophomore fillies on December 28 at Fair Grounds.

The daughter of Not This Time, a $95,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, romped to a frontrunning allowance win against elders over the Fair Grounds turf in March ahead of a close runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Edgewood in May at Churchill Downs. Way to Be Marie bled in a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Regret in June at Churchill and was given time off.

“She bled a little bit, so we sent her to Fair Hill – to the hyperbaric oxygen chamber – and gave her a little break. She had been going for a long time,” Atras said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a good winter campaign with her."

***

Rice well-represented in weekend stakes at Aqueduct

Trainer Linda Rice has entered four horses entered in stakes races this weekend at Aqueduct Racetrack as Ain’t Broke, Movie Moxy, St. Benedicts Prep and Fortuna Mia all eye their first top-level victories.

Ronald P. Stewart’s Grade 3-placed Ain’t Broke is cross-entered in both Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand at one-mile and Sunday’s six-furlong Garland of Roses. Rice said still has not decided which race Ain’t Broke will contest as of Thursday morning.

“I wanted to look at both races and she’s coming off a long layoff,” Rice said. “Maybe the race on Sunday is slightly easier. We’re going to give it some thought and figure out which one.”

Ain’t Broke has not raced since May when finishing off-the-board in the Grade 2 Ruffian here. The daughter of Dialed In was reported to have bled in that race and did not return to the work tab until mid-September.

A $75,000 claim out of a win last September at Churchill Downs, Ain’t Broke has been a model of consistency for Rice, winning 3-of-6 starts since and placing in two others. She made her graded stakes debut in April with a rallying half-length second in the Grade 3 Distaff to Shidabhuti. Should Ain’t Broke race in the Go for Wand, she would face a field that includes her stablemate Movie Moxy, as well as Shidabhuti.

“We gave her the summer off and she’s come back well, so we’re excited to get her going,” Rice said, adding that she and Movie Moxy’s adaptable running styles would compliment each other in the Go for Wand.

Movie Moxy, campaigned by Rice with Marequest, enters from a determined neck victory over stablemate and Garland of Roses aspirant St. Benedicts Prep in a November 22 optional claimer going one-mile here. The daughter of Street Sense has finished a game second in three local stakes events this year, including a narrow defeat two starts back when a half-length back of Evidencias in the nine-furlong Turnback the Alarm on November 3.

“She’s really in good form right now,” Rice said. “We’ve gotten a couple races with good efforts back-to-back with her and she’s been breaking well. I was really pleased with the Turnback the Alarm and she ran very well. She’s pretty versatile between a mile and a mile and an eighth – she can do either one.”

The seasoned 7-year-old holds a lifetime record of 36-6-9-9 with $579,108 in total purse earnings. She, too, was an astute claim for Rice, who haltered her for $25,000 out of a seven-furlong sprint in January 2023 here.

Jose Lezcano will ride Movie Moxy from post 4 while Eric Cancel has the call from post 7 aboard Ain’t Broke in the Go for Wand. In the Garland of Roses, Ain’t Broke was assigned post 2 with Cancel named to ride.

Rice’s other Garland of Roses hopeful is Stewart’s St. Benedicts Prep [post 3, Jose Lezcano], who was last seen finishing second to Movie Moxy in the aforementioned optional claimer here. The 4-year-old Flatter filly makes her second stakes appearance after a fourth in the Listed Pumpkin Pie two starts back on November 3 here.

St. Benedicts Prep was claimed for $80,000 out of a win in April at Keeneland and has three wins in seven starts since, including a 10 1/2-length trouncing of a local seven-furlong allowance in May. While the talented bay is often seen on the lead early, Rice said she is confident St. Benedicts Prep can be adaptable in race tactics.

“She’s raced really well for us this year, so hopefully we can get her some black type here,” Rice said. “I think she’s fully capable of sitting off the pace. I see no reason she couldn’t.”

Rice’s other graded stakes hopeful this weekend is KEM Stables’ Fortuna Mia [post 3, Eric Cancel] in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle for juvenile fillies going nine furlongs.

The Vekoma bay made her first two starts for trainer Rey Hernandez – including a third in Churchill’s Listed Debutante in June – before being purchased for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale and moving to Rice. She finished fifth in her first outing for new connections in the off-the-turf Bolton Landing in August at Saratoga Race Course and fourth last out in the one-mile Listed Tempted on November 2 here.

Rice said she gave Fortuna Mia some time between races to mature and progress in her training.

“Based on her training, she’s somewhat one-paced and I felt all along that this filly would appreciate more distance,” Rice said. “She’s a little nervous and fragile mentally, so we just gave her some time. She doesn’t show any brilliant speed, but she’s very steady, so my thought is she’ll improve as the distance gets longer. A mile and an eighth is a real test, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Fortuna Mia is out of the winning Cairo Prince mare Windy Lane, a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Fioretti and stakes-winner Louisville First.

Outside of stakes competition, Rice has also entered a pair for a salty Friday optional claimer [Race 4], led by Barry Schwartz’s dual graded stakes-placed New York homebred El Grande O [post 6, Dylan Davis].

The sophomore son of Take Charge Indy returned from a seven-month respite last out on October 24 with a narrow victory in a local 6 1/2-furlong allowance versus elders, earning a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure for the three-quarter-length win over Toxic Gray.

Rice said El Grande O’s last start and his start tomorrow – both at 6 1/2 furlongs – are stepping stones to the one-mile state-bred Alex M. Robb on December 28 here.

“He’s training really well. We wanted to give him a couple of easy steps and then there’s a New York-bred stakes at the end of the month if things go well,” Rice said. “Because of the timing, we’re back at six and a half, but ideally he’ll be best at seven-eighths or a mile, one turn.”

El Grande O won a pair of state-bred stakes as a juvenile and continued his good form into the first half of his sophomore campaign with placings in three local Kentucky Derby preps ahead of his layoff.

Rice’s other entrant is Bramito [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche], who gets back to the distance that saw him earn his last trip to the winner’s circle in a first-level allowance in August at the Spa.

Rice, who campaigns the Gun Runner 4-year-old with Italian Stallions Racing, said he can benefit from a sharp pace at the distance.

“I think he’s a good closing sprinter,” Rice said. “Sometimes we think he needs more ground, but I’m not sure about that. I think he’s been pretty effective when he’s closed sprinting, he just needs some fast fractions to close into.”

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Carlos Martin sees bright future for Patricia Ann and Friend Ofthe Devil

Blue Devil Racing Stable’s Patricia Ann returned from a nearly seven-month layoff with a 3 3/4-length score in a six-furlong allowance on Friday at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained by Carlos Martin, the sophomore Enticed filly took on elders and tracked the pace under Jose Gomez before spurting clear, stopping the clock in 1:09.77.

The performance earned a career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure and notched Patricia Ann’s first victory outside the maiden ranks. She finished second here in a seven-furlong March optional-claimer and unseated Gomez when going one-mile at the same level in May here ahead of the respite.

“I thought it was really excellent. She always showed some talent as a young horse. She had a little episode earlier this season after she was second where she was the inside post going one mile. She kind of jumped at some shadows there and set us back a little bit,” said Martin. “She trained super for this race, but going six furlongs for a big filly who broke her maiden going one mile is a little bit of trepidation to see how she would run going that short.”

Martin said he likely will send Patricia Ann through her next allowance condition with a possible target of the one-mile Listed $150,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational on February 22 here.

“I'd like to go through another condition to hopefully something like the Heavenly Prize at the end of February or something like that, going a mile would be a beautiful spot,” said Martin. “Obviously everybody's looking to get their fillies or mares stakes placed or stakes wins, to enhance the value, which would be awesome.

“I like the way the schedule is here in the winter. The progression goes perfect for us,” Martin continued.

Patricia Ann, a $20,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, is out of the Rahy mare Soother, who produced multiple stakes-winner Carotari, in addition to stakes-winners Canisy and Fuerza Naval. She is named for Martin’s late sister-in-law Patricia Ann Wagner.

“We only paid $20,000 for her - Canisy wasn’t as established then. It is an old family with the Rahy mare Soother. We were able to buy her [Patricia Ann] and it seemed like everything came together when I called Marc [Holliday] from Blue Devil,” Martin said. “Rahy was such a great old school type of broodmare sire, it just kind of came together… It was special for the pedigree to come alive and the name. We didn’t really know how good she was.”

Martin also spoke on Blue Devil Racing Stable and Jerold Zaro’s Friend Ofthe Devil, a last-out winner on turf who is nominated to the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way, a seven-furlong test for eligible state-sired juveniles on Saturday, December 14 here.

The Honest Mischief bay was a distant finisher in two efforts on dirt at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a pacesetting graduation in a six-furlong state-bred turf sprint on October 31 here. He earned a career-best 73 Beyer in victory.

“It is an interesting spot. He disappointed us on the dirt his first two races. He always trained like a horse that could run on either surface,” said Martin. “For a half-million, I definitely want to take a long look at it, there is a possibility that it is worth a try, there is also an allowance race the day after, so a couple of options.”

Martin said Friend Ofthe Devil, whose second dam Sluice produced a Grade 1-winner on dirt in Mushka, deserves another shot on the main track before the year's end.

“Before I send him to the farm and just consider him a grass horse, he trained well enough at Saratoga to give him one more chance on dirt,” Martin explained. “I am definitely going to keep my options open. I’m going to work him this Friday and then know more.”

Bred in New York by Laurel Least, Farview Farm and Robert M. Tugel DVM, Friend Ofthe Devil, out of the Bodemeister mare Fabuleux, was a $145,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale.

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Pretty Ana to get a freshening after G3 Comely score

Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Pretty Ana is due for some time off after notching her first stakes victory in Saturday’s nine-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Comely at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the sophomore daughter of Quality Road was a determined winner after setting the pace under Jose Lezcano and being met with a challenge from Alpine Princess in the far turn. The two battled head-and-head down the stretch with Alpine Princess appearing poised to sweep by on the outside, but Pretty Anna dug in and got her head down first at the wire to land the victory in a final time of 1:49.99. The effort was awarded a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

Brown said he was especially pleased with the performance after she narrowly lost the Grade 2 Mother Goose on October 26 with a troubled neck third to Tarifa.

“I’m so thrilled that she has won this Grade 3. She’s Grade 2-placed and she’s starting to really develop into a really nice horse going long on the dirt,” Brown said.

Pretty Ana is now the second graded stakes-winner produced by the Grade 2-winning Giant’s Causeway mare Quiet Giant, who notably produced Hall of Famer and top sire Gun Runner.

“Obviously she’s quite valuable being a half-sister to Gun Runner, so we’re super pleased with the result,” Brown said. “She’s due for a little freshening now, so I’m going to send her down to my Payson Park base and figure something out for the spring.”

Pretty Ana made her first five outings for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, which included a second-out graduation in February at Fair Grounds Race Course. The Comely was her first win since transferring to Brown earlier this summer. She made her first two starts for Brown over turf before switching back to dirt for the Mother Goose.

“I see a horse that’s really coming around,” Brown said. “She’s always trained really well on the dirt, I just really ran her on the turf the first couple times because when she was transferred to me, that was what the idea was. Certainly she’s bred for it – by Quality Road and out of a Giant’s Causeway.

“After a couple starts, it was clear to me that she didn’t run on the turf like she trained on the dirt, so we circled back and she’s run two huge races for us,” Brown continued. “Honestly, she just ran to her training. This horse in the mornings is super impressive, and I haven’t seen any horses really be able to get by her.”

Pretty Ana now holds a 9-2-0-3 record with $203,869 in total purse earnings.