Susie Raisher Photo

Jody’s Pride takes to turf in Friday’s $150K Glen Cove

by Keith McCalmont

Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen Stable’s Grade 1-placed Jody’s Pride will make her turf debut in Friday’s Listed $150,000 Glen Cove, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for 3-year-olds, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Jorge Abreu, the American Pharoah dark bay boasts a 5-3-1-0 record over dirt, including a pair off-the-turf victories to start her career that includes a 10 1/2-length maiden romp last August at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a 3 1/4-length score in the local Listed Matron in October.

Jody’s Pride completed her 2-year-old campaign with a close second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies where she finished a neck back of Just F Y I. She returned to action in March with a 2 1/4-length score in the Listed Busher Invitational here before landing a distant seventh last out in the Grade 1 Ashland on April 5 at Keeneland.

Earlier this summer she worked five-eighths in 1:01.21 on August 30 over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training turf and has since breezed four times over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including a half-mile effort this morning in 49.75 in company with multiple graded stakes-placed Venti Valentine. Jose Lezcano, who will pilot Jody’s Pride from post 7, was aboard for the breeze.

“She's ready to run. She had a really good breeze this morning in company with Venti Valentine,” Abreu said. “I wanted to get a good work into her. She's been training legit every week and Lezcano was very happy with her this morning.

“She loves the turf,” Abreu added. “She had a great breeze over the turf at Saratoga and a good gallop out.”

Jody’s Pride was also nominated to next Saturday’s nine-furlong Grade 2 Sands Point, but Abreu said he preferred to bring her back in the Glen Cove.

“I gave her six months off, and I didn't want to stretch her out too much starting back. So, this is a better distance for her,” Abreu said.

Jody’s Pride is out of the undefeated Parkland Thoroughbreds campaigned Scat Daddy mare Jody’s Song – a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Make Mischief.

LNJ Foxwoods’ Kentucky homebred Ellen Jay [post 5, Flavien Prat] will make her New York debut for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The Constitution bay is out of the brilliant Covfefe, who captured the Spa’s Grade 1 Test as well as the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita en route to 2019 Eclipse Award honors as Champion Female Sprinter and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.

Ellen Jay made her first two starts on dirt at Churchill Downs, including a distant third in June. She followed with a pair of winning efforts sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over the Ellis Park turf, graduating by a nose on July 15 and following last out with a 5 3/4-length score that registered a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

She has worked extensively over the Ellis Park dirt for her return before shipping up to New York and posting a half-mile breeze this morning in 49.15 over the Belmont dirt training track with Cox assistant Dustin Dugas aboard.

“She's been a really solid filly, and they really liked her down there,” Dugas said. “She shipped in earlier this week and had a couple nice gallops over the track. We breezed her here this morning and she did everything really well. She cruised around there in 49 flat with a really nice gallop out. She's been solid since she shipped in. She gets over the dirt really well. She has a really nice way of moving.”

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will send out a pair of strong contenders in Tracy Farmer’s Time to Dazzle and Gary Barber and D.J. Stable’s Ready to Jam [post 9, Dylan Davis].

Time to Dazzle, a Not This Time grey, made the grade in July with a powerful frontrunning performance in the Grade 3 Ontario Collen traveling a one-turn mile over good going at Woodbine. There, she opened up by 5 1/2-lengths through a half-mile in 47.07 and continued to dominate through three-quarters in 1:09.81 en route to a 4 1/2-length score in a final time of 1:33.57 to earn career-best 91 Beyer.

The runner-up of that event, Simply in Front, returned to win the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Music City on September 7 at Kentucky Downs in which Time to Dazzle, under returning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr., was shuffled back at the half-mile marker before making a brave run between rivals to finish fourth, missing show honors by a head to Vive Veuve.

Casse said Time to Dazzle is at her best when racing in the clear, noting trouble lines in her form this winter when seventh in the Listed Ginger Brew and sixth in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride when traveling a two-turn mile at Gulfstream Park.

“She is extremely talented, but she gets herself in trouble,” Casse said. “When I run her two turns, she doesn't handle the first turn very well. When they're rolling into the first turn, if you grab her, she doesn't like it. But when she gets clear sailing, she's pretty good.

“Being shuffled back at Kentucky Downs hurt her a lot,” Casse added. “She had nowhere to go. Santana was pretty frustrated afterwards. Kentucky Downs is a different animal - but it shows you her talent level because if she gets things her way, she runs good.”

Casse said he is hopeful that Santana, Jr. can work out a smooth trip on the cut back in distance from post 8.

“With the three-quarters, she only has to deal with one turn,” Casse said. “Wherever she's comfortable is fine, but more than likely cutting back she's less likely to be on the lead. But who knows with her. She's going to be where she wants to be.”

The $310,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Sir Genghis and stakes-placed Holiday Song, is out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Staria, who is half-sister to graded stakes-winner Patience Game and stakes-winner Star Queen.

Ready to Jam will turn back in distance from an eighth-place finish in the one-mile Listed Winter Memories on September 13 here.

The More Than Ready bay boasts a 7-2-1-1 record with both scores coming in Woodbine turf sprints, graduating at second asking last July ahead of a runner-up effort in the Listed Catch a Glimpse over the same course. She added an optional-claiming victory to her ledger in July ahead of her Winter Memories outing.

Casse said he has struggled to find suitable spots for the $320,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase with many tracks offering turf sprints at shorter than six furlongs. However, he believes Ready to Jam will be formidable if a good pace develops traveling three-quarters at the Big A.

“A filly like her really wants to run six furlongs or seven-eighths, but it's hard to do,” Casse said. “Some horses have a particular distance that they're best at and I'm trying to do the best I can with the races that are out there.”

Ready to Jam is out of the multiple graded stakes-placed Third Dawn, who is a full-sister to the Casse-trained multiple stakes-placed Sky America.

Dede McGehee’s Kentucky homebred Nice as Pie [post 2, Manny Franco] will look to notch her third stakes win of the season for trainer Kelsey Danner.

The Tapiture bay started her campaign with four straight wins at Turfway Park, graduating at second asking on January 3 ahead of an optional-claiming romp three weeks later over next-out allowance winner and multiple stakes-placed Baraye.

Nice as Pie made her stakes debut a winning one with a 2 1/4-length score in the Valdale on February 10 and doubled up on March 30 with a six-length victory in the Serena’s Song.

A half-sister to the Danner-trained Smokin’ Jay, Nice as Pie comes from strong roots being out of the Include mare How Nice, who is a half-sister to stakes-winner House of Grace.

“She's a homebred of Dede's and she's got a really nice family. She was pretty much perfect all winter,” Danner said.

Nice as Pie made her turf debut with a closing fourth after exiting the inside post in a field of 12 in a key renewal of the 5 1/2-furlong Listed Mamzelle on May 11 at Churchill Downs. The Mamzelle winner, Twirling Queen, and runner-up, Toupie, both exited to win stakes events, while third-place finisher Cloudwalker was a next-out allowance winner.

“She hit the gate and broke bad that day. She closed really well but she wants a bit farther than that,” Danner said.

Nice as Pie rallied from last-of-10 to miss by a head in the Penn Oaks on May 31 over firm Penn National footing before taking a break. She returned last out on September 20 with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters, landing 2 1/4-lengths back of the victorious Roses for Debra.

“I thought she ran really good at Penn National just getting beat,” Danner said. “Then, she had a little issue, and we had to turn her out for 30 days. She came back really good, and she's been really impressive in her training.

“I'm a little concerned on shortening her up for the Glen Cove because she acts like she wants to go a little bit farther, but she's been really solid,” Danner added. “I thought she ran a great race last time at Presque Isle. They ran pretty fast at Presque Isle, and I thought she closed pretty well into that.”

Rounding out a talented group are Group 3-winner Kairyu [post 6, Joel Rosario], who finished fifth last out in the aforementioned Grade 2 Music City for trainer Cherie DeVaux; the John Servis-trained Irish Maxima [post 3, Frankie Pennington], who makes her turf debut from a narrow score in the six-furlong Weather Vane on September 22 at Laurel Park; stakes-placed Ms. Tart [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche, blinkers ON] for trainer Todd Beattie; and Agra [post 4, Jaime Torres], who streaks in from a pair of scores against winners for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Golden Degree is entered for the main-track only.

The Glen Cove is slated as Race 5 on Friday’s nine-race card. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

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