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Just Katherine headlines Listed $150K Pumpkin Pie

by NYRA Press Office

R.T Racing Stable’s graded stakes-placed Just Katherine brings class and sprinting prowess to Sunday’s Listed $150,000 Pumpkin Pie, a seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, on Closing Day of the fall meet at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Jose Jimenez, the 4-year-old Justify bay has competed at seven furlongs in her two efforts since a fourth in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Shuvee in July at Saratoga Race Course. When cutting back to seven furlongs, Just Katherine was third in the two-turn Pink Ribbon in August at Charles Town ahead of a last-out optional-claiming win around one turn on September 20 here.

“I’ve tried working her for seven furlongs. I don’t work her for long distance, that’s why I want to run her in there,” said Jimenez. “She’s good everywhere, but I think seven furlongs is better for her.”

Just Katherine’s last-out local victory was not her only good showing over Sunday’s course and distance, she was also a neck second to Accede in the Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses in June. Before that, she competed primarily at route distances, but never hit the board in graded attempts, including the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx Racing, Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, Grade 3 Comely here and Grade 3 Bayakoa at Oaklawn Park.

Jimenez said Just Katherine [post 1, Javier Castellano] appreciates the seven-furlong distance, but not necessarily when contested around two turns in the Pink Ribbon at Charles Town.

“That track is different, like it is too small for her. That was too difficult for her because she was not comfortable on the track,” Jimenez said. “But she is running too good in seven furlongs all the time.”

Just Katherine has posted two half-mile breezes over the Belmont Park dirt training track since her last effort, including in 50.66 seconds on October 25 and 49 flat on October 16.

“She’s training good. She feels good. I worked her two times already and she’s doing good,” Jimenez said.

Just Katherine, out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Reve Enchante, is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Dream It Is, who won the 2017 Grade 3 Schuylerville over six furlongs at Saratoga. She was an $85,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Stephen Rousseau’s Nic’s Style [post 5, Junior Alvarado] was a four-length second to Grade 1-winner Ways and Means – who is among the favorites in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar – after setting the pace in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom last-out on September 29 here. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 4-year-old Uncaptured bay was previously 3-for-3, including a gate-to-wire win sprinting six furlongs in August at the Spa.

The Florida-bred Nic’s Style romped in her first two starts, which were for trainer Ralph Nicks at Gulfstream Park, including a 10 1/4-length state-bred optional claiming score in December off a layoff since a debut win in May 2022.

Nic’s Style, a $25,000 purchase at the 2021 OBS October Yearling Sale, is out of the Street Sense mare Sense When, a half-sister to stakes-winner Holding Aces. Her second dam is Grade 1-placed Will O Way.

One would be hard-pressed to find a claim that has had as much immediate success as St. Benedicts Prep [post 4, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Linda Rice. The 4-year-old Flatter bay was haltered for $80,000 out of a win in April at Keeneland, and after unseating her rider in her first outing, won three of her next four starts.

St. Benedicts Prep’s trio of wins for Rice and owner Ronald P. Stewart have come at seven furlongs, including a 10 1/2-length allowance trouncing in May here, in addition to two close wins at the Spa.

Rounding out the field are stakes-placed Dazzling Move [post 7, Jorge Ruiz] for trainer Michael Trombetta; the Jimmy Ferraro-trained 10-time winner Khali Magic [post 8, Ruben Silvera], Rachel’s Rock [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] for conditioner Michelle Giangiulio, Braganza [post 2, Joel Rosario, blinkers ON] for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. and Zadorsky [post 6, Manny Franco] for conditioner Whit Beckman.

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Rice enters Amanda’s Folly and Movie Moxy in Listed $150K Turnback the Alarm

Trainer Linda Rice has entered a pair of contenders in New York-bred stakes winner Amanda’s Folly and dual stakes-placed Kentucky-bred Movie Moxy in Sunday’s Listed $150,000 Turnback the Alarm, a nine-furlong route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Movie Moxy [post 2, Jose Lezcano] will look to breakthrough in stakes company for Rice, who co-owns with Marequest. The 7-year-old Street Sense mare was claimed for $25,000 in January 2023 out of a runner-up effort here and has posted a 14-3-4-3 record since while never finishing worse than fifth.

She has made a pair of Listed stakes starts for Rice this year at the Big A, finishing second in both the one-turn mile Heavenly Prize Invitational in February and the nine-furlong Top Flight Invitational in April.

Movie Moxy, who was last seen finishing third in an optional-claiming mile on August 3 at Saratoga Race Course, worked five-eighths in 1:01.50 on October 22 over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

“She breezed dynamite, galloped out strong and is in really good form. I’m hoping for a good race for her. She needs to run,” Rice said.

Rice also entered Amanda’s Folly [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who finished a distant third in Sunday’s Empire Distaff here while racing off a more than three-month respite. Owned by Rice, the 4-year-old New York-bred Mendelssohn bay has banked $467,040 through a 22-6-4-4 record topped by a neck victory in the off-the-turf state-bred Ticonderoga last October here.

Amanda’s Folly, out of the winning Notebook mare Privacy, is a half-sister to Ancient Secret, who captured the Spa’s 2016 Grade 2 Lake George over 1 1/16-miles of firm turf.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out Klaravich Stables’ Signal From Noise [post 1, Flavien Prat], who finished third last out in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Beldame here October 6 in her graded stakes debut.

The 5-year-old Arrogate mare sports an 11-2-4-3 ledger for purse earnings of $237,790 that includes a runner-up effort to Shotgun Hottie in the Listed Lady Secret last June at Monmouth.

Signal From Noise, out of the graded stakes-placed Harlan’s Holiday mare Holiday Soiree, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Vahva – a top contender in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar.

James Wigan and Denford Stud’s Evidencias [post 4, Joel Rosario] secured her first U.S. win last out with a rallying score in the Obeah traveling 1 1/16-miles over the Delaware Park main track.

The 5-year-old Drosselmeyer mare was a four-time winner in her native Brazil, including scores in the 2022 Group 1 Henrique de Toledo Lara on turf and last year’s Group 2 25 de Janeiro on the main track.

Evidencias, whose second dam is dual Grade 1-winning turfer Fiji, debuted for trainer Christophe Clement last October here, and has posted a 9-2-3-3 record in the U.S. that includes main track stakes placings when third in both the local Ladies in January and the Caesars Wish in August at Laurel Park.

Rounding out the compact field is the Norman Follett-trained three-time winning New York-bred Racing Colors [post 5, Jose Gomez], whose most recent win came in a state-bred optional-claiming mile here in February.

Sunday’s nine-race card features the Listed $150,000 Turnback the Alarm in Race 2, the Listed $150,000 Pumpkin Pie in Race 6 and the $150,000 Discovery in Race 8. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

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/.

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