Walter Wlodarczyk Photo

Scottish Lassie works at Belmont Park in preparation for Breeders’ Cup

by NYRA Press Office

• Scottish Lassie works at Belmont Park in preparation for Breeders’ Cup

• Joseph, Jr. provides an update on New York-crew: Skippylongstocking, The Queens M G, Batucada

• G1-placed New York-bred Mo Plex works for $200K Sleepy Hollow

Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish, Corms Racing Stable and trainer Jorge Abreu’s Grade 1-winner Scottish Lassie worked Sunday at Belmont Park in preparation for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 1 at Del Mar.

The daughter of McKinzie was among the first to breeze after the training track reopened at 7:30 a.m., and was guided through her exercise by jockey Jose Lezcano, who piloted her to victory last out to the graduate in the Grade 1 Frizette on October 5 here.

Scottish Lassie worked outside of Jody’s Pride, runner-up in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and was about one length behind as they came to the wire to complete a half-mile in 49.50 seconds, according to NYRA clockers. Scottish Lassie ranged up to sweep past her workmate into the track’s first turn and galloped out strongly in front.

Abreu said he wanted an easier work for Scottish Lassie in her first effort since winning the Frizette by an impressive nine lengths.

“Lezcano said they went pretty well and in the gallop out, she was full of herself,” Abreu said. “I told Lezcano I didn’t want her to get head-and-head right away. I was just trying to get her to relax. First breeze back, I didn’t want her going in 47 or anything like that.”

Scottish Lassie is the first graded stakes-winner for Abreu, who was a longtime assistant for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito and for four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Chad Brown before going out on his own in 2016.

The veteran horseman said it has been a special experience to prepare a horse of Scottish Lassie’s stature for an event like the Breeders’ Cup.

“It’s nerve-wracking day by day,” Abreu said, with a laugh. “But she’s doing everything right. She’s feeling good and she came out of her race in pretty good shape. She’s got a pretty good head on her and has always been that way since Day One.”

Abreu added Scottish Lassie will work once more at Belmont on either Friday or Saturday before heading to Del Mar.

Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen Stable’s sophomore filly Jody’s Pride was entered in the six-furlong Listed $150,000 Glen Cove that was originally slated for October 11, but did not re-enter when the race was rescheduled for the 18th and subsequently won by the Brad Cox-trained Ellen Jay.

Abreu said Jody’s Pride will instead target the one-mile Grade 3, $175,000 Pebbles on November 8.

“I didn’t want to go three-quarters against the filly for Brad Cox,” Abreu explained. “She’s been great. She’s ready to run a good race. I could have re-entered in the race, but the more I thought about it, I said, ‘we’ve been running her long, why do we want to cut her back to three-quarters?’”

Jody’s Pride posted a strong juvenile campaign last year that included a 10 1/2-length romp to win on debut that August, and a 3 1/4-length score in the off-the-turf Listed Matron here en route to her gutsy second to subsequent Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Just F Y I at the Breeders’ Cup. She will make her first start since an uncharacteristic seventh in the Grade 1 Ashland in April at Keeneland, which followed a win in Aqueduct’s Listed Busher Invitational in March.

NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Parkland Thoroughbreds’ multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Venti Valentine was also on the Sunday tab for Abreu, covering four furlongs in 47.11 in company. The 5-year-old daughter of Firing Line is targeting the $250,000 Empire Distaff on October 27 at Belmont at the Big A in what is slated to be her final start before going through the sales ring as Hip 209 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The six-time stakes-winning chestnut boasts a 24-7-6-5 record with $918,600 in purse earnings. Bred by Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable, she is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Espresso Shot and dual stakes-winner Landed.

***

Joseph, Jr. provides an update on New York crew: Skippylongstocking, The Queens M G, Batucada

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. provided an update on some of his high-level horses that worked this week at Saratoga Race Course, including Skippylongstocking, The Queens M G and Batucada.

Daniel Alonso’s multiple Grade 1-placed multimillionaire Skippylongstocking is under consideration for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic or Dirt Mile on November 2 at Del Mar. The 5-year-old Exaggerator horse breezed a half-mile in 49.42 seconds on Wednesday on the Spa’s Oklahoma dirt training track.

“He’s doing good. He is going to work back again this week - one more work before the Breeders’ Cup,” said Joseph, Jr. “We haven’t decided yet, I would say right now we are probably leaning towards maybe the Mile, but no decision just yet. We are going to pre-enter both tomorrow. Most likely we are going to the Mile.”

Joseph, Jr. said the two-turn mile configuration at Del Mar could be to Skippylongstocking’s benefit.

“If the mile was one-turn, we definitely would not go. The two-turn mile, that definitely plays into the decision,” said Joseph, Jr. “It is not decided yet, but we are definitely leaning towards the mile right now.”

The multiple graded stakes-winning Skippylongstocking finished third in last year’s Dirt Mile won by Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish at Santa Anita Park.

C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable’s Grade 3-winner The Queens M G returned to the tab on Friday on the Oklahoma with a half-mile effort in 50.55. The Thousand Words dark bay was a vet scratch prior to the start of the Grade 1 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies on October 5 at Belmont at the Big A - a "Win and You're In" affair for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Joseph, Jr. said the dominant winner of the Grade 3 Adirondack in August at the Spa will likely turn to the one-mile Listed Tempted on November 2 at the Big A.

Morgan Joseph and Carrie Brogden’s Batucada was defeated a head by the heavily favored Chad Brown-trained Grade 1-winner Raging Sea in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Beldame last-out on October 6 at Belmont at the Big A. The 4-year-old Union Rags gray worked a half-mile bullet on Wednesday in 47.20 seconds on the Oklahoma, fastest-of-22 workers at the distance.

Batucada’s Beldame showing, a heartbreaking defeat at odds of 22-1, was enough for connections to consider the nine-furlong Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 2 at Del Mar, while also eyeing the one-mile Grade 3 Bayakoa on that day’s undercard.

“We haven’t decided yet, but she might pre-enter in the Distaff or run on the same day in the Bayakoa,” said Joseph, Jr. “We were trying to get a graded stakes-placing on her resume, but to run that close behind Chad Brown’s filly was a bit of a surprise. It was gutsy, even looked like she might battle back and get it but got the wrong head bob.”

The Distaff is shaping up to be an extremely competitive renewal, with the prospective field including reigning Champion Older Dirt Mare Idiomatic, multiple Grade 1-winning sophomore Thorpedo Anna, and the aforementioned Raging Sea, among others.

“She ran behind Chad’s filly, who is probably going to be the fourth-choice in there. You are going to have Idiomatic and Thorpedo Anna, maybe they hook up on the front end and there’s a pace collapse,” said Joseph, Jr. “For us to have a chance at winning or hitting the board, you are going to need a pace collapse. If we do take the chance, it is to be sportsmanlike, and see if a racing result shocker happens.”

For his out-of-towners, Joseph, Jr. said Grade 1-placed Soul of an Angel is doing well as she prepares for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. The 5-year-old Atreides dark bay won the seven-furlong Grade 3 Princess Rooney last-out on September 21 at Gulfstream Park, where she breezed back three-furlongs in 35.46 on October 15.

“She is on target for that. She is going to work one more time this week, probably tomorrow,” said Joseph, Jr. “I feel like we are going with a very good chance with her. You would hope you have some pace, and I think she’ll come running.”

***

G1-placed New York-bred Mo Plex works for $200K Sleepy Hollow

R and H Stable’s graded stakes-winning New York-bred Mo Plex worked a half-mile in 50 flat Saturday over the Oklahoma dirt training track at Saratoga Race Course in preparation for a start in next Sunday’s $200,000 Sleepy Hollow, a one-turn mile for state-bred juveniles on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont at the Big A

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart said he clocked the Complexity bay breezing through splits of 13.4, 26.1 and out six furlongs in 1:15.3.

“It was a good work,” Englehart said. “I think my clients would like to run him back in the Sleepy Hollow and then move forward from there.”

Mo Plex was victorious in his first three outings which all came at sprint distances, graduating by 10 lengths here in June and following with a frontrunning one-length score in the six-furlong Grade 3 Sanford on July 13 at Saratoga Race Course.

Mo Plex overcame a stumbled start to eke out a nose score in the Spa’s state-bred Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital on August 25 before finishing a distant third in the Grade 1 Champagne here on October 5 when 7 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Chancer McPatrick.

While Chancer McPatrick will head to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November at Del Mar as one of the favorites, Englehart said he is content to participate in the lucrative New York-bred program for now.

"One of the best things about having New York-breds is there's always going to be New York-bred stakes races,” Englehart said. “If he's going to be an open horse, which I think he's definitely proved he will be - as he develops, we'll get back on that train. Right now, we'll see if we can wrap up one more New York-bred race before the year's out.

"He's had four races so far this year,” Englehart added. “For me, that’s a pretty full body of work as a 2-year-old and I’m looking forward to being able to let him have some down time here shortly."

Mo Plex was purchased for $45,000 by JCE Racing and Legion Bloodstock at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training where the bay worked a quarter-mile in :21 1/5. He is out of the Uncle Mo mare Mo Joy and his third dam is the 1997 Grade 3 Florida Oaks winning Wild Again mare Anklet, who ran second to Glitter Woman in that year’s Grade 1 Ashland.