NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Walsh says one-turn mile will suit Just a Game (G1) aspirant Zofelle

by NYRA Press Office

• Chalon, in her 6-year-old bow, hopes for fast track in Saturday's G3 Vagrancy
• McGaughey debuts pair of well-bred sophomores in Saturday turf maiden
• Midnightcharly set for seasonal debut in G2 True North
• G1 H. Allen Jerkens on the radar for Captain Bombastic

Trainer Brendan Walsh said a one-turn mile is the right fit for stakes-winner Zofelle, which is why he will send the 4-year-old Zoffany bay to Belmont Park for Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Just a Game over the Widener turf course.

Owned by Heider Family Stables, Zofelle was third, beaten a neck in the Grade 3 Mint Julep on May 30 at Churchill Downs, where she broke from the outside, tracked the pace in third and maintained her position down the stretch while in pursuit, but was unable to hold off the late charge of Secret Message and stablemate La Signare.

Zofelle joined Walsh's barn last fall after racing in Great Britain for Hugo Palmer and won her first three North American starts for the trainer, two of which were at a mile, including a stakes win in the Pago Hop on December 28 at Fair Grounds.

"I think that in an ideal world, a mile is her trip," Walsh said. "We drew wide last time and [jockey] Corey [Lanerie] had to work to put her in the race. The draw and having to use her early on didn't help us. It was the best race she's run since we got her. The one-turn mile is right up her alley. I think that suits her better and that's why I wanted to run her up there."

Notching a victory in Saturday's race will be no easy task, as she will have to face Breeders' Cup winners Newspaperofrecord and Uni.

"It's a tough race, but it will suit her well. She's training well and I think that she'll run well," Walsh said.

Bred in Ireland by Fullbury and Minch Bloodstock, Zofelle is out of the Galileo broodmare Height of Elegance, who is a half-sister to Group 1-winner Sequoyah - the dam of Irish champion Henrythenavigator. She also comes from the same family as 2013 Breeders' Cup Turf winner Magician.

Walsh said he plans on running La Signare, who won the 2018 Grade 3 Wonder Again at Belmont, in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland following a runner-up effort in the Mint Julep. The French-bred daughter of Siyouni beat Zofelle two starts back in the Sand Springs at Gulfstream Park.

"She's doing well, and we have the Jenny Wiley under consideration," Walsh said. "We're lucky to have two very nice fillies. Hopefully, they can hold their own against Grade 1 company."

*         *         *

Chalon, in her 6-year-old bow, hopes for fast track in Saturday's G3 Vagrancy

Lael Stables' Chalon was slated to make her 2020 debut in the $80,000 Harmony Lodge on Friday, June 5 at Belmont Park. With rain preventing a fast track, trainer Arnaud Delacour instead chose to extend her layoff a few more weeks, resulting in her entry in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Vagrancy for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Contested at 6 ½ furlongs over Belmont's Big Sandy, the 70th running of the Vagrancy will mark Chalon's first start since a fourth-place effort in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America on October 5 at Keeneland.

"I'm very happy with her. I think she's been training great," Delacour said. "She was in three weeks ago but we had a lot of rain and I didn't want to bring her back on a sloppy track, so we passed on the race. She breezed twice since and I've been very happy."

Chalon has registered six of her seven career wins on fast tracks, going 6-6-1 in 16 starts on the surface as part of a 18-7-7-1 overall record. Getting ready to make her first start as a 6-year-old, the Dialed In mare will be running at Belmont for the first time since finishing second to Separationofpowers in the Grade 3 Bed o'Roses in June 2019.

A five-time stakes-winner, Chalon has a propensity to start campaigns with wins, accomplishing the feat in her debut as a juvenile in 2016 and also winning both her 4-and-5-year-old debuts.

"I thought she was ready the last time but could have used another breeze or two. I'm pretty happy we got the extra three weeks and she looks great heading into the race," Delacour said.

Chalon drew post 3 in the seven-horse Vagrancy, carded as Race 7 with a 4:32 p.m. post time. She is the 5-2 second choice behind 7-5 favorite Come Dancing, who drew post 5. Other contenders include Mother Mother [4-1] and Royal Charlotte [7-2].

"It's not an easy spot and we respect the competition," Delacour said. "Come Dancing is the class of the race, but I'm very happy with Chalon. I think a [fast track] will help. I didn't want to try to do anything different. It looks like the weather should be OK. Hopefully, we can see her on a good day.

"She's very versatile. She just does her thing. I just hope for a good break and whatever happens, happens."

Jockey Jose Ortiz will ride Chalon for the first time. Paco Lopez was in the irons in her last two starts, including a win in the Roamin Rachel in September at Parx.

"She's pretty fast. I'll leave it up to Jose and I'm happy with the third post," said Delacour.

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's Lucrezia came out of her fourth-place finish in last Saturday's one-mile Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Acorn in good order, Delacour reported.

Gamine garnered all the headlines for that race, when she romped the seven-horse field of sophomore fillies by 18 ¾ length in the fastest-ever Acorn in 1:32.55.

Lucrezia, a two-time stakes winner, was coming off a runner-up effort in her graded stakes debut in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks in March. Stepping up to a prestigious Grade 1, she stalked Gamine through the opening-quarter mile in 22.48 seconds before falling back, eventually finishing behind Pleasant Orb and Water White to just miss out on more black type.

"She came back very well. I wish we didn't pressure the pace on the winner, who is obviously a very good filly," Delacour said. "She ran a decent enough race. But we were all running after the winner, who is obviously very talented."

After starting her career with a second-place effort in a six-furlong sprint on October 5 at Keeneland, Lucrezia ran on turf in her next two starts, posting a two-length win at 5 ½ furlongs on October 23 before running fifth in the six-furlong Stewart Manor on November 10 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Delacour moved the Kentucky homebred back to dirt for her next four starts but left open the possibility of a return to grass for her next spot.

"We haven't ruled out running back on the turf," Delacour said. "She broke her maiden [there] and got a pretty good number doing so. I wouldn't rule out going a mile or so on the turf for her." 

*         *         *

McGaughey debuts pair of well-bred sophomores in Saturday turf maiden

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey has made a career out of campaigning thoroughbreds with prestigious pedigrees, and the trainer will debut two pedigree-rich horses in Patriot Game and North Carolina in Race 6 on Saturday over Belmont's Widener turf course going seven furlongs.

Owned by Stuart Janney III and Phipps Racing Stable, Patriot Game is by Honor Code and out of the Unbridled mare Lady Liberty making him a half-sibling to the McGaughey-trained 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb.

McGaughey also conditioned Honor Code, who captured the Grade 1 Met Mile at Belmont and Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in 2015 en route to honors as Champion Older Horse.

"He looks more like Honor Code, but he's not quite as big or as long as he was. Body wise he's more like Orb," McGaughey said. "We just need to see what his running style is like. He's been training pretty well."

The Kentucky homebred will be piloted by jockey Dylan Davis from the far outside in the field of ten.

McGaughey also sends out Joseph Allen's North Carolina, a son of Speightstown out of the French stakes-winning Montjeu broodmare Baroness Richter and comes from the same family as French Group 1 winner Nadia.

The Kentucky homebred chestnut colt is a direct descendant of the highly prolific Almahmoud, who is considered one of the greatest turf matriarchs of all time and was the second dam of all-time greats Northern Dancer and Halo.

"He's training well. He had a good work back and I'm looking forward to running him. I think that a race will help him. He's got a nice turf pedigree so we'll see what he does," McGaughey said.

North Carolina will break from post 8 under Jose Ortiz.

Trainer Chad Brown will send out Peter Brant and Three Chimneys Farm's $1.1 million Keeneland September Yearling Sale acquisition Johnnypump.

Johnnypump is by Quality Road and out of the Mineshaft broodmare What'smineismine, whose dam Spring Star produced Spring Quality, winner of the Grade 1 Manhattan in 2018, and two-time graded stakes winner on grass Holiday Star.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will pilot Johnnypump from post 5. 

Charles Fipke's Ima Pharoah has been second in all three of his career starts but will attempt to make her turf debut a winning one for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Slated as the 2-1 favorite, the Kentucky homebred is out of Ima Dixie Girl making him a half-brother to 2016 Met Mile champ Mor Spirit - a multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire. He was most recently second beaten five lengths at Gulfstream Park and was narrowly beaten to next-out winner Cajun Brother on debut in March at the South Florida oval.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard from post 6.

*         *         * 

Midnightcharly set for seasonal debut in G2 True North

Uptowncharlybrown and Godric's Midnightcharly will make his seasonal debut in Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 True North, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up at Belmont Park that will be headlined by Grade 1-winner Promises Fulfilled.

Trained by Ed Coletti, Jr., the 5-year-old Uptowncharlybrown chestnut boasts a record of 15-6-6-1 with purse earnings of $349,808. Bred in Pennsylvania by Godric, Saturday's test will mark the gelding's first venture outside his native state.

"He's training well and seems to have come back to his same self. I think he'll run well," said Coletti, Jr., whose father, Ed, Sr., trained Uptowncharlybrown at the end of his career.

A winner of the 2019 Lyman Handicap against fellow Pennsylvania-breds, Midnightcharly was a rallying second to True North rival Firenze Fire last out in the Fabulous Strike in November at Penn National.

Firenze Fire, trained by Kelly Breen, was fourth last out in the Grade 1 Runhappy Carter won by Vekoma on June 6. Midnightcharly scratched out of the Runhappy Carter and instead posted a bullet five-eighths breeze in 1:00.01 on June 13 at Parx.

"The Carter came up a little salty for his first race back, so instead of running him in the Carter I wanted to put a good work into him and have him ready for this race," said Coletti, Jr. "It's a good field. Firenze Fire will probably run a little better this time in his second race back for Kelly. Hopefully we can outrun him this time. We couldn't catch him last time at Penn National, but maybe we'll catch him this time."

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the call on Midnightcharly from post 2.

Coletti, Jr. has also entered Uptowncharlybrown Stud's Wait for It in the True North, but the stakes-placed Pennsylvania-bred could re-route to a Parx allowance event.

"We're on the fence with Wait for It. There's an allowance race here that we'll consider," said Coletti, Jr.

The 5-year-old bay boasts a record of 21-7-5-2 with purse earnings of $324,078 and would be making his first start since a fifth in the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial on March 14 at Laurel Park.

Manny Franco would have the call from post 4 should Wait for It ship to Belmont.

"He likes to be in the game early," said Coletti, Jr. "If Manny can place him well early that will leave him in good shape to be battling. He should be laying close."

*         *         *

G1 Allen Jerkens on the radar for Captain Bombastic

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart said Thursday he would not rule out the possibility of running Mike Lee winner Captain Bombastic against open company in the Grade 1, $300,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial presented by Runhappy on August 1 at Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by Team Hanley, the Forty Tales chestnut added a second stakes triumph to his ledger in the seven-furlong Mike Lee for New York-bred sophomores on June 14 after a pair of runner-up efforts against open company at Oaklawn Park. As a 2-year-old, Captain Bombastic won the Sleepy Hollow on Empire Showcase Day, October 19 a head better to his stablemate Cleon Jones.

"I'd love to think we would be competitive in a race like the Allen Jerkens. I'm not saying that's where we're pointing but it's on our radar," Englehart said. "He would have to be just as sharp or sharper than he was going into the Mike Lee. Obviously, we could go against New York breds, there are a couple of options for him. It's all about timing and how the horse is doing."

Captain Bombastic was bred in New York by Chester and Mary Broman and is out of the multiple stakes-placed Cat Thief broodmare Stolen Star. He was bought for $80,000 from the 2019 Ocala Breeders Company's 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and was consigned by Sequel Bloodstock.