Chelsea Durand Photo

Highland Falls a live contender in G1 JCGC, as is Immersive in G1 Spinaway

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• Highland Falls a live contender in G1 JCGC, as is Immersive in G1 Spinaway
• Millie Girl ships in for G2 Flower Bowl
• Miuccia has designs on graded black type in G3 Prioress
• Future Is Now registers 91 BSF for Smart N Fancy victory
• Pandagate earns career-best 90 BSF for Albany victory

Godolphin’s Grade 3-winning Kentucky homebred Highland Falls seeks his first top-level score in Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 1 1/4-mile test for 3-year-olds and up, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the 4-year-old Curlin chestnut is one of two members of the seven-horse field that are yet to compete at the Spa. While he does not possess local experience, Highland Falls brings an 8-4-2-1 record that includes a win in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Blame in June at Churchill Downs.

In his one effort at Sunday’s distance, Highland Falls was a closing fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March at its namesake oval. He exited the performance to run a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure when second in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in April, which is the third highest number in the field behind Arthur’s Ride’s 111 and 110.

“It’s a good spot for him. I think he likes the mile and a quarter. He ran well going a mile and a quarter in California, but listen, he’s accomplished more since then. He’s got more seasoning and a good foundation,” said Cox. “I think if he breaks and gets a good clean run, he will be there at the finish. He’s a horse we always thought would excel at a mile and an eighth and beyond, and he always shows up.”

In his last race, Highland Falls put in a late run to finish behind returning foe Tapit Trice in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 20. Florent Geroux was aboard for the last six starts, with Flavien Prat picking up the mount Sunday from post 6.

“I’m hoping we are a little more involved than we were in California,” Cox said of the 10-furlong distance and past closing run style. “He is older and wiser. Hopefully Flavien can work out a trip.”

Out of the Grade 1-winning Awesome Again mare Round Pond, Highland Falls is a half-brother to Group 1-victor Long River, who finished third in the 2014 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.

“He is a typical Curlin, they get better with age. He’s continued to move well throughout the year. Based on his last effort, he deserves an opportunity in a Grade 1,” said Cox. “We’ve had this race on our radar for a while now. We were hoping to win at Monmouth but didn’t. We ran well but didn’t get the greatest trip, once again, hopefully we can get a good trip.”

The Jockey Club Gold Cup offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1, $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Cox is also looking forward to sending out Immersive in Saturday’s local Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway, a seven-furlong test for juvenile fillies. The Godolphin Kentucky homebred by Nyquist won her lone start by two lengths over returning foe Salted going six furlongs on July 21 here.

Immersive will exit post 1 in rein to Manny Franco, tabbed at 8-1 morning line odds in the 11-horse field.

“I love her. I think she is a very, very good filly. I think she will stretch and like the seven-eighths,” said Cox. “I don’t like the post. She is going to have to overcome that. I don’t really see her on the lead, but we will ask her to run out of there and get a good position.

“Hopefully she can handle the dirt from the kickback if she is put in that position. I think if she gets a good trip, she will be right there,” Cox added.

Cox said that he was encouraged by the fact that Immersive held off the Hall of Famer Mark Casse-trained Salted, who is out of the Grade 1-winning mare Salty.

“Obviously they think a lot of that filly and I thought we held her off that day and continued to gallop out well,” said Cox. “Our filly is a great physical. She has size, I think the longer the better, and this is a natural progression in regard to stretching out.”

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Millie Girl ships in for G2 Flower Bowl

Trainer Catherine Day Phillips boasts an impressive win record at Saratoga Race Course, shipping in from her Woodbine Racetrack base to win 2-of-3 starts, including scores with Jambalaya in the 2005 Grade 3 Saranac and Mr Havercamp in the 2019 Grade 3 Forbidden Apple.

Day Phillips returns to the Spa on Saturday with dual Grade 3-winner Millie Girl who travels away from Woodbine for the first time in 14 career starts to contest the Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl. The 11-furlong inner turf test for older fillies and mares offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Del Mar.

Bred in Ontario by Sean Fitzhenry, Millie Girl went unraced as a 2-and-3-year-old and was purchased by Day Phillips for $67,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Millie Girl is from a familiar family being out of the Day Phillips-trained Smart Strike mare Mendocino Beano, who is a half-sister to Tennessee Lamb, dam of the aforementioned multiple graded stakes-winner Mr Havercamp and the impressive maiden winner Tallboy Tuesday for the Canadian conditioner.

Mendocino Beano, who took honors as the 2023 Sovereign Award winner for Outstanding Broodmare, has produced five winners from five horses to make it to the races, including Tone Broke, who won two-thirds of the 2019 Canadian Triple Crown, dual stakes-winner Stallion Heiress and stakes-placed Conquest Fleetfeet.

“Millie Girl had some developmental and behavioral issues as a 2-and-3-year-old and Sean was a little frustrated with her lack of progress in the racehorse department, so he put her in the sale,” Day Phillips explained. “We really liked her and wanted her to stay in the barn, so we put together a little group to keep her. She’s from the same family as Mr Havercamp and Tallboy Tuesday and I have a lot of faith in that family, so I was really excited to have her back.”

Now campaigned by the conditioner with Kingfield Racing Stable, Braconcrest Inc., and Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds, the 6-year-old Hard Spun mare won her first two career starts in the summer of 2022 and made her stakes debut last June with a closing third in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Royal North over firm turf. She has remained in stakes company since, posting Tapeta scores in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Ontario Matron in October and the 10-furlong Grade 3 Maple Leaf in November en route to Sovereign Award honors as Champion Older Main Track Female.

Although yet to win this year, Millie Girl has hit the board in each of her last two outings in Grade 2 company over good turf when a close third in the one-mile Nassau in June and second last out in the nine-furlong Canadian.

Day Phillips said the dark bay mare has made considerable progress.

“Patience has been the key – letting her develop at her own speed. She has directed her own tour, to be honest, and we’ve just followed along,” Day Phillips said.

Millie Girl has utilized closing tactics for the majority of her starts, but Day Phillips said the mare has enough tactical ability if needed.

“She does her own thing. She does have a little bit of speed although she’s developed into a late runner,” Day Phillips said. “I wouldn’t want to see her too far back, but an honestly run race would be good.”

Day Phillips said the talented mare, who boasts a 14-5-3-4 record for $415,830 in purse earnings, would enjoy a significant boost to her profile with a good result on Saturday.

“She’s Grade 2-placed here, but to be Grade 2-placed at Saratoga would be a big deal. She’s a hard-trying mare and she seems to rise to the occasion,” Day Phillips said.

Millie Girl, listed at 20-1 on the morning line, will exit post 6 under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano in a nine-horse field headlined by multiple Grade 1-winner War Like Goddess [post 1, Junior Alvarado, 7-5] and Grade 1-winner McKulick [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 3-1].

The Flower Bowl is slated as Race 12 on Saturday’s 13-race card, which co-features the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway in Race 11 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Prioress in Race 10. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

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Miuccia has designs on graded black type in G3 Prioress

Miuccia, named for the Italian designer and business woman Miuccia Prada, will look to make the grade in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Prioress, a six-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Campaigned by JR Ranch, the Mitole bay will race away from Gulfstream Park for the first time after posting a record of 5-2-1-0 at the Hallandale Beach oval topped by a win in the six-furlong Game Face on June 1. Miuccia arrives from a troubled second in the seven-furlong Azalea on July 13 where she exited the inside post and landed 9 1/2-lengths back of Haulin Ice.

Gustavo Delgado, Jr., son and assistant to trainer Gustavo Delgado, said he is hopeful Miuccia will get a better trip Saturday when exiting post 1-of-9 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

“She's a pretty nice filly. Last time, she didn't get a good trip,” Delgado, Jr. said. “She had the one hole - which again she has now - but I would say in the last race she was one of the favorites and everyone was looking at her to see what she was doing. I think it's different this time and they won't pay much attention to her and leave her alone.”

Delgado, Jr. said Miuccia has thrived at Saratoga where she has breezed four times, including a bullet half-mile solo in 47.85 seconds Saturday over the Oklahoma dirt training track.

“She seems to like Saratoga. She's had a couple breezes and last time I would say she went a little faster than we wanted, but so far, she’s handled everything well. She's showing good signs,” Delgado, Jr. said.

The $230,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the Speightstown mare Bay Harbor, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Grace Adler and Grade 3-winner Pyrenees, who is entered in Sunday’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup here. Miuccia’s 2-year-old half-sister Briland made a winning debut here earlier this month for trainer Chad Brown.

“I would give credit to Ramiro Restrepo for picking her out at the sale,” Delgado, Jr. said. “He noted the pedigree and suggested it was a nice family. We only went to the sale to confirm she was fine.

“It's a nice family,” Delgado, Jr. added. “They're runners and hopefully she can get into the graded ranks - she's definitely on the improve.”

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Future Is Now registers 91 BSF for Smart N Fancy victory

R. Larry Johnson’s Maryland homebred Future Is Now was awarded a 91 Beyer Speed Figure for a half-length victory in Friday’s Listed $150,000 Smart N Fancy, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Michael Trombetta and piloted by Paco Lopez, the Great Notion 4-year-old tracked a half-length off the pace set by Lady Milagro, who marked splits of 21.62 seconds and 45.30 over the firm going with Star Guest sitting third before pouncing to a narrow advantage at the stretch call outside of Future Is Now. The two went head-and-head through the stretch with some bumping between them, but it was Future Is Now who narrowly prevailed in a final time of 1:03.19. A stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run resulted in no change to the order of finish.

Trombetta said a logical next target for the talented bay is likely the Grade 2 Franklin on October 13 at Keeneland.

“She seems well and came out of the race good,” said Trombetta. “We’re a little bit undecided, but I think the primary goal is the Franklin.”

Future Is Now enjoyed a tremendous summer at the Spa, including an additional stakes conquest when making the grade by a head in the Grade 2 Intercontinental presented by MTV Solutions on June 7 and finishing a close third in the Grade 3 Caress presented by Albany Med Health System on July 25.

“She’s had a great summer up there and did really well on that track,” said Trombetta. “She tried really hard and accomplished a few good things. I’m just grateful it went as well as it did.”

Additionally, Future Is Now’s strong campaign includes a win in the The Very One in May at Pimlico Race Course and a close second in the Captiva Island in March at Gulfstream Park. She boasts an overall record of 13-6-1-1 with $431,435 in total purse earnings.

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Pandagate earns career-best 90 BSF for Albany victory

Adelphi Racing Club, Madaket Stables, Corms Racing Stable and On The Rise Again Stable’s Group 2-placed Pandagate captured Sunday’s featured $250,000 Albany, a nine-furlong test for New York-bred sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the Arrogate gray’s one-length score over Doc Sullivan maintained a perfect record in the Empire State, all versus fellow state-breds, including a maiden on debut in October at Belmont at the Big A, the Gander in February there and the New York Derby in July at Finger Lakes.

Pandagate’s recent score earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It was very good. He’s been running well. He is consistent, and he has been winning, so we like that,” said Clement. “He is doing good and back at Belmont Park. Belmont is better for him because that is his normal surroundings, so he is back there and I’m very happy with the way he looks.”

Before the scores in the New York Derby and Albany, Pandagate displayed his ability when third in the Group 2 U.A.E. Derby in March at Meydan Racecourse. Clement said the overseas venture before the two state-bred stakes was always the plan.

“It worked out. Exciting when it works out, no?” Clement said, with a laugh. “We always thought after the Gander that Dubai made a lot of sense. Then Finger Lakes and the Saratoga race. If I thought he could have run in open-company earlier, I would’ve done it.

“It just made sense to keep him in the New York-bred division,” Clement continued.

Clement said no plans have been made yet for Pandagate’s next race.

“On the sheets, he actually ran the same number three times. Three times in a row, so he is very consistent and he is a very nice horse,” Clement said. “He is a nice horse, we are all very much enjoying it.”

Pandagate, bred by Fred W. Hertrich, III, is out of the stakes-placed Sky Mesa mare Kitty Panda, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Akilina. Both Kitty Panda and Akilina were trained by Clement.