CD Photo

Idea Generation garners 96 BSF for G2 Flower Bowl score

by NYRA Press Office

• Idea Generation garners 96 BSF for G2 Flower Bowl score
• Spa fave Brightwork returns victorious in G3 Prioress
• Immersive records career-best 84 BSF in G1 Spinaway win, on to G1 Alcibiades
• Appleby trainees Al Qudra, Mountain Breeze prepare to head to Woodbine

Klaravich Stables’ Idea Generation earned her first victory against winners in style when going wire-to-wire to capture Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl, a 1 3/8-mile inner turf test for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, Idea Generation was guided by Florent Geroux through easy splits of 26.08 seconds, 51.92, 1:18.20 and 1:43.58 over the yielding footing with a large lead over Parnac before post-time favorite War Like Goddess swung off the rail from sixth to make her bid for the front. McKulick, Idea Generation’s multiple graded stakes-wining stablemate, also made an off-the-pace rush for the front, but neither mare could catch Idea Generation, who won by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 2:18.97.

Brown expressed his pride in the effort from Idea Generation, as well as McKulick to hold onto show honors by a head while two lengths back of War Like Goddess.

“She came out of it good,” said Brown. “I was pretty comfortable. She was going pretty easily out there, and the longer the race went on, I was feeling like she had a chance to wire them. I thought McKulick still had a good chance – she was moving up good on the turn, but Idea Generation just had another gear. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with either one of them yet.”

The Flower Bowl was the 12th graded stakes win at the Saratoga meet for Brown, who has clinched his seventh training title at the Spa with two days left in the 39-day meeting. Among those graded wins was Thursday’s 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 With Anticipation with recent European import Zulu Kingdom, who scored with a well-executed ride by Flavien Prat to dive inside in the stretch and prevail by a neck over Tenacious Leader.

Brown said the juvenile son of Ten Sovereigns, owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael Caruso, will now point to the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim on September 28 at Belmont at the Big A, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Del Mar.

“He’s good, and we’re pointing to the Pilgrim,” said Brown. “I was very impressed with how he went through that hole there. He’s been a horse who trained really good – looked around a lot; I thought he may have needed a race to sort of get his sense about him in America, but man, he was more mentally prepared than I expected. I was very pleased with that.”

Bred in Ireland by Ecurie Peregrine SAS, Zulu Kingdom is a perfect 2-for-2 after graduating on debut on June 4 at Saint-Cloud when in the care of conditioner Andre Fabre. Out of the Smart Strike mare Zindziswa, he is a half-brother to French stakes-winner Zulu Warrior.

***

Spa fave Brightwork returns victorious in G3 Prioress

Trainer John Ortiz has enjoyed a tremendous summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, posting an 11-6-1-1 record topped by a winning return from Grade 1-winner Brightwork in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Prioress.

“It's always great to come to Saratoga,” Ortiz said. “It's one of the biggest stages in the world and it's a place where you want to be seen and recognized to be doing well at. Having success at Saratoga is something you want on your resume, but when you crush the meet like we did this year it speaks volumes about our team.”

Brightwork returned from a nearly 10-month layoff in the Prioress, a six-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, and was away alertly from the outermost post 8 under Luis Saez. She pressed the pace of impressive maiden winner Two Sharp through the turn and the two fillies threw it down the length of the lane with Brightwork prevailing by a neck in a final time of 1:10.86. The winning effort matched a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She just proved us right that she's an athlete,” Ortiz said of the game effort. “She looked so tired coming down the stretch and Two Sharp was so game with her, and they had a really good horse race. But you could just see the class and the heart that she has for this game - she loves it. She starts nickering any time you put the saddle on for training. She loves her job, and she definitely proved it yesterday.”

In victory, the Outwork bay remained undefeated in five sprint starts and is also undefeated in three Saratoga efforts, taking the Grade 3 Adirondack and Grade 1 Spinaway here last year.

Ortiz said that all being well Brightwork will point to the seven-furlong Grade 2 Raven Run on October 19 at Keeneland.

“We'll let her tell us where to go next,” Ortiz said. “This is the biggest effort I've seen her lay out in the afternoon - she was running against 3-year-olds that have been running and I want to make sure she comes out of it in good shape and has enough time to recover.”

Among the impressive list of 2-year-old maiden winners this meet for Ortiz were Shortleaf Stable’s Kentucky homebred Quietside and Four G Racing’s Reining Flowers, who both made their stakes debuts this week.

Quietside, by Malibu Moon and out of the Grade 2-winning Speightstown mare Benner Island, romped by 6 1/4-lengths at first asking in a six-furlong sprint on August 4 here. She returned to action in Sunday’s seven-furlong Grade 1 Spinaway and endured a four-wide trip after exiting post 11 with Saez aboard. She made an early move for the lead through the turn, opening up by 2 1/2-lengths at the stretch call but had to settle for second, landing 1 1/4-lengths back of the rallying Immersive.

“We got a little unfortunate with the post which I initially loved, but we did get caught widest the whole race,” Ortiz said. “Luis tried to cut the corner coming out of the turn to get the jump on the girls, but we just got caught. It was a great ride, great effort and we're happy to see she has real ability to come back and repeat a good effort after winning first time out. She proved she is some quality.

“She came out of the race in great form - bright eyed,” Ortiz added. “She ate up her dinner last night and she jogged up sound for us this morning. We're super happy with the winning effort she put out there. Getting caught at the wire is just part of horse racing.”

Ortiz said Quietside is likely to point to the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Alcibiades on October 4 at Keeneland.

“Absolutely. We'll likely go back in the Alcibiades. We think she'll like the two turns in the long term,” Ortiz said.

The Gasaway family’s Four G Racing have enjoyed a tremendous 2024 season as the co-breeders and co-owners of Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Mystik Dan for trainer Kenny McPeek.

They also campaign Kentucky homebred Reining Flowers, a daughter of Midnight Storm, who graduated at third asking in a 1 1/16-mile turf route on July 28 here. A half-sister to the Ortiz-trained graded stakes-placed Crown Imperial, both fillies are out of the winning Congrats mare Mi Fiori – a half-sister to 2019 Grade 3 Poker-winner Gucci Factor.

Reining Flowers made her stakes debut in Wednesday’s Listed P. G. Johnson, stumbling out of the gate from the outermost post 8 in the 1 1/16-mile turf tilt with Saez aboard.

She recovered and trailed in last but was advancing with purpose through the final turn before swinging six-wide into the stretch and closed to finish third just three-quarter lengths back of the victorious Totally Justified.

“The Gasaways have done a good job with their homebreds this year,” Ortiz said. “That filly is just like her sister - they're small fillies but they have a huge stride and cover a lot of ground. They have a big turn of foot. We did lose a little momentum early into the race but Luis kept his composure and knowing the filly has a big turn of foot, he tried to make a move at the right time and we were just a little short. That's another filly that ran a winning effort.”

***

Immersive records career-best 84 BSF in G1 Spinaway win, on to G1 Alcibiades

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Immersive stalked-and-pounced to a 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway, a seven-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the Nyquist bay was making her second start after a victorious debut sprinting six furlongs on July 21 here. To win the Spinaway, Immersive overcame a muddy and sealed track from the post 1-of-11 to draw clear of the favored Quietside late under jockey Manny Franco.

The final time of 1:25.31 recorded a career-best 84 Beyer Speed Figure, a marked improvement from a first-out 68.

“She showed she has a tremendous amount of class to overcome the one-hole. Manny did a good job of putting her in a good position of tracking the frontrunners,” said Cox. “Then she was able to show her stamina and class late to get by a very good filly inside the final sixteenth. She had a big gallop-out and I’m looking forward to getting her around two turns.”

Cox said that Immersive’s target will be the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1, $600,000 Alcibiades for juvenile fillies on October 4 at Keeneland.

“She looked good. We expected her to run big and she did. We always thought she showed the potential to stretch out. She got the seven-eighths and she should handle two turns. We will ship her back to Kentucky on Monday, and zero in on the Alcibiades, and go from there,” said Cox.

The Spinaway was part of the “Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen” Bonus Series, where horses finishing first, second, or third could earn bonuses which can be utilized towards pre-entry and entry fees to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Del Mar.

Also victorious on Saturday at the Spa for Cox was Siena Farm and WinStar Farm’s Federal Judge. The 4-year-old Army Mule gelding earned a 95 Beyer when winning a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer by six lengths over multiple graded stakes-placed Accretive. The effort was his second start off an over one-year layoff.

Cox said Federal Judge could be seen on the same Keeneland card as Immersive in the Grade 2, $350,000 Phoenix, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up.

“It was a big run, second race off a lengthy layoff and he ran big. We might look at the Phoenix with him,” said Cox. “It is a nice weekend of racing there at Keeneland. He is owned by WinStar and it’d be nice for a nice horse to run on a big weekend for that team. We are looking forward to letting him kind of chill out. He will ship to Kentucky and we will go from there.”

Cox’s success at the Spa wasn’t limited to Saturday, as West Hollywood captured the Grade 3 Saranac, a 1 1/16-mile Mellon turf test for sophomores, on Friday here.

The Uncle Mo dark bay was closing down the center of the course and assumed the lead when pacesetting The Big Torpedo sustained a catastrophic injury to his left front leg in the stretch run. The incident caused Cox-trainee Take Me To Church to alter course unseating Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Cox provided an update on both of his runners.

“[West Hollywood] is good, he came out in good order. We will ship south tomorrow and the colt that went down [Take Me To Church] came out as good as you could considering the circumstances. He’s scratched up a little bit but overall, I’m pretty happy with how he came out of it,” Cox said.

Cox said that no spots have been determined for either yet, but the Grade 3, $600,000 Bryan Station on October 26 at Keeneland is under strong consideration because the race is contested at one-mile for sophomores.

On Sunday’s Oklahoma training turf tab was sophomore colt Army Officer, who breezed a solo half-mile in 48 1/5 seconds, according to NYRA Clockers. The Not This Time dark bay last ran seventh in the one-mile Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on August 2 here.

Army Officer is pointed to the $1.5 million Gun Runner, a one-mile test for sophomores on September 8 at Kentucky Downs.

“He just breezed on the turf and we are looking at the Gun Runner at Kentucky Downs. He breezed well today,” said Cox. “We will ship him down tomorrow.”

***

Appleby trainees Al Qudra, Mountain Breeze prepare to head to Woodbine

Trainer Charlie Appleby worked a pair of promising juveniles Sunday on the Oklahoma training turf at Saratoga Race Course, with colt Al Qudra nominated to the Summer and filly Mountain Breeze eyeing the Natalma for females, both one-mile Grade 1 events on September 14 at Woodbine Racetrack.

Al Qudra breezed first, outside of the accompanying Grade 2-winning sophomore Legend of Time, covering a half-mile in 52 1/5 seconds with a strong finish, according to NYRA Clockers.

“The first pair was Legend of Time leading Al Qudra. Al Qudra is due to go up to Canada for the 14th,” said Chris Connett, assistant to Appleby. “It was just a routine work, they looked nice finishing up.”

Al Qudra, a stakes-winning No Nay Never dark bay, awaits his first North American start after a 5-2-0-1 campaign this year in Great Britain highlighted by a win in the seven-furlong Pat Eddery on July 27 at Ascot. Sunday marked his second bit of work over the Oklahoma turf.

“He has settled in really well. He took his time these first few days, taking everything in. It is a big experience coming over here for two-year-olds, training at Moulton Paddocks in isolation to out in the wild of Saratoga,” said Connett. “He’s taken to it well.”

Connett said Legend of Time, who was a last-out close second to Carson’s Run in the 1 3/16-mile turf Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 11, is possible for the Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby, an 11-furlong turf test for sophomores on October 5 at Belmont at the Big A.

“Potentially the Jockey Club Derby down at Aqueduct,” said Connett. “It is very much on the radar for him, then we go from there.”

The second pair to work was Mountain Breeze, a Lope de Vega chestnut, to the outside of sophomore gelding Musical Act. According to NYRA Clockers, Mountain Breeze covered the ground in 51 1/5, a tick behind her workmate who went in 51 flat.

“She is also due to go up to Canada for the 14th,” said Connett. “I think the plan is the 11th of September they head up there which gives them a few days to adjust to Woodbine and hopefully run big on the 14th.

“She is much of the same [as Al Qudra]. She has put in some nice workouts the last two weeks and we are very happy with her,” Connett added.

As for the two-time winner Musical Act, last-out fifth in the Grade 3 Transylvania on April 5 at Keeneland: “No definitive plans have been made for him just yet,” Connett said.