Chelsea Durand Photo

G2 Jim Dandy-winner Fierceness returns to work tab

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• G2 Jim Dandy-winner Fierceness returns to work tab
• The Queens M G on target for G1 Spinaway; Skippylongstocking to G2 Charles Town Classic
• Sterling Silver earns 86 BSF in Johnstone Mile score
• Smoken Wicked set for G2 Saratoga Special, Tough Catch works well towards G1 Hopeful

Repole Stable’s Kentucky homebred Fierceness returned to the work tab Thursday for the first time since his determined one-length victory over Sierra Leone in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun on July 27, posting a half-mile in company with graded stakes-winner Surprisingly in 49.59 seconds over the Saratoga Race Course main track.

“Perfect,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said of the work. “We originally scheduled it for tomorrow, but that [the weather] looked dicey, so we went today. He did really good and seems very happy. He went with Surprisingly for a nice, steady half and was moving well. It’s what we were looking for and he did it very willingly.”

Fierceness, the reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, is now likely pointing for the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers on August 24 here after the defection of stablemate Mindframe, who has been sidelined due to bone bruising. Fierceness, by City of Light, already has two Grade 1 scores on his resume after taking the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November and Florida Derby in March.

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Another Travers hopeful on Thursday’s work tab here was three-time Grade 1-winning filly Thorpedo Anna, who covered five-eighths in 59.59 seconds over the Spa’s Oklahoma dirt training track.

Trainer Kenny McPeek said in a post on “X,” “Thorpedo Anna work[ed] this morning at Oklahoma 59.2 galloped out 1:12.1. I decided at 4:30am to work her this morning in expectation of rain from Hurricane Debby.”

Owned by Nader Alaali, Mark Edwards, Judy B. Hicks and Magdalena Racing, Thorpedo Anna will vie to become the first filly since Lady Rotha in 1915 to win the Travers. She won the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs ahead of two top-level scores at Saratoga in the DKHorse Acorn in June and Coaching Club American Oaks on July 20.

West Paces Racing, R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing and Pine Racing Stables' dual Grade 1-winner Dornoch worked a sharp half-mile over the Spa main track, covering the distance in 47.20 seconds for the second-fastest effort of 172 works at the distance.

Trained by Danny Gargan, the son of Good Magic is targeting the Travers after back-to-back scores in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in June here and the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell on July 20 at Monmouth Park.

Klaravich Stables' stakes-winner Unmatched Wisdom also worked in prep for the Travers, covering a half-mile in 49 seconds flat over the main track. Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the son of Cairo Prince is undefeated in three starts, including the local nine-furlong Curlin last out on July 19 with a wire-to-wire trip. 

Corporate Power, runner-up in the Curlin, covered three furlongs in 38.68 over the Oklahoma. Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey for Donald Adam's Courtlandt Farms, the Curlin bay won the Sir Barton in May at Pimlico Race Course. 

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The Queens M G on target for G1 Spinaway; Skippylongstocking to G2 Charles Town Classic

C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable’s newly-minted graded stakes-winner The Queens M G returned to the track Thursday for the first time since her nine-length romp in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the daughter of Thousand Words doubled up on Spa stakes victories after a redeeming win in the Listed Schuylerville on July 11, a vast improvement from her first start for her current connections when a distant seventh in the Astoria on June 6 here. The Queens M G will now set her sights on a third stakes conquest at Saratoga in the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway sprinting seven furlongs on August 31.

“She came out well,” said Joseph, Jr. “The Schuylerville was nice to win, but you still want to get a graded stakes win on the resume, so it was important to get that. On to the Spinaway, all being well.”

The Queens M G was initially purchased for just $3,500 at the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale and debuted with a gutsy head victory over next out stakes winner West Memorial for owner/conditioner Israel Acevedo in April at Keeneland. She was privately purchased by her current owners after that race.

“First time out, she missed the break, rushed up, went wide and was game to beat the filly on the inside of her,” said Joseph, Jr. “She gave the ownership group enough confidence to go and purchase her, and then that first time we ran her [in the Astoria], it didn’t look too good. We regrouped, and from then on, it’s been a dream. We hope it continues.”

The Adirondack was the second graded win of the meet for Joseph, Jr., who also captured the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap on July 24 with Miller Racing’s Spirit Wind. Joseph, Jr. said upcoming targets for the Florida-bred daughter of Bahamian Squall include the local seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina on August 24 or the $500,000 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon going the same distance one day earlier at Charles Town Races.

“She’s doing well and she will probably go to Charles Town, but it’s not 100 percent yet,” said Joseph, Jr. “If she does run here, it would probably be in the Ballerina, but it’s not decided just yet.”

Joseph, Jr.’s other likely Charles Town contender is multiple graded stakes-winner Skippylongstocking, who finished a prominent fifth in the Grade 1 Whitney here on Saturday after being bumped at the start and tracking in second behind pacesetting winner Arthur’s Ride.

Joseph, Jr. said the son of Exaggerator gave his best effort.

“He ran alright, and ideally he doesn’t like to chase that kind of fast pace, but he was in a perfect spot and if you let the winner go any more, he would have won even easier,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We had to chase a horse who is very good, and full credit to the winner – he ran fast and kept going and was the best horse on the day by far.”

Skippylongstocking now targets a title defense in the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic on August 23, a race he won by five lengths in wire-to-wire fashion last year.

“He runs well at most of his tracks, and the first time we took him there we didn’t know how he would handle it,” Joseph, Jr. said of Charles Town’s smaller oval. “But he handled it.”

Joseph, Jr. added he may have at least two more stakes prospects for upcoming events at Saratoga, noting that Movin’ On Up, a three-time winner on turf and synthetic, is possible for a try dirt for the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales on August 17, while impressive off-the-turf maiden winner Reach for the Rose will set his sights on the Grade 3, $175,000 With Anticipation on August 29.

Meanwhile, multiple Grade 1-winner White Abarrio is back under tack after about one month of rest at GMP Farm just outside of Saratoga Springs. The reigning Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winner was last seen finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 8 here for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. before being moved back to the care of Joseph, Jr., who conditioned the son of Race Day from October 2019 through March 2023.

“He’s coming back in on Monday,” said Jospeh, Jr. “No target yet, we don’t even have a date until we start breezing. We’ve got dreams for the rest of the year, but want to let him work before we decide on anything.”

Joseph, Jr. trained White Abarrio to earn the first of his three Grade 1 wins in the 2022 Florida Derby, as well as a score in the Grade 3 Holy Bull prior to that. The talented gray has won more than $5.1 million in purses with a 17-7-1-3 record.

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Sterling Silver earns 86 BSF in Johnstone Mile score

Wednesday’s Johnstone Mile proved to be the perfect rebound spot for Mark Anderson’s Sterling Silver. The one-mile handicap for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up came just two weeks after Sterling Silver attempted graded company in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss here, finishing off the board going six furlongs.

Winning by 9 3/4-lengths and earning an 86 Beyer Speed Figure, Sterling Silver returned to the winner’s enclosure in style showing the competition that her back class was much too strong. Changing her usual style of coming from off the pace, jockey Junior Alvarado kept the mare in third position, close to the frontrunners, and shot up the rail accelerating past the competition to post a decisive victory.

The 5-year-old Cupid gray was making her third start for Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott after joining his barn earlier this spring. Her two previous attempts under Mott’s tutelage were both at six-furlongs, a third-place effort in the Dancin Renee and the aforementioned off the board in the Honorable Miss.

Mott was keen to say the distance was not the single key to her Johnstone Mile score.

“I don’t know if it was her preferred distance, I think she is good at seven-eighths and she proved yesterday she is good at a mile with the proper company,” Mott said.

The mare had not been to the winner’s circle since March when she won a handicap at Tampa Bay Downs going seven-furlongs for her original trainer Thomas Albertrani.

Mott said Sterling Silver came out of her win in fine order with no immediate plans for her next start.

“She looked fine this morning,” Mott said. “I don’t know if there is anything else for her this meet. I probably wouldn’t run her back on short rest again. I will give her the proper amount of time between races and see what comes up.”

Bred in New York by Mallory Mort and Karen Mort, Sterling Silver, out of the unraced Distorted Humor mare Sheet Music, improved her record to 25-8-3-4 with $837,301 in earnings.

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Smoken Wicked set for G2 Saratoga Special, Tough Catch works well towards G1 Hopeful

Valene Farms’ stakes-placed Smoken Wicked is ready for his graded stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Dallas Stewart, the Bobby’s Wicked One chestnut enters from a second last-out in the six-furlong Listed Bashford Manor on June 30 at Churchill Downs. There, he was reluctant to load and clipped heels coming to the five-sixteenths, dropping to 10th-of-12 before coming again with a seven-wide rally for a good second.

“I was really thrilled with his last race, it was terrific. He came back. He’s a big, strong colt and looks like he likes his job,” said Stewart. “He came out of it well, came up here and he’s trained very professionally and honest.”

It was his first effort for Stewart after winning a Louisiana-bred sprint on debut for conditioner Sturges Ducoing on June 1 at Evangeline Downs.

“He’s Louisiana-bred, but then we made the decision to take him up to Churchill. He trained very well, he put on weight. He ran hard, so this is the next step,” Stewart said. “This progression for the two-year-olds is what we are looking for.”

Since his last effort, Smoken Wicked has worked four times over the Oklahoma dirt training track, including a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.25 on July 20, fastest-of-10 at the distance.

“His works are perfect, very superb,” said Stewart. “It is all about the way they train, their mannerisms and how they are handling things. He is very professional.”

Out of the winning Street Boss mare Street Smoke, Smoken Wicked was a $38,000 purchase at the 2023 Breeders Sales of Louisiana Yearlings and Mixed Sale. He is tabbed at a morning line assessment of 9-2 breaking from post 1-of-9 under Tyler Gaffalione.

Stewart has another promising juvenile colt in Tough Catch, an impressive debut winner on July 13 here who will likely next contest the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful on September 2 at the Spa.

The Complexity gray led gate-to-wire to win his 5 1/2-furlong debut sprint by three-quarter lengths over $900,000 yearling purchase Innovator. He breezed a half-mile over the Oklahoma dirt twice since the win, including a bullet 47.80 seconds on August 4, fastest-of-112 workers at the distance.

“We gave him a big, strong work three weeks before the race. Now, we will just give him a couple easy ones and he will be ready to roll for the Hopeful,” said Stewart. “That is the progression and that is where he belongs.

“He works by himself. He is very fast. He doesn’t need company,” Stewart added regarding the bullet work.

Stewart said despite Tough Catch’s sharpness, which earned a 78 Beyer Speed Figure in victory, he may prefer to employ other tactics in the Hopeful. He cited last year’s edition of the race, where half of the 10-horse field battled through a 22.19 seconds opening quarter-mile and 44.89 half-mile, allowing 54-1 shot Nutella Fella to climb from last-to-first as the pace melted.

“I was watching last year’s Hopeful. You can get burnt out in 21 and 44. We don’t want that to happen,” Stewart explained. “We need him to rate a little bit and finish strong. He did everything right [last-out]. He is a very good horse.”

Tough Catch, a $280,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the winning Broken Vow mare Try to Catch Her. He is owned by Stewart in partnership with On Our Own Stable, S.O.K. Racing, Gervais Racing, and Zak Stables.