Fashion Alert announces presence in Schuylerville
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It was hard fought from start to finish, but Fashion Alert followed up her stakes
winning debut with yet another score in a stakes race when she out dueled rival
Take Charge Brandi late in the game in the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga.
Opening day at the Spa showcased three fine performances by
the 2-year old fillies, but it was in the third race of the day that the Todd
Pletcher trained, George Bolton and Barry Hall owned filly shown. Take Charge Brandi, a chestnut filly
out of last year’s 3-year old champion male Will Take Charge’s sister Charming, took her race to Fashion Alert
early and often. The two ladies, separated by little to nothing, locked horns
and threw down splits of 22:41 and 45:21.
Leaving their other three rivals in their dust, Take Charge
Brandi and Fashion Alert continued to run their own race, wheeling into the
stretch with no one threatening them but each other. Battling down the lane,
someone had to give, and someone finally did. As Fashion Alert looked “Brandi” in
the eye and began to edge past her, the D. Wayne Lukas trained miss grudgingly gave
way. Fashion Alert then took firm control and inched away to a 1 ½ length
victory.
Winning jockey John Velazquez was impressed with his mount’s
performance. “She’s definitely very talented,” he said. “We wish we had a
better break [referencing the filly’s inward bump with Evrybdymstgetstonz] and
got a better position at the first part. She kind of recuperated right away and
got a good position going to the half-mile pole. From then on, I wanted to give
her a breather and see how she did, and down the lane she started leaning into
the horse on the inside. Finally, she started getting away from her the last
sixteenth of a mile. She didn’t break as bad as last time out, but today was a
bit bad. So, I knew she was going to be quick enough to be there anyway.”
Gallant in defeat, Take Charge Brandi finished an excellent
7 ¾ lengths in front of third place finisher Tulira’s Star. Evrybdymstgetstonz and Mast Cove completed the order
of finish.
Pletcher, who saddled 4 previous Schuylerville winners,
stated, “I know that Wayne [Lukas] likes his filly [Take Charge Brandi] a lot.
They got into a prolonged speed duel. You could tell they were both getting a
little tired, but she showed some guts.”
Sent off as the heavy favorite in the short field of five,
Fashion Alert returned $2.40/$2.10/$2.10 for the win and completed the six
furlongs in 1.11:78. Second choice Take Charge Brandi paid $3.40/$2.20, and a
$2 show wager on Tulira’s Star was worth $2.40. The $2 exacta paid a mere
$5.20, and the $2 trifecta returned a mere $9.20.
By Old Fashioned and out of the Tiznow mare Titan Queen, Fashion
Alert is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Renee’s Titan. Purchased by George Bolton for $125,000 at the Keeneland 2013
September Yearling Sale, Fashion Alert is 2 for 2 in her fledgling career. The
filly had previously gone unsold at the Keeneland 2013 January Horses of All
Ages Sale when she did not meet her reserve price.
With the added $100,000 NYRA
bonus offered to any 2-year old to break their maiden at Belmont or Aqueduct
and go on to win a graded stake at Saratoga, the dual stakes winning filly
pushed her career earnings to $250,000. Pletcher indicated after the race that
the Grade 2 Adirondack (August 10) is a possibility for his Fashion Alert but
that they would likely wait for the Grade 1 Spinaway on August 31.
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