Spa undercard: She Feels Pretty steps up among Friday winners

She Feels Pretty has started her 4-year-old season in the same manner she capped her 3-year-old campaign. With a pair of trips to the winner’s circle.

In her second start of 2025, the Karakontie filly scored a half-length victory Friday over game Beach Bomb to capture the Grade 1, $750,000 New York Stakes at Saratoga. That gave She Feels Pretty four consecutive wins as she took the 82nd edition of the New York for older fillies and mares going 1 3/16 miles on yielding turf.

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The 1-2 favorite under Hall of Famer John Velázquez stayed off 30-1 long shot Edict’s early pace in leading the seven-horse field through slow fractions of 24.27, 51.30 and 1:17.56.

She Feels Pretty was urged up out of the turn, but Beach Bomb under Luis Sáez showed strong determination from the inside. With the two dueling at the top of the stretch, She Feels Pretty responded to Velázquez’s urging and gained the slight advantage from the outside in the final furlong, pressing on to the wire with a 2:00.76 final time.

Beach Bomb finished four lengths clear of Bellezza for second with Forever After All, Miwa, Edict and Gimme a Nother completing the finish in that order. Immensitude was scratched.

“She was not loving it at all,” Velázquez said regarding She Feels Pretty persevering over the wet going. “She is just that good that she overcomes that.”

She Feels Pretty won her last two races of 2024 for trainer Cherie DeVaux, capturing the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) in October at Keeneland and the American Oaks (G1) in December at Santa Anita before starting her new season with a 2 1/4-length win in the Modesty (G3) in May at Churchill Downs.

Overall, She Feels Pretty never has finished out of the money, improving to 10: 7-1-2. She returned $3.00 on a $2 win bet and improved her career earnings to $1,784,957.

“Having a filly like that is super special,” DeVaux said. “I think of all things this is what she would least be wanting to do. I don’t think she likes the (soft grass) course. Johnny commented that the first time around she didn’t really tug him around there, but she’s such a professional. She just did it.”

She Feels Pretty has been a consistent contender from the outset of her career, notching wins in the Natalma (G1) as a 2-year-old at Woodbine ahead of a half-length third in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.

The last race in which she did not win was a second by a neck in the Lake Placid (G2) in her previous start at the Spa in August. DeVaux said she decided to add blinkers after that. She Feels Pretty has not lost since.

“(Her last race) definitely set her up for this,” DeVaux said. “This type of turf course is very taxing. You have to have a fit horse. That’s no. 1. I think that’s really what got the job done.”

DeVaux said the $500,000 Diana (G1) on July 12 at the Saratoga could be a possible spot to extend her winning streak.

“That was always the plan for her,” DeVaux said. “As long as she comes out of this in good shape, that will be her next target.”

Ways and Means sprints to win Bed o’ Roses 

Klaravich Stables’s Kentucky homebred Ways and Means loomed large in the turn and sprinted clear with authority to capture the $300,000 Bed o’ Roses (G2), a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and piloted by Flavien Prat, the 4-year-old Practical Joke bay improved her record at the Spa to 5: 4-1-0, led by a score in last year’s Test (G1).

Ways and Means, by the Brown-trained and Klaravich co-campaigned dual Spa Grade 1-winner Practical Joke and out of the stakes-winning Warrior’s Reward mare Strong Incentive, banked $165,000 in victory, while improving her record to 10:5-2-1. The near millionaire was a stylish debut winner at Saratoga in August 2023, and Friday’s victory brought her purse earnings to $997,500.

“She’s very special,” Seth Klarman, proprietor of Klaravich Stables. “We bred her, she’s only 4 and 5-for-10 now with just under a million dollars in winnings. She loves it here at Saratoga. The first thing is realizing she’s special in the first place. Her debut was so great.”

Graded stakes-winner Irish Maxima, who entered on a three-race win streak, wasn’t sharpest away from the gate but rushed up the rail from the inside post under Frankie Pennington to mark the opening quarter-mile in 22.46 seconds over the fast main track with Ways and Means keeping close watch to her outside from second position.

Irish Maxima led the field into the turn with Ways and Means traveling comfortably and dual graded stakes-winner Scylla enjoying a ground-saving trip in third under Hall of Famer Joel Rosario as the half-mile elapsed in 45.16.

Ways and Means floated to the lead late in the turn under no urging as Irish Maxima retreated and Scylla surged up the rail to appear the main danger, but there was no catching the brilliant bay filly, who, with but a single right-handed reminder, coasted home a 7 3/4-length winner in a final time of 1:21.11. She returned $3 for a $2 win bet.

“She got herself into a good place right away,” said Prat, who picked up his third win on the card. “I felt like she was traveling good all the way around. She gave me a good run when I asked her to get going.”

Scylla completed the exacta by 6 1/4 lengths over Jody’s Pride, with Miss Justify, Irish Maxima, Justique and St. Benedicts prep rounding out the order of finish.

Brown said he was thrilled with the effort from Ways and Means.

“She loves Saratoga, and she’s a super nice horse,” said Brown, who picked up his fifth win in this event following past success with Lewis Bay in 2018, Separationofpowers in 2019, Goodnight Olive in 2023 and Accede last year. “She’s won on a sloppy track before, but now that we’re getting to run her more, she now has 10 career starts, you can see she does prefer a fast track.

“I was confident she was training very well, but I’ll tell you, entering that final turn there she was catching a lot of pressure between horses and Scylla is a nice horse and was closer today and getting a nice ground-saving trip,” he added. “I thought maybe it would be quite a showdown in the middle of the stretch there but (Ways and Means) did burst away from there, which was impressive.”

The victory made amends for Klaravich Stables’s promising sophomore Strategic Focus being disqualified from victory just one race earlier. Klarman said the DQ and quality Bed o’ Roses field reminded him that there are no guarantees in racing.

“You’re still nervous with a lot of great fillies in that race,” Klarman said. “There was a lone speed (Irish Maxima) on the rail who didn’t break great but still got the lead. You sort of felt like the jockey was inching up and under control and that’s where we knew she was going to get this done. But you never know until the wire, which is what they proved in the previous race.”

Ways and Means was 3-for-6 last year, including a Spa allowance win against elders last June that earned a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form and a four-length romp in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom in September at Belmont at the Big A.

She entered from a gritty third in the Derby City Distaff (G1) in May at Churchill Downs, racing off a six-month layoff dating to a close fifth as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar.

Brown indicated that Ways and Means would likely target the Ballerina (G1) on Aug. 23 at the Spa, with the possibility of a prep race before that.

“The Ballerina is very late into the season, and I’m going to try to figure out what to do with her before then,” Brown said.

Dynamic Pricing gives Brown 5th win in Just a Game

Friday proved a day to remember for jockey Dylan Davis as he scored his second Grade 1 on the card with Dynamic Pricing in Friday’s $500,000 Just a Game, a one-mile, inner-turf route for older fillies and mares.

Davis, aboard Klaravich Stables’ 4-year-old Night of Thunder bay for the first time in the afternoon, added to a strong win on La Cara in the Acorn (G1).

“Incredible, it really is. It’s very special for me,” Davis said. “This is what I work so hard for in my life to enjoy these moments. It’s just really special, and to do it at home. I have (five) Grade 1 wins, and three of them are at Saratoga, so that’s something special.”

The win also provided Brown with a record-extending eighth Just a Game victory.

“I like winning this race,” Brown said. “I point to it every year. It’s a nice run we are having with this race, making a lot of history, and as long as I’m training, I’ll point to it.”

The victory was the first top-flight coup for Dynamic Pricing, adding to previous graded success in last year’s Edgewood (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Beaugay (G3) last out on May 4 at Belmont at the Big A.

Irad Ortiz Jr.-piloted Kehoe Beach was away quickest in the Just a Game and bounded to the front to lead the field into the first turn and through an opening quarter-mile in 24.25 seconds over the yielding footing. Long shot Do Gooder held second, and Brown-trained Segesta was in third down along the rail.

Dynamic Pricing, away from the inside post, was near the rear of the field heading into the backstretch, sitting patiently as slow-starting A Lilac Rolla advanced to the outside of both her and Simply in Front. The tightly bunched group maintained positions as Kehoe Beach marked the half-mile in 48.82 seconds.

The race was on entering the turn where favored Choisya made her move in the three path and Dynamic Pricing was coaxed along by a patient Davis.

Kehoe Beach still was in front through three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.78 as the field straightened for home. She soon was under threat as Brown-trained Excellent Truth, who was shuffled around in the first turn, came rolling from mid-pack. and Dynamic Pricing split foes in the center of the lane to loom large around stalling Choisya.

Special Wan ducked down to the inside path with a game run as tenacious Kehoe Beach finally was collared. Dynamic Pricing and Excellent Truth came flying down the center of the course inside the final sixteenth. It was Dynamic Pricing who had the superior momentum as she crossed the wire three-quarters of a length in front with a final time of 1:38.77.

Excellent Truth finished one length ahead of Special Wan with Kehoe Beach completing the superfecta. Simply in Front, Segesta, Choisya, Do Gooder and A Lilac Rolla completed the finish in that order. Heredia and Sacred Wish were scratched.

Brown said Dynamic Pricing could target the 1 1/8-mile, $500,000 Diana (G1) on July 12 at the Spa.

“The way she finished there, (the Diana) would be another big step forward, because you’ll meet these horses from (the New York) stepping down in distance, and you move out to a mile-and-an-eighth, where you risk not having the pace to run at,” Brown said. “That Diana, we’ve won it wire to wire and off the pace. She’s probably a good horse to point towards there, especially if it’s wet.”

Bred in Ireland by Epona Bloodstock, Dynamic Pricing was a $204,442 purchase from book 1 of the October 2022 Tattersalls yearling sale. She banked $275,000 in victory while returning $22.00 on a $2 win wager. 

Parchment Party wins off-the-turf Gold Cup

Parchment Party had not visited the winner’s circle in seven starts since a maiden win in late 2023 but returned with aplomb to capture an off-the-turf edition of the $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup.

Originally scheduled for two miles on the inner turf for older horses, heavy rain moved the staying test to 1 3/4 miles over the sloppy and sealed main track. The race will be lowered from what would have been a Grade 2, because it was moved off the turf.

Trained by Bill Mott, Parchment Party drew in as a main-track-only entrant and dominated the marathon affair, skipping clear to an 8 1/2-length score under Velázquez.

Mott said the race's 1 3/4-mile distance when taken off the turf was enough reason to enter the Constitution 4-year-old for the main track.

“(The distance) was why we were in there to begin with,” Mott said. “No matter when we ran him, he’d gallop out in front of his competitors. We tried him on the grass before, and he just didn’t excel on it."

Parchment Party emerged from outermost post 8 and settled in last as the sharp-starting Grand Sonata relinquished command to Yo Daddy, another main-track-only entrant, through the first turn. Kendrick Carmouche-piloted Yo Daddy would dictate the tempo throughout, setting splits of 24.22, 48.71, 1:12.87 and 1:38.56 with a gap back to Curbstone in second and Grand Sonata in third.

Flatten the Curve advanced between rivals heading into the final turn as Grand Sonata and Curbstone backpedaled and Parchment Party steadily made up ground widest of all through 1 1/4 miles in 2:04.75. Yo Daddy clung to a precarious leading exiting the turn with Parchment Party the only one in with a shout as the top two drew well clear of the rest of their rivals.

A game Yo Daddy battled on valiantly, but Parchment Party’s turn of foot proved too strong inside the final eighth of a mile as he drew off powerfully to win with a time of 2:57.86. Yo Daddy was a clear second, 14 1/2 lengths ahead of Padiddle with Flatten the Curve, Curbstone, Mott-trained Timeout, Tawny Port and Grand Sonata completing the finish in that order. Limited Liability, La Mehana, Anglophile, The Ginger Wizard and Lord Flintshire were scratched.

Velázquez said he rode the colt to instruction.

“This is what Mr. Mott told me about this horse. ‘He doesn’t like to be ridden the first part of the race, but he always gallops out,’ ” Velázquez said. “He thought that this distance would be good for him." 

Bred in Kentucky by Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds and owned by Pin Oak Stud, Parchment Party entered from a third in a 1 1/8-mile, optional-claiming allowance May 17 at Churchill. The $450,000 2022 Keeneland September yearling-sale purchase, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner American Patriot and dual graded-stakes-placed Muqtaser, banked $137,500 in victory while returning $16 on a $2 win wager.

The Belmont Gold Cup offered the winner an automatic berth into the Melbourne Cup (G1) worth $5.2 million, continuing the partnership between NYRA and the Victoria Racing Club. Known as the race that stops a nation, the Melbourne Cup will be run Nov. 4 at Flemington in suburban Melbourne.

Mott said he was likely to politely decline the golden-ticket offer, because Parchment Party’s two efforts on turf were an optional-claiming fifth in February and a ninth in Gulfstream Park’s Mac Diarmida (G2) in March in his only other stakes start.

"I’m happy to have won, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to accept the invitation,” Mott said. “I’d love to go to a race like the Melbourne Cup, but when I do, I want to go with the right horse.”

The New York Racing Association announced the move off the turf just before the Ogden Phipps (G1), the preceding race which was the first leg of the $1 late Pick 6 on Friday’s card.