Aqueduct: Just F Y I, Lost Ark, Today's Flavor, M, McKulick win stakes

Just F Y I overtook pacesetter Irish Maxima and Life Talk out of the turn and powered home a 3 3/4-length winner in Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Just F Y I, a debut winner on Aug. 26 at Saratoga Race Course, was undeterred with the step up in class and a sloppy and sealed main track under driving rain at Aqueduct. The daughter of 2018 Triple Crown-winner Justify earned a win-and-you’re-in berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.

Irish Maxima broke well from the inside post and led the six-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.63 seconds and the half in 47.69 seconds, with Just F Y I tracking the speed under Junior Alvarado.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott won his second Frizette overall and first in 25 years, with Just F Y I joining Confessional in 1998 as winners Mott saddled in the prestigious race for 2-year-old fillies.

“(The track) was the big question and we didn't know. You don't know until you run them,” Mott said. “We thought she was a nice filly and, in this day and age, I guess if you break your maiden impressively you're looking at going to a stakes race because there aren't many allowance races.”

George Krikorian, who bred and owns Just F Y I, and Mott had about as good of a half-hour stretch as a horse owner and trainer combination could ever hope for, racking up Grade 1 wins in consecutive races with War Like Goddess winning the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in race 4 before Just F Y I gave him the double in race 5.

“It’s very special. I couldn’t be more pleased. I’m ecstatic,” Krikorian said. “She (Just F Y I) had only run once before. Last time, she got to the lead right at the wire in that race. Going a longer distance, we were hopeful that distance was going to be helpful to her, which it turned out to be. With the bad weather and everything, you never know how the horses are going to do. She handled it all well and she handles everything well.”

Added Mott: “It's very special. (Mr. Krikorian) has been a very good client and he sends me some horses that he thinks are going to be OK. I have a small group of horses for him, but they are all quite nice.”

“I was very happy with what I had under me the whole way around,” Alvarado said. “I was just hoping by the time I let her go, she wasn’t going to fool me. Right when I asked her, she started picking it up. She had that beautiful long stride. Right when she switched leads, I knew she would be OK turning for home. She finished up nice and strong.

“I rode her at Saratoga and she ran a pretty good race,” Alvarado added. “We always knew that she would be a filly that would appreciate stretching out.”

Central Avenue was also a debut winner in August, posting a half-length victory at Colonial Downs for trainer Michael Stidham. The Street Sense filly bested Life Talk by a half length for second in the black type effort.

“She ran well. I like the way she did it today,” Castellano said. “She was very professional going inside on the rail. I cut the corner and there was a lot of kickback coming from behind horses. She handled it really well. It was only the second start of her career and the way she handled the kickback was nice. With a little more distance, she’ll do well. I was satisfied.”

Lost Ark tops Pletcher trifecta in Jockey Club Derby

Lost Ark sailed to victory to lead a Todd Pletcher-trained trifecta in Saturday’s off-the-turf running of the Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby Invitational for sophomores at Belmont at the Big A, which was contested at 1 1/4 miles on the main track after it was originally slated for 1 3/8 miles on the inner turf.

Lost Ark, a half-brother to the Pletcher-trained reigning champion 3-tear-old filly Nest, notched the second stakes score of his career with an off-the-pace move under Kendrick Carmouche, splashing home three-quarter lengths in front of rallying stablemate Classic Catch.

The son of Violence emerged from the outermost post 5 and kept back as Fearless Soldier broke best of all and drew clear to mark an opening quarter-mile in 23.91 seconds and the half-mile in 48.21 over the sloppy and sealed main track.

Down the backstretch, the Pletcher-trained Classic Catch raced last under Florent Geroux after being squeezed at the start and made a move to split rivals Dataman and Anglophile in attempt of making an outside run at the top pair. Fearless Soldier held command into the turn as Lost Ark ranged up to his outside under steady coaxing from Carmouche.

Fearless Solider clung to a precarious lead along the rail at the top of the stretch as a paddling Lost Ark inched his way up to take charge nearing the sixteenth pole with Classic Catch giving chase down the center of the course to take up second. But there was no catching Lost Ark, who completed the course in 2:03.97 and become the first American-based horse to capture this event in its fourth running.

Classic Catch held place honors by 3 1/4 lengths over Fearless Soldier, who fended off Dataman by a head for show. Anglophile completed the order of finish. Measured Time, Faraday, Webslinger and Mondego were scratched.

Lost Ark wore blinkers for the first time in the afternoon, an equipment change Carmouche said allowed his colt to race comfortably near the front end rather than his usual stalk-and-pounce tactics.

“They put blinkers on him and I thought he should have been forward. They wanted me to put him forward,” Carmouche said. “I was sitting in a perfect spot the whole way around there. It was going to be whoever quickened at the end, and none of them quickened. We just galloped around there. I’m glad it came off the turf. I thought I had a decent shot on the grass, but I had an even bigger shot on the dirt.”

Whisper Hill Farm’s Classic Catch, a dark bay son of Classic Empire, was a winner of an off-the-turf allowance going the 10-furlong distance last out on August 9 at Saratoga Race Course. Geroux said the decision to split rivals was necessary after his troubled break.

“The trip was OK. I got squeezed very hard leaving the gate and I think it cost me the race to be honest,” said Geroux. “I thought the fractions were pretty good and we didn't go too slow, but I had to make a move at the three-eighths pole and I think that's probably what I needed for the last eighth of a mile. I was just behind the eight ball from the beginning which is not ideal."

Bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables and owned by Harrell Ventures , Lost Ark, who banked $275,000 in victory, rebounded from a third-place effort in the Saranac (G3) on Sept. 1 at Saratoga in his turf debut. In addition to the Jockey Club Derby, Lost Ark also boasts a win in last year’s Sapling over the Monmouth Park main track. He now boasts a record of 8:4-0-1 with total purse earnings of $538,600 and returned $9.70 for a $2 win ticket.

Today’s Flavor was undeterred by changes in circumstances and weather conditions, wiring a nine-horse field by a half-length in winning the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up that was moved off the turf to the sloppy and sealed main track on Saturday at Belmont at the Big A.

Driving rain forced the six-furlong contest from the outer turf to the Aqueduct Racetrack dirt. But the George Weaver trainee, a Reddam Racing New York-bred, was unfazed by the surface change, going to the front under Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano in leading the field with the opening quarter mile in 22.33 seconds and the half in 45.41 seconds.

Kept to the inside, Today’s Flavor, bred by Joseph Calvo, continued his march to the wire with fellow New York-bred Thin White Duke making a bid from the outside. But Today’s Flavor maintained the advantage and completed the course in a final time of 1:09.74, winning for the second consecutive time and notching his first stakes win since the state-bred Affirmed Success in April at Aqueduct. He entered from a narrow optional-claiming score on Sept. 22 over the Big A turf.

“That type of horse in the dirt, he likes to be put on the lead,” Castellano said. “He was going to the lead and he encourages himself and gets very confident in himself and that was my goal today and it worked out great. It was supposed to be on the turf, but it rained and the conditions worked out in my case for this particular race, especially the way he did it. I'm very fortunate enough I rode him last time on the turf here and covered up a little bit to save all the ground. Today was a different ballgame with the way the track played. I tried to use his speed on the lead and run wire-to-wire.”

Thin White Duke, trained by David Donk and ridden by Jose Lezcano, bested Wit by a half-length for second, with Alogon finishing fourth. Dancing Buck, Pirate Rick, Alexis S, Eamonn and Yes and Yes completed the order of finish. Big Invasion, Fauci and Nothing Better scratched.

“On the turf, he has a different kick,” said Blair Golen, assistant to Weaver. “On here … when he gets the lead, he’s confident. As soon as he gets away from the horses, he settles. You’ll see in his demeanor out of the gate, he runs hard and once he gets on the lead, he just lengthens out his stride and covers a lot of ground. As soon as he feels them or hears them (the competition), he just kicks on.”

Today’s Flavor, the 7-5 favorite, paid $4.80 on a $2 win wager. The 5-year-old son of Laoban improved his career earnings to $474,080.

“His win last time was just an experiment (on turf) because he is a Laoban and he’s a very versatile horse,” Golen said. "They were a little frustrated with him and the way he was going, and they tried to freshen him up over the summer. He breezed excellent, so what’s the worst that would happen? He wouldn’t win? So, now we have a lot of options."

Thin White Duke, bred in the Empire State by his co-owner and former conditioner Phil Gleaves, finished in the money for the third time in his last four starts, including a last-out win in the Harvey Pack on Sept. 2 at Saratoga Race Course.

“He had good 2-year-old form on the dirt with Phil and by the time I ran him on dirt it was longer,” Donk said. “So today, we could run him with a little confidence and I thought he would run well. He just needed someone to go with the winner (Today’s Flavor) a little bit and soften him up. The winner ran huge, but I thought our horse ran really big. He’s still a better grass horse, but this gives us a little confidence if a race comes off the grass now.”

McKulick takes down Waya as heavy favorite

Trainer Chad Brown extended his domination in the Grade 3, $200,000  Waya, as McKulick rewarded her 2-5 favoritism to post a two-length victory on Saturday in the 1 3/8-mile inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Brown saddled the Waya winner for the fifth consecutive time and the seventh time overall, extending his own record, as McKulick registered her fourth career graded stakes score by overtaking stablemate Idea Generation from the outside in the stretch, giving the connections the 1-2 finish.

Idea Generation went to the front from the inside post, leading a compact four-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 25.14 seconds, the half in 51.40, three-quarters in 1:17.23 and a mile in 1:43 over yielding ground that continued to take on rain.

McKulick and the French-bred Parnac jostled for second position, with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. moving up McKulick approaching the final turn. Idea Generation, under rider Florent Geroux, was not content to simply serve as a rabbit, maintaining the lead into the final furlong before McKulick surged to the finish, hitting the wire in 2:20.10.

Idea Generation finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Sister Otoole for second, with Parnac completing the order of finish. Romagna Mia and Personal Best along with main-track only entrants Movie Moxy and Peak Popularity were scratched.

Brown said the impressive effort could put McKulick in play for the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov.  4 at Santa Anita Park. She would be entering with momentum after avenging a second-place finish to Parnac in the Flower Bowl (G2) in September at Saratoga Race Course and winning the Glens Falls in August at the Spa.

“I think going a mile and a quarter back to two turns would be good for her, if there’s pace like there should be going back to two turns,” Brown said. “This filly has proven she can run on firm or bottomless ground like today. She’s a very versatile horse and we’re lucky to have her in the barn.”

McKulick, who is owned by Klaravich Stables, returned $2.80 on a $2 win bet and improved her career earnings to $1.61 million. The 4-year-old Frankel filly, who defeated Grade 1-winning multimillionaire War Like Goddess in the Glens Falls, improved to 13: 5-5-2.

“She (McKulick) did great,” Brown said. “She was very unlucky in the Flower Bowl, she was clearly the best in that race. She got race ridden a little bit there by the horse that finished last in the race (Parnac). I wanted to make sure we had a pace horse in there to keep it an honest race, but could also do some good in the race. Everything was accomplished today."

Ortiz has been aboard for 11 of McKulick’s 13 starts and all five victories.

“She really liked the soft ground,” Ortiz said. “I think she appreciated it and the pace. Last time, there was no pace in the race and it cost her that race. Today, the other filly of the same connections (Idea Generation) put an honest pace and a better pace than last time and she really liked it. She always gives me a good kick and she stays on and keeps coming."

Idea Generation earned place honors in her graded stakes debut with the 3-year-old Irish bred garnering black type for the first time in three stakes appearances overall, including a seventh-place finish in the Virginia Oaks in her previous start at Colonial Downs.

“Florent really followed instructions well. It appeared she was just the pacemaker in here, but I must say this filly didn’t ship well to Colonial,” Brown said. “The race at Colonial was a throw out. Her form behind there was sneaky good for a stretch out horse - she looked like she had been wanting to run three turns. For a 3-year-old, it’s hard to find three-turn races unless you’re running against older horses. I was very clear with Florent, I told him, ‘You could certainly get a piece of this race and be near everyone near the finish if you get out there and get comfortable.'”