Belmont undercard: Charge It, Maple Leaf Mel win graded stakes
Mandy Pope, owner of Whisper Hill Farm, expressed excitement in now owning a potential commercial stallion prospect.
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“It's always wonderful to win any graded race, but the Suburban here at Belmont is a good stallion-making race looking forward to his next career,” Pope said. “We're really happy to have won and to have won so easily and not take too much out of him.”
Charge It, a 4-year-old gray son of Tapit, made amends from a fourth-place finish in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) on June 10 at Belmont. Despite having never won past 1 1/16 miles, the added ground appeared to be no deterrence for Charge It, who captured the local one-mile Dwyer (G3) last year by an astounding 23 lengths.
Graded-stakes placed Red Run broke on top through an opening quarter-mile in 24.49 seconds over the fast main track but Charge It, from post 4, matched strides with his foe passing the chute and established command while racing several paths wide under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. Charge It maintained his advantage through a half-mile in 48.12 seconds as Clapton, Tonal Impact and Unbridled Bomber attempted to launch bids from the rear of the dense field.
Around the far turn, Charge It completed three-quarters in 1:11.80 with Clapton beginning to advance into second under Emisael Jaramillo and Red Run tiring toward the inside. Velazquez saw no serious threats passing the quarter-pole as he peeked behind from both directions and kept his mount to task with Clapton continuing to make up ground. Charge It’s class prevailed in the end as he crossed the wire a 4 3/4-length winner in a final time of 2:01.31.
Clapton finished another four lengths ahead of Unbridled Bomber, who beat out Red Run by a neck for third. Tonal Impact completed the order of finish.
Charge It won his 2023 debut in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claimer in February at Gulfstream before finishing second in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) in March and fifth in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in April.
Velazquez, who rode Charge It for the first time in last year’s Dwyer, piloted the colt to his Met Mile effort, and said the biggest difference was the break.
“Last time, he broke slow and I tried to put him into the game. I was so far back and all of a sudden he took hold of the bridle and I was moving towards the leaders, but I wasn’t going to be that dumb and let him go from eighth to first,” said Velazquez, a now three-time Suburban winner. “So, I took a hold of him and I let him loose in the turn. He kind of got confused and he kind of stayed the same pace all the way around. After looking back, obviously he ran a really good race and if he had (broke better) last time and be in a better position, he would have been right there. Today, it was a different story. (He was the) speed and was close, he used some momentum and that’s the way it worked out.”
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who notched his third Suburban conquest, said the $1 million Whitney (G1) on Aug. 5 at Saratoga is now a viable option for Charge It. The nine-furlong test is a “win and you’re in” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Santa Anita.
“We're happy with his performance today. We'll talk to everyone and consider the Whitney,” Pletcher said. “It was a good win for him. It proved he could stay a mile and a quarter. The spacing is pretty good if we want to consider the Whitney, which is obviously going to be a more difficult assignment, but he's always been a horse that's impressed us as a top-class horse. Maybe he's starting to put it all together."
Pletcher said there were no anxious moments during the race.
“He was in cruise control throughout,” Pletcher said. “He left him off the rail a little bit to keep him relaxed, but he was traveling so well and it was coming pretty easily to him, you don't want to take that away.”
Jaramillo praised Clapton’s effort and said the Arindel Florida homebred gives it his all every time. The 4-year-old Brethren chestnut was third in Charge It’s allowance triumph two starts before capturing Gulfstream’s Ghostzapper (G3) at 21-1 odds.
“It was a good race and he’s a good horse,” Jaramillo said. “He’s adapted to every track he runs at. I’m very happy with the performance today. He’s a horse where every time he runs, he’s a longshot – and every time, he runs well. I’m really, really happy.”
Charge It returned $3.30 for a $2 win wager and banked $192,500 in victory, which brought his lifetime earnings up to $717,600 and record to 10: 4-3-0.
?Charge It is out of the Indian Charlie mare I’ll Take Charge, whose Grade 1-winning and producing dam Take Charge Lady was the mother of 2013 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Will Take Charge, Grade 1-winner Take Charge Indy and Charming – the dam of Grade 1-winning millionaire Omaha Beach and 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Take Charge Brandi.
Maple Leaf Mel lead whole way in Victory Ride
Maple Leaf Mel remained perfect through five starts with a powerful gate-to-wire effort to provide her namesake trainer Melanie Giddings her first career stakes win in the $175,000 Victory Ride (G3), a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies.
Canada-born Giddings was an assistant to Maple Leaf Mel’s former trainer Jerry Englehart before going out on her own in January and has been closely associated with the New York-bred daughter of Cross Traffic throughout her brilliant career. Giddings took over training duties for this race and has been preparing August Dawn Farm’s popular gray at Saratoga.
“I haven’t eaten all day. I’ve been kind of nervous,” Giddings said. “I actually have to make the drive back to Saratoga tonight. I have some workers in the morning. This will make the drive a lot easier. I was more nervous for the filly than myself. I don’t even feel like it’s about me. I just felt like she was 4-for-4, and I would just hate for her to have anything bad in her life. She’s been so good to me.”
Maple Leaf Mel has won all five of her starts in frontrunning fashion under Joel Rosario, taking state-bred stakes in the Seeking the Ante in August at Saratoga and the East View in March at Aqueduct before making the grade last out in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness on May 19 at Pimlico.
Giddings, 39, who was treated for ovarian and endocervical cancer in 2020 and is in improved health, credited Rosario for being a steady hand aboard the young filly.
“I feel comfort having Joel on her. He fits her perfectly,” Giddings said. “I didn’t tell him anything. I just said, ‘Keep doing what you do. you’ve won a lot of races. I won’t tell you how to ride.’ ”
Rosario once again had Maple Leaf Mel away in a hurry from post 5 to set splits of 22.54 and 45.52 seconds on the fast main track with dual graded-stakes winner Red Carpet Ready tracking to her outside in second position and Flavien Prat-piloted Dazzling Blue saving ground in third.
Maple Leaf Mel put away Red Carpet Ready as Dazzling Blue came off the rail late in the turn to take aim at the leader, but there was no reeling in the winner, who notched the 2 1/2-length score at a final time of 1:15.74.
Dazzling Blue held place honors by 1 1/2 lengths over the late-running Vahva with the slow-starting Interpolate, Downtown Mischief, Topsy, Red Carpet Ready and Adeliese’s Smile rounding out the order of finish.
Rosario said he felt comfortable throughout.
“She's very nice. She goes out there and just does her job,” he said. “She was very relaxed and was never worried about someone challenging her, because she was moving so well. She was always in charge. She goes out there and shows her speed and says, 'Come and beat me.’ ”
Brad Cox-trained Dazzling Blue was making her graded-stakes debut after three wins in as many starts, including a score in the Letellier Memorial in December at Fair Grounds.
Prat said he felt he was in a position to win as the field straightened away.
“I thought, for a moment, turning for home I could engage (Maple Leaf Mel), but as soon as the winner felt me, she just took off again. She ran a great race,” Prat said.
Giddings said Maple Leaf Mel will target the Test (G1), a seven-furlong sprint on Aug. 5 at Saratoga. The race could provide retired Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells an elusive Grade 1 win.
“That would be the goal. I hope the whole group is there,” Giddings said. “In a way, we’re all part of the team. I’ve been texting Jeremiah all day about the filly, and he wished me the best of luck. I wish he could have been here with me.”
Bred in New York by Joe Fafone, Maple Leaf Mel is out of the City Place mare City Gift and is a half-sister to stakes-placed New York-bred Eddie's Gift. She banked $96,250 in victory and returned $7.50 for a $2 win bet.