Kentucky Oaks prep: Ramify makes stakes debut at Aqueduct

Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Ramify will make her stakes debut on the road to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks when she starts Saturday in the $125,000 Busanda Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct.

The Busanda awards the top five finishers 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points towards the Oaks on May 2 at Churchill Downs. It is the eighth of nine races Saturday and is scheduled to start at 3:39 p.m. EST.

Click here for Aqueduct entries and results.

Ramify, a chestnut daughter of Munnings, arrives off a determined half-length graduation on debut going a one-turn mile on Dec. 8 at Aqueduct. Trained by four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, Ramify was 13 lengths back in last of five through the half-mile call while racing greenly, but responded well when asked in the turn by Flavien Prat to pick it up and make her bid for the lead. She assumed command in the stretch and gamely turned back the challenge of returning rival My Sherrona, completing the course in 1:38.64 and earning a field-best 76 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.

Ramify, out of winning Tapit mare Chamber, hails from a long line of reine-de-course broodmares, her dam side including Miss Carmie, Hall of Famer Chris Evert and Nijinsky Star. Her second dam is multiple Grade 1 winner Sightseek, a half-sister to dual Grade 1 winner Takes Creek who also produced Grade 3-placed sire Raison d’Etat.

Ramify has worked back four times over Belmont Park’s dirt training track since her debut, including a half-mile in 49.68 seconds on Sunday. She will be ridden by José Lezcano from post 3 on Saturday.

Stud TNT’s Kentucky homebred Running Away, in post 9 with Sahin Civaci, made her first two starts on turf and switched to dirt last out for a dominant five-length graduation on Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs for trainer Wesley Ward.

The daughter of Gun Runner posted two strong on-the-board efforts over turf when a half-length second to eventual Grade 2-placed Virgin Colada at Saratoga and a neck third at Keeneland in July and October with pacesetting trips going a route of ground. She employed the same tactics in victory going 1 1/16 miles last out, making the early lead in the field of 10 and never looking back under Hall of Famer John Velázquez. The effort was awarded a 74 Beyer.

“She seems like she’s going to relish the distance, so we picked this race early on and targeted it, and she’s training forward,” Ward said. “She just broke and sat, and when Johnny called on her, away she went. I think she can run on the grass, and she ran a few good races over it, but she’s always had very quick, fast works on the dirt. I probably should have switched her over sooner than I did. She’s a big, rangy, long-bodied type filly, so I didn’t want to race her too much at two and wanted her fresh and developing now that she’s three.”

Ward said the filly’s front-running style comes easy to her with her quickness from the gate.

“She just breaks and goes. That’s the way she trains in the mornings, too, on the bridle right from the start,” Ward said. “Once she gets there, she’s pretty relaxed.”

Running Away is out of the Brazil Group 3-placed Unbridled’s Song mare Allez Marie, who has produced four black-type runners including stakes-winners Legalize and Workaholic, Grade 3-placed sire Tomato Bill and dual stakes-placed Fouette. Her second dam is 2005 Kentucky Oaks winner Summerly.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has entered the pair of multiple stakes-placed New York-bred Carmen’s Candy Jar in post 5 with Kendrick Carmouche and debut maiden winner Ruth in post 6 with José Gómez as he vies for a record-extending sixth Busanda victory following past successes with Always Shopping in 2019, Overprepared in 2015, Fierce Boots in 2014, Princess of Sylmar in 2013 and Dance Quietly in 2011.

Repole Stable’s homebred Carmen’s Candy Jar enters from a distant fifth-place finish in the Demoiselle (G2) going 1 1/8 miles Dec. 7 at Aqueduct in her first start with blinkers. The daughter of Vino Rosso finished on the board in three state-bred stakes last year, posting a runner-up finish to Accelerating in Saratoga’s Seeking the Ante and third-place efforts in the Joseph A. Gimma and Maid of the Mist at Aqueduct.

Carmen’s Candy Jar is out of Uncle Mo mare No Mo Shopping, a half-sister to dual graded-stakes winner Always Shopping, victorious in the 2019 Busanda. Her second dam is Grade 1-placed Stopshoppingmaria, who finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, then a Grade 2, for Repole and Pletcher.

Carmen's Candy Jar is cross-entered in Friday’s sixth race at the Big A, a 6 1/2-furlong, state-bred optional claimer.

Frank Batten’s Kentucky homebred Ruth earned a 57 Beyer for her debut 1 1/4-length victory going a one-turn mile on Dec. 13 at Gulfstream Park. There she was 4 1/2 lengths back in fifth of seven in the turn under Irad Ortiz Jr. but made up ground with a seven-wide rally to sweep past rivals in the lane and inch clear to victory over next-out winner Queen in the Deck.

A daughter of Uncle Mo, Ruth is out of Bernardini mare Peppy Rafaela and is a full-sister to Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Mopotism, whose son Journalism is a top contender on the road to the Kentucky Derby after winning the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) in December.

Robert Rosenthal and Bradford Bernstein’s New York homebred Bernieandtherose in post 8 with Katie Davis enters from two dominant victories at the Big A. The daughter of Accelerate posted a 7 3/4-length romp to graduate at second asking against fellow New York-breds at seven furlongs Nov. 3 and most recently stretched to a one-turn mile to win a state-bred optional claimer by 6 1/4 lengths Nov. 24.

Trainer Domenick Schettino said the chestnut filly has been training forwardly into this race and worked a half-mile in 48.75 seconds Jan. 1 in company with her 4-year-old half-sister Bernietakescharge, who won an optional-claiming event Saturday at the Big A.

“She’s training very well. She actually worked with her sister that won yesterday,” Schettino said. “She always showed she could run in the mornings and had ability. Distance wise, I think the longer she goes, I don’t see any problem with it.”

Bernieandtherose debuted with a half-length third in October sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct at odds of 64-1 and showed versatility in her two victories with her maiden score coming from off the pace and her last-out effort coming in wire-to-wire fashion.

“In her first race, she was a little immature and green, but now that she’s ran a couple more times, she’s starting to put it all together and understand what she’s doing,” Schettino said. “It’s exciting. She’s been filling out and growing, and she still has a bit more growing to do.”

West Paces Racing, Cypresshead Racing, Twin Sports Racing, Brown Road Racing and Douglas Arnold’s My Sherrona in post 7 with Romero Maragh will look to avenge her half-length defeat to Ramify in the Dec. 8 maiden.

Trained by Ray Handal, the daughter of Not This Time has been second, beaten by a half-length in both her starts. The other was a Nov. 8 debut sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct when finishing behind Beauty Reigns, a next-out sixth in the Demoiselle.

A $275,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale, My Sherrona is out of Grade 3-winning Include mare Class Included.

?Teresa Haupt and Charles Blanford’s Beautiful Blome in post 2 with Eric Cancel is the lone stakes-winner in the field, boasting an 8 1/4-length romp in Delaware Park’s one-mile White Clay Creek two starts back Oct. 9.

Trained by Anthony Pecoraro, the daughter of Blofeld enters from a distant off-the-board finish in the listed Tempted traveling a one-turn mile Nov. 2 at Aqueduct. Her 6: 2-0-2 résumé also includes an additional stakes placing when third in the restricted Small Wonder sprinting six furlongs in September at Delaware.

The talented field is completed by maiden-winners Sharp Smile in post 1 with Manny Franco for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox and Will Walden-trained Bless the Broken, in post 4 with Ruben Silvera, whose dam The Nightingale is a half-sister to 2013 Busanda and Kentucky Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar.

Bless the Broken was cross-entered in Saturday’s Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds, and Walden said Sunday he would send her to Louisiana.