Moms Choice Points to Jessamine

This year’s Grade I events on the Arlington Million day card may not be the only races on its card with an influence on the Breeders’ Cup. The fifth race on Aug. 15, a 5½-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies on Arlington International Racecourse’s Polytrack main track, could produce a starter on racing’s championship day to join the expected participation of Midwest Thoroughbreds’ Million victor The Pizza Man and Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Million runner-up Big Blue Kitten.

Patricia’s Hope’s promising juvenile filly Moms Choice debuted from post three of nine that afternoon for meet-leading conditioner and all-but-clinched leading trainer (for the third time in five years) Larry Rivelli. An athletically built chestnut who physically favors damsire and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Cat Thief in lieu of her top turf route sire Kitten’s Joy, Moms Choice shot to the front and never looked back. In the process, she not only defied her stamina-laden pedigree by showing such early pace, but she also gamely denied well-regarded next-out winner Prairie Chick by 2½ lengths.

The Bluegrass State-bred was wheeled back three weeks later to splash into stakes action at Kentucky Downs in the $300,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, where she went off at just over 5-1 in the field of 12. Once again showing excellent speed, she negotiated the tricky undulating terrain of the old Dueling Grounds well, but ultimately was out-dueled for the victory by fellow Arlington-based maiden winner and highly regarded Godolphin filly Ruthless Quality by a length.

“I want to run her at Keeneland in the (Grade III $150,000) Jessamine Stakes (on Oct. 7),” Rivelli reported. “It’s a ‘Win and You’re In’ and I would love to get her (to the Breeders’ Cup).”

A victory in the Jessamine allows its victress a free roll into the Grade I $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. It would be another furlong and a half increase in trip for the talented charge.

Last year, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Luck of the Kitten debuted and won on Million Day before going on to finish second in the Grade I $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf for trainer Wesley Ward.

EDEN PRAIRIE ‘50/50’ FOR MELANIE FRANCES STAKES

Multiple stakes-winning multi-surface mare Eden Prairie came out of her sharp 1:00 flat five-furlong work on Thursday in fine shape for trainer Neil Pessin and is ‘50/50’ to run next Saturday in the $50,000 Melanie Frances Stakes at Arlington International Racecourse.

According to Pessin, the Lothenbach Stables-owned daughter of Mizzen Mast is also under consideration for the $100,000 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 9. The Melanie Frances is at one mile at Arlington, while the Franklin County is a 5½-furlong dash. Both are against open fillies and mares and over grass surfaces.

A winner of three stakes in the last 10 months, Eden Prairie has not been seen since suffering an injury in the Grade I $300,000 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland in April. Given time off and training steadily this summer, she has put in a series of strong works over the last month at Arlington and is being pointed toward another strong Fair Grounds winter.

VALIANT CITY MAY RETURN TO STAKES ACTION

One of the top older horses on the main track this Arlington International Racecourse 2015 season has been William Stiritz’s Valiant City, who has won two of his three starts this season , while gamely defeating the likes of stakes horses Mister Marti Gras and Treasury Bill. The son of City Zip proved his stamina last out in a 1 1/8-miles conditioned allowance on Aug. 23, where he wore down talented ship-inGreengrassofyoming to win by a neck, closing the final three-eighths in a healthy :37.46.

“I’ll work him tomorrow and decide where to take him,” trainer Scott Becker said. “I was going to work him (Friday morning), but decided not to after the rain. We’ll run him soon. I’m looking for a stakes or allowance.”

In 20 lifetime starts, the Illinois-bred son of the Lord Avie mare Valiant Queen has proven to be better on the dirt, despite a pedigree that strongly suggests a turf affinity. In addition to his two Polytrack scores in conditioned allowance company this season, he was a winner of four consecutive races in 2014, including two dirt allowance tallies.

“I actually thought he would wind up being better on turf, but he isn’t,” Becker continued. “(His good form) has been a nice surprise.”

Becker confirmed that he is looking at allowances and stakes events at Hawthorne Race Course and Keeneland, among other tracks. Overall, Valiant City has won eight of those 20 starts, while finishing in the money 16 times. His lone turf try resulted in a sixth-place finish in the $75,000 Bucks Boy Handicap last November at Hawthorne.

R. GREAT ADVENTURE ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL

Nancy Vanier and Mike Schmitt’s talented 5-year-old R. Great Adventure is on the mend and training again.  The son of Limehouse was last seen racing when finishing sixth – beaten less than four lengths – in the Grade II $200,000 Firecracker Stakes on June 27. Prior to that he was a rallying fourth in the $65,000 Opening Verse Stakes behind subsequent Grade I $1,000,000 Arlington Million winner The Pizza Manand second in a third-level allowance. All three of those races were at Churchill this spring.

R. Great Adventure worked five furlongs on Thursday morning in a leisurely 1:05.40 for trainer Brian Williamson. The move was his first since Aug. 26 and only his second since Aug. 3.

“He had a quarter crack,” Williamson explained. “It was nothing major, but just enough to keep him out of action, but in light training. Hopefully we’ve moved on and we can go on from here. The foot looked good this morning. I’ll look at Keeneland once I get another breeze him. I would loved to have run him in the ($50,000 Teleprompter Stakes on Sept. 26 at Arlington), but we couldn’t get another breeze into him in time. We should get a few more races into him before the end of the year.”

Last season, the locally based Kentucky-bred bay horse was a winner of two Arlington International Racecourse allowance races, while also finishing third in the $200,000 More Than Ready Mile at Kentucky Downs in September. In the last year, he also has faced the likes of graded stakes winners Frac Daddy, Regally Ready and Coalport. Overall, he has a record of four wins and 10 in-the-money finishes from 18 starts.

HOGY POINTING TO KEENELAND’S WOODFORD

William Stiritz’s Hogy, a 13-time winner of $646,492 from 31 starts, is being aimed toward graded stakes competition at Keeneland next out. When last seen, the graded stakes-winning nearly black son of Offlee Wild was second in a salty conditioned allowance turf sprint at Arlington International Racecourse to Mongolian Stable’s Mongolian Saturday on Aug. 20. That effort was flattered when Mongolian Saturday nearly stole the Grade III $300,000 Turf Monster at Parx, losing by a nose to Pure Sensation at the wire on Sept. 7.

“We’re looking at running him at Keeneland in the (Grade III $150,000 Woodford Stakes on Oct. 3),” Becker said. “He’s doing as good as ever and looks better than ever. There’s no indication in his training that he’s slowing down.”

The local favorite worked a bullet four furlongs on Sept. 10 in :47 flat – his first work since his August race. The three-time stakes winner has won or placed in four of six starts at the Woodford’s 5½ grassy furlongs, including a win in 2013’s Listed $100,000 Troy Stakes at Saratoga.

A popular winner of a seven-furlong conditioned allowance winner of the speedy Good Bye Greg in June, Hogy has been part of an outstanding 2015 Arlington meet for Becker. With 37 victories from 127 starters, he is striking at a stellar 29% and has been in the money 58% of the time. He is second in victories behind Larry Rivelli’s 67 (from 219 starters) and leads all trainers (with 20 or more starts) in average earnings per start at $5,490.

“It’s due to excellent help, that’s for sure,” Becker said. “Good horses help. I’ve been up here a lot more this year – but those (around the barn) have been key.”

WORK TAB

Lothenbach Stables’ No Fault of Mine shined brightest of all on an overcast Friday morning, working five furlongs in :59.40 for trainer Chris Block and galloping out in 1:11.60 easily. She was working in company with Block-trained stablemate Vapor Cloud, who had trouble keeping up with the talented graded stakes-placed daughter of Blame.

Well-regarded juvenile Este Es, who was second as the favorite on debut on Aug. 28 in a swift six-furlong maiden behind Uno Mas Modelo, worked three furlongs in :36.40 for trainer Armando De La Cerda, who co-owns the son of Tiz the One with Hernandez Racing Club.

Source: Arlington Park