Barn 42 at Belmont Park will be bustling with activity and few people – riders, trainers, racing officials and heck, even fans, mutuel clerks and outriders – figure to be as busy as Rick Schosberg during Saturday’s Empire Showcase card.
Schosberg dropped entries for horses in six of the 11 races on the Showcase card and even though one of those figures not to run as a main track only entrant in a grass stakes, there will be plenty of action for the barn.
“Looks like we’ve got a pretty busy day,” Schosberg said Thursday, two days before the third of three programs geared toward New York-breds is run.
Schosberg’s afternoon gets into gear right off the rip when Andrew’s Got Zip, a 2-year-old City Zip gelding, makes his career debut in a 6-furlong state-bred maiden. Andrew’s Got Zip is one of four entries for Schosberg for key client Clear Stars Stable, a partnership led by Michael Sternklar.
The serious action begins in the third race, the second of eight stakes on the Empire Showcase card, when Schosberg saddles Clear Stars’ Myfourchix in the $250,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes. The 2-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes is the 8-1 fifth choice in the 1-mile Maid of the Mist, behind 8/5 choice Temper Mint Patty, Quezon, Sweetpollypurebrd and Sandra.
Myfourchix finished fourth, beaten 18 ¾ lengths by the Dale Romans-trained Temper Mint Patty, last time out in the Sept. 21 Joseph A. Gimma in her first start since winning the Seeking the Ante on the Saratoga Showcase card Aug. 14.
“She was definitely not at her best,” Schosberg said of the Gimma, contested at 7 furlongs on a muddy track. “Cornelio (Velasquez) said she was fine while she was gathered up but then when the running started she was slipping and sliding and wasn’t too confident with the surface.
“That being said the winner won by 13. I thought maybe on a dry track maybe we could be second in there. It looks like Dale’s filly is the real deal. Certainly the way she handled that group she deserves all the favoritism.”
A few days before Schosberg entered his six horses for Saturday he got a look at the nominations for the Maid of the Mist. Temper Mint Patty wasn’t among the 19 nominations. The daughter of Congrats was supplemented for $2,500 in time for her entry to be taken and now the race – and quite possibly the chase for New York champion 2-year-old filly – goes through the unbeaten filly.
“I was feeling good about myself when I saw the nominations and she wasn’t on there,” Schosberg said. “Obviously it must have been an oversight or they had changed their plans after the nominations. When I saw her on the overnight it didn’t help our cause much, but that being said they still have to go out there and race and we’ve got a filly that’s already won a stakes. She’s working very well coming up to the race and we’ll see how it shakes out.”
Myfourchix posted a mild surprise when she won the Seeking the Ante as a maiden in her second start. She drew off from 7/10 favorite and fellow Maid of the Mist entrant Hard to Stay Notgo in the stretch and won that day by 3 lengths at nearly 9-1. That victory came about a month after a good second behind Nonna Jo in a 5-furlong Saratoga maiden for state-breds.
The $200,000 Mohawk for older horses going 1 1/16 miles on the grass follows the Maid of the Mist as the fourth race. Schosberg entered allowance winner Saturday Appeal as main track only.
The wet weather that hit the New York metropolitan area moved through late Thursday morning and with the likes of Kharafa, King Kreesa, Notacatbutallama, Lubash and Front entered the chances of the Any Given Saturday gelding running are remote.
“I don’t think there’s any chance that race will come off the turf,” Schosberg said, before allowing himself a little what-if moment. “But let’s put it this way, if the race actually comes off the turf I like our chances because the other main track only is a maiden and the others are turf specialists. But that’s not going to come to fruition and it’s going to stay on the turf.”
The Empire Distaff Handicap, a $250,000 event going 1 1/16 miles on the main track, was added this year to make up for a lack of a race for fillies and mares going long and to compliment the Empire Classic. The race drew several older females that seemingly would have fit better two races earlier in the $150,000 Iroquois at 6 furlongs, if not for the presence of Grade 2 winner La Verdad and the ultra consistent Willet.
Count Schosberg among the group taking a shot at the longer race and he sends out Herbert and Sheila Sherry’s Pennymine. The 5-year-old Mineshaft mare is 20-1 on the morning line for the Empire Distaff in just her second career start at a distance longer than 7 furlongs.
“It’s a shot in the dark with her,” Schosberg said. “She’s in good form. I was very surprised her odds were as high as they were last time (nearly 22-1). She ran a good race at Saratoga coming off a bit of a layoff and she figured to go forward. The winner was a nice filly, but our filly ran on well.
“You know what, Showcase Day doesn’t come up that often and with a horse that’s in form they will tend to run as good a race as they can. It’s worth taking a shot for the kind of money and possible black type. She’s drawn the inside, which is actually OK. She runs well from the inside. She’s learned to stalk from the inside, although at a distance of ground kind of changes everything with her running style.”
The final stakes entrant for Schosberg’s barn is the longest price in the $150,000 Hudson Handicap for older horses going 6 furlongs.
Sandy’z Slew is 30-1 against a field that includes Weekend Hideaway, Noble Cornerstone, Big Business and Moonlight Song, but his recent form shows he could be Schosberg’s best chance for a Showcase Day stakes win.
The 4-year-old Limehouse gelding, who races for Team Clear Stars, finished a close third behind Spring to the Sky and eventual Grade 1 Vosburgh runner-up Dads Caps in the off-the-turf Troy Stakes Aug. 13 at Saratoga and then won an off-the-turf open-company allowance race Sept. 25 at Belmont. He’s 2-for-5 with a second at Belmont.
“It’s time to take a shot,” Schosberg said. “With him, if you look at his form it’s either turf of wet tracks. They really seem to be his two favorite surfaces. We’ll probably get a good to fast track I’m thinking on Saturday, but it’s still worth taking a stab at it. He’s in really good form, he’s a very talented horse and it’s worth taking a shot at it. Why not?
“There are some very fast, established New York-bred sprinters. There always is, on both sides, male and female. It seems like either the grass horses or the sprinters are the toughest New York-breds going. Take nothing away from the horses in the Classic by any means, but it seems like notoriously over the years that we’ve always had top, top sprinters and we’ve always had top, top turf horses, even going back three decades. Many of these horses winning in open company and in graded stakes races.”
Schosberg’s day won’t be complete until the finale, Race 11 at 5:47, when he runs Edition Farm’s Awesome Lute for the first time on grass in a 6-furlong maiden. The 3-year-old Midnight Lute gelding started his career with Schosberg before he was lost to David Jacobson for $40,000 in early May. Schosberg claimed him back in late June and sends the gelding out for the first time since Saturday.
Watch Myfourchix win the Seeking the Ante.
Equibase entries for Saturday’s Empire Showcase.
Empire Showcase stakes race-by-race
Race 2: The first of eight stakes on the Showcase card is the Sleepy Hollow for 2-year-olds going 1 mile, which goes as Race 2 with a post time of 12:52. Todd Pletcher sends out two – 9/5 favorite Ostrolenka, a 14 ½-length maiden winner Sept. 28, and Saratoga maiden winner and multiple stakes placed Bullheaded Boy.
Race 3: The Maid of the Mist looks like it’s all about Temper Mint Patty, who put on a show winning the Joseph A. Gimma by 13 1/2 lengths a month ago. Nine 2-year-old fillies are entered in the 1-mile test with a post time of 1:24.
• Read about Myfourchix victory in the Seeking the Ante on Saratoga Showcase Day.
Race 4: Old adversaries reunite in the $200,000 Mohawk Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Picking a winner between Kharafa, King Kreesa, Notacatbutallama and Lubash is no easy task. Post time is 1:56.
• Read about King Kreesa’s win over Lubash in the West Point at Saratoga.
Race 5: The $150,000 Iroquois on paper looks like a showdown between 7/5 favorite La Verdad and 9/5 second choice Willet. Seven others are entered for the 6-furlong test that goes off at 2:29.
• Read about Willet in New York-bred of the Day in July 31 issue of The Saratoga Special.
Race 7: Inaugural edition of the $250,000 Empire Distaff Handicap draws those not so eager to face the above mentioned Iroquois favorites. Richard Greeley’s and Mitch Friedman’s entry of Dreaming of Cara and Carameaway look tough, as does the Mike Hushion-trained Princess Violet. Post time is 3:35.
• Read about Carameaway’s victory over Dreaming of Cara in the Saratoga Dew at Saratoga.
Race 8: Headlining $300,000 Empire Classic Handicap attracts a field of nine that includes last year’s winner Saratoga Snacks, Albany winner So Lonesome and the lightly raced and improving Sioux. Post time is 4:08.
• Read about So Lonesome’s victory in the Albany at Saratoga.
Race 9: Overflow field of 16 entered for $200,000 Ticonderoga for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Grade 1 winner Discreet Marq didn’t fire in Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland last time out and is back with state-breds. She’ll take some beating but faces good group that includes Invading Humor, Effie Trinket and Mah Jong Maddnes. Post time is 4:41.
• Read more about 2013 New York-bred champion Discreet Marq.
Race 10: The $150,000 Hudson Handicap is final stakes of the afternoon and it should be a barn-burner. Tough to pin down a favorite in this one with Weekend Hideaway, Noble Cornerstone and Big Business all close on credentials and ability. Post time is 5:14.
• Read about Weekend Hideaway’s win in the Morrissey at Saratoga.
