by NYRA Press Office | 07.28.2019 | 6:31pm

Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing’s three-time graded stakes winner Concrete Rose will look to capture the first two legs of NYRA’s first-year Turf Tiara series as part of a talented six-horse field of 3-year-old fillies competing in the inaugural running of the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational on Friday at Saratoga Race Course.

The Turf Triple, featuring the Turf Trinity for 3-year-old males and the Turf Tiara for sophomore fillies, kicked off with the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, which Concrete Rose won in surging 2 ¾-lengths clear of Just Wonderful at 1 ¼ miles on July 6. That marked the third consecutive win for the Rusty Arnold trainee, who has earned a trip to the winner’s circle in five of her six career starts.

The Twirling Candy filly won her debut last August in a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint at the Spa and followed with a three-length win in the Grade 2 Jessamine in October at Keeneland. She capped her 2-year-old year with her only off-the-board finish, running eighth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Churchill. After a four-month freshening, Concrete Rose has not been beaten, taking the Grade 3 Florida Oaks in March at Tampa and the Grade 3 Edgewood in May at Churchill, both at 1 1/16 miles, before stretching out in distance to win the Belmont Oaks on firm turf.

A contender for divisional honors, Concrete Rose will be running at 1 3/8 miles for the first time in the middle jewel of the Turf Triple. The series’ conclusion will take place with the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational on September 7 at Belmont.

“Right now, she is [the best 3-year-old turf filly in the country], but we’re halfway through the year and hope we continue on,” Arnold said. “She won at five-and-a-half furlongs, a mile-and-a-quarter and in the middle, so it’s not an issue. I think the mile and three sixteenths is well within her ability.”

Jockey Julien Leparoux, aboard for all three wins this year, will have the return call from post 5.

Saratoga leading trainer Chad Brown will saddle Olendon, who made her North American debut in the Belmont Oaks, finishing eighth. Prior to that, the French-bred Le Havre filly won two races with a runner-up effort in six starts in her native country.

Owned by Wonder Stables, Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Chris Mara and Robert Masiello, Olendon was second in the Group 1 Prix Saint Alary in May at Longchamp before arriving to the United States.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pick up the mount from post 1.

Albert Frassetto’s Her Royal Highness will be taking a step up in class following her best stakes effort, running second to Valiance in the Open Mind at 1 1/16 miles on June 30 at Monmouth Park.

After making her first four starts on the main track, trainer Graham Motion moved her to the grass in March, where she ran seventh in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks. After finishing out of the money in both the Memories of Silver [fifth] in April at Aqueduct and the Boiling Springs [fourth] in May at Monmouth, Her Royal Highness earned a career-best 82 Beyer Speed Figure in the Open Mind.

“She’s been a little unlucky. She had a little bit of trouble two starts back at Monmouth. She probably should have hit the board in that race,” Motion said about the Boling Springs. “She was running very well at the end last time. I think she handled the dirt, but she’s risen to another level on the grass.”

After making her last four starts at 1 1/16 miles, she will be stretching out to the Saratoga Oaks distance for the first time. She will arrive at the Spa from her training base in Fair Hill, Maryland.

“She’s doing great and I plan to breeze her before shipping her up to Saratoga on Tuesday,” Motion said. “I always thought [about stretching her out]. We’ll find out, but it’s always been on mind. She can be a bit of a tough filly to be around, but I think she’ll handle it.”

Joel Rosario will pick up the mount, breaking from post 6.

The Saratoga Oaks will feature a pair of European shippers for trainer Aidan O’Brien, with Coral Beach returning to the U.S. for a second time after running seventh in the Belmont Oaks. The Irish-bred filly has won twice in 18 career starts, including the Grade 3 Killavullan in Dublin’s Leopardstown in her home country last October.

Jockey Wayne Lordan will make the cross-Atlantic trip, drawing post 3.

O’Brien will also send over Happen, who raced three times as a juvenile, breaking her maiden at third asking in October at Leopardstown. Following a six-month break, she started her sophomore year back at Leopardstown with a runner-up finish in the Group 3 Priory Belle in April before winning the seven-furlong Group 3 Coolmore Gleneagles Irish EBF Athasi over good-to-yielding turf on May 6.

One month later, she stepped up in class, finishing sixth in the Group 1 Coronation at Royal Ascot on June 21. She will now make first North American start, having accomplished international jockey Ryan Moore in the irons from post 2.

Kelsey’s Cross, owned by Sanford Bacon and Patrick Biancone, her trainer, has finished in the money in each of her four starts. Bred in Florida by T. Wynn and Mary Jolley, Kelsey’s Cross did not race until April, when she ran second in her debut on April 21 at Gulfstream before breaking her maiden at second asking on May 19 over the same track.

Stepping up in class, she ran third in both the Grade 3 Wonder Again and the one-mile Martha Washington on July 6 at Gulfstream.

“She shows up and she’s improving. We gave her plenty of time before we started to run her. Now, she has great form,” Biancone said.

Florent Geroux has the assignment from post 4.

Carded as Race 9 with a 5:51 p.m. Eastern post time, the Saratoga Oaks is one of three stakes on the 10-race card that also includes the $100,000 Alydar and the Grade 2, $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. First post time is 1 p.m.

NYRA Press Office | 07.27.2019 | 2:46pm

Concrete Rose dominates the Belmont Oaks

Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing’s Concrete Rose was back to work on Saturday morning when posting her second breeze since a triumph in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. The Twirling Candy dark bay went a half-mile in 49.05 seconds over the turf course at Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track for trainer Rusty Arnold.

The move was her second local work towards her next start in the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational presented by Encore Boston Harbor. On July 19, she went a half-mile in 53.20 seconds over the Oklahoma turf.

Concrete Rose has won all three of her starts this year, capturing the Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs, the Grade 3 Edgewood at Churchill Downs and most recently the Belmont Oaks.

“I thought she went very well. Julien (Leparoux) was happy with her work and if he’s happy then I’m happy. Everything is good,” Arnold said.

Concrete Rose defeated a stellar field of turf sophomore fillies in the last out Belmont Oaks including last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord, as well as Irish group stakes winners Coral Beach and Just Wonderful.

Next on the table for Concrete Rose is the Saratoga Oaks, which is the second leg of the newly designed Turf Tiara, which includes the Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks and the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks on September 7 at Belmont Park going 1 3/8 miles over the turf.

Given the fact that she has won at a wide range of distances, Arnold feels that the Saratoga Oaks’ 1 3/16-mile distance is within her wheelhouse.

“Right now, she is [the best 3-year-old turf filly in the country], but we’re halfway through the year and hope we continue on. She won at five-and-a-half furlongs, a mile-and-a-quarter and in the middle so its not an issue I think the mile and three sixteenths is well within her ability,” Arnold said.

Bred in Kentucky by Ron Patterson, Concrete Rose was purchased by bloodstock agent David Ingordo from last year’s Fasig-Tipton Mid Atlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for $61,000.

Courtesy of the Paulick Report

 

Trainer Mike Maker will be represented by a pair of strong contenders in the second leg of the Turf Trinity in the $1 million Saratoga Derby set for Sunday, August 4, when he saddles Henley’s Joy and newcomer Kadar.

Bloom Racing Stable’s Henley’s Joy was a three-quarter length winner of the first leg of the newly minted Turf Triple series, the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational, at odds of 20-1. With Jose Lezcano up, Henley’s Joy rated in third position and found his best stride down the lane in the 10-furlong test, overtaking Social Paranoia in the final furlong and hitting the wire in 1:58.29.

After seeing his charge finish second in a trio of graded events by narrow margins, Maker was resolute in his estimation of the best part of the Grade 1-winning performance from Henley’s Joy.

“The way he finished,” said Maker. “There were a few races there where he had a less than ideal trip, and hopefully he’ll get another good trip in the Derby.”

On Saturday, Henley’s Joy breezed for the second time following his breakthrough score, covering five furlongs on the Saratoga main track in 1:01.95.

“He worked well and is on target for the Derby,” said Maker.

Phoenix Thoroughbred III’s Kadar, a dark bay son of Scat Daddy, graduated on debut in September in a one-mile turf allowance at Haydock under the tutelage of Karl Burke. In April, Kadar finished fourth in the Feilden at Newmarket before shipping to North America.

Kadar made his North American debut on July 18 at the Spa, rallying from last-of-10 to finish third, defeated just a head, in a race won by the well-regarded Chad Brown trainee and fellow Saratoga Derby invitee Value Proposition.

“He ran a really good race. He didn’t get away very good and was carried extremely wide. He finished strong and just missed in a very competitive allowance race,” said Maker.

Maker said the 1 3/16-mile distance of the Saratoga Derby will suit the lightly-raced colt.

“I got him with orders to stretch him out, which I totally agreed with,” said Maker. “I look forward to running him in the Derby as well.”

The third leg of the Turf Trinity, the $1 million Jockey Club Derby at 1 1/2-miles, is slated for September 7 at Belmont Park.

FLAT OUT SPEED (Flat Out) broke her maiden last month in her first start and won a stakes race in her second. The two year old filly is a homebred for Allen Poindexter and got her start with Cary Frommer at the Aiken Training Track.

JENNIFER’S DREAM is second generation for Cary Frommer.  Cary started and sold her dam MGSW and millionaire JOYFUL VICTORY for $400,000 at Fasig Tipton Florida. JOYFUL VICTORY sold again for $2,000,000 as a broodmare.

JENNIFER’S DREAM brought $220,000 at Fasig Tipton Timonium.  She broke her maiden first time out and today she came wide and galloped to a 9 length win in allowance company at PARX.  The 3 year old filly is owned by Cash is King LLC  and trained by John C. Servis.

SIMPLY MISS RED (Langfuhr), conditioned in Aiken by Crystal & Marcus Ryan, and Margy Alexander, and owned by Joyce Vettorino & Aiken Training Track Board member Suzy Haslup, had her second start lifetime on opening day at Saratoga. She was slated to race in maiden company at 1 1/16 on the turf but the race came off the turf in a downpour and she swam 1 1/8 on the dirt to check in second. The 3 year old filly is trained by Dave Donk. 

Courtesy of the TDN

By Bill Finley

‘Inside the Winner’s Circle, Presented by Keeneland” is a series showcasing graduates of the Keeneland September sale who have gone on to achieve success on racing’s biggest stages.

It may still be true that most buyers show up at the sales looking to bring home horses that will go on to have prolific careers on the dirt. But American racing has made a dramatic shift in recent years, with more and more emphasis on grass racing. There are more races on the turf, more stakes on the turf and a lot more money available than ever before to those who own and train a top-class grass horse. All of which means, it would be a bigger mistake than ever to overlook those horses at the sales who you believe will end up spending most of their careers on the turf.

No horse better exemplifies this than the 3-year-old filly Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy), the winner of the July 6 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational. The Keeneland Sales graduate, who sold for $20,000 at the 2017 September Sale, is five-for-six in her career, a Grade I winner and has earned $818,650. With NYRA having recently created the Triple Tiara Series, of which the 10-furlong Belmont Oaks was the first leg, Concrete Rose now has a chance to win an additional $900,000 should she sweep the second and third legs of the all-grass series. The series continues with the inaugural $750,000 Saratoga Oaks at Saratoga and concludes Sept. 7 at Belmont with the inaugural $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks. Trainer Rusty Arnold said he is pointing the filly to both remaining races.

There is a similar three-race series at NYRA for 3-year-old males called the Turf Trinity.

As recently as three or four years ago, anyone training a 3- year-old grass filly would have been lucky to find a few spots worth something in the $200,000 range.

“I love grass racing,” Arnold said. “The horses are healthier on it, they last longer on it and it’s easier on them. Kentucky Downs has exploded with its purses, and it’s been really good to me. When I go to the sales, I look for an athlete first. Yes, people still want a (GI) Kentucky Derby or (GI) Kentucky Oaks winner and I understand why. There’s nothing like a good dirt horse because you know where those opportunities are. But I don’t think you just dismiss a grass family as quickly as you used to. I think that has changed over the last four or five years and I think with this series at NYRA it is going to cause that to change even more. Our filly has a chance to run in three high-quality races with big purses and two of those races weren’t even there a year ago.”

Prior to Concrete Rose’s first start, Arnold wasn’t sure whether he had a grass filly or not. But he had her ready to go for the Saratoga meet and thought she might not be quick enough to win a maiden sprint on the dirt. That he had had so much success with the grass sprinting mare Morticia (Twirling Candy), who was by the same sire, also helped him make his decision. Concrete Rose debuted Aug. 20 and won a 5 1/2-furlong turf maiden by 1 3/4 lengths.

Shortly after the maiden win, BBN Racing LLC bought a piece of the filly, becoming a partner of Ashbrook Farm.

“We have had a long relationship with Rusty Arnold and we knew he was very high on her talent,” said Braxton Lynch, the managing partner of BBN Racing. “He knew that she really didn’t want to be a 5 1/2-furlong filly. They thought she was talented, but they also thought they’d just be getting a race into her in that first race. The turn of foot she showed that day was pretty incredible. She was going 5 1/2 furlongs, was in the back of the field and came with the kind of explosion that gives you an indication of what’s to come.”

Concrete Rose was every bit as impressive in her next start when winning the GII Jessamine S. at Keeneland. Her 2-year-old season ended with an eighth-place finish in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. But she spent most of her trip toward the inside, which was clearly the worst part of the course that day at Churchill Downs.

Concrete Rose | Sarah K Andrew

She made her 3-year-old debut in the GIII Florida Oaks at Tampa, which she won by a half-length and then headed back to Churchill Downs for the GIII Edgewood S. Despite her solid credentials, she went off at 5-1, as many people did not believe she could beat last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). She not only beat her, she beat her handily, by 3 3/4 lengths under new rider Julien Leparoux.

The Belmont Oaks drew a stellar field, one so with so much talent that it might have been a tougher spot than even the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Newspaperofrecord was back and was made the betting favorite. Aidan O’Brien shipped in two from Ireland for the race. Olendon (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) was coming off a second-place finish in the G1 Prix St. Alary for top French trainer Pascal Bary and there was a mystery horse in the field in the Japanese shipper Jodie (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}).

“We caught Newspaperofrecord in the Edgewood at time when she hadn’t run since the Breeders’ Cup,” said Bo Bromagen, the racing manager for Ashbrook Farm. “But after that race we figured Newspaperofrecord was fit and going to be able to give 100 percent.

Bromagen continued, “My real question was the European horses. That French filly (Olendon) looked like she was the real deal coming out of her last race and we knew she’d be a threat. Then there was the Japanese horse, and it’s hard to compare those horses to U.S. horses. I looked at the PPs and I thought to myself that there are some serious threats in here. We were confident, though. As well as she was doing coming into the Edgewood, she seemed to be doing even better coming into this race.”

It was a case of more of the same as Concrete Rose won by 2 3/4 lengths over the O’Brien-trained Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}). There are plenty more races left to be run for 3-year-old turf fillies, including the GI Queen Elizabeth II S. at Keeneland in the fall, but Concrete Rose has certainly earned the right to be called the current leader among her division.

She’s also done so despite selling for a modest price at Keeneland and being out of a dam, Solerina (Powerscourt {GB}), whose two previous foals had gone a combined 0 for 36 on the racetrack through July 9.

“She’s shown that a good horse can come from anywhere,” said her breeder Ron Patterson, who added that in a typical year he breeds just two horses. “It makes it nice for the little breeder. It’s nice to see the little guy can come up with a good horse just like the big guys.”

With the Belmont Oaks Invitational behind them, the connections of Concrete Rose no longer know what her limits are. She was an inexpensive filly at the sales and is not regally bred, but she has found her niche: grass racing. From here, anything is possible.

“You want to overachieve with anything you do, and I like to dream high,” Lynch said. “That’s what this game is about, trying to achieve something big. If you had told me after her maiden win that she’d become a Grade I winner and earn over $800,000, it’s not that I wouldn’t have believed you, but I guess I would have been a little skeptical. She’s an overachiever.”

And with two races left in NYRA’s Turf Tiara Series, the best may be yet to come.

By Dede Biles
dbiles@aikenstandard.com

Concrete Rose, shown here Monday at Saratoga Race Course in New York, won the $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park in New York on Saturday.

• Photo by Barry Bornstein/Special to the Aiken Standard

Concrete Rose, shown here Monday at Saratoga Race Course in New York, won the $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park in New York on Saturday.

• Photo by Barry Bornstein/Special to the Aiken Standard

Concrete Rose, shown here Monday at Saratoga Race Course in New York, looks out of her stall. She won the $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park in New York on Saturday.

Making news over the weekend in the sports world were the U.S. women’s national soccer team, which won the World Cup, and Justin Haley, who triumphed in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Also enjoying success were two 3-year-old thoroughbreds trained in Aiken.

Competing at Belmont Park in New York on Saturday, Henley’s Joy captured the $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes, and Concrete Rose scored in the $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes.

Both races were grade I events, and both were contested on grass.

Concrete Rose received this blanket of flowers for winning the $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park in New York on Saturday.

In addition, another horse trained in Aiken, 5-year-old Killybegs Captain, finished third in the $300,000 John A. Nerud Stakes on Saturday.

That race, a grade II event on dirt, also was run at Belmont Park.

“It could have been a really phenomenal day, but as it was, it was still pretty phenomenal. I’m very happy,” said Cary Frommer, who is the immediate past president of the Aiken Training Track and continues to serve on the facility’s board of directors.

“I don’t know when the last time was when Aiken had two grade I winners in one day,” added Frommer, who watched all of the action on television.

Henley’s Joy, Concrete Rose and Killybegs Captain are graduates of Frommer’s training program for young horses.

One of Frommer’s clients, Wendy Hendriks, purchased Henley’s Joy for $20,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall yearling sale in Maryland.

Last year, Frommer sold Henley’s Joy on behalf of Hendriks for $50,000 to Bloom Racing Stable at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring sale of 2-year-olds in training in Florida.

The 3-year-old colt was a 20-1 longshot in the Belmont Derby.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano and trained by Mike Maker, Henley’s Joy defeated Social Paranoia by three-quarters of a length while completing 1¼ miles in 1:58.29.

After stalking the pace early, Henley’s Joy rallied on the outside to take command with a sixteenth of a mile remaining.

“Henley’s Joy wants to try and gives it everything he’s got,” Frommer said. “But he’s had some tremendously bad luck in the past and has been trapped on the rail and stopped. This time, he got a trouble-free run and showed what he could do.”

Henley’s Joy has a career record of four wins in 11 races and has earned $953,160.

Last year, he captured the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Stakes and the Pulpit Stakes.

Justin Wojczynski was working for Frommer as an assistant trainer when he bought Concrete Rose for $20,000 for himself and some partners at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale in Kentucky.

The filly then joined the group of horses under Frommer’s supervision in Aiken.

The following year, in the name of White Pine Thoroughbreds, Wojczynski consigned Concrete Rose to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training in Maryland. Bloodstock agent David Ingordo purchased her for $61,000.

Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing currently own Concrete Rose. Her trainer is Rusty Arnold.

In the Belmont Oaks, Concrete Rose was the second betting choice behind the 8-5 favorite Newspaperofrecord.

Jodie, a 41-1 longshot, quickly grabbed the lead after breaking from the starting gate, and Concrete Rose settled in behind her and relaxed.

Then Concrete Rose rallied late and passed Jodie. The latter faded and wound up fourth.

Newspaperofrecord, who was ranked early, finished last in the field of nine fillies.

Concrete Rose’s margin of victory was 2¾ lengths, and she covered 1¼ miles in 1:59.97 while being ridden by Julien Leparoux.

“She was a nice, smooth mover when she was in Aiken, and she has gotten better as she’s matured,” said Frommer of Concrete Rose. “I saw her in Florida earlier this year, and she’s a bigger, much more imposing horse than she used to be.”

Concrete Rose has a career record of five wins in six races. She has earned $818,650.

In addition, to the Belmont Derby, Concrete Rose has won the grade II JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes and the grade III Edgewood Stakes, presented by Forcht Bank, and Florida Oaks.

“When you talk to people about Aiken, they always say, ‘Aiken had some really good horses back in the day, but what have you done lately?’” Frommer said. “It’s really important that the word gets out about Henley’s Joy and Concrete Rose. It was a big day of racing in New York, and they put on a big show.”

Killybegs Captain’s third-place finish in the John A. Nerud came after he stumbled badly leaving the starting gate and bumped into Bon Raison right afterward.

Ridden by Eric Cancel, Killybegs Captain is owned by Curragh Stables and trained by John P. Terranova II.

The horse has won five of his 21 career races, including the Pelican Stakes, and is an earner of $305,453.

Legacy Bloodstock purchased Killybegs Captain for $20,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Frommer then sold him to Curragh Racing for $75,000 at the 2016 Ocala Breeders Sales Company spring sale of 2-year-olds in training.