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.

Courtesy of Horse Racing Nation

Photo: Joe Labozzetta/NYRA

Concrete Rose emerged from her victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational in good order according to trainer Rusty Arnold, who noted that Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing’s daughter of Twirling Candy would be headed to the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks on Aug. 2 as long as she remains healthy.

The Saratoga Oaks is the second leg of the newly-minted Turf Tiara which includes the Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks and the $750,000 Jockey Club Oaks on Sept. 7 at Belmont Park.

“She came back great,” Arnold said. “She was on a van with (Hall of Fame trainer) Shug’s (McGaughey) horses up to Saratoga at about 5 this morning, but everything looks great. As long as there aren’t any setbacks that’s where we’ll be headed.”

Concrete Rose, a winner of five of six lifetime starts, was a three-time graded stakes winner before notching her first Grade 1 triumph in the Belmont Oaks.

At 2, she won the Jessamine (G2) over the turf at Keeneland before scoring victories in the Florida Oaks (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs in her sophomore debut and the Edgewood (G3) at Churchill Downs.

Concrete Rose earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure in the Belmont Oaks, replicating the figure earned in the Edgewood.

Ashbrook Farm Racing Manager Bo Bromagen spoke high volumes of Concrete Rose’s physical and mental maturity at age 3.

“Physically, she’s developed but her attitude has been her biggest change. Her self confidence is very noticeable,” Bromagen said. “It’s something you can’t miss. In the paddock she’s not acting up, she was just ready to go.”

Bromagen said that it felt great to be able to compete among some of the most sought-after Thoroughbred operations on the globe, like that of Ballydoyle, who raced two fillies in the Belmont Oaks, Just Wonderful and Coral Beach, as well as the Japanese pacesetter Jodie.

“The international support that has come to work this series is fantastic. I was sitting next to a table with the Japanese contingent and obviously Ballydoyle is up here as well,” Bromagen said. “It means a lot to finish in front of guys like that. They’re (Ballydoyle) like the New York Yankees of horse racing and it means a lot to be able to compete with them on that level and be successful at it.”

by Paulick Report Staff | 07.06.2019 | 6:07pm

Henley’s Joy in victory lane after the Belmont Derby

Bloom Racing Stable’s Henley’s Joy surprised bettors with a 20-1 upset in Saturday’s Grade 1 Belmont Derby, his first win of 2019. The 3-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy and jockey Jose Lezcano defeated 16-1 chance Social Paranoia by three-quarters of a length on the wire, completing 1 1/4 miles over Belmont’s firm turf course in 1:58.29. The first leg of the inaugural Turf Triple was the first graded stakes win for the Mike Maker-trained Henley’s Joy.

“It was great,” said Nolan Ramsey, Maker’s assistant and the grandson of breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey. “I was kind of expecting it. He’s a horse I hate to make excuses for, but it seems like every race he’s got some sort of excuse. Today, he got the perfect ride and a clean trip and he really relished the distance.

“He shows up. He’s very consistent. He’s never really run a bad race. We knew a mile and a quarter would fit him, so we were confident going in, but obviously it was a really tough field so we knew he needed a clean trip, and that’s what he got.”

Henley’s Joy was the quickest of 14 out of the gate, but settled willingly off the frontrunners Moon Colony and Blenheim Palace through fractions of :23.31 and :47.80. Racing in third alongside Social Paranoia, Henley’s Joy had the inside advantage through the first turn and down the backstretch.

Rounding the far turn, Social Paranoia had the first run on the leaders from the outside and burst into the lead. Lezcano shifted Henley’s Joy into the clear on the outside and easily ran down Social Paranoia, holding him at bay all the way to the finish to win by three-quarters of a length. Social Paranoia had to settle for second, while late-running Rockemperor finished third. Digital Age got up for fourth.

The remaining order of finish was as follows: Seismic Wave, Plus Que Parfait, Standard Deviation, Cape of Good Hope, Moon Colony, English Bee, Spinoff, and Demarchelier.

Demarchelier, previously undefeated, was vanned off the course. The Daily Racing Form‘s David Grening reported that he had lameness in his right front leg.

Bred in Kentucky by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Henley’s Joy was a $20,000 yearling at the Fasig-TiptonMidlantic sale, and commanded $50,000 when pinhooked through OBS April. The colt broke his maiden on debut, then captured the Kentucky Downs Juvenile before running second in the G2 Dixiana Bourbon. He did not take to the soft ground in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, finishing 13th, but won a listed stakes at Gulfstream to close out his juvenile season. In five starts this season, Henley’s Joy had twice finished second. Overall, the colt’s record stands at four wins and three seconds from 11 starts for earnings of $1 million.

“It’s such a big race to win and it’s so important, but for this particular horse, he’s had the worst racing luck and he’s just been so honest, so many rough trips, it was just so gratifying to see him be able to show everybody how talented he is,” said owner Jeff Bloom. “He’s had so many near misses in situations where things didn’t go right and he answered the call today in a big spot.”

MSW EONS (Giant Causeway) trained at Aiken by Legacy and selected as a yearling by Clancy Bloodstock, stepped up into graded stakes company in the Kent S G3 after winning his prior 3 starts in a row including the Stanton S. In the Kent S, he pressed the pace throughout  and withstood a long duel to the wire to win by a neck. He is owned by Mark B. Grier and trained by Arnaud Delacour.