Bernardini Mare Springs Major TCA Upset
Updated: October 3, 2015 at 9:30 pm
Fioretti, purchased by Joe Hamilton and Tony Braddock’s Two Hearts Farm for $35,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age sale, came from just off the pace to win the six-furlong Roxelana S. at Churchill Downs June 20. She set the pace before forfeiting an open-lengths advantage in the stretch when second in the GIII Groupie Doll S. going one mile at Ellis Park Aug. 8. Fioretti chased the pace while three wide behind fractions of :22.40 and :45.56. She launched a four-wide rally at the top of the lane as champion Judy the Beauty was crying out for running room along the rail. Fioretti forged to the lead with a furlong to run and held off Heykittykittykitty for a determined victory.
The win was the first graded stakes success for trainer Anthony Hamilton, Jr. and jockey Sophie Doyle.
“We had a perfect trip,” Doyle said. “Fioretti traveled beautifully throughout the race. I just waited until the quarter pole, grabbed her up tight and sent her on. She did it lovely. I saw Judy the Beauty on the inside, and I saw her start to make her move. I was thinking, ‘I think I have a bit more left in the tank than you do.’ We got a bit of an easier trip. [Fioretti] has impressed us coming into this race and Anthony Hamilton has done a fantastic job with her.”
Hamilton added, “We knew she was strong coming in, but this was a tall order.”
The TCA is a Win and You’re In race for the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Sprint and Hamilton said that would likely be the next start for Fioretti.
“If everything goes right, yeah that would be the plan,” he confirmed.
Judy the Beauty found clear running room late but didn’t have enough late kick to challenge the winner.
“I had room late, but she’d rather be on the outside,” jockey Mike Smith said of the beaten favorite. “She went [when she found room], but it wasn’t her A race. Hopefully she’ll run her A race when it counts.”
Fioretti’s half-sister by Girolamo sold for $120,000 at this year’s OBS March sale. Her dam Move Clickly was bred to Majesticperfection this year.
Saturday, Keeneland
THOROUGHBRED CLUB OF AMERICA S.-GII, $250,000, KEE, 10-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.04, my.
1–@FIORETTI, 120, m, 5, by Bernardini
1st Dam: Move Clickly, by Cherokee Run
2nd Dam: St Lucinda, by St. Jovite
3rd Dam: Majestic Nature, by Majestic Prince
($92,000 Ylg ’11 KEEJAN; $230,000 RNA Ylg ’11
KEESEP; $35,000 4yo ’14 FTKHRA). O-Two Hearts
Farm, LLC & Don Janes; B-James G. Bell (KY);
T-Anthony J. Hamilton, Jr.; J-Sophie Doyle.
$150,000. Lifetime Record: 22-5-7-1, $330,968.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk
Nick Rating: A.
[bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Heykittykittykitty, 120, f, 4, Tactical Cat–Eternal
Joy, by New Way. O-Westrock Stables LLC;
B-Diamond G Ranch, Inc. (OK); T-Ron Moquett.
$50,000.
3–Judy the Beauty, 120, m, 6, Ghostzapper–Holy Blitz,
by Holy Bull. ($20,000 Ylg ’10 KEESEP). O/T-Wesley
A. Ward; B-Adena Springs (ON). $25,000.
[bullet ad=”hill-n-dale-hip-375-ftkoct”][bullet ad=”ontario-bred”][bullet ad=”bred-raised-sold-adena”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”]Margins: 3/4, HF, 3/4. Odds: 17.20, 9.20, 1.00.
Also Ran: Spelling Again, Sweet Whiskey, Desert Valley, Brown Eyed Mary, Leigh Court.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.