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By the Moon upsets Frizette
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| By the Moon sailed home a nice winner of the Frizette
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
A sloppy, sealed track was no detriment for Jay Em Ess Stable's By the Moon
on Saturday at Belmont Park as she pulled off a 2 1/4-length victory in the
Grade 1, $500,000
Frizette Stakes under jockey Jose Ortiz.
The Indian Charlie miss was sent off the second longest shot on the board at
24-1, but withstood the late run of 4-5 favorite Condo Commando as well as
rallies from impressive maiden winners Wonder Gal and Feathered to finish the
one-mile contest in 1:39 2/5.
The Frizette was both a "Win & You're In" contest, giving By the Moon an
automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at
Santa Anita Park on
November 1, and worth 10 points to the winner toward next year's
Kentucky Oaks.
Everyone expected favored Condo Commando, a 13-length winner over By the Moon
in the Spinaway last out, to take command as soon as the gates opened on the
Frizette. However, the Rudy Rodrigruez pupil slipped and slid in her first few
strides over the wet track, giving By the Moon a chance to take command briefly.
Cavorting brought an unbeaten two-for-two mark, including victory in the
Adirondack, into the Frizette, and used the rail post to skate her way up along
By the Moon's inside. She grabbed the lead through a half-mile in :22 3/5 and
:46 while By the Moon settled into a stalking spot to her outside, Feathered and
Condo Commando ran in tandem a bit farther back, and Wonder Gal tracked along
the inside.
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By the Moon began her run rounding the turn and ranged up beside Cavorting
momentarily before drawing off at the top of the stretch. Condo Commando also
was moving down the center of the track, but just could not catch up with By the
Moon. Wonder Gal and Feathered came flying along the inside to get the best of
the favorite, but likewise could never reach the winner, who paid $50.50 to her
backers.
"I
got a perfect trip," Ortiz explained. "I broke perfect, but I didn't want to
take the lead so I sat second. By the three-eighths pole, I had a lot of horse
but I couldn't wait any longer because I saw (Irad Ortiz Jr.) asking (Cavorting) to go. I just let my
filly roll and she went to the lead. Going home I just had to do my job and keep
after her."
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| Condo Commando (outside) was no match for By the Moon in the Frizette
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Wonder Gal was 2 1/4 lengths behind By the Moon, while Feathered finished
one-length farther back in third. Condo Commando followed in fourth by a neck
while 55-1 longshot Cayman Croc, Ring Knocker and 2-1 second choice Cavorting
completed the order under the wire.
"I know she handled the slop at Saratoga
wonderfully (in the Spinaway), but I guess it was a different type of mud today,"
stated Joe Bravo, who piloted Condo Commando. "It was obvious --
the first jump out of the gate, she just stumbled and she fell away from there.
"What I felt was even worse, around the turn, was her action. Before the race,
she felt great and I didn't think we could get beat. When it got to the footing
on the ground, she wasn't content with it at all.
"It's a shame because in my
eyes, she is the best filly in the race."
"It's tough," agreed Condo Commando's trainer, Rudy Rodriguez. "Joe said she didn't like
the track. Every track is different. It looked as if she didn't handle the track
from the beginning; she stumbled coming out of the gate. We're going to scope
her and see if everything is OK and go from there. Even if she had won, I don't
think the Breeders' Cup was on the radar for her."
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By the Moon took her maiden debut at
Saratoga by three parts of a length on
July 18, but was no match for Condo Commando in the Spinaway. Ortiz took care of
her that day, resulting in a 13-length defeat, but the Michelle Nevin pupil
proved best on Saturday to improve her career record to 3-2-1-0, $419,800.
"She's always been extremely smart and very professional," Nevin said.
"In her first race she did everything she was expected to do as a racehorse.
Even in her second race it wasn't the greatest trip; she had to go a little wide
and maybe it was speed biased that day. She still tried to make her run. Today,
she just took control.
"It's a tough read," she added about going to the Breeders' Cup with her
trainee. "We had an off track. We're going to have to see how
we'll handle a (fast( track. It will depend on what the conditions will be out
there."
Bred by Samantha Siegel in Kentucky, By the Moon is the first registered
stakes winner out of the Malibu Moon mare By the Light, a Grade 1-placed stakes
queen who earned nearly $900,000 on track. Her female family includes champion
Heavenly Cause.
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