Brilliant Berti responds to blinkers in Green River Island

Ellis Park hosted its Summer Showcase over the weekend, featuring a total of seven turf stakes with clues for the upcoming Kentucky Downs stand. 

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., who was at Colonial Downs Saturday to guide Arlington Million (G1) hero Burnham Square, turned an Ellis stakes double on Sunday with Brilliant Berti and Fancy Sailor.

Brilliant Berti had gone winless since last summer’s Wise Dan (G2) at Churchill Downs, but his fortunes took a turn for the better in the $300,000 Green River Island S. While the addition of blinkers arguably made a difference, connections believed that drawing an inside post was also key to his revival.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Brilliant Berti went off as the 2.64-1 favorite ($7.28) on the drop from graded to listed level. Yet there were a few other graded veterans seeking relief in this spot, and the Klein Racing homebred rediscovered his former panache. 

Brilliant Berti rolled from just a few lengths off the pace to score by 1 3/4 lengths, clocking 1 1/16 miles in 1:40. 31 on the good course. Native Runner rallied for second, with Giocoso third after a troubled start.

By Noble Mission and out of multiple stakes winner Believe in Bertie, by Langfuhr, Brilliant Berti sports a mark of 18-8-2-1, $2,642,323. The bay was among the notable turf sophomores of 2024, capturing the Bryan Station (G3), American Derby, and Gun Runner S. at Kentucky Downs and finishing second in the Secretariat (G2). Brilliant Berti added the 2025 Opening Verse S. and Wise Dan with placings in the Arlington (G3) and Coolmore Turf Mile (G1). He was most recently fourth in his Wise Dan title defense.

Earlier in the $250,000 Water Tower S. for three-year-olds, Hernandez engineered a stalk-and-pounce trip aboard Brian Lynch’s Fancy Sailor ($7.68) in his stakes debut.

Blackmail, the 1.07-1 favorite, sparred with a longshot early and couldn’t hold on late. As Fancy Sailor cruised past him, Royal Causeway also closed to relegate Blackmail to third. Black Hornet was a last-minute vet scratch.

Fancy Sailor, a son of Triple Crown champion Justify, navigated 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.86. Note that his dam, Tiz Ro, is a Hard Spun half-sister to 2007 Arlington Million winner Jambalaya. 

The Raroma Stable homebred broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park and landed an entry-level allowance at Churchill. His resume now reads 5-3-0-1, $273,310. 

In the companion stakes for three-year-old fillies, the $243,750 Pucker Up S., Carl R. Moore Management’s Bohemian ($15.64) went from last to first to notch a stakes breakthrough.

East Jabip, the 1.72-1 favorite, did not help her cause by fretting in the gate. After backing out and reloading, she set the pace, but weakened in deep stretch. The tracking Embrace Time was on the premises, and Turner’s Charm rallied, but Bohemian had the greatest momentum of all.

Under Umberto Rispoli, the Joe Sharp pupil headed Turner’s Charm on the line while covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.04. Embrace Time and East Jabip came home third and fourth, respectively, in the bunched-up finish. 

Bohemian advanced her line to 14-3-2-3, $351,667. From the first crop of champion Essential Quality, the gray just missed versus males in the Texas Turf Mile and placed third in the Allen “Black Cat” Lacombe Memorial at Fair Grounds. She was a belated fourth last time out in the Tepin S. at Churchill, a race in common with East Jabip (second) and Turner’s Charm (eighth). 

Bred by Hinkle Farms and sold for $125,000 on Fasig-Tipton’s digital platform last summer, Bohemian is out of the Kitten’s Joy mare Eileen’s Song. Her second dam is Grade 1-winning millionaire Rutherienne, whose granddaughter Fully Subscribed recently won the Shuvee (G2) at Saratoga.

In the $249,375 Tri-State Turf Sprint, Joe Shiesty ($6.48) blasted out of the gate with Fernando de la Cruz and held sway from flag-fall to finish. 

Trained by Eric Foster for a partnership including Foster Family Racing, the Air Force Blue gelding sped 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.18. The 16-1 Okiro and 1.33-1 favorite Troubleshooting rallied to fill out the minor awards.

Joe Shiesty is now a millionaire with a bankroll of $1,140,627 backed by a record of 22-8-4-2. This marked his fifth career stakes victory, after the 2024 William Walker S., last summer’s Mighty Beau S., and the Holiday Cheer S. and Big Daddy S. on the Turfway Park Tapeta over the winter. He was coming off a pair of close seconds in smart company at Churchill, in the TwinSpires Turf Sprint (G2) to Yellow Card and in his Mighty Beau title defense to Doncho. 

The five-year-old bay was making his third attempt at this race. Unplaced in the past two editions, he was an unlucky eighth last year when grabbing a quarter at the start. 

Bred by Rodney Orr, Joe Shiesty is a half-brother to Grade 2-placed Johnny Unleashed. They are out of the More Than Ready mare Ready to Unleash.

Alex Bregman’s Chicago Cubs lost to the New York Yankees Sunday, but his Bregman Family Racing scored a major win at Ellis with Love You Anyway ($35.14). The 16-1 shot leveraged a rail-skimming ride by Axel Concepcion to upset the $250,000 Sunkissed S. 

The Rusty Arnold filly gained a decisive advantage by cutting the corner turning for home, and she prevailed by three-quarters of a length in 1:35.41 for the mile. Vive Veuve flashed home late, edging 1.01-1 favorite Medoro for second.

Love You Anyway’s first stakes win enhanced her broodmare value while improving her scorecard to 11-3-2-2, $384,115. Runner-up in last fall’s Pebbles (G3) at Aqueduct, the gray was all at sea in her latest when the Ouija Board Distaff was rained off the turf at Lone Star.

Bred by Aaron and Marie Jones, the $450,000 Keeneland September yearling is a daughter of Tapit and Grade 3 winner Princess La Quinta, by Quality Road. 

Saturday’s turf dashes were contested over a yielding course.

The Wesley Ward-trained Fanshell Beach, last seen at Royal Ascot, beat the boys in the $200,000 Riverside Rush S. for juveniles. The 1.86-1 favorite ($5.72) led at every call, withstanding pestering from a longshot and holding deep closer Crack On by a half-length. With Yedsit Hazlewood in the saddle, Fanshell Beach slogged 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.79. 

The Hat Creek Racing runner became the first stakes winner for freshman sire Corniche. Fanshell Beach is 2-for-3, with $193,007 in her account, all earned versus males. The chestnut was a flashy debut winner on the Churchill dirt, beating future Sanford (G3) romper (and Saratoga Special [G2] runner-up) Booked. She tried the boys in Royal Ascot’s Norfolk (G2), a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1), and finished a creditable fifth. 

Out of multiple stakes-winning California-bred Pacific Heat, by Unusual Heat, Fanshell Beach was bred by Betz Thoroughbreds/D. J. Stables/Brian Graves/Gainesway and sold for $80,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.

Also on Saturday, Lugamo Racing Stable’s Cloe ($9.32) mowed down pacesetter Itzel in the $225,000 Hummingbird S. for female turf sprinters. Trained by Mike Maker and ridden by Ben Curtis, the Tiz the Law filly drew off by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:02.43.

Cloe, whose record stands at 10-4-2-2, $784,382, was a consistent stakes performer last year for Jose D’Angelo. She won Gulfstream’s Melody of Colors S. and placed in the Senorita (G3), Soaring Softly S., and Music City (G2), in the latter chasing home then-stablemate Shisospicy.

Bred by Crosshaven Bloodstock, Cloe was produced by Nuhood, a daughter of Smart Strike and multiple Grade 1 vixen Habibti. Nuhood is herself a half-sister to millionaire marathoner Eldaafer.