Scandalous Act sweeps filly FSS; Best Plan Yet captures In Reality for Gold

Scandalous Act sweeps filly FSS; Best Plan Yet

captures In Reality for Gold

Golden Friendships kept the pressure on Scandalous Act rounding the turn as

Holiday Magic eased out to split rivals. In the end none of that mattered as the

long-time leader easily drew away from her rivals in the lane to pay $3 for the

win as the heavy 1-2 favorite. Scandalous Act stopped the clock in 1:48 1/5 for

the 1 1/16 miles.

"The greatest thing about her is she has such a good mind," O'Connell said of

her star pupil. "She has exhibited staying power. She's just a lovely

Thoroughbred to be around."

Quinnkat took up the battle with Holiday Magic in the lane and prevailed by 1

3/4 lengths on the line. It was another 7 1/4 lengths back to fourth-placer

Fantastic Voyage while Old Wives Tale, Golden Friendships, Starship Sassy and

Solitary completed the order of finish.

Scandalous Act is now four-for-five in her career, with her only loss coming

as a puzzling seventh in the J J'sdream at Calder on June 22. Other than that

one the Act of Duty dark bay filly has easily dominated her rivals at the Miami

Gardens, Florida, venue, and on Saturday she more than doubled her career

earnings to $328,040.

When asked about plans for what is to come, O'Connell hinted at the potential

for a Breeders' Cup appearance.

"We're California dreaming," she grinned. "We'll talk to the boss and go from

there."

Scandalous Act is out of the winning Langfuhr mare Scandalous Lady and counts

as a half-brother Two T's at Two B, who captured last year's Dr. Fager division

while placing in the other two legs of the FSS series. Her female family also

sports Grade/Group 2 winners Copano and Hasty Flirt as well as 1966 Louisiana

Derby victor and Kentucky Derby third-placer Blue Skyer.

Best Plan Yet was content to track in the second flight as Copa Del Rey and

My Brown Eyed Guy battled it out through the opening half-mile in :23 4/5 and

:48 2/5. My Brown Eyed Guy suddenly began fading at the same time as Best Plan

Yet slipped through on the inside of Copa Del Rey to take over.

The bay son of Hear No Evil rounded the turn with an easy lead in 1:13 3/5

and was never challenged from that point on. Purchango came running to take

second by 3 1/2 lengths over We're All Set, while Copa Del Rey finished another

length back in fourth.

"I worked very hard with the horse," Sanchez explained. "The last time he won

he surprised me, and I said 'OK, this time I will take him back, but not too far

back.' I tried to put him behind the speed and when he was ready, let him go.

He's unbelievable."

D N A Approval, Arangol, Worldly Vision, Rasta Rant and even-money favorite

My Brown Eyed Guy followed the top four under the wire.

"He seems like he will be fine," O'Connell said of My Brown Eyed

Guy. "Maybe he will need the turf, or not to go as long. But he seemed like he

would be fine this morning."

Best Plan Yet improved his mark to read 6-3-2-0 and doubled his lifetime

earnings thus far to $300,960 with Saturday's victory. The juvenile ran fourth

in the Frank Gomez Memorial in his racing debut on June 22, then finished second

to My Brown Eyed Guy in the Dr. Fager division. Gold tipped Best Plan Yet into

the maiden ranks and the bay responded with a two-length victory just two weeks

later.

Another runner-up effort behind My Brown Eyed Guy followed, this time in the

Affirmed division of the FSS, but Best Plan Yet entered Saturday's final leg of

the series with a win in the September 14 Foolish Pleasure under his girth.

Best Plan Yet is out of the multiple stakes-winning Bayou Hebert mare Bayou

Plans, making him a half-brother to Grade 1 hero Midas Eyes, multiple Grade 3

diva Bayou's Lassie, multiple stakes victress Awesome Belle, stakes winner

Bourbon n Blues and Group 1-placed Al Zir. His fifth dam is 1962 Broodmare of

the Year Track Medal, who is herself a full sister to 1956 Horse of the Year and

Kentucky Derby star Swaps.

Two other stakes took place on the FSS program, with the Tropical Park Derby

getting the black-type action underway while the Frances A. Genter wrapped it

up.

"We were quite amazed that he won," Ramsey Farm Manager Mark Partridge said.

"Anything that could go wrong, from the shipping to everything to get to the

jockey, went wrong. They canceled the flight because they couldn't get groomed.

He just got off the van at 3 a.m. this morning. We knew he had it in him, he'd

just gone through so much."

It was a blanket finish as Midnight Cello was only a head back, Grand Tito

showed up a head behind second and Padilla was another half-length back of

third. Manzutti came next and was followed under the wire by Ayrton, Offlee

Fast, Grad Student, Uptown Anthem, Boy of Summer and Colossians.

Amen Kitten has competed six times now in stakes but prior to Saturday his

best finish came as a third-place run in a Colonial Downs contest named for his

sire, Kitten's Joy, on July 13. In fact, this was just his second win following

his maiden claiming score at Gulfstream Park in his sophomore bow on January 11.

Now owning a 2-4-2 mark from 15 lifetime starts, Amen Kitten has accumulated

$123,749 in career earnings.

Amen Kitten is out of the winning Pulpit mare Crumbs of Comfort, making his

fifth dam 1981 Broodmare of the Year Natashka.

E B Ryder, who is out of the unraced Theatrical mare Back to Earth, has

accumulated $155,290 in earnings to go along with her 13-4-3-1 career mark. Her

dam is a full sister to Grade 3 winner Laura's Lucky Boy while her second dam,

Corridora Slew, is a half-sibling to dual Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer

Cigar.

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