Compliance Officer makes second start back in Ashley T. Cole

Compliance Officer makes second start back in Ashley T.
Cole

Compliance Officer was much the best in the 2011 edition (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) Two years ago, Compliance Officer earned his second stakes victory when he won the Ashley T. Cole at Belmont Park. The 2011 Ashley T. Cole was part of a run for Compliance Officer in which he won seven of eight starts, five in stakes. On Sunday, Compliance Officer will attempt to regain some of that magic when he competes in the 2013 edition of the Ashley T. Cole, a $150,000, 1 1/8-mile race on the inner turf course for New York-breds three-years-old and up. Compliance Officer opened his 2012 campaign with a three-quarter length victory in the Kingston in the spring at Belmont, but is winless in four subsequent starts. He was second in the Poker and third and second, respectively, in his title defense attempts in the West Point at Saratoga and the Ashley T. Cole, his final two starts of the year. “At the end of last year, he had an ankle injury,” said trainer Bruce Brown, who claimed Compliance Officer for $25,000 on behalf of La Marca Stable in 2011. “No surgery or anything. We gave him the winter off. And then this spring he was coming back great and we were lining him up for the early New York-bred races, and he popped a splint on his one leg. That’s what took us time. By the time we got him to the races in Saratoga, it had been almost a year between races.” In his comeback on August 26, Compliance Officer couldn’t match strides with Plainview and Twigazuri Strait and finished third, beaten 5 3/4 lengths, in a starter allowance/optional claimer at Saratoga.

“He really needed that race; it was a good tightener,” Brown said. “He should
be ready to go. Nobody really went with (Plainview), and that horse is in really
good form right now. It was a good race.”

Alex Solis will ride Compliance Officer, 6-1 on the morning line, from post
position 3.

Also entered in the Ashley T. Cole is Aliyu Ben J Stables homebred Lubash,
who defeated Compliance Officer by a head in last year’s renewal. Since then, he
has added a victory in the Fort Marcy in May at Belmont. Following the Fort
Marcy, he was third in the Kingston and fifth in the Poker in July at Belmont,
and fourth in the West Point on August 15 at Saratoga.

“He’s trained well (since the West Point) and had a decent work, so as of now
he’s a ‘go,'” trainer Christophe Clement said.

Lubash, the 7-2 third choice on the morning line, drew post 8 and will be
ridden by Junior Alvarado.

The winner of the West Point, Hangover Kid, was entered in the Ashley T. Cole
but is unlikely to run, according to his trainer, Jason Servis. Joe Bravo was
named to ride Hangover Kid, who drew post 7 and was tabbed at 3-1 on the morning
line.

The 5-2 morning-line favorite is Kharafa, third by one length in the West
Point after setting the pace. Previously, he was second to King Kreesa in the
Kingston in June and won an open entry-level allowance in July at Belmont.

Awesome Vision, a two-time stakes winner, is set to try grass for the first
time in the Ashley T. Cole. He enters Sunday’s race off a pair of sharp efforts
at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt at Saratoga, having finished second by a head in the
Evan Shipman on July 22 and recorded a one-length victory in the Saratoga
Sunrise on August 16.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Awesome Vision, 10-1, from post 6.

The field also includes West Point runner-up Hear the Footsteps, Majestic
Raffy, Ampersand, and Idle American. Most Happy Fella was entered for the main
track only.

Inimitable Romanee has been knocking on the door (NYRA/Adam Coglianese/Joe Labozzetta) In the companion race for distaffers, the $150,000 John Hettinger, Inimitable Romanee seeks a stakes breakthrough after five stakes placings against fellow state-breds. In all, 11 fillies and mares were entered for the 1 1/8-mile test, including Mischief Maker, who will run only if the race is taken off the inner turf course. Trained by Graham Motion for Gallagher’s Stud, Inimitable Romanee was most recently third, beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Grade 1 winner Dayatthespa, in the restricted Yaddo at Saratoga on August 16. Prior to that race, the daughter of Maria’s Mon was second, 1 1/4 lengths behind recently-retired Grade 3 winner Hessonite, in the On the Bus, another state-bred Saratoga stakes. “I was thrilled how she ran at Saratoga,” Motion said. “This filly is very hard-knocking, very honest, very straightforward. She’s kind of a barn favorite. I’m just very pleased with how she’s doing, and I just hope she can win one of these. I think she deserves to. “The filly’s been a little unlucky,” he added. “She’s starting to come around, but it’s a tough time to be a New York-bred grass filly.” Inimitable Romanee was third to Hessonite in last year’s John Hettinger, her most recent try at nine furlongs. Second by a neck in the one-mile Mount Vernon at Belmont on June 1, she is winless in nine starts following an entry-level allowance victory last July 4, also on the Belmont turf. “I think the distance is good for her. It’s one thing that’s appealing to me about this particular race,” Motion said. “I actually think she’s run better this year; she’s more settled. They’ve been able to take her back, and I think that’s really helped her. Hopefully, one of these has her name on it.”

Hall of Fame rider Edgar Prado will be aboard Inimitable Romanee, second
choice on the morning line at 7-2, from post 6.

Another hard-hitting filly taking aim at the John Hettinger is
Wholelottashakin, who finished second in the Yaddo, a half-length in front of
Inimitable Romanee and 1 3/4 lengths behind Dayatthespa.

“I think she ran her race (in the Yaddo),” said Tom Bush, who trains
Wholelottashakin for owner Parting Glass Racing. “That was one of her ‘A’ races,
and she just ran into a better filly. I was super pleased with the effort. She
definitely ran well.”

The four-year-old Scat Daddy filly shows three wins from five career starts
on the Belmont turf. Favored at 3-1 on the morning line, she drew post 4 and
will have a new rider in Irad Ortiz Jr., replacing the injured Jose Lezcano.

“She seems to like it (at Belmont); she really does,” Bush said. “She’s doing
well. She shipped back from Saratoga good, and came out of the race good up
there. We had a couple more weeks after that race, and she’s done fine. She’s a
very hardy filly; very tough. She’s ready to go.”

Also exiting the Yaddo is Love Stanza Chance, who ducked out at the start and
raced wide before finishing last of six in her stakes debut for trainer Tom
Albertrani. Owned by Chester and Mary Broman, the five-year-old Unbridled’s Song
mare has registered each of her three career victories over the Belmont turf,
including a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance score on July 13.

“We were kind of throwing her in a little over her head (in the Yaddo),”
Albertrani said. “We were just hoping we could get a little lucky with her and
get a little black type. We’re doing the same thing here. She’s going to have to
step her game up, definitely.”

The John Hettinger is the fifth start this year for Love Stanza Chance, who
returned to the races in mid-May following a six-month break. Listed at 10-1 on
the morning line, she departs from post 3 with jockey Cornelio Velasquez.

“It took her a couple races to come off the layoff,” Albertrani said. “It
looked like she found her best stride the last couple races before the Yaddo. It
wasn’t terrible, but we still feel like she’s got to step up a little bit.”

“She could be a little free-running, so if she settles and rates fine, that’s
the whole key with her,” he added. “Hopefully, she just kind of relaxes and
doesn’t do too much early on. She’s training well, so we’re just hoping for the
best.”

Go Unbridled, who gave legendary Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens his
first win of the Saratoga meet in the Saratoga Dew for state-bred fillies on
August 26, was one of three supplemental nominees to the John Hettinger, along
with Mlle Margaux, an optional claiming allowance winner at Saratoga on August
31, and Harbor Mist.

Rounding out the John Hettinger field are Dreaming of Cara, fourth in the
Saratoga Dew; Diamondrella stakes winner Effie Trinket, who is cross-entered in
Saturday’s Grade 1 Garden City; and Lady’s Lunar Luck, who is coming off a pair
of wins at Saratoga.

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