Artemis Agrotera catches La Verdad in Gallant Bloom

Artemis Agrotera has now beaten older fillies and mares twice in graded stakes this year (Chelsea Durand/Adam Coglianese Photography) Artemis Agrotera fell behind a wicked pace set by La Verdad, but rallied through the Belmont Park stretch to defeat that older rival by a head in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap, her final prep before the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on November 1. La Verdad, who provided a target for Artemis Agrotera in last month’s Ballerina at Saratoga, set a scorching pace of :21 3/5 and :43 3/5. Artemis Agrotera broke a bit tardily from the gate and found herself more than nine lengths behind after a quarter-mile, a scenario much different from the Ballerina where she was within of a length of the speedball most of the way. “She really didn’t enjoy being that far back,” jockey Rajiv Maragh said. “Early on, I tried to keep her in her rhythm. I had a lot of confidence in her and tried to be a good passenger and let her finish strong. I assumed they were going that fast because my filly is naturally quick, and if she’s 10 lengths off the lead La Verdad had to be going fast to be that far in front of her.”

Still holding a commanding lead turning for home, La Verdad had four lengths
on her closest pursuer passing the eighth pole, but began showing fatigue after
her early exertion. Artemis Agrotera, who was forced five wide entering the
straight, closed stoutly to catch the long time leader and won in a photo. The
2-5 favorite completed 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:15 2/5.

“In the stretch, my filly found a second wind and a third wind,” Maragh said.
“Even if she had run second or third it would have been a good performance. It
shows what kind of filly she is to get up and win the race from where she was.”

The 2-5 favorite, owned and bred in New York by Chester and Mary Broman,
returned $2.60 to win.

La Verdad held second, a length in front of Willet. Merry Meadow was two
lengths farther back in fourth and was followed by Classic Point and
Bridgehampton.

This was the third graded stakes win for Artemis Agrotera, who scored Grade 1
victories in the Frizette last October and in the August 23 Ballerina by a
commanding 6 1/2 lengths. Now with two major wins against older fillies and
mares, the sophomore daughter of Roman Ruler will be among the favorites to
clinch an Eclipse Award as the nation’s leading female sprinter at Santa Anita.

“Now we have six weeks (to the Breeders’ Cup). We can take our time,” trainer
Michael Hushion said. “She has this under her belt. Like Rajiv said, he learned
a lot about her today.”

Artemis Agrotera has won five of seven starts for earnings of $943,800. Two
other victories, a maiden and an allowance, came against New York-breds. She’s
been unplaced twice, finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at
Santa Anita last November and eighth in the Acorn at Belmont in her season debut
June 7.

Out of the stakes-winning and multiple Grade 2-placed A.P. Indy mare Indy
Glory, the New York-bred filly is a three-quarter sibling to a pair of
stakes-placed runners in Submerge and Time Squared. Indy Glory is a full sister
to Grade 1 winner Stephen Got Even and stakes queen Grand Merger.

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