by Teresa Genaro
NEWSPAPEROFRECORD made a smashing debut in the 5TH Race at Saratoga on Sunday for trainer Chad Brown.
The two-year-old filly romped to a 6 3/4-length win on the yielding inner turf. As soon as the gates sprung, she lunged eagerly from post 5 under Irad Ortiz Jr., who skillfully held her back briefly to avoid getting squeezed. Head high and determined to run, Newspaperofrecord hit the first turn of the 1 1/16-miles race three wide, then settled in a stalking second behind 31-1 longshot Downstream.
Sent off at 6-5, Newspaperofrecord moved easily along Downstream heading into the far turn, and from there on, the outcome was never in doubt, as the bay filly accelerated in the stretch before gearing down approaching the wire.
Newspaperofrecord is one of about a dozen horses that Brown purchased last fall at the Tattersall’s October yearling sale, and the first that owner Seth Klarman of Klaravich Stables has purchased abroad.
“I was going (to Europe) and I asked Seth if he wanted to buy some horses over there, and he said, ‘Sure,’” said Brown, standing outside the winner’s circle. “Mike Ryan is my partner, and he goes and scouts the horses. He went over ahead of me, and I looked at the shortlist with him, and this is one of the first ones we bought.”
The filly, bred in Ireland by Times of Wigan Ltd., is by Lope de Vega (Ire) and out of Sunday Times (GB), who is by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). Lope de Vega stands at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland for €60,000. Klarman paid $278,000 for Newspaperofrecord, who went to Bridlewood Farm for her early training.
“This is the first one we’ve run from that trip, and I’m happy we bought her,” Brown said. “We’re a fan of the stallion; we’ve had other offspring of his. Mostly, we’re looking for fillies there, and she looked like she’d get two turns in America.
“She identified herself as potentially being special about a month ago, when we really let her stretch her legs out and see what she had. We were having trouble finding partners for her to work with.”
Brown is eyeing the $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park on September 30 as a next start for the filly, in the hope of a start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs on November 2.
