As the smart winner of the Belmont Oaks (G1) last out, Godolphin’s homebred Cinderella’s Dream was always going to be favored in Friday’s $388,000 Saratoga Oaks (G2). But the withdrawal of her two most logical opponents, Segesta and Greenfinch, left the Charlie Appleby trainee as an even more lopsided choice, and the 3-10 favorite readily obliged in last-to-first fashion.
Saratoga Oaks (G2)
The scratches adversely affected both the race’s competitiveness and the pace scenario at Saratoga. Segesta nearly wired the Belmont Oaks, and Aidan O’Brien shipper Greenfinch was coming off a front-running victory in the Cairn Rouge S. at Killarney.
In their absence, projected pacesetter Macanga was able to get away with dawdling fractions. The slow tempo was no hindrance, though, to Cinderella’s Dream. Once the Saratoga Oaks turned into a dash for home, the Shamardal filly had too much finishing speed for her rivals.
Macanga, the 5.90-1 second choice, was hard to handle early. Racing well off the inside, Macanga carved out splits of :24.75, :49.80, and 1:14.34 on the firm Mellon course. By that point, Frankie Dettori, aboard 12.30-1 longshot Kathynmarissa, made a heady move. Dettori sent his filly through the inviting opening on the inside, and Kathynmarissa struck the front rounding the far turn.
Meanwhile, Cinderella’s Dream was still being confidently handled by jockey William Buick. Unhurried at the back of the compact group, the bay steered out wide for clear running room into the lane. As Kathynmarissa was under a Dettori drive to open up, Cinderella’s Dream was on cruise control ambling into contention. Buick merely shook the reins, and the favorite burst 1 1/2 lengths clear. With her ears pricked, Cinderella’s Dream negotiated 1 3/16 miles in 1:54.92.
“Very straightforward,” Buick recapped. “It was a case of just keeping her out of trouble and just making it as smooth as possible. And yeah, she won easy.”
Buick was well aware of how the race was unfolding in front of him, but the machinations of Macanga and Kathynmarissa posed no concern.
“It was a bit messy, the pace, and it was slow, and obviously Johnny (Velazquez on Macanga) opted to stay off the fence, and then Frankie (Dettori on Kathynmarissa) nipped up the inside and made a race of it. But I was always comfortable with my filly,” Buick added. “I never really had a moment’s worry. She responds so quickly to anything I ask her. Once I got in the back of Tyler’s filly (Movin’ on Up, ridden by Gaffalione) into the stretch, she had a double handful.”
Appleby likewise was happy with what he saw at every stage.
“She’s obviously a classy filly and the class of the race,” her trainer noted. “The only reservation I had is that she put up such a big figure there last time (in the Belmont Oaks) that I was always concerned whether there would be a bounce out of that. To be fair to the team, they were always confident that she was in good order.
“She’s gone out there and done it comfortably. You could see that when he (Buick) started taking her back on the turn and waiting instead of making that move earlier. He waited until the straight and just let her stride out in a hands-and-heels ride.”
Dettori was pleased with runner-up Kathynmarissa, while tipping his cap to the winner representing his old Godolphin connections.
“She ran a super race – no complaints,” Dettori said. “We got the trip we wanted. She hit the front and kicked on, but the Godolphin filly was just too good. Once I felt a horse coming, I knew it had to be her (Cinderella’s Dream). There was nothing I could do; my filly ran her race.”
Kathynmarissa was much the best of the rest, with three lengths to spare over third-placer Dancing N Dixie. Movin’ on Up and Macanga concluded the order of finish.
Cinderella’s Dream is now 6-for-7 with $717,976 in earnings. Her only loss was a seventh in the 1000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket. That snapped a four-race winning streak culminating in the March 2 Jumeirah 1000 Guineas during the Dubai Carnival at Meydan. Cinderella’s Dream has started a new streak by turning the Belmont/Saratoga Oaks double, but she won’t try for a sweep in the 1 3/8-mile Jockey Club Oaks (G3).
“Going forward, I would say we would look to maybe the E.P. Taylor (G1),” Appleby said of the Sept. 14 feature at Woodbine, “or give her a little more of a break and go for the Queen Elizabeth (II Challenge Cup [G1]) at Keeneland (Oct. 12) and then take a view of a Breeders’ Cup – but we’ll see and we’ll see what’s around.
“What she would take to that meeting would be plenty of experience and, as you know in the Breeders’ Cup, you need that and a draw.”
British-bred Cinderella’s Dream is out of the Dubawi mare Espadrille, who is herself a full sister to German stakes winner Pabouche. Espadrille and Pabouche were produced by Group 3 victress High Heeled, the third-placer in the 2009 Oaks (G1) and 2010 Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom. This is the family of Irish classic heroine Just the Judge, successful in the 2014 E.P. Taylor and third in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2)
One race later at the Spa, in the $500,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2), Neat finished with a flourish to collar Lagynos in time.
Trained by Rob Atras and ridden by Junior Alvarado, the 7-2 chance raced farther off the pace than in his past stakes wins. Neat led throughout in the Jan. 27 Texas Turf Mile, and he stalked in both the April 5 Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland as well as the June 29 Manila (G3) at Aqueduct. On Friday, the chestnut ended up sixth early, which wasn’t exactly what Atras envisioned.
“Definitely – him and Junior had a plan,” Atras quipped. “He (Alvarado) said he didn’t break real sharp, but he said he was comfortable. He said he felt like he had a lot. Junior told me, ‘don’t fool me – you have a lot of horse, so let him chill.’ What a nice kick and what a great ride by Junior.”
As Neat bided his time, the 29-1 longshot Barksdale scrambled forward through fractions of :24.42, :49.38, and 1:13.85 on the firm inner turf. Army Officer, the 2.05-1 favorite, tracked in second, but couldn’t pick up when required.
Instead, it was another stalker, Lagynos, who swept past the tiring pace factors in midstretch. Then Neat kicked into gear to deny Lagynos by a neck. Also rolling late was the filly Buttercream Babe. Altering course to rally on the inside, she checked in another neck away in a near-miss third.
The top three drew two lengths clear of Please Advise. Next came Crystal Quest; the troubled Zverev, who was pinched back at the start; Army Officer; and Barksdale.
Red White and Blue Racing’s Neat clocked a mile in 1:36.38 to improve his resume to 9-6-0-0, $765,630. The Constitution colt has won six of his past seven on turf; his only subpar effort in that span was a seventh in the American Turf (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day.
“He’s one of those horses that is improving,” Atras said. “Mentally, he’s getting better, and he seems more dialed in every race. He runs more professional. I know he got a little rank on the backside, but Junior was testing him to make sure (he had horse) – he’s the kind of horse you love, ‘cause they win.
“That’s the kind of horse he is in the mornings, too,” the trainer said of Neat’s competitive spirit. “We don’t always breeze him in company, but sometimes we do. Last week, we didn’t and he was still full of run. He likes to fight like that.”
Alvarado also commented on Neat’s will to win.
“When I turned for home, I tipped him out, and he was so game,” his rider said. “He kept fighting and grinding and kept going after the horse in front. Eventually, he put his head in front right in front of the wire. I love this horse. He is my kind of horse – you can feel he has the fire to win.”
Neat was bred by Hidden Brook Farm and Spruce Lane Farm in Kentucky. The $200,000 Keeneland September yearling is a half-brother to multiple Grade 3-placed stakes scorer Louder Than Bombs. Their dam, the More Than Ready mare Orabella, is from the immediate family of Grade 1 queen R Heat Lightning.
