Klaravich Stables Inc.’s Separationofpowers took command of Sunday’s $400,000 Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park entering the lane and drew off to a 3 1/2-length win under regular rider Jose Ortiz.
The Frizette is part of the “Win & You’re In” Challenge series and gave the Chad Brown-trained two-year-old miss an all-fees paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on November 4 at Del Mar. The one-mile contest is also included in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series of points races, and awarded the top four finishers with 10-4-2-1 points toward a place in next year’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) starting gate.
Separationofpowers found herself in fourth about three wide early as Strategic Dreams battled with Drama Run through the opening quarter in :23.26. That latter runner quickly backed up, leaving the way clear for Purrfect Miss to take over pressing duties and Separationofpowers to move up just off the leaders’ flanks as Strategic Dreams set the next pair of splits of in :46.95 and 1:11.88.
Ortiz got busy on Separationofpowers rounding the turn and the bay lass kicked into gear, reeling in the top two and pulling away while easily holding the rallying Caledonia Road to second.
Separationofpowers paid $5.90 for finishing a mile on the good main track in 1:38.66 as the 9-5 favorite. Caledonia Road followed in second after trailing in last on the backstretch, while Maya Malibu rounded out the top three under the wire another 8 1/4 lengths behind. Purrfect Miss just got her head on the line to take fourth over Strategic Dreams, and completing the order of finish were Critique, Go, Wall of Compassion, Teen Angel and Drama Run.
Separationofpowers returned to the winner’s circle in this spot after dropping her last race when third in the Spinaway Stakes (G1). The Candy Ride filly broke her maiden in her debut one race prior by 11 lengths going six furlongs at Saratoga on July 30, and now boasts a 3-2-0-1, $324,800 career record.
Bred in Kentucky by Northwest Farms LLC, Separationofpowers is out of the winning Empire Maker mare Shehadmefromhello and comes from the same female line as Hall of Famer Gamely.
FRIZETTE QUOTES
Chad Brown, trainer Separationofpowers, winner
“My staff deserves a lot of the credit. She drew the rail in the Spinaway. She had gone wire-to-wire in her debut, so she was kind of forced. She’s always trained kind in the morning and she’s a real easy horse to be around.
“A lot of credit goes to Nick de Meric in Ocala. Him and his team broke her and prepared her for us. She’s been a real easy horse to train since she’s come in. She learned her lessons well in Ocala.
“We’re confident (going to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies). I know it’s a tough division, there’s some horses out west who look very good. This horse always gave us the impression she would be better around two turns. You look at her pedigree and you look at her physically, how much she’s grown through the course of this summer, I’m excited to get her around two turns.”
Jose Ortiz, jockey Separationofpowers, winner
“She broke really well and I had an opportunity to put her in the clear early and I think that was the key to win the race. I put her in the clear and we went three-wide the whole way. We went easy, :46. The track is a little slow so I don’t pay attention to the (final time of) 1:38. She’s a little green when she’s around horses, but once she passed them, she jumped in the bit and gave me everything she had.”
On running longer
“I think she would be better going a mile. A mile and a sixteenth I think would be fine.”
Ralph Nicks, trainer Caledonia Road, second
“I think that was good, she broke kind of flat-footed, and she took the worst of it a lot of dirt. Maybe (she) cuts the corner turning for home she’s a little closer, but she galloped a length and a half from the winner, and she kind of out sprinted her from the eighth-pole to the sixteenth-pole. She galloped out, so at the end of the day. she’s a very nice horse. She took all the dirt. She didn’t have the best of trips for a second-time starter, but she made the second-time starter mistake leaving there.”
On her possible next start
“I don’t know, we’ll talk about it tonight, but I think maybe the Demoiselle (G2) here (at Aqueduct on December 2) or the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill (on November 25) would be more logical, but we’ll play it by ear and go from there.”
Junior Alvarado, jockey Caledonia Road, second
“She kind of broke a little flat out of the gate, I thought I had a great position. I was thinking I have a great position, I thought I’d be sitting fourth or fifth on the outside, but she broke a step slow, so it changed the whole thing about what I was going to do in the race, so pretty much coming from last, I had to start going through the traffic. I made a wide move all the way around after breaking bad, but she was there all the time. Turning for home, she was there for me. It was a lot for me to ask her; a second-time starter, and getting the mud in her face, but I think she is still improving, and I’m very high on her.”
