SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Star of Mystery, a British homebred for Godolphin, will look for her second stakes win of the Saratoga meeting in today’s $150,000 Galway, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomore fillies.
Star of Mystery makes a quick Saratoga return after taking the Grade 3 Quick Call on July 14. The rallying effort under returning rider Flavien Prat registered a field-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure. Star of Mystery has faced males in each of her prior six outings this year.
Trained by Charlie Appleby, the Kodiac bay has defeated males on three occasions this year, having also won the six-furlong Al Wasl in her seasonal debut and the five-furlong Group 2 Blue Point Sprint versus elders, both in January at Meydan Racecourse.
Star of Mystery (post 5, Flavien Prat, 122 pounds, 2-5) has hit the board in 10 of 11 outings through an 5-4-1 record that includes a close second in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in March at Meydan and a third in the Grade 1 Jaipur against elders in June during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga.
“It will be interesting for her to go against only 3-year-old fillies this time,” said Appleby’s traveling assistant Chris Connett. “She’s been going up against the boys, and older boys, in her last few runs. She’s proven herself worthy of that in the Quick Call and ran well in the Jaipur. The Galway is a nicely placed race for her to use as a stepping stone to a race at Keeneland and then hopefully the Breeders’ Cup (Turf Sprint).”
Kairyu (post 8, Tyler Gaffalione, 10-1) was gallant in a narrow defeat last out to Twirling Queen in the 5 1/2-furlong Coronation Cup on July 12 here under Jose Ortiz, advancing with purpose through the turn but pinned in behind rivals by Cloudwalker as the field straightened away. Cloudwalker and Kairyu staged their own battle down the lane with the latter putting her foe away inside the final sixteenth and finishing with good energy to earn place honors.
Woodford Thoroughbreds’ Pipsy (post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 6-1) made a memorable U.S. debut in the Soaring Softly where she missed the break and trailed in last of 10 before closing stoutly to post a half-length score under Flavien Prat. The Kodiac bay was purchased for $928,489 at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale after having won 2-of-3 starts for her former conditioner Ger Lyons in her native Ireland. She graduated at second asking sprinting six-furlongs over yielding turf in September at The Curragh before taking the five-furlong Legacy over synthetic in October at Dundalk.
Transferred to trainer Will Walden for her sophomore season, the Kodiac bay followed her Soaring Softly score with a pacesetting off-the-board effort in the Tepin when stretched out to one-mile on June 29 at Churchill Downs.
A solid field will feature a number of speed types, including Castleton Lyons’ stakes-winner El Terreno (post 6, Manny Franco, 15-1), who enters from a gate-to-wire score on July 13 in the Blue Sparkler sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over firm Monmouth Park turf. Trained by Christophe Clement, the Speightstown bay has won three of five starts in frontrunning fashion with her first two scores coming on synthetic in her October debut at Presque Isle Downs ahead of an optional-claiming score in December at Gulfstream Park.
“She is training very well,” Clement said. “She has a tremendous amount of speed. She will be forwardly placed; she is perhaps our quickest horse out of the gates. The plan is to play catch us if you can.”
Gregory Hoffman, R T Racing Stable, and Clay Scherer’s Ever So Sweet (post 4, Joel Rosario, 12-1), stumbled at the break in the Coronation Cup before setting the pace and landing seventh defeated three lengths. The Brad Cox-trained daughter of Calyx has posted a pair of frontrunning six-furlong turf wins at the Belmont at the Big A, graduating in September by three-quarter lengths along with a four-length romp against elders on May 26 over next-out allowance winner Kerry.
“Hopefully she is going to break a little bit more cleanly this time,” Cox said. “She kind of stumbled a little bit last time and couldn’t really get away from them and that is her weapon — her speed. So, hopefully she breaks better and can kick away from them and create some separation.”
Rounding out a talented field are graded stakes-placed Amidst Waves (post 9, John Velazquez, 20-1) for trainer George Weaver; multiple stakes-winner Greavette (post 2, Luis Saez, 30-1) for trainer Jamie Begg; stakes-placed Baraye (post 7, Gerardo Corrales, 12-1) for trainer Wesley Ward; and two-time winner Golden Degree (post 1, Jose Lezcano, 30-1) for conditioner Linda Rice. Halina’s Forte, Value Area, Sunday Girl, and She’s Always Rosie are entered for the main track only.
Originally Published: August 9, 2024 at 11:50 p.m.
Source link : https://www.oneidadispatch.com/2024/08/09/horse-racing-fast-turnaround-for-star-of-mystery-in-galway/
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Publish date : 2024-08-10 03:52:15
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