A Star is Born: Disposablepleasure wins the Demoiselle

Disposablepleasure (inside) narrowly prevails over Wildcat's Smile 
in the Grade II Demoiselle at Aqueduct
Photo:  Adam Coglianese/NYRA

They didn’t make it easy for Disposablepleasure, but she overcame every disadvantage to prevail by a nodding nose over Wildcat’s Smile in Aqueduct’s nine furlong Demoiselle-G2, after having stumbled out of the gate, spotting the field more than 11 seemingly insurmountable lengths.

The two-year-old daughter of second crop sire Giacomo was battle tested to the extreme in this, her first attempt in stakes company, against nine other juvenile fillies.  As her ground-eating stride and cardiovascular engine propelled her forward, she displaced several rivals in her wake, and gutted out a grueling stretch drive in which Wildcat’s Smile proved a courageous and tenacious competitor. 

But even when the camera showed that Disposablepleasure had won the photo, her march to the winner’s circle was delayed for several minutes while the stewards considered, and then dismissed a claim of foul by David Cohen aboard third-place finisher Bourbonstreetgirl.  She’s now won or placed in three of her four career starts, banked earnings of $161,600, and won the admiration of a racing public eager to anoint a new star.

Her trainer, Todd Pletcher, is a big admirer of the Disposablepleasure, too.  “It was a very courageous effort by any horse, but especially a two-year-old filly,” he said, after the race.  “She’s got a lot of natural ability, but she showed she’s got some heart and desire to go along with it.  For any horse to win and overcome all that first time going a mile and an eighth was impressive, but you don’t see too many two-year-old fillies do that.”

With her victory in the Demoiselle, Disposablepleasure becomes Giacomo’s first American graded stakes winner, and his second stakes winner out of a mare by Canadian Champion With Approval.  His son, Jake Mo (out of Credit Approval), won the five-and-a-half furlong Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows in July.  The cross worked moderately well when tried with Giacomo’s sire, Holy Bull, who sired stakes-winning Sin Toro out of the graded stakes-winning With Approval mare, Withoutapproval.

The seventh foal out of My Canada, Disposablepleasure is a half-sister to three other winners, including Romantic Hideaway (by City Zip), who won the Brandywine and placed in the Cicada-G2.   My Canada is a full sister to Canadian stakes winner Patriot Love, and a half-sister to the graded stakes-winning sprinter, Riley Tucker (by Harlan’s Holiday) as well as to Deputy Country (by Silver Deputy), a hard-knocking minor stakes winner who won 13 races and earned $341,143.

Interestingly, Riley Tucker was a $375,000 short-list auction purchase for Zayat Stables by EQB, a bloodstock consultancy team that selects racing prospects based on their cardiovascular prowess and biomechanical efficiency.  It’s interesting to speculate as to whether Disposablepleasure has inherited similar genetic attributes, though in contrast to Riley Tucker, who never won beyond six-and-a-half furlongs, she seems to be improving as the distances stretch out.

Disposablepleasure’s come-from-behind run in the Demoiselle was in stark contrast to her maiden victory last month at Belmont, in which she scored a wire-to-wire triumph by 11 widening lengths over a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.

Today, she proved she doesn’t have to have it all her way, and that she has the will—and the talent--to overcome adversity.  Those priceless traits have appeared throughout generations of Disposablepleasure’s female family, which stems from the foundation mare, Reply, whose descendants include the great Fanfreluche (dam of two-time Horse of the Year L’Enjoleur and Champions La Voyageuse and Medaille D’Or).

Whether it was that distinguished female family, her physical presence, or the advice or a bloodstock agent that prompted John Greathouse, Jr. to buy Disposablepleasure for a $45,000 out of last year’s Fasig-Tipton July sale, we don’t know.  But what does seem clear is that the gray filly’s value is now far greater than her purchase price, and that her eventual place of honor in the Glencrest broodmare band is secure. 

Georgie's Angel wins the Schuylerville and breaks the mold

Georgie's Angel runs away with the Schuylerville-G3
Photo:  Courtesy of NYRA, Adam Coglianese

With her convincing victory in yesterday's six-furlong Schuylerville, two-year-old Georgie's Angel became not only the first graded stakes winner at Saratoga's 143rd summer meet, but a rising star for her second-crop sire, Bellamy Road.

The diminutive bay filly looks like she's all business, having banked $95,820 in her two perfect starts.  "She's always been a pretty straightforward, professional filly," said her trainer, Todd Pletcher, in an article in The Saratoga Special.  "She's a kind of filly that wants to please everybody."  If all goes well, we'll get to see her at Saratoga again at the end of the meet, in the marquee two-year-old filly contest, the seven-furlong Spinaway-G1.

Georgie's Angel is the second two-year-old graded stakes winner for Bellamy Road, a Kinsman Stud colorbearer who was himself a precocious juvenile, capturing two of his three starts in his debut season, including the Grade III Cradle Stakes at River Downs, under the tutelage of Michael Dickinson.  

Sent to Nick Zito for his three-year-old season, the son of Concerto triumphed in the Wood Memorial in spectacular fashion, equaling the track record for a mile and an eighth and besting his rivals by more than 17 lengths.  He suffered a splint injury while finishing unplaced in the 2005 Derby, but earned runner-up honors in Flower Alley's Travers, which would turn out to be his final start.  A comeback attempt at four was quashed by a recurrence of his old injuries, and Bellamy Road entered stud at Ben Walden's Hurricane Hall (now Pauls Mill) in Lexington, where he stands for $10,000.

Bellamy Road's first foals arrived in 2008, and they came out running.  At last summer's Saratoga meet, his undefeated daughter, Position Limit, won the Grade II Adirondack at six-and-a-half furlongs.  And earlier this year, Bellamy Road's son, Toby's Corner, emulated his sire's exploits by winning the Wood Memorial, and was considered a top Derby contender before an injury cut his campaign short.

Named for Bellamy Road's charismatic owner, George Steinbrenner, Georgie's Angel is the fifth foal from the Dynaformer mare, Lalka, who has produced three other winners, all by sprint specialist Richter Scale.  Her female family is chock full of distinguished Canadian stakes winners, including Lalka's half-sisters, Buffalo Jump and Gumboots.  Her third dam is the Canadian Two-Year-Old Champion, Ada Prospect, and she descends from the influential mare, Ormonda, granddam of Champion, Triple Crown Winner, and Horse of the Year Whirlaway, and ancestress of Roman Ruler.

When it comes to genetics, there are indications that Georgie's Angel is breaking the mold.  As Sean Clancy observed in his piece in The Saratoga Special, "By Bellamy Road, out of the Dynaformer mare, Lalka, Georgie's Angel should be big and should go long.  Instead, she's small and goes six furlongs on Opening Day at Saratoga faster than any of her rivals."  

And not only that.  Georgie's Angel is actually the second Bellamy Road filly produced by Lalka.  There were high hopes for the first one, a current three-year-old named Electric Boots, who sold for $125,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Sale in 2009.  But Electric Boots has failed to live up to expectations, or to her lofty price tag.  She has been unplaced in two starts, and finished a well-beaten ninth in a $20,000 maiden claimer last out at Churchill, on May 28th.  Notwithstanding the elder sister's lackluster record, though, it's clear that because of Georgie Angel's talent, the family's fortunes are on the rise.

Embur's Song makes the grade in the Doubledogdare at Keeneland

Embur's Song defeats Check the Label in Keeneland's Doubledogdare
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography

Returning to the scene of her 13-length maiden triumph last spring, synthetic specialist Embur's Song grabbed the lead at the start of the mile and a sixteenth Hillard Lyons Doubledogdare Stakes-G3 at Keeneland on Friday and never looked back, holding on to win--and in the process set new track and stakes records--even as stretch-running Check the Label breathed down her neck.

The victory was Embur's Song's first in graded stakes company, and the lightly raced four-year-old filly looks like she's getting better all the time.

The Todd Pletcher trainee, an Ontario-bred daughter of Unbridled's Song, has never been off the board on synthetic surfaces, and after her winning performance in the Doubledogdare, in which she stopped the timer in 1:41.62, she's now won three of her seven lifetime starts,and amassed earnings of $244,940.

The eighth foal out of the stakes-placed, stakes-producing Bold Ruckus mare, Embur Sunshine, Embur's Song was purchased for $170,000 by Fares Farm at the 2008 Keeneland September sale.  She is a half-sister to four Canadian winners, including stakes winner Ten Flat (by Meadowlake), who won the Silver Deputy at Woodbine.

Embur's Song became the 88th stakes winner for her sire, Unbridled's Song, sire also of last year's Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic-G1 heroine, Unrivaled Belle.  She is bred along the same pattern as Grade I winner First Defence (out of a mare by Seattle Slew), who won the Forego and now stands for $7500 at Juddmonte Farms.   Both are from Boldnesian-line mares.

Daughters of Embur's Song's maternal grandsire, Intermediate/Classic Chef-de-Race Bold Ruckus, have produced at least 70 stakes winners, including Canadian Three-Year-Old Champion Bolulight and Set Play, who won the Del Mar Debutante-G1.  According to Dr. Steven Roman's website, the average winning distance (AWD) of the open stakes races won by sons and daughters of Bold Ruckus mares is 6.95 furlongs.  With her tenacious victory in the Doubledogdare at 8.5 furlongs, Embur's Song demonstrated that she's a lot more than a one-run sprinter, and that makes her future seem bright, indeed.