Daniella Marie set for stakes debut in $500K NYSSS Fifth Avenue
Roddy Valente’s Daniella Marie will look to build upon an impressive maiden score in Saturday’s $500,0000 Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible New York-sired juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The NYSSS Fifth Avenue is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s lucrative 11-race program, which also features the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way for eligible state-sired juveniles, in Race 11. The stakes-laden card is headlined by the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile in Race 10 and also offers the Grade 3, $250,000 Elite Power [Race 5], as well as pair of Grade 2, $250,000 stakes for 2-year-olds in the Demoiselle [Race 3], for fillies offering 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-five finishers and the Remsen [Race 9], a 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifier. First post is 11:20 a.m. Eastern.
Last year, progeny of Honest Mischief won both of the $500,000 NYSSS events with Stone Smuggler taking the Fifth Avenue and Sacrosanct capturing the Great White Way.
Trainer Chad Summers said he is hopeful that Daniella Marie, a dark bay daughter of New York’s leading freshman sire of 2024, can continue that trend on Saturday.
“It's a big deal, a big purse and a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Summers said. “Honest Mischief won both legs of this race last year. It's the Kentucky Derby for New York-sired 2-year-olds and there's a reason there will be a full field in there. Roddy Valente is bringing a bus load of people down for the race.”
Daniella Marie [post 12, Kendrick Carmouche], bred in New York by Sequel Stallions and Scott Miller, faced open company on debut in a six-furlong sprint on October 5 at Belmont at the Big A.
There, she pressed the pace of For the Ladies through a swift half-mile in 44.96 seconds before fading to finish sixth in a race won by deep-closing Newtown Pike by a nose over For the Ladies, who returned to win by 7 1/4-lengths here on Saturday.
Daniella Marie returned with blinkers on last out on November 7 here in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden optional claimer restricted to horses sold or RNA’d for $60,000 or less at their most recent sale and romped by 9 1/4-lengths.
There, with returning rider Kendrick Carmouche up, Daniella Marie showed the way through splits of 21.98, 44.78 and 1:10.13 en route to an eased up 9 1/4-length score in a final time of 1:17.28. The winning effort earned a 65 Beyer Speed Figure – a 17 point improvement on her debut try. The third-place finisher of that event, Lady Rose, exited to win by 5 3/4-lengths here Friday in a maiden optional-claimer.
Summers said the $40,000 OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale purchase has earned her shot at stakes success.
“She's a lovely filly,” Summers said. “We bought her in June with this race in mind. It's not often that plans work out that way, but that's why we ran her in the open race first time out when the auction race didn't go - we wanted to make sure we had two races going into this race.
“She ran a sneaky good race first time out against a horse [For the Ladies] that was very fast and ran well,” Summers added. “She got a little tired - like she's supposed to - first out and then was able to do what she did in the auction race last time out which gives us a lot of confidence moving on to the next step.”
Summers said the addition of blinkers has helped compose the lightly-raced filly.
“She's fast and normally you wouldn't think about putting blinkers on, but they've actually had the opposite response and they've kind of been a pacifier to her,” Summers said. “She was able to sit off horses a little bit last time. We breezed her in them before the last race and she went really well in them and she certainly responded well last time out. It was fast early fractions and the way she did it was impressive. Kendrick had breezed her beforehand and he rode her with a lot of confidence.”
Daniella Marie is out of the 13-time winning Any Given Saturday mare Blue Hen Madness. Her stakes-winning second dam Lottacosta is a half-sister to multiple Grade 2-placed Lucky Livi.
William Butler’s undefeated New York homebred Oh [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], by Honest Mischief, will look to double up on stakes scores for trainer Mike Maker.
Oh has made both starts in state-bred company which includes a half-length score sprinting six furlongs on August 28 at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a pacesetting win in the 5 1/2-furlong Lady Finger on September 22 at Finger Lakes.
Oh, with returning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. up, made every pole a winning one in the Lady Finger, dueling with Margarita Molly through splits of 22.32 seconds and 46.21 over the sloppy and sealed footing. She opened up by 2 1/2-lengths at the stretch call and held off the late run of longshot Liberty’s Advance to score by a half-length in a final time of 1:06.06. The winning effort garnered a 73 Beyer.
Winning Move Stable, Sanford H. Robbins, Lady Sheila Stable, Silverwood Stables and IEE Racing’s Hot Currency [post 10, Flavien Prat] earned a 70 Beyer for her last out maiden score on November 6 here.
Trained by Linda Rice, the Central Banker bay has made all three of her starts against fellow New York-breds. She added blinkers last out and drew clear to a 6 1/2-length score in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint under Flavien Prat.
Rice said the addition of blinkers was key.
“I thought she was running a little spotty and that she was a little better than her previous race, so I tried them on her in the morning, and she responded well,” Rice said. “I was very pleased with that effort and happy to get three races in her coming into the stallion stakes.
"We've been pointing towards this race since August. A lot of times the best laid plans don't work out, so we're hopeful,” added Rice, with a laugh.
Bred by BHMFR, the $200,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the winning Spring At Last mare Calidez. Her stakes-placed second dam, Spina, is half-sister to Grade 3-placed Sassy Sienna and Grade 3-placed Newton John.
Trainer George Weaver will saddle a formidable pair of New York-bred contenders making their dirt debut in stakes-winner She’s Country [post 11, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and maiden winner Fancy Lights [post 2, John Velazquez], who finished first and fourth, respectively, last out in the state-bred Key Cents here.
West Point Thoroughbreds, James Politano and LVD Racing’s She’s Country has won 2-of-3 starts – all on turf - graduating on debut in August against fellow state-breds in a 1 1/16-mile route at the Spa by a widening six lengths. She followed with a fourth-place effort in the 1 1/16-mile Selima in September at Laurel Park where she hopped at the start and attended the pace before fading.
Last out, the Combatant dark bay stalked and pounced to a head victory over Cosmic Candy Girl in the one-mile Key Cents, splitting the runner-up and her pacesetting stablemate late in the lane for the dramatic win.
Bred by Twin Oaks Bloodstock, She’s Country, an $80,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the Malibu Moon mare Lunar Affair, while her stakes-placed second dam, Magical Affair, is a half-sister to stakes-placed Mystic.
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Fancy Lights has made four turf starts, graduating at third asking with a prominent trip in a six-furlong state-bred maiden sprint on October 5 here.
The Galilean grey followed with a game effort on the engine in the Key Cents when stretched out to two turns for the first time, finishing just three-quarter-lengths back of her victorious stablemate.
Bred by Franklin Ave. Equine, Michael DiDonato and Charles Esau, Fancy Lights was an $80,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale. She is out of the winning The Factor mare Dawn Lightning, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Anarchist and multiple stakes-winner Won Happy Mama.
Lifeisbutadream [post 13, Keiber Coa], owned and trained by Anthony Ferraro, will look to improve upon a three-length third last out in the Shesastonecoldfox on November 10, at Finger Lakes.
The Lookin At Lee dark bay, bred in the Empire State by Evelyn Burke, has made both starts over wet tracks against open company at Finger Lakes, beginning with an impressive 4 3/4-length maiden score on October 20 over sloppy footing under regular rider Keiber Coa.
“In her first race, she was blocked for a good eighth of a mile and once Keiber got her out, she just exploded,” said Ferraro, who recently secured his second straight training title, and fourth overall, at Finger Lakes.
Last out, she exited the outermost post five and tracked from the back of the pack before making a run for show honors.
“I think she just tolerates the wet track,” Ferraro said. “Her last race, she was lugging in a little bit, and I think she's going to love the added distance. The track that day was speed biased and very tough to close on and she just kind of ran even. I think she should move forward from that.”
A robust field includes maiden winners Unmiztaken [post 7, Manny Franco] for trainer Keri Brion, Braverthanubelieve [post 8, Joel Rosario] for trainer John Ortiz, Greyjoy [post 6, Luis Rivera, Jr.] for conditioner John Terranova, and the pair of Honest Reason [post 9, Jaime Rodriguez] and Galileans Girl [post 3, Nazario Alvarado] for trainer Linda Dixon; as well as maidens Hip Hop Dancer [post 5, J.M. Rohena] for trainer Jose Armando Rohena, and Kaz Farm Girl [post 4, Silvestre Gonzalez] for trainer Dimitrios Synnefias.
America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.