Patricia Ann to make stakes debut in $150K Heavenly Prize Invitational

Blue Devil Racing Stable’s Patricia Ann is ready for her stakes debut in Saturday’s $150,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational, a one-turn mile for older fillies and mares, at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 4-year-old Enticed bay has been pointed to this race since a seven-furlong local optional-claiming score on January 5. There, she stumbled at the break from the inside post but still made a narrow lead over returning rival Kid’s Last Laugh, gamely defending her position the entire way en route to a half-length victory under Jose Gomez.

The final time of 1:24.50 registered a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure. That number improved upon her previous best of 84 earned in her prior outing when a 3 3/4-length winner of a local six-furlong allowance on November 29 off a nearly seven-month layoff. 

“She’s doing great. I’m excited for this opportunity, she’s trained sensationally,” said Martin. “She ran three quarters after being off seven months and then came back and improved some more. I thought it was a good race. From the inside post, it was kind of a tricky situation, we had to gun her from there, but she was great.” 

Prior to her respite, Patricia Ann [post 4, Jose Gomez] finished second in a local seven-furlong March optional-claimer ahead of unseating Gomez when going one-mile at the same level in May here. 

“She’s always been a little quirky. She’s a heavy load, you’ll see her come right to the gate and dig in her toes and then they have to load her in, but I think we’ve pretty much got that under control,” Martin said. “She’s not going to be the prettiest gate horse in the world, she always wants to do that stop and force her in there, a little habit that way, but as long as she’s running well, I’m not concerned.” 

Patricia Ann, a $20,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale out of the Rahy mare Soother, is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Carotari, as well as stakes-winners Canisy and Fuerza Naval. She is named for Martin’s late sister-in-law Patricia Ann Wagner.

Another notable stakes newcomer is WinStar Farm’s Catchphrase [post 2, Eric Cancel], who also represents trainer Amelia Green’s first stakes starter. Green said she plans on cross-entering Catchphrase in Sunday’s $125,000 Broadway, a seven-furlong sprint for older New York-bred fillies and mares. 

“I plan on entering the Broadway as well and comparing the two to choose where to go,” said Green. “I think the Broadway would be first choice, but we will take a look at both races and go from there.” 

The 5-year-old Bolt d’Oro bay graduated at third asking last out sprinting six furlongs versus fellow state-breds on January 31 here. Following the pacesetting 6 1/2-length score, she now eyes a step up in class while stretching out in distance off a performance that earned a 67 Beyer.

“I know the numbers didn’t come back crazy good, but she was on the lead and beat who she had to beat, so that’s all you can take away from it,” said Green. “She needs to take another step forward to be in stakes competition, but I think with the added ground, she can. Whether stretching her out to one mile in the Heavenly Prize or seven-eighths in the Broadway, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem at all for her.”

Green, a former assistant to Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, said she is grateful for this opportunity. 

“Obviously, it is very exciting to have these horses in your barn that you even consider to run in stakes races. It is very exciting and I’m very thankful for the opportunity from WinStar to get to train her,” Green said. “I’m looking forward to having my first stakes starter.” 

Bred in the Empire State by Joseph DiRico, Catchphrase, a $200,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale, is out of the stakes-winning Rockport Harbor mare Grace’s Treasure. 

Klaravich Stables’ Weigh the Risks [post 3, Manny Franco] made six of her first seven starts on turf, only winning second-out in September 2023 at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by five-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Mendelssohn chestnut has shown a new dimension on dirt, winning two local one-turn mile optional-claimers, in November and January.

In the November score, Weigh the Risks sat two lengths back in 4th-of-6, before a burst in the turn to win by nine lengths, earning a career and field-best 96 Beyer in victory. She validated that performance with a 1 3/4-length score over stakes-placed Courbe next out which earned an 88 Beyer. 

Out of the Candy Ride mare Beautiful Liar, Weigh the Risks, a $205,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, is a half-sister to stakes-winner Cheapskate Diva. Her second dam is Grade 3-placed Forty Moves. 

Woodford Thoroughbreds’ Irish-bred Aussie Girl [post 7, Jose Lezcano] was second in Naas’ Group 3 Ballyogan sprinting six furlongs on turf in August 2023 for trainer Fozzy Stack. She made three starts last year in the U.S. for her current conditioner Will Walden, including a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance win in October at Keeneland. 

The 5-year-old Starspangledbanner mare is set for her dirt debut after a misfire last-out in the one-mile turf Grade 1 Matriarch on December 1 at Del Mar. There, she pressed the pace before weakening to ninth in the top-level test.

Out of the winning Galileo mare Ravissante, Aussie Girl was a $506,350 purchase at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale. Her third dam, Gorgeous, won multiple Grade 1s on dirt in the United States for now Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale. 

Rounding out the field is multiple stakes-placed New York-bred Bernietakescharge [post 5, Romero Maragh] for conditioner Domenick Schettino; stakes-placed New York-bred Bon Adieu [post 6, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Rudy Rodriguez; and the aforementioned Kid’s Last Laugh [post 1, Lane Luzzi] for conditioner Rick Dutrow, Jr.

The Heavenly Prize is slated as Race 3 on Saturday’s 10-race program. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
 
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