Saratoga maiden winner Fullcup an ideal Empire Trillium Series candidate

• Saratoga maiden winner Fullcup an ideal Empire Trillium Series candidate
• Pacific Avenue to scratch from G1 Saratoga Derby presented by Qatar Racing
• Forster, Faithful Departed focused on G2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks
• Sippin Pretty poised for another big effort in G1 Test pres. by Ticketmaster
• Stress Relief wins LaRose first graded stakes, more tries coming
• De Paz juveniles return to the tab with eye on New York-bred stakes

Shirl Penney had to tip his cap to their unique homebred Flipcup, a broodmare he described as a ‘dual citizen,’ after her third foal, Fullcup, graduated at first asking on Friday at Saratoga Race Course.

Penney and his wife, Mary Ann, operate Team Penney Racing, and bred and co-own Fullcup, a New York-bred Authentic colt, with Wachtel Stable. Trained by Riley Mott, the talented 2-year-old tracked the pace of favored McMoon through the first half-mile of the six-furlong state-bred maiden sprint before pouncing to the lead at the top of the lane, and drawing away to a 4 3/4-length score.

Flipcup, by Milwaukee Brew, is an Ontario-sired, New York homebred, who won restricted races in both New York and Canada under the tutelage of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott for Team Penney and Wachtel Stable.

“We did that by design, and it worked out well,” Penney said of Flipcup’s parentage. “I liked Milwaukee Brew and at the time we lived in Saratoga Springs. We really enjoyed Woodbine and every time we went up there with our horses we were treated tremendously and thought it would be cool to have a horse that could be a dual citizen - so to speak - and be able to go back and forth.”

Flipcup enjoyed six seasons of racing from 2013-18, winning stakes in each of the first four years, including New York-bred stakes scores in the 2013 East View at Aqueduct Racetrack and 2014 New York Oaks at Finger Lakes to go along with an Ontario-sired score in the 2015 Classy ‘n Smart. She proved her class in open company with Grade 3 wins in the 2015 Maple Leaf on Tapeta at Woodbine and 2016 Arlington Matron at Arlington Park.

Penney was attending a funeral out of town on Friday when Fullcup managed to brighten an otherwise somber afternoon.

“Unfortunately, I was in Salt Lake City to deliver a eulogy for one of my best friends, Stephen LeHigh, who was killed tragically while camping,” Penney said. “Fullcup’s win brought a little bit of joy to us. We snuck away and put on the race and watched and had a bit of a smile in the middle of an otherwise very difficult day.”

That racing brought friends and family together is par for the course for Penney, who has a suite at Saratoga and often entertains large groups at the track.

“One of the beautiful parts of racing is it gets people together. We're hopeful Fullcup will be a bit like his mom and be able to pull our family and friends together for the next few years,” Penney said.

Riley Mott was his father’s assistant during Flipcup’s racing years and recalled the mare warmly.

“She was an extremely cool mare,” Riley said. “I was with my dad all throughout the time we had her, and she was an awesome servant to the stable. She won Ontario-sired, New York-bred, and she won graded stakes.”

Penney praised the spirited Flipcup for her longevity and will to win.

“She stands for a lot of the things that are great about racing, which is racing the horses when they're happy and fit over time and having them be competitive,” Penney said. “Her level of tenacity and competitiveness, irrespective of the surface or where we sent her, was impressive. She was always ready to go.”

Penney noted that his daughters, Townsend [20] and Ann Clare [17], grew up around racing and spent plenty of quality time with Flipcup.

“My daughters were just kids when we had Flipcup and they would go every day to Bill's barn and walk into the stall and love on her,” Penney recalled. “She was a fascinating horse in that she was tough in the race but afterwards looked forward to the girls coming to love on her. She was bullet proof, they could walk underneath her.”

Flipcup’s versatile breeding and racing talent also meant that the Penney family made several trips north of the border to Woodbine where Flipcup raced nine times [9-4-2-1] during her 36 start career.

“We would get in the car and go up to Woodbine and stop at Niagara Falls and watch the fireworks. We made some great family memories,” Penney said. “I also really like Woodbine and the history there, it's such a beautiful track. Just like the people at Saratoga, I find the people that work at Woodbine are so genuine and love the horses and treat the owners fabulously.”

While Flipcup last raced at Woodbine in July 2017, it’s possible that Fullcup could bring the Penney family back to the Jewel of the North through the upcoming Empire Trillium Series, a 14-race program of stakes races restricted to horses foaled in New York or Canada worth $3.2 million in total purses. 12 of the 14 races are to be contested on Tapeta.

“My wife, Mary Ann, she really runs the stable and we were both really excited about this program. It's an opportunity for us to again go back and forth and go to two of our favorite tracks and relive some of the memories from when our kids were little now that they're a little bit older,” Penney said.

Flipcup resides at Waldorf Farm in New York and is currently in foal to Grade 1-winning New York-bred Americanrevolution, who stands at Rockridge Stud in New York. The resulting foal, when registered, will qualify to enter in eligible New York-sired and New York-bred races as well as the Empire Trillium Series

Her current star progeny, Fullcup, is among the more than 700 horses nominated to the Empire Trillium Series, a concept applauded by Mott.

“I think in this day and age racing offices need to get creative with how they attract horses and encourage horses to stay in training particularly in the winter when some horses might be going south. I think it's a very innovative series and I'd imagine it will be very successful,” Mott said.

Mott is encouraged by the fact that Flipcup won four times on synthetic at Woodbine.

“His mom loved the synthetic so hopefully that translates. It's definitely something that's got to be on your radar if he's doing well at that time of the year,” Mott said.

An Empire Trillium Series race such as the $200,000 Gander at 1 1/16-miles on December 26 at Belmont Park would likely appeal to the connections, who are keen to stretch Fullcup out in distance. The team are currently considering a next start in the state-bred $200,000 Funny Cide at six furlongs here on September 7.

“I think as the distances get longer, he'll benefit from that, so it was encouraging to see him show the speed he showed and pull away the way he did on debut,” Mott said. “The 7th of September New York-bred stake going three-quarters here at Saratoga is an obvious spot. The horse came back excellent so far, jogging sound, clean legged and good energy.”

For Penney, who operates the leading wealth management firm Dynasty Financial Partners, the chance to continue racing Fullcup here at Saratoga, at the new and reimagined Belmont Park this fall and on the road at Woodbine, provides more than just a chance to win, but a chance to spend quality time with friends and family.

“Racing is such a great social outlet for me, so when we have a horse running, we might have 40-50 people at the track,” Penney said. “I always like to say we've won before the gate even opens because we have all of our family and friends together.”

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Pacific Avenue to scratch from G1 Saratoga Derby presented by Qatar Racing

Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby-trained Pacific Avenue sustained an injury to his right foreleg on Wednesday morning during routine exercise at Saratoga Race Course and has been scratched from Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Saratoga Derby presented by Qatar Racing.

“Yes, it’s a shame from this morning,” Appleby said. “He was finishing up a routine exercise there and just when he came back to the barn, the team didn’t like how he was cooling out. The vet team was there, and he went under supervision there and we sent him on to Rood & Riddle for further examination. Hopefully, they’ll get to the bottom of whatever it is and what needs to be done.”

A regally bred dual-winning son of perennial top global sire Dubawi and Group 1 Cheveley Park winner Lumiere, the Classic-placed gray colt was a troubled seventh last out in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby. Two back, he was third in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh.

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Forster, Faithful Departed focused on G2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks

Trainer Grant Forster has long been well-respected as a horseman, winning graded stakes in four different jurisdictions over the past 21 years with an operation that has never had a heavy influx of flesh, but always focused on a quality-over-quantity, individualized approach. With new stable star and Friday's Grade 2, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks 9-5 morning-line favorite, Faithful Departed, the Midwest-based conditioner finds himself with yet another hands-on developed, hard-knocking sort who could join the honor roll of top-class pupils Brushed by a Star, Five Star General and Call Me George.

A winner of three of her eight starts and $406,189 in bankroll, Faithful Departed - owned by Frank Ferrogine, Richard Rendina, Nick Coniglio and Greywood Farms - was an eye-catching, rallying second after some trouble in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks on July 4. Developing steadily through her career thus far, which commenced in November, the daughter of Grade 1 Woodward winner Yoshida was a strong winner of Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Regret on May 30 before that, as well as an impressive allowance victress versus elders five weeks prior. Her lone poor performance this year was a troubled-trip sixth in the Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland - a performance that seemed to help her turn the proverbial corner.

“The way she ran by eight of the nine horses in the last quarter last time in the Belmont Oaks was very impressive,” Forster said. “She kind of got shuffled back and we weren’t planning on being back that far, of course, particularly with the pace, but it was a weirdly run race and I think that everyone who was in that race who is coming back this time feels like they didn’t get a fair crack at last time. We were fortunate to get through in the lane on the rail, but it was nothing that we had hoped to do, considering she broke poorly and that put us behind the eight ball. It was exciting because it would have been my first-ever Grade 1 winner had she been a little more lucky, but it wasn’t meant to be and we are coming back for another huge race, this time on the day before the Whitney, looking for my first New York graded stakes. It’s pretty amazing, if you think about it.

“She did the same thing in the Appalachian at Keeneland," he added. "She doesn’t do anything wrong in those races, she was just a little flat-footed. On the other hand, in her nice win at Churchill in the Regret, she broke in-stride in a forward position, so she didn’t have as much to overcome.”

A positive interim month for the well-intended homebred convinced Forster to give it another go at the Spa, with the added bonus of gate-to-wire Belmont Oaks winner Kensington Lane skipping the race.

“She really seems to be doing well and had a really easy week after she returned to Kentucky from Saratoga and we just let her settle in and get her feet under her,” Forster explained. “We started building her back up and everything has gone smoothly and hopefully will continue to do so. We are hoping her energy level is where it is now on Friday afternoon.

“This is a bit of a family affair and the ownership is composed of a lot of people who were in on the mother, Speed Seeker,” Forster concluded. “Greywood Farm is [Joseph and Britt] Haselton and Bob Johnson and they were in on Speed Seeker with Mr. Coniglio, who recently passed away, so his son Nick is now listed as the owner. She raced for trainer Joan Scott, who actually raises the babies for them. It’s pretty cool and very special for them to have a homebred in a prestigious race like this, from a mare they raced themselves and had success with. They’re all excited to come back and try it again.”

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Sippin Pretty poised for another big effort in G1 Test pres. by Ticketmaster

Randall Bloch, Six Column Stables, Mike Davis and Gene Rice’s Sippin Pretty was a 26-1 upset winner of the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 10 at Saratoga Race Course, and will look to double up on local graded scores in Saturday’s seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster for sophomore fillies.

The Test is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 14-race card, which is headlined by the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney in Race 12, which offers a ‘Win and You’re In' berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in October at Keeneland. Also on tap Saturday are the Grade 1, $750,000 Saratoga Derby presented by Qatar Racing in Race 11 and the Grade 1, $750,000 Fourstardave in Race 10, providing a ‘Win and You’re In’ berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile. First post is 11:45 a.m. Eastern.  

Trained by Ian Wilkes, the Yaupon dark bay may have been the third-longest shot in the 10-horse Victory Ride, but she brought solid credentials with wins in two of her first three starts. She entered from a puzzling 10-length sixth in the Grade 2 Eight Belles, the only blemish on her resume, and rebounded with aplomb to earn her first graded stakes victory by 1 1/4 lengths under Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Sippin Pretty has since worked twice over the all-weather at Skylight Training Center, including a half-mile in 50 second flat on Sunday.

“She’s doing really good and came out of her last race in good shape,” Wilkes said. “I am very pleased and I’ve let her float along and be happy and healthy to take a shot at a Grade 1. The Grade 1s aren’t easy up here, and you’ve got to have your running shoes on.”

In the Victory Ride, Sippin Pretty emerged from the inside post and settled in fourth two lengths off the pace and awaiting her cue. She angled five-wide into upper stretch and kicked on strongly to edge past Goodall for the win that produced a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure. Wilkes also sent out third-place finisher A Fine Chardonnay, who was another 2 3/4 lengths back of Goodall.

“I thought she’d done very well and trained well and would run well, and I’m glad she justified the way she was training,” Wilkes said of Sippin Pretty.

Sippin Pretty debuted with a pressured pacesetting second sprinting six-furlongs in January at Gulfstream Park, and followed with a sharp 3 3/4-length graduation in March there and an open-lengths romp in optional claiming company in April at Keeneland, both at six furlongs. The Eight Belles was her only start at Saturday’s distance, but Wilkes said the Test is a chance to learn more about the filly’s distance preferences.

“I haven’t really figured out how far she’ll go, so I’m still on the fence about that,” he said. “Eventually, will she stretch out longer? I’m not sure. She’s answered every other question we’ve had and the only time she didn’t was in the Eight Belles. We were left dumbfounded by that performance, so we just regrouped and we’ll give her a shot against the elite fillies in the Test.”

A $75,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, Sippin Pretty is out of the multiple stakes-winning Tizway mare Tiz Imaginary, who also produced stakes-placed Mr Bob.

Wilkes said Sippin Pretty has presented herself as a top prospect since her first days in his barn.

“She always showed ability,” Wilkes said. “When jockeys worked beside her in the mornings, they all wondered who it was.”

Santana, Jr. will be back aboard Sippin Pretty from post 3-of-8 on Saturday with morning line odds of 6-1.

Philip Griesinger’s A Fine Chardonnay is entered in Sunday’s Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park for her first start since the Victory Ride. The Maclean’s Music sophomore won the Grade 2 Beaumont earlier this year at Keeneland, and entered her last effort off a flat fifth in the Listed Leslie’s Lady in June 7 at Churchill Downs. She also outran long odds in the Victory Ride, rallying from last-of-10 to land the minor awards at 19-1.

“She’s doing very well and came out of that race good,” Wilkes said. “I separated the fillies and sent her to Ellis where there’s a good race for her. Hopefully she’s good enough to win that one.”

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Stress Relief wins LaRose first graded stakes, more tries coming

Joel Politi’s Kentucky homebred Stress Relief earned trainer Kinnon LaRose his first graded stakes victory with a 3 1/2-length score in Sunday’s Grade 3, $225,000 Adirondack, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

“Stress Relief came out of the race in good shape,” LaRose said. “She’s been eating up and moving well. She’ll be back to the track on Friday and we’ll start mapping out what we’re going to do next.”

The 2-for-2 daughter of Not This Time could target the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway on September 5, a "Win and You're In" for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

“Could be. We’ll talk to her owner, Joel Politi, who bred her, and we’ll start formulating the plan soon,” LaRose said. “Not This Time is a versatile sire, dirt, grass, short, long, and we are just thankful to have a filly like her in the barn. We’ll see how she handles this next step. She certainly looks like she’ll handle more distance, but you never know until you try.”

Another local graded stakes contender for LaRose is likely to be Michael McLoughlin’s Oscar’s Hope in the Grade 3, $225,000 Mahony, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for sophomores on August 16. The Twirling Candy bay has made all 10 starts on dirt, including two stakes wins. Most recently, he was sixth in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Maxfield on June 28 at Churchill Downs.

Oscar’s Hope returned to the work tab with a pair of turf breezes over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training turf, covering five furlongs in 1:01.88 on July 24 and a half-mile in 49 seconds flat on August 1.

“He worked an easy half-mile by himself last time. We asked him a little bit in the last eighth just to kind of let him finish up a little bit and he finished well,” LaRose said. “He’s always been a good workhorse and we like what we’re seeing on the grass.”

LaRose added that Double Down Horse Racing’s Midnight Still is on target for the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful on September 6 here. The Curlin chestnut graduated second-out by 6 1/4 lengths on July 11 here.

“Fingers crossed we have a good weekend early September,” LaRose said.

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De Paz juveniles return to the tab with eye on New York-bred stakes

Triple B Stables’ B Yutiful Carly and John Foster, Dennis O'Neill and trainer Horacio De Paz’s Professor Plum breezed a half-mile in company in 51.88 seconds on Sunday over the Saratoga Race Course main track.

Both were state-bred debut winners over 5 1/2 furlongs, B Yutiful Carly defeating fellow fillies on July 11 and Professor Plum besting juveniles one day later. The former targets the $200,000 Seeking the Ante on September 4 and the latter the $200,000 Funny Cide on September 7 – both six-furlong state-bred tilts.

“Those races are a ways away, a lot of time in between races, but they ran well fresh. Both of them are doing good,” said De Paz. “They worked together this weekend and it looks like they are holding their form. Hopefully they don’t forget they are racehorses from the first time they ran to this time around.”