Funny Guy Wins Feature in NY Breeders' Showcase Day

Saratoga Race Course hosted the New York Breeders' Showcase Day Aug. 23, the second of three days on the New York Racing Association calendar devoted exclusively to New York-breds.

Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stable, and Swick Stable's Funny Guy took the feature race, holding off a late charge from Bankit to capture the $256,875 Albany Stakes going nine furlongs on the main track.

The Albany, the third and final leg of the Big Apple Triple, featured the winners of the first two legs of the New York-bred series comprised of the May 27 Mike Lee Stakes, captured by Blindwillie McTell at Belmont Park, and the July 24 New York Derby, won by Bankit at Finger Lakes.

Not That Brady led the nine-horse field through splits of :23.54 and :47.76 for the first half-mile, with Blindwillie McTell and Kazmania chasing the early pace. Funny Guy saved ground in fifth under Rajiv Maragh, angled off the rail as the field straightened away, and powered past four rivals to take command as Bankit, who rallied inside of rivals through the final turn, was tipped wide by Ricardo Santana Jr. for the stretch run.

Bankit, gaining ground with every stride, tried in vain to reel in Funny Guy, falling a head short as they reached the wire in a final time of 1:49.35 over a fast track.

Bred by Hibiscus Stable, Funny Guy captured the Times Square division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series in April for his first stakes win. Trained by John Terranova, the Big Brown  colt improved his record to three wins and four seconds from nine starts.

"It looked like he had to kind of muscle his way through there, but then I saw Rajiv take another hold of him at the five-sixteenths pole. I knew he had a lot of horse," Terranova said. "I said, 'All right, let's just get a clear run down the stretch.' He put him in the right spot to get it done. He's just a good, honest horse.

"We'll just go back to Belmont and see. I know we've got all the fall stuff for the New York-breds and the Empire Classic down the road. He's just 3, but it looks like the distance is no problem for him at this point. We'll just continue on and see where he takes us."

Friday's stakes began with the $207,900 Fleet Indian, a 1 1/8-mile main track event for 3-year-old fillies won in dominant fashion by Newly Minted. 

Newly Minted took the lead on the upper turn, repelled a bid from Kid Is Frosty, and extended her advantage in the stretch to win by nine lengths while racing under jockey Jose Lezcano's tight hold. Kid Is Frosty was 5 3/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Elegant Zip.

Trained by Linda Rice for Beach Haven Thoroughbreds, Newly Minted completed the distance in 1:50.63.

"She's very talented," said Lezcano of Newly Minted, who was bred by Chester and Mary Broman. "Whatever you ask her to do, she does."

Newly Minted began her career with three wins, including the NYSSS Park Avenue in April at Aqueduct Racetrack and the Bouwerie Stakes in May at Belmont Park. She entered the Fleet Indian off a third in her lone race on turf, the June 23 NYSSS Cupecoy's Joy at Belmont. The $115,500 winner's share lifted her career earnings to $346,350.

Favored City Man captured the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes, making his move right before the eighth pole to out-kick pacesetter Bull of Bayern and draw away to a 4 3/4-length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong race for 2-year-olds.

Bull of Bayern led the nine-horse field through the early fractions and still held the lead off the turn before City Man, under Joel Rosario, charged from the outside and surged in the stretch, hitting the wire in 1:16.93.

The Christophe Clement trainee bred by Moonstar Farm is unbeaten in two starts.

"I was expecting him to be further off the pace," Clement said of the Mucho Macho Man  colt owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Peter and Patty Searles. "Exact opposite, but he ran a very good race."

Nice Guys Stables and Steve Hornstock's Fierce Lady gained ground on Time Limit from the outside and dueled with the pacesetter in deep stretch before overtaking her in the final jumps to win the $200,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for juvenile fillies.

Fierce Lady, a six-length debut winner June 22 at Belmont Park before running second in her stakes bow in the July 18 Stillwater at the Spa, was fourth early as Time Limit set fractions of :22.24 for the opening quarter-mile and :45.11 for the half. Coming off the turn, jockey Javier Castellano put Fierce Lady under a drive, and she went on to win by a neck, completing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.73.

"We thought we'd be on the lead, but we weren't, so Javier went to Plan B," said winning trainer Dermot Magner. "She's a little racehorse."

Michael Dubb, Nantucket Thoroughbred Partners, Bethlehem Stables, and Gary Aisquith's Offering Plan surged between rivals in deep stretch under Castellano to capture the $150,000 West Point Presented by Trustco Bank on the inner turf.

The dark bay/brown horse conditioned by Saratoga's leading trainer, Chad Brown, was making his fourth appearance in the West Point after finishing third in 2016 and second in 2017 and 2018.

"I'm so proud of him at his age to come back another year and give a really good performance and finally win this race," Brown said of Offering Plan, who has victories in the 2018 Mohawk Stakes and the 2017 and 2018 Kingston Stakes. "It's definitely his last year of racing, but we'll try to run him some more at the end of the year. But it's definitely his last year, I can tell you that. He's done a lot for us."

Offering Plan rallied late in the turn and gained ground steadily down the lane to win by a neck over Dot Matrix.

"I've fallen in love with this horse," Castellano said after his second stakes win of the day. "I've been riding him for so many years and have been on him for his last 12 races, and he always shows up. He's always in the money, 1-2-3. He never gives up. I think the way he did it today was phenomenal. I'm very proud of him."

Bred by C.W. Swann and Cygnet Farm, Offering Plan improved his record to 9-5-6 from 27 starts, with $863,973 in earnings.

Belle of the Spa battled bravely to register a 31-1 upset in the $150,000 Yaddo Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf.

Deftly rated on the front end by Dylan Davis, Belle of the Spa set soft fractions of :25.08, :50.51, and 1:15.63 while being tracked by 8-5 favorite Munchkin Money. Belle of the Spa briefly lost the lead in upper stretch but came back along the inside to defeat Munchkin Money by a neck and complete the journey in 1:43.75. 

"We've been kind of pointing to this race all winter, knowing and thinking what kind of horse she was," said winning trainer Bruce Brown. "I would have been happy with second midstretch, but she just kept fighting." 

The Yaddo was the stakes debut and third start of the year for Belle of the Spa. The 5-year-old Pure Prize mare has a record of 4-1-1 from 11 starts, with $224,697 in earnings. 

Empire State Breeders' Showcase Day is slated for Oct.19 as part of the Belmont at the Big A meet.