Midnight Bisou Looks to Repeat in Personal Ensign
Image:
Description:
Photo: Skip Dickstein
Midnight Bisou works July 27 at the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course
Only time will tell if this year's renewal of the $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) will be as thrilling as last year's running, when Midnight Bisou and Elate left the field in their dust in a knockdown, drag-out duel to the finish line.
What is certain is that on Aug. 1, Midnight Bisou will likely once again be a force to be reckoned with on the Saratoga Race Course dirt, and her five competitors will have their work cut out for them.
As the reigning champion older dirt female, Midnight Bisou will look to score her 14th graded stakes victory. The daughter of Midnight Lute will attempt to be only the second horse to capture back-to-back runnings of the Personal Ensign. The last to do so was Beautiful Pleasure, who won the 1999 and 2000 renewals for owner John Oxley and trainer John Ward. The feat seems entirely possible considering the mare's career, as all five of her grade 1 wins have come at different tracks across the United States.
"It would be awesome," said Jeff Bloom, who owns Midnight Bisou in partnership with Madaket Stables and Allen Racing. "Anytime you run in those type of races, they're big, regardless of what you've done in the past. She's training better than ever, and we're ready for it."
Midnight Bisou has been training steadily for Steve Asmussen at Saratoga since mid-July and has logged three timed works on the surface. She most recently breezed four furlongs in :50.55 on the Oklahoma training track.
"At the end of the day, I think she probably likes certain tracks more than others," Bloom said.
"She's a huge fan of Belmont, but she's run well over any surface and over any environment. Once you give her the chance to see what's going on around her, she's OK. I think with the changes they made at Saratoga this past season, she's training even better over there. She has a great feel for the track from what I've seen."
Midnight Bisou has made two starts in 2020. She finished second in the inaugural Saudi Cup Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack and followed that with a win in the June 27 Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. She will break from post 3 under Ricardo Santana Jr.
Hoping to get the better of her rival and bring home her first win of the year is 4-year-old Point of Honor. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Stetson Racing, the daughter of Curlin last tasted victory in May 2019 in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course. She followed that with second-place finishes in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and Alabama Stakes (G1) before receiving a freshening.
Trained by George Weaver, Point of Honor finished second in her March 7 handicap debut at Tampa Bay Downs. She took third in the April 18 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park and will enter the Personal Ensign off a second in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) June 13 at Belmont Park.
Point of Honor will depart post 6 with Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano.
Calumet Farm's Vexatious enters off a second in the July 11 Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Belmont. The Jack Sisterson trainee picked up her first graded score in 2018 at 4 when she won the Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.
At 6, Vexatious is the oldest entry in the field. Jose Lezcano will partner from post 4.
Abounding Joy, Motion Emotion, and Bossy Bride complete the order.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 01, 2020, Race 5Entries: Personal Ensign S. (G1)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Abounding Joy (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
Rodolphe Brisset
20/1
2
2Motion Emotion (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Richard Baltas
20/1
3
3Midnight Bisou (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
124
Steven M. Asmussen
2/5
4
4Vexatious (KY)
Jose Lezcano
118
Jack Sisterson
5/1
5
5Bossy Bride (KY)
Junior Alvarado
118
Rob Atras
50/1
6
6Point of Honor (KY)
Javier Castellano
118
George Weaver
5/2
