Miss Brazil in Command Throughout Ruthless
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Miss Brazil wins the Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack
Team D's Miss Brazil took command from the gate and drew away easily for a 6 1/4-length victory in the $87,000 Ruthless Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Feb. 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Ruthless, which was moved from Sunday to Monday after heavy snow forced the entire card to be pushed back a day, saw a three-horse field of Miss Brazil, Gulf Coast, and Dealing Justice compete. It Can and Little Huntress scratched.
Miss Brazil, with Eric Cancel aboard from the inside post, led the compact field through the opening quarter-mile in :23.32 and the half in :46.34 on the fast main track. She led handily out of the turn and had plenty left in the stretch, completing the seven furlongs in 1:24.92 in her sophomore bow.
The Palace Malice filly debuted Oct. 25, running third on the Belmont Park turf. Trainer Tony Dutrow said he thought the bay would prefer the main track, and she took to the surface with a maiden-breaking score at Aqueduct Nov. 29.
Favored Miss Brazil returned $2.90 on a $2 win wager in the Ruthless and increased her career earnings to $108,600. Gulf Coast was second and Dealing Justice was eased through to the wire.
"She's been very good in all three of her races," Dutrow said of the winner. "Both her maiden win and today shows plenty. She's always promised to be a nicer kind of filly, so getting her ready for this race was easy. She's a better kind of horse, and she does it all."
Purchased for $170,000 out of the Vinery Sales consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Miss Brazil will now look to stretch out to a mile in the $250,000 Busher Invitational Stakes March 6 at Aqueduct. The Busher offers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top four finishers on the Road to the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).
"I'm feeling good about her at one mile at Aqueduct in the Busher," Dutrow said. "I feel that won't be an issue for her. As far as two turns goes and her future after that, we'll have to wait and see how she does in the Busher."
Cancel won his second consecutive stakes win after piloting Risk Taking to victory in the Feb. 6 Withers Stakes (G3).
"I wanted to be on the lead to dictate the pace and take it from there," Cancel said. "She's a very honest filly so I didn't have any doubts about her today. She's pretty straightforward and I had plenty of gas in the tank. I just wanted to give her a good ride and it worked out well."
Miss Brazil was bred in Kentucky by Haymarket Farm out of the Forestry mare Baytree, also the dam of grade 2-placed and $409,233 earner Hammers Vision and black-type-placed First Goal. Baytree has not produced a foal since Miss Brazil but was reported bred to Malibu Moon for 2021.