Hot Peppers Rebounds in Jersey Girl Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Hot Peppers wins the Jersey Girl Stakes at Belmont Park
Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso's Hot Peppers captured her first stakes victory for trainer Rudy Rodriguez in the $150,000 Jersey Girl for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs June 12 at Belmont Park.
A bay daughter of Khozan , Hot Peppers entered the Jersey Girl off a seventh-place finish in the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs for former trainer Ronald Spatz, where she tracked in second before fading to finish seventh, 19 3/4 lengths behind Midnight Stroll .
The Jersey Girl was her first win since a trio of front-running victories in Florida this winter that included her maiden breaker at second asking and two allowance wins all at Gulfstream Park.
Hot Peppers, the 3-5 favorite, was hustled from the gate by Luis Saez to lead the compact field of five through an opening quarter-mile in :22.36 over a good main track. Stakes winner Stand Up Comic , with Frankie Pennington up, moved into second to the outside of the Kendrick Carmouche-piloted Sweet Solare as Hot Peppers led through a half-mile in :45.76.
Saez had plenty of horse beneath him as the field exited the turn and was able to easily fend off one last try from Stand Up Comic down the lane, rousing Hot Peppers and pulling away at the eighth pole to a 6 3/4-length victory in 1:10.24. Sweet Solare finished another 1 3/4 lengths back to secure show honors, with Gimmick and Diamond Collector completing the order of finish.
"She's a real runner. She broke from there so fast and relaxed and kept running," Saez said after his first time riding the filly. "She's the kind of filly that when she feels somebody's coming, she'll take off again. Those were quick fractions. I know we were rolling, but she was so comfortable it felt like nothing. So, I just let her be."
"The race had a lot of speed," Rodriguez said. "Luis is the type of jockey, you don't have to tell him much. He said, 'I'm going. This horse beat me twice at Gulfstream already, so I cannot take the speed away from her.' She broke very good and intimidated Kendrick a little bit and was all by herself. That was the key."
Co-owner Michael Dubb said he purchased Hot Peppers privately with Rodriguez in mind after being impressed with the trainer's work with Bella Sofia , a $20,000 purchase at the 2020 OBS July Sale. Bella Sofia won the Longines Test Stakes (G1) last summer at Saratoga Race Course and picked up two more graded wins this year, including Friday's Bed o' Roses Stakes (G2).
"The reason I wanted this horse for Rudy is Bella Sofia," Dubb said. "This was a $16,000 yearling that showed it was worth a lot more than that. We bought her privately. I saw the job Rudy did with Bella Sofia. He's on these horses and gets to know them and here we are. Let's hope it's onward and upward."
Hot Peppers with trainer Rudy Rodriguez after winning the Jersey Girl Stakes at Belmont Park
Dubb said Hot Peppers could target the $500,000 Longines Test Stakes (G1) Aug. 6 at Saratoga and use the $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) July 9 at Belmont as a stepping stone.
"That (the Test) would be the ultimate goal. A lofty goal, but we'll give it our best shot," Dubb said. "We'd probably look at the Victory Ride. I'll leave it to Rudy and see how he wants to space the races."
Pennington said he was pleased with the effort from Stand Up Comic in her first start since winning the Parx Futurity Dec. 29.
"She had a good trip. She hadn't run in a while but she gave a very game effort and ran good," Pennington said. "That horse went to the lead and just kept on going. No one was going to beat her today."
Hot Peppers, bred in Florida by Brent and Crystal Fernung, banked $82,500, boosting her total earnings to $195,450 and improving her record to 4-1-0 in six efforts. She paid $3.50 for a $2 win wager.