Brightwork Fends off Favored Ways and Means in Spinaway

In the past performances it will read that WSS Racing's Brightwork  entered the stretch on or near the lead and held that advantage to the wire in each of her first four career starts, including her half-length score in the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) Sept. 3 at Saratoga Race Course.

But those black and white numbers will fail to fully describe the impressive effort Sunday by undefeated Brightwork in the seven-furlong Spinaway, where she held sway during an extended challenge from Ways and Means —the 2-5 favorite off an impressive maiden debut for the powerful connections of Eclipse Award-winning owner Klaravich Stables and multiple champion trainer Chad Brown.

A kaleidoscope of emotions hit trainer John Ortiz as Brightwork reached the wire first, giving the conditioner his first grade 1 win.

"Tears, happiness, joy. I'm ecstatic and proud," Ortiz said. "These are all the emotions I can think of right now. I thank my dad and thank God. My family has supported me. My uncles are here, my cousins are here. Jared [Hughes, bloodstock agent] is like my older brother, (owner) Bill Simon and his family. This is such a big deal. We're like one big, giant family and I couldn't be more blessed right now."

After the heart-stopping stretch run, Simon (WSS Racing) paused to thank the team that put his filly in place for such a top effort.

"There are really no words to describe it," Simon said. "I'm so proud of Johnny and what he's done with the horse; Jared [Hughes], who picked him out; Daniel Ortiz, Johnny's brother, has been living up here with Brightwork for the summer and they deserve all the credit. It's just a phenomenal feeling.

"There were some great horses in this race trained by some great trainers, and we won. It's really special."

While the top two finishers entered off victories by a combined margin of nearly 18 lengths, there would be no early celebration Sunday. Just after the field of nine completed a half-mile in :45.09, Brightwork and Ways and Means would emerge from a well-bunched group of six fillies that had raced into the turn near the lead.

Brightwork would seize the advantage while Ways and Means had some trouble in the backstretch before unleashing a stride so smooth that she seemed to float right into contention under Flavien Prat.

The two fillies that were expected to be the class of the field entered the stretch at full throttle. In the stretch, each determined challenge by Ways and Means would be met by Brightwork, as she dug deep to maintain her advantage. Brightwork completed seven furlongs in 1:23.17 on a fast track. 

"By the quarter pole, I felt somebody. I just tried to go and open up, (but I couldn't) for a second but then my filly put her ears up," said winning rider Irad Ortiz Jr. "Turning for home, I know there's something there so I hit her a couple times and she was responding. I don't know if somebody [else] was going to get there, but she was giving me everything."

With the win, Brightwork earned a $30,000 credit toward entry fees for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 3 at Santa Anita Park as the Spinaway is a Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series race. Runner-up Ways and Means will receive a $15,000 credit toward entry fees while third-place Wonder Ride lands a $7,500 credit.

John Ortiz said they will consider training up to the Breeders' Cup or possibly one more start, with the Alcibiades Stakes (G1) Oct. 6 at Keeneland or the Chandelier Stakes (G2) Oct. 7 at Santa Anita as possibilities.

Throwback

The experienced Brightwork has quickly put together a resume that resembles the records of top initial campaigns of previous eras as her four wins started with a debut score in a maiden special weight race way back in April at the Keeneland spring meet. She then won her stakes debut in the Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park in July before posting a five-length score in the Adirondack Stakes (G3) in her graded stakes debut Aug. 6 at Saratoga.

Her four wins have come at three different tracks and she's stepped up in class each race while also taking on slightly longer tests each time, going from 4 1/2 furlongs in her debut, to six furlongs in the Debutante, 6 1/2 furlongs in the Adirondack, and seven furlongs Sunday. 

In line with the trend of starting well-regarded 2-year-olds later in the year, six of Brightwork's rivals entered the gate Sunday off a single start, including Ways and Means who rolled to a 12 3/4-length score in a six furlong maiden special weight race on the same day as the Adirondack. That effort caught the eyes of bettors who would make Ways and Means the 2-5 favorite in the Spinaway while Brightwork was sent off the 3-1 second-choice.

But in the Spinaway, experience would win out as Brightwork appeared fully aware of what it would take for victory. In fairness, Ways and Means also appeared to leave it all on the track.

"Training is training at the end of the day. If you got talent, you got talent, and the filly has the talent," John Ortiz said. "She's making me look good right now. She's the athlete, I'm the coach. I gave her some words of encouragement earlier today, we said a little prayer together and we're here right now. We're just enjoying the ride. They've got their own personalities and I just go with it."

Brightwork paid $8, $2.90, and $2.30 across the board. Ways and Means returned $2.20 and $2.10 for place and show while longshot Wonder Ride awarded $6.20 to show.

Ways and Means found a way to challenge for the win after a difficult trip, checking out of a tight spot at one point. Jockey Flavien Prat said she clipped heels as she angled out for her run.

Walking L Thoroughbreds' Wonder Ride, sent off at 31-1, earned a placing in her stakes debut. The daughter of Gun Runner rallied in the turn under Julien Leparoux but did not threaten the top two, finishing 6 3/4 lengths behind the winner. She is trained by Ken McPeek.

Miz Sense, an impressive debut maiden winner July 30 at Saratoga for owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, was declared a non-starter when the daughter of Street Sense did not get out of the gate (post one).

Sales

Barber Road Bloodstock went to $95,000 to purchase Brightwork as a weanling at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale, where she was consigned by Wynnstay Sales, agent.

Breeding

Bred in Kentucky by Wynnstay and H. Allen Poindexter, Brightwork is out of the unraced Malibu Moon mare Clarendon Fancy, who has produced two winners, including stakes-placed Quiet Company, from three starters. 

Outwork is the now the sire of two grade 1 winners and both of them won the Spinaway as his daughter Leave No Trace captured last year's edition. Outwork stood the 2023 season for $10,000 at WinStar Farm.