Extravaganzoo rallies from last to first in $175K Joseph A. Gimma
Extravaganzoo, patiently piloted by Manny Franco, surged past all five rivals with a powerful stretch run in Friday’s $175,000 Joseph A. Gimma, a 6 1/2-furlong inner turf sprint for New York-bred juvenile fillies, at Belmont Park.
Trained by George Weaver for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, the Golden Pal dark bay was off-the-board in her April debut at Keeneland, but graduated impressively at second asking versus fellow state-breds over firm Saratoga Race Course turf on July 16. She entered the Gimma from a 2 3/4-length third in the Listed Bolton Landing on August 26 there won by Go for Launch over Allura, who are both entered versus males in Saturday’s Grade 3 Algonquin at Woodbine Racetrack.
“She definitely has talent,” said Peter Gulyas, assistant to Weaver. “We liked her right from the beginning as a 2-year-old, that’s why she ran first time out at Keeneland. Obviously, she wasn’t ready yet, but then she really started improving. It looks like she’s improved again.”
Legacy Lady, with blinkers on for jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. and trainer Jorge Delgado, showed the way through an opening quarter-mile in 22.48 seconds over the firm footing with Canterbury Park shipper Cafe Rose pressing to her outside from second position as Extravaganzoo bided her time at the back of the pack.
Legacy Lady led the field into the turn with Cafe Rose still pestering and a pair of Weaver trainees in contention as stablemate Boomesherang advanced with a wide move and the Weaver-trained Tiger Line held her position on the rail as the half-mile elapsed in 46.07. Franco appeared to have plenty of horse late in the turn and when the field straightened away, he found his seam, tipped Extravaganzoo out and powered home a facile 2 3/4-length winner in a final time of 1:15.77.
“The horses I thought were going to be in front of me were in front, then they backed off the pace a little, so that’s why I had to grab her a little bit,” Franco explained. “I was really happy because I was traveling well, and it was a matter of getting the hole.”
And when the hole appeared, The New York Racing Association, Inc.’s leading rider was abundantly confident.
“I knew it was over,” Franco said, with a laugh. “When she saw daylight, she just went.”
Legacy Lady, a Monmouth Park maiden winner, who entered from a fourth versus males in the Spa’s Skidmore on August 27, completed the exacta by 1 1/4-lengths over Tiger Line. Gold Fashioned, Cafe Rose and Boomesherang rounded out the order of finish.
Frosty Blaze was scratched from the Gimma, which was originally scheduled for Thursday but moved to Friday after the cancelation of last weekend’s live racing programs due a nor’easter impacting Long Island saw six rescheduled graded races contested here Thursday.
Extravaganzoo, a $375,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase, is out of the Blame mare Prisoner’s Dilemma, a half-sister to dual graded stakes-placed Brigand and Hush Now, dam of graded stakes-placed Hush of a Storm.
Bred by Fred W. Hertrich, III and Robert L. Tribbett, Extravaganzoo banked $96,250 in victory while improving her record to 4-2-0-1. She returned $2.96 for a $2 win bet as the 2-5 mutuel favorite.
Live racing resumes Saturday at Belmont Park with an 11-race card headlined by the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne [Race 8], which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in October at Keeneland, and is one of six graded events on the stacked program. Also featured are three additional “Win and You’re In” events in the Grade 2, $250,000 Miss Grillo [Juvenile Fillies Turf] in Race 7, the Grade 2, $250,000 Pilgrim [Juvenile Turf] in Race 11 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Futurity [Juvenile Turf Sprint] in Race 10 to go along with the Grade 1, $500,000 Frizette [Race 9], a Breeders’ Cup “Dirt Dozen” race that offers the top-three with entry credits to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Those events are supported by the Grade 3, $200,000 Matron in Race 6. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
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