N.Y. roundup: Agate Road, Hard to Justify win BC qualifiers

Agate Road provided Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. with their third straight collaborative score in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. He made a sweeping wide move in the stretch to capture the 45th running of the 1 1/16-mile test for juveniles over the outer turf.

Pletcher and Ortiz, Jr. found previous Pilgrim success with Annapolis in 2021 and Major Dude in 2022. In capturing the Pilgrim, a win-and-you’re-in event, Agate Road earned an automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Agate Road, a Quality Road colt breaking from post 2, was seventh of eight entering the first turn. Graded-stakes placed Spirit Prince, who broke from the outermost post, cleared the field and took command through an opening quarter-mile in 23.51 and a half-mile in 47.34 seconds over the firm footing with Get Spooled in second to the outside of Tifareeh in third.

Around the far turn Ortiz tipped his charge wide and off the rail with Spirit Prince still to catch through three-quarters in 1:11.64. Spirit Prince maintained his advantage through the stretch drive but was getting leg weary as ground-saving runners Liam’s Journey and Fulmineo launched menacing bids with Agate Road mowing down rivals through the lane.

Under Ortiz’s left-handed encouragement, Agate Road took command at the sixteenth pole, drifting in slightly as Liam's Journey took up but proved superior and won by 1 1/4 lengths at a final time of 1:42.83.

Fulmineo, who was pinched between rivals in late stretch, nabbed second from Liam’s Journey and Spirit Prince, who dead-heated for third. Triple Espresso, B D Saints, Tifareeh, and Get Spooled completed the order of finish. Tropandhagen was scratched.

There was a stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run as well as a claim of foul launched by Flavien Prat, the rider of Fulmineo, against Ortiz for alleged interference in the stretch. The claim was dismissed.

Ortiz, who piloted Agate Road to his maiden score, said his horse showed improvement from the gate.

“He broke much better today than last time. That was the key,” Ortiz said. “After that I just bided my time to go. Before the quarter pole I hit the clear outside. I went a little wide, maybe four or five wide, and he kept coming. Last time he had too much to do, and he still got there. That gave me a lot of confidence. It was a beautiful trip, and I just lost a couple lengths in the last turn, and I was comfortable with that. I trust the trainer. He told me the horse was ready.”

Prat stood by his claim of foul and said Agate Road halted Fulmineo’s momentum.

“I was going to make a run. I was making a run, and when he saw me, he squeezed everybody out inside of him, and I took the worst of it on soft ground like this. From what I felt it was the outside horse,” Prat said. “We had a good trip. We saved ground the whole way. I wanted to be close up, but the pace was pretty strong, so I gave him a chance, and he made a good run.”

Manny Franco, the rider aboard Liam’s Journey, said his horse reacted to the onrushing Agate Road in deep stretch.

“When the winner blew by me, he was drifting a little bit, and my horse just shied from him, and I grabbed as soon as possible,” Franco said. “I had a beautiful trip. I saved all the ground, tipped out in the stretch and he gave me all he had.”

After banking $110,000 in victory, Agate Road more than doubled his lifetime earnings to $188,750 through a 3: 2-0-1 record. He returned $6.90 for a $2 win wager as the post-time favorite.

Bred in Kentucky by CHC, Agate Road was bought for $650,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale. He is out of the Grade 1-winning Gemologist mare Yellow Agate, who captured the 2016 Frizette at Belmont Park.

Hard to Justify scores in Miss Grillo

Hard to Justify asserted her talents in her stakes debut when pouncing to victory in Wednesday’s $200,000 Miss Grillo (G2), a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

For her victory, the daughter of Justify was awarded a win-and-you’re-in berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, Hard to Justify provided Brown with a record-extending ninth win in this event and his first since Selflessly in 2019. The bay remains undefeated through two lifetime outings, adding to a strong debut victory from off the pace when taking a 1 1/16-mile maiden on July 23 at Saratoga by a head over Appellate, who scratched from this race and is entered in Keeneland’s Jessamine (G2) on Friday.

Ridden to victory by Flavien Prat, Hard to Justify emerged from the inside post and was away sharpest of all before Camila T swept past to her outside to take command through an opening quarter-mile in 23.93 seconds and the half-mile in 50 flat over the firm footing.

“From the inside, I didn't want to be shuffled back and the rail is out and I didn't want to be too far (back),” Prat explained. “She jumped super and showed some good speed, so it was great.”

Hard to Justify maintained comfortable stalking position down the backstretch with Life’s an Audible along the rail in third and Whimsically keeping close watch in fourth before the latter came under a ride approaching the turn and Camila T was asked for her best run from Carlos Olivero after three-quarters in 1:14.37.

Whimsically went three wide under a drive from Junior Alvarado and came to even terms with the advancing Hard to Justify, who put her head in front of a stubborn Camila T at the top of the lane and battled on gamely to take a clear advantage at the eighth pole. Whimsically valiantly gave chase down the center of the course but was met with a challenge from Life’s an Audible, who angled around foes and had dead aim on Hard to Justify, but could not reel in her foe as Hard to Justify found enough in the final strides to post the half-length victory in a final time of 1:43.92.

Life’s an Audible inched clear of Whimsically to secure place honors by one length with post-time favorite Gala Brand, who was last of 11 down the backstretch, weaving her way through traffic late to round out the superfecta. Memorialize, Gold Lightning, Later Darling, Sierra Sky, Steel Lute, Dancing Spirit and Camila T completed the order of finish.

Prat said Hard to Justify dug in gamely when presented with the challenge from Whimsically.

"Turning for home, as soon as that horse came alongside of me she really engaged and switched gears,” said Prat. “From there, I thought she got the job done.”

Hard to Justify provided Prat with his first victory in this event and has won both of her starts with him at the helm. Prat said he knew his filly learned greatly from her narrow victory last out.

“The first race, she broke OK and then I let her sit back. After that, I had to check at the three-eights, going into the last turn,” Prat said. “I thought that race she had every right to get beat and she didn't, so I thought it was impressive and I was expecting a good run today.”

Owned by Wise Racing and bred in Kentucky by Yeguada Centurion SL, Hard to Justify was a $190,000 purchase at the Keeneland September yearling sale and is out of the graded stakes-placed Quality Road mare Instant Reflex. She banked $110,000 in victory and returned $16.60 for a $2 win wager.

The Todd Pletcher-trained and Life’s an Audible made her stakes debut off a second-out graduation on Sept. 2 at Saratoga where she made her first start on turf in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint. Irad Ortiz Jr., who has ridden the daughter of Audible in each of her three starts, said his filly was second best today.

“I had a good trip. The pace was a little slow, but she did everything right,” Ortiz said. “The winner broke better than me and got better position than me, so I just followed them. It was a slow pace, but I had a perfect trip up to that.”