N.Y. wrap: Book’em Danno wins Futurity, 1 of 4 graded stakes

Heavily favored Book’em Danno posted a decisive victory in Sunday’s off-the-turf running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Futurity Stakes, which was contested at six furlongs on the main track after it originally was slated for the same distance on the outer turf in the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.

Because of the surface switch, an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint was not immediately awarded to Book’em Danno. That will depend on a Breeders’ Cup panel review on Monday.

Owned by Atlantic Six Racing and trained by Derek Ryan, the son of Bucchero entered from a successful stakes debut in the Smoke Glacken on Sept. 9 at Monmouth Park and remained undefeated through three lifetime outings that began with a debut score in August at the Jersey Shore oval.

Ryan said he was not deterred by the race being moved to the dirt, a surface on which the dark bay gelding has won each of his races.

“It doesn’t really hurt that it came off,” Ryan said. “I’m not disappointed that it came off. We’ll try the turf down the road.”

Piloted to victory by Jose Ortiz, Book’em Danno emerged from the outermost post 5. Ruddy Buddy stumbled badly to his inside and trailed the field as Works for Me broke sharpest of all and led through an opening quarter-mile in 22.09 seconds over the fast main track.

Book’em Danno tracked in fourth up the backstretch under patient handling from Ortiz as Jimmythetooth kept close watch in second and was nudged along by Manny Franco approaching the turn. Book’em Danno advanced with purpose from his stalking position and was swung three-wide by Ortiz to make his bid for the front as Works for Me clocked the half-mile in 45.27 seconds.

Works for Me turned back the brief challenge from Jimmythetooth exiting the turn but was left to deal with a looming Book’em Danno as Ortiz gave left-handed encouragement. Where’s Chris kicked into gear from 15 lengths off the pace.

Book’em Danno proved too much for his rivals and swept past Works for Me with ease approaching the sixteenth marker to draw off to the 6 1/2-length triumph at a final time of 1:09.47.

A game Works for Me fended off the late charge of Where’s Chris by a head for place honors with Jimmythetooth and the slow-starting Ruddy Buddy completing the order of finish. Please Advise, Lamorna and Apollo Ten were scratched.

If the Breeders’ Cup does not come to pass, Ryan said Book’em Danno could come under consideration for the one-mile, $150,000 Nashua on Nov. 5 at Aqueduct.

“We’ll see what we’re going to do with him. We might try the Nashua, but I don’t like to over run a young 2-year-old,” Ryan said. “Next year is a long year. I might be tempted to go a little further. Who knows?”

Bred in New Jersey by Greg Kilka and Bright View Farm, Book’em Danno is a half-brother to multiple dirt-stakes winner Girl Trouble and banked $82,500 in victory. He returned $2.80 for a $2 win ticket.

Randomized dominates Beldame Stakes

Randomized, sent to post as the 1-4 mutuel favorite, provedto be much the best in the Beldame (G2), a 1 1/8-mile routefor fillies and mares.

Owned by Klaravich Stables, trained by four-time Eclipse Awardwinner Chad Brown and piloted by Joel Rosario, the 3-year-old Nyquist bayentered from a front-running, four-length score in the 1 1/4-mile Alabama (G1) onAug. 19 at Saratoga.

She used similar tactics in the Beldame under her returningrider, marking off splits of 25.02 and 49.18 seconds over the fast main trackwith A Mo Reay saving ground in third position to the inside of Nostalgic andRiding Pretty trailing in last of the four starters.

Riding Pretty made an early, outside run at the leader intothe final turn to briefly take second position as three-quarters of a mileelapsed in 1:12.72, but she could not sustain her momentum, and Randomizedpowered on under a hand ride.

A Mo Reay, winner of the Beholder Mile (G1) in March at SantaAnita, cut the corner and closed some ground before Rosario shook the reins atRandomized and saw his filly respond with interest, drawing clear to a 33/4-length score at a final time of 1:49.05. A Mo Reay completed the exacta by4 3/4 lengths over graded-stakes winner Nostalgic with Riding Pretty completingthe order of finish.

“She was very quick out of the gate. I was trying to get herto settle, because if you let her go, she can go 22 (seconds),” said Rosario,who won this event in 2016 with Forever Unbridled and in 2021 with theBrown-trained Royal Flag. “I was able to get into the first turn and get her torelax. She dropped the bridle really nicely, and I feel like she did a goodjob.”

Bred in Kentucky by Cove Springs, Randomized banked $137,500in victory while improving her record to 6: 4-0-1. She returned $2.60 for a $2win bet.

Jody’s Pride wins off-the-turf Matron

Jody’s Pride legitimized a strong debut effort when taking on stakes company for the first time and earned an easy score in an off-the-turf edition of the $150,000 Matron (G3) for juvenile fillies going six furlongs.

Leaving from post 5 under returning rider Flavien Prat, the daughter of American Pharoah owned by Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen Stable settled fourth and in the clear after breaking a step slow while Devil At Midnight and Love to Eat engaged in battle on the front end through an opening quarter-mile in 22.17 seconds over the fast main track.

Rounding the far turn, Jody’s Pride leveled her way up to the front and matched strides with the pacesetters and quickly garnered a one-length command through a half-mile in 45.93 seconds.

?Prat kept his charge to task through the stretch drive, extending her advantage to 6 1/4 lengths at the stretch call before crossing the wire in hand, completing the distance in 1:10.77.

Tricky Temper made an inside rally to grab runner-up honors, 4 3/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher A Primera Vista. Sugar Hi, Leslie’s Loot, Love to Eat and Devil At Midnight completed the order of finish. Independenceavenue, Marco T., Star of Mystery, Ever So Sweet and Amidst Waves were scratched.

An objection was launched by Kerri Raven, the owner-trainer of A Primera Vista, against Tricky Temper, alleging interference at the quarter-pole. The objection was disallowed.

Jody’s Pride, bred in Kentucky by Steve Weston, returned $4.50 for a $2 win wager as the second choice and banked $82,500 in victory to enhance her lifetime earnings to $140,250. She is unbeaten in both of her career starts.

Gerrymander romps in Nobel Damsel match race

Gerrymander proved much the best over Sunset Louise in the off-the-turf edition of $150,000 Noble Damsel (G3), which turned into a match race after it originally was slated for one mile on the inner turf.

The race contested over a mile on the fast, main track showcased the daughter of Into Mischief. She provided her four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown and owner Klaravich Stables with their second collaborative stakes win on the card.

Gerrymander owns three stakes scores after taking the Big A’s Tempted as a juvenile and the Mother Goose (G2) last year at Belmont Park.

Ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz, Gerrymander faced only the Bruce Levine-trained five-time-winning New York-bred Sunset Louise, who established early command on the outside under Kendrick Carmouche and marked an opening quarter-mile in 22.59 seconds.

Gerrymander kept close along the inside but was soon asked by Ortiz to take charge and cleared Sunset Louise by a half-length through the half-mile in 44.93 seconds.

Gerrymander widened her stride through the turn and into the stretch while clocking three-quarters of a mile at 1:10.16 and seven furlongs at 1:22.93 as Ortiz remained motionless except for a quick peek back at a distant Sunset Louise.

Gerrymander completed the course wrapped up in a final time of 1:36.46 and 25 lengths ahead of Sunset Louise.

Salimah, Panama Red, Fluffy Socks, Malavath, Sparkle Blue, Balpool and Movie Moxy were scratched.

Bred in Kentucky by Town and Country Horse Farms and Pollock Farms, Gerrymander, a $375,000 purchase at the Keeneland September yearling sale, banked $82,500 in victory and improved her lifetime record to 14: 4-4-2. She returned $2.60 for a $2 win ticket.