Dotsy was very game in taking the Frizette, NYRA Photo
Keith McCalmont
TSP Enterprises’ Dotsy improved to 2-for-2 with a stalking score under Kendrick Carmouche in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Frizette, a one-turn mile for 2-year-old fillies, at Belmont Park.
Dotsy, in her August 26 debut, provided Finger Lakes-based John Grabowski with his first training win at Saratoga Race Course. On Saturday, she provided the conditioner with his first career stakes win as a trainer – doing so at the highest level at odds of 11-1.
Grabowski’s last stakes success at Belmont Park came as a jockey after guiding Impeachthepro to victory in the Hudson Handicap on October 21, 2001.
“This is the most incredible experience of my life, other than my two daughters being born. This is the greatest moment of my life. I know that’s from Rocky, but it is. I’ve got a stable of nine right now, all at Finger Lakes. I had a hell of a career riding, but this is it. This is the top,” Grabowski said.
The Frizette is a part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen series for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland. A nominated winner of the Frizette receives a credit of $30,000 toward entry fees, with second and third place finishers receiving credits of $15,000 and $7,500, respectively. The Frizette also offers qualifying points to the top-five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs.
Dotsy was purchased by Grabowski for $37,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
“Josie Palmisano worked the sale for me and put together a short list, and she was on the short list. I loved how she looked – she was correct, she checked all the boxes, and she looked like we could afford her,” Grabowski said. “I bid on her, and when I was bidding, I was so nervous because I wanted her so bad. When I won the bid, I had a hard time signing the sheet [laughs]. I had $60,000 to spend, and I was prepared to go all the way up to that. When she started breezing the five-eighths and blowing away her competition – we were breezing her with older horses, and no one could even stay close to her.”
Girls Wear Pearls made the lead in the Frizette with 4-5 mutuel favorite Libby Lloyd tracking in second position and Dotsy to their outside in third through the opening quarter-mile in 22.98 seconds and the half-mile in 45.75 over the fast main track.
Libby Lloyd and Dotsy took over from Girls Wear Pearls on the turn with the two fillies appearing to be full of run for the impending stretch drive, but it was Dotsy who found more as the field straightened away and kicked clear to a one-length advantage at the stretch call.
The Paco Lopez-piloted Rum Twist had stalked the leaders from fourth position through the early stages and was making her best run late. However, Rum Twist raced greenly in the late stages and drifted in as Dotsy stayed on gamely to the wire to score by 2 3/4-lengths in a final time of 1:36.07.
Carmouche said he was impressed with the stakes debut from Dotsy.
“The filly broke so good. I never took it away from her. I had horse the whole race,” Carmouche said. “Mr. John Grabowski has done such an amazing job with this filly, getting her back to the races after Saratoga. I’m just so proud of this filly. She relaxed good, when I asked her to quicken, she quickened. She can be anything. The further, the better. She’s a monster.”
Grabowski said he was confident when Dotsy made the lead at the top of the lane.
“I knew she was at least going to be right there. I know this filly fights really hard, and when she does make the lead, she won’t give it up,” Grabowski said. “She’ll relax and waits a little bit, so I think there’s more to come with this filly, at least I hope. Kendrick and I need to discuss where we’re going with her, because I really wasn’t planning on going to the Breeders’ Cup. We have to think about it. We’re going home to Finger Lakes tomorrow.”
Rum Twist completed the exacta by 1 1/4-lengths over Revenge of the Sis with another 4 1/4-lengths back to Libby Lloyd in fourth. They were followed by Velora, Girls Wear Pearls and She’s a Twelve.
Lopez said the Mark Hennig-trained Rum Twist, a maiden winner at third asking last out at the Spa, may have tired late on.
“She ran very good. I had perfect position. It was a little tight, so I let her go in a little bit. She ran great, my filly,” Lopez said. “I saw the five [Dotsy], he [Carmouche] was very comfortable with the hands, so I tried to follow. Then, my filly tired a little at the end.”
Hennig said Rum Twist could come under consideration for a trip to the Breeders’ Cup.
“I really think she’d like two turns where she can shut off around the first turn,” Hennig said. “I think she was a little keen today because it’s run more like a sprint around one turn. We’ll consider it [the Breeders’ Cup] and see how she does and talk it over.”
Dotsy, a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Dirt Monster, is out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Coqui – a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Voodoo. Her second dam is the multiple graded stakes-placed multiple stakes-winner Slide Show.
Bred in Kentucky by Scott Pierce and Debbie Pierce, Dotsy banked $275,000 in victory while improving her record to 2-for-2. She returned $25.02 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
General admission at Belmont Park is available for $7 when purchased in advance and provides fans with access to grandstand seats on most days, all areas within the first floor of the grandstand and the backyard. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/tickets/.
America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule/.
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