Dazzling Move breaks her maiden in the slop March 6 at Gulfstream Park (Coglianese)
Mary Eddy
Dual graded stakes-placed Eunomia will look to break through at the graded level for the first time as she leads a trio of runners for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian, a one-turn mile for older fillies and mares, at Belmont at the Big A.
The Ruffian is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s loaded 11-race card, which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 John A. Nerud in Race 6, the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan in Race 9 and the $150,000 Take the A Train in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
Eunomia, a 4-year-old Tiz the Law bay, was last seen finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Doubledogdare on April 17 at Keeneland, where she stalked the pace early in second and turned up the pressure after three-quarters. She took a narrow lead at the stretch call and battled on gamely under Flavien Prat, but was bested by a neck by Alpine Princess while earning a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
“It was a good run. She loves Keeneland,” Joseph, Jr. said. “That was the plan when they bought her. Mark Cornett’s [Turf Express, Inc.] vision was to get her back to Keeneland and target that race. Everything before that was an added bonus.”
Eunomia was initially trained by Victoria Oliver for Jewel Box Racing through her first 10 starts, including a third-out graduation in October 2024 at Keeneland during a four-start all-dirt campaign. Last year, she made five off-the-board outings on turf before switching back to dirt for a three-length allowance score in October at Keeneland that garnered what was then a lifetime-best 87 Beyer.
Following the win at Keeneland, Eunomia was privately purchased and transferred to Joseph, Jr. Now campaigned by St. Elias Stable, WSS Racing, Turf Express, Inc. and Stefania Farms, Eunomia has hit the board in each of her four starts since, beginning with a 1 1/4-length optional claiming victory at first asking for new connections in December at Tampa Bay Downs.
Joseph, Jr. said the mare was scouted by co-owner Turf Express, Inc.’s Mark Cornett, who also runs C2 Racing Stable with his brother, Clint.
“Mark called and said he found this filly and thought she was all dirt,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He came up with a plan and found the partners to buy the filly. The plan was to get to the Doubledogdare and the Spinster and we just missed winning [the Doubledogdare].”
After a pacesetting third to stablemate Claret Beret in the Grade 3 Royal Delta in February at Gulfstream Park, Eunomia shipped north to Colonial Downs to post a tidy 2 3/4-length victory in the second of two divisions of the one-turn mile Sandy Bottom on March 14 ahead of the Doubledogdare.
The Royal Delta proved to be a key race, with Claret Beret exiting to win the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap on April 11 at Oaklawn Park and the Brad Cox-trained runner-up Alpine Princess taking the Doubledogdare next up. Sixth-place finisher Shred the Gnar returned nearly three months later to win the Grade 1 La Troienne for trainer Brian Lynch on Friday at Churchill Downs.
“The Royal Delta race turned out to be a super-productive race,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Claret Beret, Brad’s filly and also the Brian Lynch filly came back and won the Grade 1 La Troienne. That was a key race being third there and in the Doubledogdare she built on that.
“Hopefully, we can get a graded stakes win on her resume here,” he added. “We feel she’s a filly that will continue to improve. The race is coming back a little quick – that’s the only question mark about it.”
Out of the winning American Pharoah mare Speedy Vanessa, Eunomia is a half-sister to Confessional, who finished third in the Virginia Derby on the same card as her Sandy Bottom victory. She is from the immediate family of multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Mean Mary.
Tyler Gaffalione has the call from post 3.
Miller Racing’s Dazzling Move [post 4, Micah Husbands, blinkers OFF] is stakes-placed over the Big A main track, and will look to notch her second career graded victory after taking the 2025 edition of the Grade 3 Royal Delta last February in her first start for Joseph, Jr.
Initially trained by Michael Trombetta, the 5-year-old Not This Time dark bay hit the board in two stakes in her first 14 starts before being privately purchased following a fourth in the Listed Rampart in December 2024 at Gulfstream.
Since her three-quarter-length Royal Delta victory, Dazzling Move has hit the board in four stakes, including a pair of seconds last summer at Saratoga in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford and the Grade 2 Shuvee ahead of a trailing off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign.
Dazzling Move was a $1.15 million RNA at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale in November, and returned this year with off-the-board finishes in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Inside Information in January at Gulfstream and the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap last out, where she finished last-of-9. In between those efforts, she shipped to Santa Anita Park to run in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile on March 7, but was ultimately scratched.
“She’s had a lot of things not go her way,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We went to California and they scratched her because she had a cut. We flew all the way there and had to bring her back. In the Apple Blossom, she got knocked around at the start. She didn’t break as sharp and that allowed her to get knocked around. That’s not her position – similar to when she ran in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga. That’s not her position – she’s a forwardly-running filly.”
Joseph, Jr. said Dazzling Move should appreciate the return to one turn.
“I thought her Inside Information going into the Apple Blossom was decent and the one-turn mile is her best distance overall, so that’s the reason for coming here,” Joseph, Jr. said.
Completing the Joseph, Jr. triad is Ultimate Authority [post 2, Edgard Zayas, blinkers ON], who also bears the colors of Miller Racing. The 5-year-old Practical Joke mare began her career in California with trainer Tim Yakteen, including a third in the Grade 2 Santa Maria last April at Santa Anita.
Ultimate Authority was privately purchased following that race, and has made four starts – two of them on turf – for current connections, her best result an eight-length third in the 1 1/16-mile dirt Wayward Lass in January at Tampa. She returns to dirt after a last-out fifth in a 1 1/16-mile turf optional claimer on Valentine’s Day at Gulfstream.
Joseph, Jr. said Ultimate Authority added blinkers for a bullet half-mile gate work in 48 flat on April 24 at Palm Meadows Training Center, and for another half-mile move in 47.95 in company with Grade 3-winner Alexander Helios on Friday there.
“She’s never gone the one-turn mile, and I think she’s going to like it,” the trainer said. “We put some blinkers on her and worked her from the gate with them and then worked her back in them last week with a pretty good older horse and I like what I see with the blinkers.”
Irish Three Racing’s Irish Maxima [post 6, Frankie Pennington] will look to extend her win streak to three for trainer John Servis on the heels of impressive seven-furlong optional-claiming scores both here and at Parx Racing.
The 5-year-old Maximus Mischief bay arrives from a 6 1/2-length trouncing on April 14 at Parx, earning a 93 Beyer for the wire-to-wire victory under regular rider Frankie Pennington. That effort came on the back of a similar pacesetting score on March 21 here, which received an 89 Beyer.
Irish Maxima will stretch out beyond seven furlongs for the second time in what will be her 18th career start, her only other outing at Saturday’s distance a distant fifth in the 2023 Grade 1 Frizette as a juvenile here. She already boasts a graded victory over the local going, having taken the seven-furlong Grade 3 Distaff last April.
Servis said he expects Irish Maxima will perform well with the Ruffian’s one-turn configuration as she brings speed to the compact field.
“I like the fact that it’s one turn,” he said. “She’s got enough speed, but she relaxes really well. She seems to carry that speed pretty far. We are not anxious to get her around two turns, but I think the one-turn mile might suit her well.”
A $50,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Irish Maxima is out of the Grade 2-placed Out of Place mare Palace Pier. She has banked $646,318 through a consistent 17-10-1-1 record that includes three additional stakes wins.
Lane’s End Farm’s Cassiar [post 1, Dylan Davis] will look to improve in her second start off a nearly seven-month layoff for Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey.
The 4-year-old City of Light bay equaled her career-best 81 Beyer last out when finishing a stalking second to the George Weaver-trained Grade 2-winner Five G in a one-turn mile optional claimer on February 13 at Gulfstream.
McGaughey said the effort was encouraging off the extended layoff.
“I thought she ran good, and that’s a pretty nice filly of George Weaver’s that won,” McGaughey said. “I really brought her up here to run her in the ‘two-other-than’ and have been waiting on it and it didn’t go. She’s been training so good, so I said, ‘eh, let’s take a shot.’”
Cassiar also earned an 81 Beyer for a debut victory last February at Tampa, where she pounced from fifth and got up in time to win by a head. She finished a distant third in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks won by Five G in her next start, and defeated winners – including returning rival Dry Powder – in an optional claimer last May over course and distance in her only effort over the local going.
Cassiar has worked three times over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including a half-mile in 48.01 seconds on Sunday.
“She’s really done well and she’s good physically,” McGaughey said. “I’m looking forward to running her. I think one-turn is for her. She’s worked very well.”
A $400,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, Cassiar is a half-sister to multiple group/graded-placed Bendoog and is out of the Grade 3-winning Mineshaft mare Nellie Cashman.
Klaravich Stables’ Inefficiency [post 5, Flavien Prat] will look to remain perfect in her third career start for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.
The 4-year-old daughter of Constitution has won both of her starts impressively over Saturday’s course and distance, graduating on debut in pacesetting fashion by six lengths in February and switching up tactics last out on March 20 with a stalking 6 1/4-length stroll under returning rider Flavien Prat.
A $350,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Inefficiency is out of the Grade 2-placed Uncle Mo mare Moana, whose half-sister Palisadesprincess produced Grade 1-winner Ceiling Crusher.
Completing the field is Gold Square’s dual Grade 1-placed Dry Powder [post 7, Kazushi Kimura], who wheels back from a non-threatening ninth-of-10 in the Grade 1 La Troienne on Friday at Churchill Downs for trainer Chad Summers.
The 4-year-old Gun Runner bay landed a respective third and second in Grade 1 events last year in the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga and the Cotillion at Parx, efforts that surrounded a win in the Listed Cathryn Sophia in August at Parx.
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