Gata Brazil. (Jim McCue/TMJC)
Dan Illman/Laurel Park
LAUREL, Md. – Even top trainers like Brittany Russell are wrong occasionally.
“Honestly, when I ran her first time on the dirt at Delaware, I thought she couldn’t lose that day,” Russell said about Gata Brazil after the filly rallied from off the pace to capture Sunday’s $100,000 Stormy Blues Stakes for 3-year-old fillies racing 5 ½ furlongs on turf at Laurel Park.
“So, when she didn’t win, I [thought] we have to go back to the drawing board. If she can’t win here, then I have to re-evaluate the rest of them because she was always working good.”
After Gata Brazil tired to finish sixth of nine in that off-turf heat at Delaware last summer, the filly vindicated Russell’s pre-debut faith with a 5 1/2-length victory in a maiden special weight sprinting on turf at Laurel Park on August 2.
“I think she just skips over the grass,” Russell continued. “We found what she wants to do.”
Gata Brazil missed the remainder of 2024 after suffering a setback, but she showed flashes of her earlier brilliance since returning to the races at Fair Grounds this spring.
After finishing seventh in a first-level allowance there on March 21, Gata Brazil passed that condition via disqualification under jockey Sheldon Russell at Laurel on April 18.
Gata Brazil added blinkers for her most recent start, the Take the A Train Stakes at Aqueduct on May 10, and the filly set fast fractions in a race ultimately dominated by closers.
“I added a blinker last time because Sheldon felt that she might have been a little green, looking around,” Brittany Russell said. “She wasn’t 100% focused. I wasn’t trying to light her up and put more speed into her. I was trying to help the focus. She ended up on the lead that day, and I think it was a little much adding the blinkers and everything.”
Ridden by Jevian Toledo in the Stormy Blues, Gata Brazil relaxed beautifully in a perfect midpack position as favored Roja and Biscuitwiththeboss sparred through an opening quarter in 22.14 seconds.
Roja emerged with a clear lead in the upper stretch, but Toledo split rivals aboard Gata Brazil and followed the pacesetter while racing on the rail.
Gata Brazil eased outside Roja at the first wire, then streaked home to nip the chalk by a nose in 1:01.74 over the firm turf course.
Biscuitwiththeboss, also trained by Russell, finished six lengths in back. Slightly Busy, Impulse Buy, Strong Like Sara, Viscious Gossip, Shkhara Fire, and Safe Trust rounded out the order of finish.
Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Gata Brazil boasts a lovely pedigree. She is by champion sire Into Mischief and is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner American Gal, Grade 3-placed Magic Tap, and stakes-winner Americanize. Her dam, American Story, is a Grade 2-placed half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Seventh Street.
Gata Brazil sold for $575,000 as a yearling and campaigns for Nice Guys Stables.
Russell indicated that she might keep Gata Brazil sprinting for the upcoming Colonial Downs meet.
“She’s pretty aggressive training, so we’ll probably stick with [sprinting] for the time being, but if the opportunity looked us in the eye, and it felt right, we might give it a go,” Russell said about potentially stretching Gata Brazil out to longer distances.
