Green Up. (Chelsea Durand)
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Team Valor International’s Green Up denied multiple graded stakes winning millionaire Frank’s Rockette an 11th career stakes victory in Sunday’s listed $135,000 Pumpkin Pie, stalking the pace in the clear from third and dueling with the 1-2 favorite before spurting away to a 4 1/4-length win in the seven-furlong test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who captured Friday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita with Fierceness, Green Up entered the Pumpkin Pie off a seven-month layoff and was last seen posting a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare in April at Keeneland. The dark bay 4-year-old daughter of Upstart collected a third career stakes triumph in the Pumpkin Pie, building on two-turn scores from last year’s Boiling Springs at Monmouth Park and Cathryn Sophia at Parx Racing.
Leaving from post 2 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Green Up tracked a close third while New York-bred Kant Hurry Love held a narrow advantage to the inside of Frank’s Rockette as the pair battled through an opening quarter-mile in 23.94 seconds over the fast main track. Around the far turn, Green Up joined the top pair of runners through a half-mile in 46.97 while under a drive nearing the quarter pole.
As Kant Hurry Love dropped out of contention in mid-stretch, Green Up put away Frank’s Rockette and strolled home in a final time of 1:23.22. Frank’s Rockette finished another 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Into Happiness, who grabbed show honors ahead of Kant Hurry Love. Royal Meghan was scratched.
Velazquez, who piloted the Pletcher-trained Lucy N Ethel to a 2017 Pumpkin Pie score, said everything went according to plan.
“There wasn’t much speed today so I thought if I broke well, I was going to keep it as close I can,” Velazquez said. “Once I got to the outside of them, I pressed the pace because that’s the only way I would beat her today and it worked out. Once I got passed and was going away, I was able to ease up on her.”
Byron Hughes, Pletcher’s Belmont-based assistant, said he was impressed with how his filly put away Frank’s Rockette.
“I thought it was great. She’s obviously a very talented filly and she was going up against Frank’s Rockette who has been running well and is a very nice filly herself,” Hughes said. “I thought this performance here, [Green Up] sat right in behind the speed and Johnny got her in the clear and was able to kick past Frank’s Rockette down the stretch and won nicely.”
Green Up, who returned $5.30 for a $2 win wager, banked $74,250 in victory which upped her lifetime earnings to $376,098. Her record now stands at 8-5-1-1.
Bred in Virginia by Althea Richards, Green Up is out of the Two Punch mare Green Punch who is a half-sister to dual graded stakes winner Just Call Kenny.
Live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack resumes on Thursday with a nine-race program. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.
America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
