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McKulick captures last year’s Waya (Janet Napolitano)
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By Keith McCalmont – NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out McKulick and Idea Generation for Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Waya, an 11-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up, at Belmont at the Big A.
Brown, who has won the last five runnings of this event, has enjoyed past Waya success with Goldy Espony [2015], Guapaza [2016], Fools Gold [2019], My Sister Nat [2020-21], Rocky Sky [2022] and McKulick [2023].
Brown said both McKulick and Idea Generation, who worked a half-mile in 50.58 seconds this morning over the Oklahoma training track, are in good order.
“They’re both coming into it real well,” Brown said. “They had a final piece of work today – the turf works were cancelled at Saratoga, so they had to breeze on the dirt, but it went fine.”
Klaravich Stables’ McKulick [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], a multiple graded stakes-winner with more than $1.9 million in purse earnings, will look to defend her title in this event after drawing clear to a two-length score over stablemate Idea Generation over yielding footing here last year.
The 5-year-old Frankel mare has enjoyed a tremendous career through a ledger of 19-7-5-3 topped by graded scores in the 2022 Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, 2022 Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, the Grade 2 Glens Falls in 2023-24 and the Grade 3 Orchid in March.
McKulick, bred in Great Britain by Essafinaat UK, arrives from an even third-place finish in the 11-furlong Grade 2 Flower Bowl where Idea Generation was able to set moderate splits en route to a 1 1/2-length score over War Like Goddess, who finished second versus males in Saturday’s Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.
Brown said McKulick’s future is yet to be determined with a potential start in the local 11-furlong Grade 3, $300,000 Long Island or possibly a Breeders’ Cup bout still in play.
“She’s entered in the November Sale but she’s also cross-entered at Tattersalls, so she could run in the Long Island as well. Who knows, if they run well, either of them could end up at the Breeders’ Cup. We’ll see,” Brown said.
Idea Generation [post 6, Eric Cancel], a 4-year-old Dubawi dark bay, has made just two starts this year, finishing fifth in her seasonal debut in July when racing from off the pace at the Spa ahead of her Waya coup at odds of 31-1.
Bred in Ireland by Epona Bloodstock, Idea Generation showed the way through splits of 26.08, 51.92, 1:18.20 and 1:43.58 in the Flower Bowl while maintaining a four-length advantage at the stretch call with plenty in reserve to score in a final time of 2:18.97.
Idea Generation has banked $395,150 through a 7-2-2-0 record.
Godolphin’s Irish homebred Beautiful Love [post 5, Joel Rosario] avenged a sixth-place finish in her stateside debut last out by rallying from eighth-of-10 and 15 lengths off the pace to capture the 11-furlong Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational on September 14 here.
Trained by Charlie Appleby and piloted by Dylan Davis, the 3-year-old Siyouni chestnut was off a step slow and content to rate as the pacesetting Macanga opened up by 10 lengths through three-quarters in an ambitious 1:12.32 and one-mile in 1:37.45.
Davis gave Beautiful Love her cue at the five-sixteenths and rallied wide down the lane to score by 1 1/2-lengths over Justdeny, who was a nose better than Caldwell Luvs Gold. The final time of 2:15.28 saw Beautiful Love register an 84 Beyer, improving on the 78 figure earned in her August debut at Saratoga when sixth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Lake Placid.
“She had a lot to do but she did it really nicely,” said Nikki Jones, travelling assistant for Appleby. “She’s come out of that race great – really fresh, really well. She looks amazing. She’s been ticking along up at Saratoga.”
Beautiful Love arrived in the U.S. from a pair of February starts at Meydan Racecourse beginning with a runner-up effort to eventual Grade 1-winning stablemate Cinderella’s Dream in the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic ahead of a six-length romp in a one-mile conditions race.
Her third dam, Snow Bride, produced the Nijinsky-sired multiple Group 1-winner Lammtarra, who captured the 1995 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Christophe Clement will send out a pair of contenders in Group 1-placed La Mehana [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] and three-time winner Avenue Niel [post 2, Jose Lezcano].
LSU Stables’ La Mehana, a 5-year-old Al Wukair mare, finished third in the 1 3/4-mile Group 1 Prix de Royallieu last September at Longchamp for her former conditioner Jean-Claude Rouget. She was purchased by Clement for $430,503 that December at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale and has since raced three times for current connections, earning Grade 3 placings when third in both the 12-furlong Orchid in March at Gulfstream Park and the local 11-furlong Sheepshead Bay in May.
La Mehana, out of the Dansili mare Oceanie, arrives from a troubled fifth in the 11-furlong Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial where she stumbled at the break.
“She’s a nice filly. She’s been a little unlucky, but she’s doing well,” Clement said. “It’s a very tough race – welcome back to New York – but both my fillies are training well.”
Avenue Niel, owned by Clement in partnership with Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso, was purchased by Nicolas Clement for $147,018 at the Arqana Saint-Cloud Sale after landing third in the 2022 Prix Joubert at Longchamp for her former trainer Mikel Delzangles.
The 5-year-old Helmet chestnut won at second asking for current connections last September, rallying from deep to win a local 1 3/16-mile turf allowance. She followed with a closing third in October in a local nine-furlong optional-claimer won by Tass in which subsequent Grade 1-winner Chili Flag finished second.
Avenue Niel has made two optional-claiming starts this campaign, finishing a close second to Grade 1-winner Aspen Grove traveling 11 furlongs in August at Saratoga ahead of a last-out win at 12-furlongs on September 1 at Kentucky Downs.
Clement said he was pleased with the last-out score.
“Very much so,” said Clement. “McKulick is going to be very tough to beat but that’s OK. We’ll take them on and do the best we can.”
Repole Stable’s well-bred graded stakes-winner Surprisingly [post 1, John Velazquez] will look to pick up her first win of her 5-year-old campaign for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.
The Mastery bay is out of the winning Arch mare Vagabond, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Great Island. She hails from the family of Grade 1-winners Point of Entry, Pine Island and Pleasant Home.
Bred and campaigned by Phipps Stable through her first 12 starts in the care of Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Surprisingly captured the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Endeavour last February at Tampa Bay Downs to go along with four other graded placings.
Surprisingly was purchased by Repole Stable for $1 million at the 2023 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and transferred to Pletcher for her current campaign with her best results coming at Gulfstream Park when a close second in both the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational in January and aforementioned Orchid in March. She enters from a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa on August 22 at Saratoga.
“She’s knocked on the door in a number of spots,” Pletcher said. “She’s very versatile and seems to handle multiple distances. We’ll take a look at this but it’s a very competitive race.”
Surprisingly has banked $544,990 through an 18-4-5-2 record.
Rounding out a talented group are Grade 3-winner Star Fortress [post 8, Jaime Torres], who failed to fire when last-of-8 last out in the Grade 2 Canadian at Woodbine for trainer Cherie DeVaux; and Group 3-winner Immensitude [post 4, Junior Alvarado], who arrives from a third-place finish in the Listed One Dreamer at Kentucky Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Movie Moxy, Amanda’s Folly and Peak Popularity are entered for the main-track only.
The Waya is slated as Race 7 on Friday’s 8-race card which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 Futurity, offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, in Race 5. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern.
