OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Klaravich Stables’ Unanimous Consent remained undefeated through three starts, posting a 1 3/4-length score in Saturday’s $100,000 Woodhaven, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown and expertly piloted by Manny Franco, the Almanzor bay saved ground from fifth position before tipping out five-wide in the stretch run and powering beyond the pacesetting Chanceux. Fort Washington arrived in time to nose out Chanceux for place honors.
Brown said he was impressed by Franco’s tactics to find cover after exiting post 5 in the six-horse field.
“I think it was wise for him to use the horse a little bit early and get him with the pack and tucked in just behind a bit of cover. I was very pleased with where he was sitting,” Brown said.
Unanimous Consent overcame troubled trips in his first two starts, graduating on debut in September at Monmouth Park and winning his seasonal debut in February at Tampa Bay Downs.
On Saturday, Unanimous Consent took a big step forward in his stakes debut, registering a career-best 80 Beyer Speed Figure that will propel him to a start in the nine-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge on June 4 at Belmont Park.
“I was pleased with his effort yesterday,” Brown said. “This horse has been a work in progress. He ran really well in those races at Monmouth and Tampa and it was time for him to step up and face a much tougher group of horses yesterday. Although it wasn’t a big field, I thought there were some talented horses in the race and he handled them pretty good.”
Brown said the $204,475 2020 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale purchase will be a good candidate for the Caesars Turf Triple Series if he continues to improve. The first leg of the lucrative series, the 10-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational, is slated for July 9 at Belmont.
“I think there’s more to come from this horse. He’s a work in progress but he keeps improving and I think he will continue to develop as the distances stretch out a bit, too,” Brown said.
Klaravich Stables’ Early Voting worked a half-mile under exercise rider Marino Garcia Saturday morning in 49.92 seconds in company with Southern Districtover the Belmont Park dirt training track. NYRA clockers caught the pair through splits of 13.80, 26.40, and out in 1:02.20.
The Gun Runner sophomore has made all three career starts at the Big A, winning the Grade 3 Withers in February ahead of a runner-up effort last out in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino. He is 14th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 50 points.
Southern District, a 4-year-old Union Rags colt also owned by Klaravich Stables, garnered a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure last out in a one-turn mile allowance score on February 5 at Aqueduct.
Brown said a decision will come soon on whether Early Voting will contest the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs or wait for the Grade 1 Preakness on May 21 at Pimlico Race Course.
“The work went fine. He worked easy. It was his first work back and he was moving well,” said Brown, who won the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing. “We haven’t made any final decision yet on what we’re doing in terms of the Derby, but I want to talk to Mr. Klarman about it this afternoon a little bit more.”
Jeff Drown’s Zandon breezed a half-mile in 48.60 Saturday at Keeneland in preparation for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. The Upstart dark bay captured the Grade 1 Blue Grass last out on April 9 at Keeneland with Flavien Prat up.
A maiden winner in October at Belmont, Zandon was a game second next up in the Grade 2 Remsen in December at the Big A, losing a grueling stretch duel with Mo Donegal by a nose. He entered the Blue Grass from a troubled third in the Grade 2 Risen Star in February at Fair Grounds Race Course.
Klaravich Stables’ Value Proposition will make his return to New York in the $100,000 Elusive Quality, a seven-furlong turf sprint for older horses on April 30 at Belmont.
The 6-year-old multiple graded stakes placed Dansili ridgling was a pacesetting third last out in the Danger’s Hour traveling one mile over the Big A turf on April 9.
“It’s short rest, but we’ll give it a try. I think it’s a good distance for him,” Brown said.
John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock’s Pipeline garnered a career-best 102 Beyer for his nine-length romp in a Friday allowance mile at the Big A. The 4-year-old Speightstown colt was making his first start since an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap in December at Aqueduct.
Brown said he may look to stretch Pipeline out around two turns.
“I think we’re going to take a more careful approach to step him up to each level,” Brown said. “I’m very pleased with the horse and I believe he’s effective around two turns as well. I don’t think he’d mind a mile and an eighth.”
Peter Brant’s Regal Glory matched a career-best 103 Beyer for her one length score over stablemate Shantisara in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on April 16 at Keeneland.
“It looked on paper that these two horses would hook up as the best two horses in the race and they did. It was a nice stretch run,” Brown said.
Brown said Regal Glory will make her next start on Belmont Stakes Day June 11 in the one-mile Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game, while Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Robert V. LaPenta’s Shantisara continues to be evaluated after taking a bad step exiting the course.
“Shantisara took a couple bad steps leaving the turf course and was vanned off. She’s since been sound but is getting evaluated,” Brown said. “I’m not sure about a next start but it does appear that we’ve escaped anything serious with her.”
Klaravich Stables’ Search Results breezed a half-mile in 49.11 Saturday over the Belmont main track in preparation for the Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian, a one-turn mile for older fillies and mares on May 8 at Belmont.
The 4-year-old Flatter bay won the Grade 3 Gazelle last year at Aqueduct ahead of a runner-up effort to Malathaat in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Search Results exited the Oaks to win the Grade 1 Acorn in June at Belmont and completed her sophomore season with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Longines Test in August at Saratoga Race Course.
Search Results made her seasonal debut on April 9 at Aqueduct, finishing third in the Grade 3 Distaff Handicap.
“I’m not exactly sure what happened in her last start – it’s a head scratcher. She was training very well and she just didn’t fire,” Brown said. “She came back and had a really good breeze yesterday, so we’ll draw a line through it and run her back at Belmont where we’re comfortable she likes that surface.”
NYRA Press Office
Photo: Unanimous Consent (Coglianese)
