Whatintheliteral gritty in the Astoria (NYRA/Coglianese)
By Keith McCalmont – NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Trainer Jena Antonucci and Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano enjoyed a memorable Belmont Stakes Racing Festival last year by taking the featured Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets with Arcangelo. The duo successfully reunited at this year’s Festival as Whatintheliteral posted a 13-1 upset in Thursday’s $150,000 Astoria, a 5 1/2-furlong main-track sprint for juvenile fillies on Day One of the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, at Saratoga Race Course.
Owned by horseOlogy Racing and Craig Steinhart, the Lord Nelson dark bay was still a maiden after two starts at Keeneland entering her stakes debut, including a narrow three-quarter length loss last out when third in a 4 1/2-furlong sprint.
Antonucci said she had no qualms entering a maiden in a Spa stakes.
“Why not? That’s my decision-making process. Sometimes we overthink it,” Antonucci said. “The stakes aren’t going to get any easier as they get older. She ran a big race. It’s her third career start and I think she’s still coming forward and getting more fit and learning her job. She just missed at Keeneland. If it wasn’t four and a half [furlongs], she’s the winner. Watching her just come forward and train well and keep doing this, having more ground, it worked. I finally didn’t get it wrong.”
Whatintheliteral broke on top from the inside post and was hustled to the front to establish sharp opening splits of 22.16 seconds and 45.79 over the fast main track with Aoraki applying pressure to her outside in second position and French Horn stalking from third.
Aoraki, piloted by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, inched closer through the turn and came over slightly on Whatintheliteral as the duo straightened away for the stretch run. French Horn angled off the rail to take aim at the pacesetters, but Whatintheliteral and Aoraki drew clear and engaged in a stirring stretch duel. The tenacious fillies went head-and-head the length of the stretch with Whatintheliteral persevering to notch the head win. A stewards’ inquiry into the gritty stretch run resulted in no change to the order of finish.
It was a further 1 1/4-lengths back to French Horn in third with Baytown Butterfly, stakes-winner West Memorial, Biscuitwiththeboss and The Queens M G rounding out the order of finish. Baytown Cleopatra and Long Neck Paula were scratched.
Castellano credited Antonucci and her team for having the filly ready to win.
“She moved forward. We schooled the horse and they developed her the right way,” Castellano said. “They taught her the way you’re supposed to. From the one-hole, she broke out of the gate running. You could see she was quick, and I liked the way she did it; broke on top and there’s no looking back.”
OXO Equine and Susan Montanye’s Aoraki entered from a winning debut in May at Churchill Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Rosario picked up the mount from the injured Keith Asmussen.
Rosario said his filly was game in defeat.
“She did everything right, everything I asked her to do. Too bad we got beat,” Rosario said. “We couldn’t pass her [Whatintheliteral], it looked like we passed her, but she kept fighting on the inside. I don’t know if we were the second-best horse or the second-best jockey, just kidding [laughs]. I think she did everything right. Second race, different track here. She did great.”
Rosario said he had no complaints regarding the inquiry.
“I mean we were in close, a little tight, but we were just fighting. It was nothing out of line,” Rosario said.
Whatintheliteral is out of the Antonucci-trained New York-bred Freud mare Lilikoi, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Manchurian High. Bred in Florida by Bella Inizio Farm, Whatintheliteral banked $82,500 in victory while improving her record to 3-1-0-1. She returned $29 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Friday at Saratoga for Day Two of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, headlined by the Grade 1, $750,000 New York presented by Rivers Casino in Race 11. The stacked 12-race card also features the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game in Race 10, the Grade 1, $500,000 DK Horse Acorn in Race 12, and the Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental presented by MTV Solutions in Race 9. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.
