Belmont at Big A: Emery gets there 1st to win Victory Ride

Emery, expertly piloted by Tyler Gaffalione, made the grade with a perfectly timed rally to capture Thursday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Victory Ride, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies at Belmont at the Big A.

Owned by Stonestreet Stables and trained by dual Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox, the More Than Ready dark bay has won 4 of 5 career starts, entering from a 3 1/2-length victory in the seven-furlong Leslie’s Lady on June 9 at Churchill Downs.

Click here for Belmont at the Big A entries and results.

“She’s got a nice pedigree, and now she’s a graded-stakes winner,” Cox said. “She came back off short rest, but I feel like she did it the right way at Churchill, and I gave her plenty of time from her race at Keeneland (in April) to the Churchill race. We asked her to come back just a touch quick and put one work in her, and I was happy with the way she breezed last week. She finished up well today.”

Halina’s Forte, winner of the Ruthless in February at Aqueduct, broke alertly under Jose Ortiz, but it was Flavien Prat-piloted Mystic Lake who took command out of the inside post to mark the opening quarter-mile in 21.72 seconds over the fast main track.

Emery tracked from third position as Halina’s Forte pressed the pacesetting Mystic Lake into the turn through a swift half-mile in 44.38 seconds.

Mystic Lake, last-out winner of the Miss Preakness (G3) on May 17 at Pimlico, put away Halina’s Forte and opened a two-length advantage at the stretch call as Gaffalione urged Emery into contention.

A game and determined Mystic Lake dug in along the rail, but she could not turn back the inevitable momentum of Emery, who scored by three-quarters of a length with a final time of 1:15.44. It was 5 3/4 lengths back to Halina’s Forte in third with Autumn Evening rounding out the order of finish. Golden Degree was scratched.

Gaffalione, now undefeated in four starts aboard Emery, said he was concerned about the pace in the compact field but was please to see Halina’s Forte pressuring Mystic Lake in the early stages.

“We were able to track them,” Gaffalione said. “When I got to the turn, I just kind of let my filly out a bit, and she just kept building off of that. Coming into the stretch the filly on the inside (Mystic Lake), she kicked home nicely, but my filly really dug in and finished the job well today.”

Prat, who won five races on Thursday’s card, said Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Mystic Lake was game in defeat.

“She is quick. She was doing well all the way around,” Prat said. “She gave me a really good run turning for home. It would probably be as far as she wants to go. She ran well.”

Emery made a memorable debut sprinting six furlongs in August at Saratoga, drawing off over a muddy and sealed surface to best eventual Florida Oaks (G3) winner Waskesiu by 5 3/4-lengths. She followed with an off-the-board effort in the Frizette (G1) in October at the Big A under Manny Franco to close out her juvenile campaign but returned with aplomb in April at Keeneland to capture an optional-claiming sprint ahead of her Leslie’s Lady coup.

Gaffalione, who recently secured a tie with Ortiz for the Churchill Downs spring-meet riding title, said Emery is developing into a very talented filly.

“I love the progression that she has made from her first start, sitting outside, to where she’s been able to take dirt, sitting back, relaxing beautifully and showing a really nice turn of foot,” Gaffalione said.

Cox credited Stonestreet Stables for allowing Emery enough time to grow up.

“She has a great mind and she broke her maiden at Saratoga last year first time out and had never breezed at Saratoga. She handled all of that well,” Cox said. “I really liked her a lot, and the Frizette last year just wasn’t her day. She came out of it and had a break afterwards.

“We’ve always thought a lot of her, and Stonestreet always allows you to do the right thing by the horse. Patience paid off today, and we’re very proud of what she’s accomplished. We’re looking forward to hopefully being on to bigger and better things.”

Cox said Emery could point to the seven-furlong $500,000 Test (G1) on Aug. 3 at Saratoga.

“It’s possible,” Cox said. “We’ll talk it over with the Stonestreet team and watch her first and foremost. There’s a good shot she’ll be getting on a van in a few days and heading to Saratoga.”

Bred in Kentucky by Mary Grum, Emery is out of the multiple stakes-winning Street Sense mare Athena. Her second dam Race Rocks is a half-sister to 2004 Carter Handicap (G1) winner Peeping Tom. She banked $96,250 in victory while improving her record to 5: 4-0-0.

Emery returned $3.20 for a $2 win bet.