Gala Brand makes 1st start since Breeders’ Cup in Wild Applause

Grade 3 winner Gala Brand is set to return from an over seven-month layoff in Saturday’s listed, $150,000 Wild Applause, a one-mile inner-turf test for sophomore fillies, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the Violence chestnut displayed talent over the turf from the beginning of her juvenile campaign, coming from 14 lengths back in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint to win on debut ahead of a rallying score against males in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 With Anticipation, both in August at Saratoga.

Gala Brand exited her wins at the Spa to finish off-the-board in a pair of events won by champion 2-year-old filly-runner up Hard to Justify, including a closing fourth from last of 11 when favored in the 1 1/16-mile Miss Grillo (G2) in October at Belmont at the Big A. She next attempted the one-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Santa Anita, where she finished 13th.

The promising juvenile returned to the tab as a sophomore on April 19 and has recorded weekly workouts since, most recently breezing a half-mile in 49.65 seconds over Saratoga’s Oklahoma dirt training track June 17.

“We freshened her. She was kind of worn out by the time we ran in the Breeders’ Cup. She needed a rest, and we gave her a rest,” Mott said. “She’s been back and had several good works. We just feel this is the time to start back up.”

Megan Jones, managing partner of co-owner Arnmore Thoroughbreds, said she observed strong physical development over the course of the freshening.

“She has grown up and filled out, I’m looking forward to getting her back up and started again,” Jones said. “She is a tall filly and last year against the boys in the With Anticipation she measured taller. I’d even call her gangly at points in time, but I think she has filled out and gotten stronger from age 2 to 3.”

A $30,000 purchase at the Keeneland September yearling sale, Gala Brand is out of the multiple graded-group stakes-winning Lord of England mare Olorda and is a half-sister to the stakes-placed James Aloysius.

“When I bought her and coming along as a yearling to 2-year-old, I actually thought she’d be the one in the group to really develop with age. I think she did what she did first-out and in the With Anticipation with raw ability,” Jones said. “She is thicker and stronger this year, whereas last year she was a taller, ganglier horse, certainly not awkward by any means, but I’m looking forward to seeing her now.”

Mott captured the Wild Applause in June 2015 at Belmont Park with multiple graded stakes winner Celestine, who went on to win the Just a Game (G1) there one year later.

Jose Lezcano, who was aboard for Gala Brand’s victorious debut, will look to engineer a winning trip from post 1 carrying a field-high 122 pounds.

Four time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle a trio of promising maiden-winners in search of a record-extending fifth Wild Applause win in Grayosh, Chantilly Road and Oversubscribed.

Brown seeks a Wild Applause three-peat after capturing last year’s edition with Liguria and 2022’s with Eminent Victor, building on past scores of Blowout in 2019 and Ancient Secret in 2016.

Grayosh holds the highest Beyer of the Brown trainees, earning an 82 for a 1 3/4-length victory over Chantilly Road in a 1 1/16-mile maiden tilt at Aqueduct on April 20. The victory marked a third-out graduation for the Yoshida gray after losing her rider the race prior when going nine furlongs in March at Gulfstream Park.

Grayosh finished fourth last out in the nine-furlong Wonder Again (G2) on May 27 at Aqueduct, where she found herself last of six in the stretch and unable to reel in the victorious Segesta, who also is trained by Brown.

Chantilly Road enters off a fourth-out graduation traveling 1 1/16 miles at Aqueduct on May 18, earning a 77 Beyer in the effort. The Quality Road dark bay nearly matched her career-best 78 Beyer from her turf debut in the second to Grayosh. Her two prior starts were made over the dirt and yielded off-the-board results, including at one mile in February at the Big A and six furlongs in January at Tampa Bay Downs.

Oversubscribed dead-heated to win her debut going 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs. There, the Too Darn Hot bay traveled in sixth position and found herself behind a wall of horses in the stretch but was able to dive down through a tight opening along the rail and get up in the nick of time.

Oversubscribed was slow away from the gate in her second start, made at Aqueduct traveling 1 1/16-miles versus optional-claiming company on May 5, in need of another late rally from nine lengths back, but this time she was forced to check around the three-eighths pole. She settled for second as the beaten favorite to returning rival Macanga. The effort earned a career-best 78 Beyer.

Value Area and Just Music are entered for the main track only.