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Sweet Bye and Bye Seeks Graded Stakes Win in Athenia

Field of eight entered in 1 1/16-mile grade 3 turf stakes at Belmont Park.

Sweet Bye and Bye wins the Crowd Pleaser Stakes at Parx Racing

Sweet Bye and Bye wins the Crowd Pleaser Stakes at Parx Racing

Barbara Weidl/EQUI-PHOTO

Life without Blowout promises to be interesting for Sweet Bye and Bye.

In her past two starts for trainer Anthony Dutrow, Sweet Bye and Bye faced the unenviable task of chasing the speedy, frontrunning Blowout through some demanding fractions.

In an Aug. 26 allowance optional claiming race, the 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred mare was second much of the way behind the Chad Brown-trained Blowout but managed to catch her in the final strides of the mile test and prevail by a neck in a quick 1:33.61.

Both distaff runners squared off a month later in the Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T), where Sweet Bye and Bye was second as Blowout reeled off blistering fractions of :44.85 and 1:08.38 on the front end. At the wire, the early pace took its toll on both mares as Viadera rallied to win the mile turf stakes in a fast 1:32.06 with Blowout second and Sweet Bye and Bye third, a length behind the winner.

Now, with Blowout absent from the eight entrants in the Oct. 25 Athenia Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park, Sweet Bye and Bye faces a different pace scenario in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes as she tries to record her initial graded stakes win for owner-breeder Joseph Imbesi.

"The lone speed in there had to be kept honest for any us to have a chance of beating Blowout in the Noble Damsel. We were the one that was the most obvious one to keep her somewhat honest. They are good fillies and they finished together," Dutrow said. "We were happy with Sweet Bye and Bye's performance. She's an honest filly who always gives a good account of herself."

Though the Athenia is a sixteenth of a mile longer than the Noble Damsel, the added distance should not pose a huge obstacle for Sweet Bye and Bye. She was second in the 2019 Athenia and was a gate-to-wire winner at the distance in a Sept. 22, 2019, allowance optional claimer.

"The mile and a sixteenth should not be a problem," Dutrow said. "In my opinion, no farther than that, but I do not believe a mile and a sixteenth on a hard course will be a problem. The key thing is how sound she is and how happy she is to keep running. She's deserving of a graded stakes win."

A winner of seven of 17 starts with earnings of $420,550, Sweet Bye and Bye will be making her final start of 2020. Dutrow said he will give the Sky Mesa  mare November and December off before shopping for a race in Florida for her first start as a 6-year-old.

Plans for the remainder of 2021 are uncertain as Imbesi may elect to breed the daughter of the Maria's Mon mare Twiggles. Yet whether she continues to race or becomes a broodmare, Dutrow is confident Imbesi will not be selling her.

"We'll find a place to race in Florida early next year," Dutrow said. "He'll have a few months early in the year to decide what to do, but I know Joe will never part with her. I don't think there are any set of circumstances in which he would do it. Joe is a very passionate man, and he has the means to keep her."

Likely to play the role of the early leader in the Athenia is Mitchell Road.

Owned by Mrs. J. V. Shields Jr. and E. J. M. McFadden Jr., the 5-year-old English Channel mare is coming off a solid effort in the Sept. 12 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes (G3T) when she led from the start but was collared in midstretch and then fell short by a neck at the wire in settling for second.

Trained by Bill Mott, the grade 3-winning Mitchell Road has seven wins and six seconds from 17 starts and won the Ellis Park Turf Stakes this year.

Mitchell Road wins 2020 Ellis Park Turf Stakes
Photo: Coady Photography
Mitchell Road wins the Ellis Park Turf Stakes at Ellis Park

The field of eight also includes R Unicorn Stable's Call Me Love, who was given a brief freshening after finishing fifth in the Aug. 23 Diana Stakes (G1T). In her prior start for trainer Christophe Clement, the 4-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars was second by a neck to multiple-grade 1 winning Starship Jubilee in the Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T).

Trainer Chad Brown, who won three straight editions of the Athenia from 2016-18, will take aim at a fifth victory in the stakes with a trio of entrants.

Two of them squared off in the Sept. 26 Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park, where they ran 1-2 with John Gunther and Tanya Gunther's She's Got You edging Swift Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, and Doheny Racing Stable's Altea by a neck.

Brown will also send out William Lawrence and Bradley Thoroughbreds' Tapit Today, who was third in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf, 1 1/2 lengths behind Mitchell Road.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Tango Uniform Racing's Feel Glorious and Whisper Hill Farm's Story Time complete the lineup.

Entries: Athenia S. (G3T)

Belmont Park, Sunday, October 25, 2020, Race 9

  • Grade III
  • 1 1/16m
  • Inner turf
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 4:55 PM (local)
PPHorseJockeyWgtTrainerM/L
11Mitchell Road (KY)Luis Saez124William I. Mott9/2
22Call Me Love (GB)Joel Rosario122Christophe Clement7/2
33Feel Glorious (GB)Junior Alvarado124Christophe Clement8/1
44Story Time (KY)Dylan Davis122J. Kent Sweezey30/1
55Altea (FR)Keeneland Sales GraduateIrad Ortiz, Jr.122Chad C. Brown6/1
66Sweet Bye and Bye (PA)Jose Lezcano122Anthony W. Dutrow3/1
77She's Got You (GB)Javier Castellano124Chad C. Brown4/1
88Tapit Today (KY)Jose L. Ortiz122Chad C. Brown6/1