Navratilova delivered a grand slam of sorts for her owner/breeder G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and trainer George "Rusty" Arnold, when she captured the Oct. 29 $150,000 Rubicon Valley View Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland.
The 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro , allowed to leave the gate at 25-1, became a third-generation graded stakes winner for the owner and trainer, who have been working together for nearly 30 years. One of the first horses Arnold trained for Humphrey was Let, a daughter of A.P. Indy, who won the 1999 Churchill Downs Distaff Handicap (G2). Let then produced Centre Court, who won the 2013 Jenney Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland along with five other graded stakes on the turf, and then in turn produced Navratilova.
Navratilova, like her namesake who won 18 grand slam titles in professional tennis, delivered the hardware by not only winning her first graded stakes but also by becoming Humphrey's eighth graded stakes winner at Keeneland, a milestone the racetrack honors with a gold tray.
Jockey Colby Hernandez said he followed Arnold's instructions to a 'T,' taking the filly to the lead and letting her cruise through the 1 1/16 miles. It was the same strategy that delivered a victory in the Tepin Stakes June 26 at Churchill Downs.
"Rusty told me to watch the replay of her Churchill race," Hernandez said. "He said, if you go to the lead, no one will pass her."
"I told him to put her on the front because I think she'll relax," Arnold said. "I think she'll get you to the eighth pole, and it's up to you from there on in. When she threw the (opening quarter in) :23, I was feeling pretty good.
"Let was one of the first horses I had for (Humphrey). So, it's great," Arnold continued. "It's almost been 30 years and that's unheard of in our business. It tells you what kind of guy he is."
Navratilova led at every point of call, clicking off the quarters in :23.82, :49.06, and 1:14.02 on the yielding turf course. As the field rounded out of the second turn, she took some pressure from Crazy Beautiful to her outside and 8-5 favorite Tobys Heart along the rail but quickly dispelled the challengers. She drew away to finish a length ahead of Crazy Beautiful with Adventuring getting third by a neck over Tobys Heart. The final time was 1:43.57.
The order of finish for the rest of field was Core Values, Breaker of Chains, Oliviaofthedesert, Saranya, Queenship, Arm Candy, and Princess Theorem.
Trainer Kenny McPeek said he was happy with Crazy Beautiful's second race on turf.
"You could run her on anything," McPeek said. "She is a very, very good filly. Level-wise, it was a really good spot. Unfortunately the horse on the front end got away from us."
Humphrey got involved in Navratilova's family when he bought Let for $350,000 out of Lane's End's consignment at the 1996 Keeneland July select yearling sale. She was bred in Kentucky by Hudson Interests and W. S. Kilroy.
Centre Court, a daughter of Smart Strike, has produced four named foals but Navratilova is the first to win. The mare also has a 2-year-old filly by Arrogate named Preempt that has not started yet and a yearling colt by Bernardini. She foaled a full sister to Navratilova on April 16 this year and was bred back to Street Sense .
Sweet Dani Girl 'Wins for the Small Guys' in Myrtlewood Stakes
J&J Stables and Nicholas Vaccarezza's Sweet Dani Girl, a daughter of Florida-based stallion Jess's Dream, went completely overlooked by bettors when going off at 45-1 odds in her Sept. 26 debut. The 2-year-old filly proceeded to turn in a decisive performance over the Churchill Downs strip, surging by her rivals late despite hanging on her left lead and zipping the six furlongs in a sharp 1:09 4/5.
The bettors wouldn't be fooled in her next start, and Sweet Dani Girl was bet down as the 2-1 co-favorite in the Oct. 30 $150,000 Myrtlewood Stakes with the Todd Pletcher trained Jester Calls Nojoy. And again the Carlo Vaccarezza trainee rewarded her backers, racing in midpack early on before closing relentlessly down the lane to prevail by three-quarters of a length over a stubborn Kant Believe It at the wire.
Kant Believe It, who sparred with Verylittlecents past every pole, held on for second by a nose over that foe.
Ridden by Martin Garcia, Sweet Dani Girl stopped the clock in 1:10.36 for six furlongs on a fast main track.
"This is a win for the small guys," said co-owner Nicholas Vaccarezza. "You don't have to be a big, super trainer in the game to do well. You don't have to invest the most money. You don't have to buy the most expensive horses to be at the top of this game, and sometimes the small guys win. I want to thank my dad (trainer Carlo Vaccarezza) and his entire operation: Reynaldo Abreu, the groom Adrian, all the exercise riders that have been on this filly. She's a really nice filly, so I'm expecting a big year from her next year."
Sweet Dani Girl, bred in Florida, is the first stakes winner out of the unraced Scat Daddy mare My Sweet Dani Girl. The 8-year-old mare has a yearling and weanling colt both by Adios Charlie and was bred to Dak Attack this year.
Following Sweet Dani Girl's battle in the Myrtlewood, @ScottTVG talks to the winning connections, jockey Martin Garcia and the Vaccarezza father & son about her success. pic.twitter.com/Bd3q5qCErp
— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 29, 2021
Another 2-year-old, Smile Happy, turned heads early on the Keeneland Friday program, winning his debut by 5 1/2 lengths. The McPeek trainee completed 1 1/16 miles in the second race in 1:44.75, running more than a second and a half faster than an allowance for 2-year-olds later on Friday.
Sixth in traffic down the backstretch, he was blocked in traffic early on the second turn before securing room under Brian Hernandez Jr. He then inhaled the opposition before drawing away. Off at 3-1 odds after a bullet workout at Churchill Downs, he paid $8.60 to win.
By Runhappy out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Smile, he was a $185,000 purchase by his trainer for his owner, Lucky Seven Stable. McPeek also trains Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) winner Rattle N Roll for Lucky Seven Stable.
