Ancient Secret swings back in Pebbles Stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown doesn’t believe Ancient Secret ran hard enough to break a sweat in her last start, so he is running her right back in Saturday’s $200,000 Pebbles Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf at Belmont Park.
Coming off a two-month layoff, Ancient Secret shipped to Woodbine for the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes on Sept. 24 and finished seventh of nine as the 3-5 favorite.
“She shipped up there, she was flat, she did absolutely no running,” Brown said. “I wanted to see how she breezed back. She breezed back so sharp, I’m going to run her right back.”
Ancient Secret breezed four furlongs in 49.09 seconds last Saturday in company with Beat the Benchmark.
Ancient Secret is 3 for 3 at Belmont Park, including the Wild Applause Stakes, run at the same one-mile distance as the Pebbles. She followed up that win with a 1 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Lake George at Saratoga before getting a little freshening.
Ancient Secret will break from post 4 under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Brown will also run She Doesn’t Mind in the Pebbles. She Doesn’t Mind is coming off a second-place finish to On Leave in the Riskaverse Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 25. She Doesn’t Mind will break from post 12 in the Pebbles, which drew 13 runners for the turf, though only 12 may run. An additional horse was entered for the main track only.
Trainer Christophe Clement also entered two horses. Stella Rose, fourth in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Oaks Sept. 24 at Laurel, fired a bullet work last Saturday over the Belmont turf. Welcoming, third to Ancient Secret in the Wild Applause, comes off a third-place finish in an allowance here Sept. 15.
KEY CONTENDERS
Ancient Secrt, by Kantharos
Last 3 Beyers: 61-93-86
◗ If you forgive her noneffort at Woodbine, she looks best on paper, with four wins in as many starts.
◗ As the co-highweight at 123 pounds, she is spotting most of the field two to six pounds.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Ancient Secret. Won the Grade 2 Lake George on July 22 at Saratoga. Runners from that race have gone 12-0-1-2 in all races since. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Ultra Brat, by Uncle Mo
Last 3 Beyers: 87-69-60
◗ She transferred her good dirt form to turf with a last-to-first victory in the Christiecat Stakes going six furlongs here on opening day.
“I’ve never thought it should be an issue for her,” trainer Graham Motion said of the surface switch. “She really changed her running style last time.”
◗ She has come back with two solid five-furlong works at Fair Hill.
Stella Rose, by Mineshaft
Last 3 Beyers: 84-89-89
◗ May have been compromised by a wide trip when she finished fourth as the favorite in the Commonwealth Oaks.
◗ She was a late-running second to On Leave in an allowance race, finishing in front of Saturday rival She Doesn’t Mind.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Insta Erma. Trainer Bill Mott is 10-4-3-1 with an $8.54 ROI over the past two years going sprint to route on turf on the New York circuit with last-out winners. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan