Artemis Agrotera on muscle for Gallant Bloom
It became apparent pretty soon after her dominant victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga that Artemis Agrotera was not going to be able to wait 10 weeks to make her next start.
Thus, Artemis Agrotera will prepare for next month’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap at Belmont Park. A 3-year-old New York-bred daughter of Roman Ruler, Artemis Agrotera will take on five older fillies and mares including fellow statebreds La Verdad and Willet in the 6 1/2-furlong race.
“I’m very comfortable with the decision,” said Mike Hushion, who trains Artemis Agrotera for Chester and Mary Broman. “I would have liked for her works to have been a little slower than they’ve been, but she’s so sharp right now nothing could be done about that.”
Since her 6 1/2-length victory in the Ballerina, Artemis Agrotera has come back with two bullet works: a five-furlong move in 59.15 seconds on Sept. 5 and a half-mile move in 47.05, the fastest of 59 works at the distance last Saturday.
“She’s working more aggressively and faster than last year,” Hushion said. “I wasn’t necessarily looking for that, I was more looking to see that in the afternoon.”
For the second straight race and fourth time in seven career starts Artemis Agrotera will break from the rail. In the Ballerina, jockey Rajiv Maragh did a terrific job getting her to the outside. Hushion is hoping Maragh can do that again on Saturday.
“I think the small field helps,” Hushion said. “He should have more space to get out whenever he wants to.”
Hushion is also running Bridgehampton, front-running winner of the My Juliet Stakes at Parx going six furlongs on May 24. She finished last of four in the Shine Again Stakes at Saratoga on July 21.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Artemis Agrotera and No. 3 Bridgehampton. Trainer Michael Hushion is 2 for 24 with a $0.84 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes at Belmont. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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“She’s working better than ever; it’s time to take a shot,” Hushion said.
KEY CONTENDERS
Artemis Agrotera (Last 3 Beyers: 103-97-66)
◗ Dominant winner against elders in Grade 1 Ballerina, she returns to the track over which she won the Grade 1 Frizette last fall.
◗ She is 4 for 5 in races run around one turn, with the lone loss being the Grade 1 Acorn, which came off an eight-month layoff.
La Verdad (Last 3 Beyers: 84-94-100)
◗ After two disappointing showings at Saratoga, La Verdad returns to Belmont, where she is 3 for 3.
◗ She bled when fifth in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss on July 28 before finishing fifth in the Ballerina.
“In the Ballerina, I don’t think she was at the top of her game and it was at seven-eighths,” trainer Linda Rice said. “Hopefully, being back at Belmont we can get her to rebound.”
◗ Rice has amped up La Verdad’s training, including a six-furlong move in 1:12.80 on Sept. 6.
“She was getting a little heavy on me, so I decided to set her down a little bit and hopefully put her in a position to run well,” Rice said.
Willet (Last 3 Beyers: 86-99-96)
◗ A bobble at the start had her farther back than preferred when she rallied for third in Grade 1 Ballerina.
◗ She is winless in four graded stakes tries, though beaten just a neck in the 2012 Go for Wand.
◗ Joel Rosario, who has ridden Willet in her last three races, is at Parx on Saturday, so trainer Jimmy Iselin has tabbed Dylan Davis to ride.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Merry Meadow. Trainer Mark Hennig is 9 for 38 with a $3.01 ROI over the past five years in dirt sprints following a layoff of at least 45 days. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan