Falcone trusting his gut with Gratefully on turf

Robert Falcone Jr. described training Gratefully as a “catch-22.” The filly has not yet run on turf, but in two races that were moved to wet dirt at Saratoga and Aqueduct, she won in style and remains unbeaten.

Good problems still require solutions, and Falcone was honest to admit that he wasn’t sure of the way forward. For now, he’s trusting his original instinct. If the fates allow, the 3-year-old filly will finally get a chance on the grass in the eighth race on Sunday at Aqueduct, an $88,000 allowance.

“She has a couple of turf features to her, physically,” Falcone said. “I don’t know. It’s tough to say. I’m not one to lie. I’m kind of a straight shooter, and like I said before, it’s more of a catch-22 than anything. I think she would transfer to the fast track, based on her recent form. But I think she does seem like a filly where I wouldn’t be shocked if she can handle anything.”

In her debut in August at Saratoga for trainer Ray Handal, Gratefully adjusted well when the race was taken off the turf, tracking the early leader on a sloppy track and breezing past on the far turn to win a $50,000 maiden-claiming race by six lengths. She entered Falcone’s barn soon after, and her new trainer tried to get her on the turf again in September, only for his plans to be foiled as well.

In another field of eight at Aqueduct, the Laoban filly went straight to the front, sustained consistent pressure throughout, and dug in to win a $50,000 starter/$40,000 optional claimer by three-quarters of a length. She earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure, no small feat for a second-time starter intended for another surface.

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Against Falcone’s expectations, Gratefully has looked more like her sire early in her career, doing a solid imitation of Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Laoban in two front-running victories on dirt. She may be more versatile than that, however, as her dam, Selflessly, won two graded stakes on the grass in New York in 2019 and 2020. Gratefully’s only sibling to run so far, the juvenile colt Underbidder, finished third in his debut on the Aqueduct turf earlier this month for trainer Chad Brown.

“It’s always tough to try something new,” Falcone said. “You know the old saying: ‘When it’s not broken, don’t fix it.’ Don’t fix it if it’s not broken. She’s 2 for 2 on dirt, but they were both sealed, sloppy track efforts. So we’ll give her a shot on the grass and see what happens and kind of just go from there.”

Laoban and Selflessly both enjoyed success on their respective surfaces going longer, but for now, Gratefully will carry on in another six-furlong sprint. The field of 12, along with four also-eligibles, on Sunday will be the toughest in which she has faced.

Truth and Beauty, a filly trained by Handal, switched to turf in her 4-year-old debut in August and won a $100,000 maiden special weight at Saratoga. She never trailed in the 4 1/2-length romp and earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure, making her the likeliest threat to Gratefully if both fillies go to the front again.

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