Fierce Lady prevails in Seeking the Ante, City Man takes Funny Cide

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Fierce Lady ran her record to two wins in three starts when she chased down a stubborn Time Limit in the stretch of the $200,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Friday.

The Seeking the Ante Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong dirt race restricted to New York-bred 2-year-old fillies, was a redemption of sorts for both Fierce Lady and her trainer, Dermot Magner. Fierce Lady won her five-furlong debut on June 22 at Belmont in an extremely fast time and with all the visual hallmarks of a filly with a strong future. But she faltered in her next start, the Stillwater Stakes, after making a back-and-forth trip to Kentucky 10 days prior to the race.

“She had just lost her edge, that’s all,” Magner said, speaking of the lead-up to the Stillwater, in which she also lost a scheduled work. “But there’s still plenty more to come from her. She’s still got some improving to do.”

Fierce Lady, by Competitive Edge out of the A.P. Jet mare Anjorie, was bet down from 9-5 at two minutes to post to even-money when the gates opened. She was just shy of 2-5 in the Stillwater, in which she was beat a nose by a rival in the Seeking the Ante, My Italian Rabbi.

Under Javier Castellano, Fierce Lady was last out of the gate and racing in the second flight of horses down the backstretch, a position that seemed disadvantageous for a filly who had previously made her money on the front end. But they were going fast up there – 22.24 and 45.11 seconds – and when the chasers started falling back, Fierce Lady went after the leader.

That leader, Time Limit, proved willing to fight. Fierce Lady hooked up with her at the eighth pole, then ground into Time Limit’s lead. She got by her in time and won by a neck, stopping the clock at 1:16.73. The track was fast and the winner returned $4.20.

My Italian Rabbi was third, 5 1/4 lengths back.

“Just a brilliant ride, an intelligent ride,” Magner said.

“Now we know she can go either way, on the lead or come from behind,” said Castellano.

Fierce Lady will stay in the lucrative New York-bred stakes program, at least for the immediate future, Magner said. The possibilities include the $150,000 Joseph A. Gimma at seven furlongs on Sept. 18, and the $250,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes at one mile on Oct. 19. Fierce Lady is campaigned by Nice Guys Stables and Steve Hornstock.

City Man draws off in Funny Cide

City Man proved his late-running debut win was no fluke when he decisively passed the leader in the stretch of the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes and went on to win by 4 3/4 lengths.

The Funny Cide is the colt version of the Seeking the Ante, restricted to 2-year-old New York-breds. The race drew a field of nine, with bettors making a pair of obvious colts trained by Christophe Clement – City Man and Listentoyourheart – the first and third choices at 2-1 and 5-1. Cleon Jones, a closer, was made the second choice at 3-1.

Both Clement horses were hard to bet against. City Man had won his July 18 debut by three lengths after running down the leaders in the stretch. Listentoyourheart won his own debut on June 23 wire to wire, but then finished second in his next start, a New York-bred stakes race, by getting nosed after leading every step of the race except the last one.

The pair swapped running styles in the Funny Cide. Under Joel Rosario, City Man stalked the early leader, Bull of Bayern, to the top of the stretch after early fractions of 22.25 and 45.35 seconds, but then he chased down Bull of Bayern and quickly opened up daylight. He paid $6.50 to win while finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.93, one-fifth of a second slower than Fierce Lady, who ran one race earlier.

“I was expecting him to be off the pace,” said Clement after the race. “Exact opposite, but he ran a very good race.”

Rosario said that City Man had actually broken slowly in his first start, so perhaps the turn of foot in the Funny Cide is the real City Man.

“In the stretch, he was very comfortable,” Rosario said.

Cleon Jones closed late to finish second, one length better than City Man’s stablemate, Listentoyourheart.

Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and partners, City Man is by Mucho Macho Man out of the City Zip mare City Scamper. He brought $185,000 earlier this year at the Ocala Breeders Sales Company April sale for 2-year-olds in training.