SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Future Is Now keeps winning and providing all the emotions for sisters Tracy Mulroy and Kelly Caraballo, the daughters of Larry Johnson, the breeder and owner of Future Is Now, who died earlier this year.  Future Is Now rolled to her 10th career victory and seventh from her last nine starts when she drew off to a 1 1/2-length victory in Friday’s $150,000 Smart and Fancy Stakes at Saratoga. Future Is Now has won three of four starts this year, a campaign that began in April, two months after Larry Johnson died.  “It’s super bittersweet, but as I keep saying to my sister, at least we have the sweet, you know, we don’t just have the bitter,” Mulroy said in the Saratoga winner’s circle. “She provides the sweet every time and you can’t ask for more. But it is really hard to have her do it and not have him be here. But we hope he’s watching from up there.”  :: Bet Smarter at Saratoga. Unlock DRF data and expert analysis all meet long. Save with a Saratoga Handicapping Package from DRF.  Whoever is watching is seeing a super-consistent and increasingly faster mare in Future Is Now, a 5-year-old daughter of Great Notion. She is a length away from having won nine consecutive races, dating back to May 2024 when she captured The Very One Stakes at Pimlico in May 2024.  The Smart and Fancy, which Future Is Now won for the second consecutive year, was her seventh career stakes victory. She has raised her purse earnings to $967,160.  “She’s a really special horse, she’s just got an incredible temperament and disposition,” Tracy Johnson said. “She’s a special, special horse in addition to being fast.”  Friday may have been one of Future Is Now’s easiest victories. Breaking from post 5 under Paco Lopez, Future Is Now took up a stalking position just outside of Risk Threshold and Twirling Queen.  After an opening quarter in 22.56 seconds, Future Is Now moved outside of Risk Threshold as Twirling Queen retreated.  Future Is Now took command in upper stretch and was a relatively easy winner over Dontlookbackatall, who beat Future Is Now by a half-length in the Grade 3 Caress Stakes in July 2024. It was a half-length back to Ellen Jay, who had to alter course in the stretch.  Risk Threshold, Out Too Late, Twirling Queen, and Sunday Girl completed the order of finish. Benedetta was eased and vanned off.  “That was an easy race, easy field, I had great position,” Lopez said. “Today, she was a little nervous in the gate when she go in but always she breaks good. After that, I sat third and at the 3 1/2-[furlong pole] I let her pick it up and in the stretch I had plenty of horse.”  Trainer Michael Trombetta acknowledged that Future Is Now can get fussy in the starting gate sometimes but as much as he works with her “I can’t duplicate the afternoon vibes in the mornings because we take her [to the gate] about once a week and she could care less but she knows when its game time,” he said.  Friday, Future Is Now covered the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.71 and returned $3.60 as the odds-on choice.  Trombetta is appreciative of the consistency Future Is Now has displayed throughout her career. On turf, she is 10 for 16 with two wins and a third.  “We all know how rare they are, when you get one like this you just try to make sure you do everything right and give her every chance to show up,” Trombetta said.  Trombetta will give Future Is Now a chance to show up next at the Grade 2, $400,000 Franklin Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 12. She won that race last year as the final start of her nine-race campaign in 2024.  Mulroy said she and her sister have not decided what the future holds for Future Is Now in 2026. For now, they’re just enjoying the present and reflecting on the past with their father.  “We have such amazing memories with him at the racetrack and 2024 was amazing and a lot of it was a because of Future Is Now,” Mulroy said. “It’s such a gift such a legacy.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.