My Italian Rabbi up in time to win Stillwater Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Luis Saez was planning to give My Italian Rabbi an off-the-pace trip in Thursday’s $100,000 Stillwater Stakes at Saratoga.

When the gates opened, Saez reverted to Plan B and it paid off with a nose victory over heavily favored Fierce Lady in the six-furlong stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies.

On paper, it looked as though Time Limit would be the one to challenge Fierce Lady early in the race. But Time Limit stumbled and veered outward under Jose Ortiz when the gates opened and My Italian Rabbi broke so sharp that she was the one pressing Fierce Lady.

“My horse broke so quick and I was there, so I just stayed there,” Saez said.

My Italian Rabbi was a half-length behind Fierce Lady through an opening quarter in 22.64 seconds. By the three-eighths pole, the two were head and head and battled back and forth through the lane before My Italian Rabbi, on the outside, got up in the final strides.

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My Italian Rabbi, a daughter of Competitive Edge owned by Al Gold and trained by Jeremiah Englehart, covered the six furlongs in 1:10.31 and returned $19.80.

“This was all Luis, he probably saw [Time Limit] didn’t break and it looked like she was pulling him there too,” said Englehart said.

My Italian Rabbi is now 2 for 2, but her first race did not impress the betting public or speed figure makers. She only earned a 49 Beyer Speed Figure first out.

“What people didn’t realize about her first race was it was a back-raked racetrack, it was slow,” Englehart said. “Everyone wanted to knock her time and the way she did it.”

Fierce Lady was sent off the 1-5 favorite based on her six-length debut victory on June 22. She was sent to Kentucky for the Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age sale on July 8, but she failed to reach her reserve and was sent back to trainer Dermot Magner, who was unable to breeze the filly leading up to the race.

“We had probably the abbreviated version of Fierce Lady,” Englehart said. “For her to fight on like she did I think speaks volumes for Fierce Lady, she’s a serious horse. We took advantage of her going to a sale and coming back and probably not coming in the right way.”

Javier Castellano, who rode Fierce Lady, said he thought his filly was a bit intimidated being on the inside.

“When I showed the whip she shied away a little bit, I didn’t want to [hit her] she was giving me everything she had,” Castellano said. “I didn’t want to overdo it – sometimes when you try to ride harder they go in a different direction.”

Following Fierce Lady in the order of finish were Jewel of Arabia, Classy Sadie, and Time Limit. Jen’s Battle scratched.