New and Improved digs in to score in Sands Point

ELMONT, N.Y. – It is quite possible that trainer Chad Brown will say goodbye to female turf stars Sistercharlie and Rushing Fall at the end of the year. No worries, there seems to be a bevy of candidates in the barn readying to take their place.

One of those is New and Improved, who showed a strong turn of foot rallying from last in the final quarter-mile under Joel Rosario to win Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Belmont Park. That victory came 20 minutes before Brown won the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland with another 3-year-old filly, Cambier Parc.

The upside for New and Improved seems huge. She had just two starts entering the Sands Point, a maiden victory going a mile in July at Saratoga followed by a fourth-place finish in the Riskaverse, also going a mile, at Saratoga in August.

Saturday, New and Improved broke awkwardly from the outside post and was guided immediately to the rail by Rosario. He let the filly lag in the back of the pack, eight lengths off the pace, while Souper Escape ran an opening half-mile in 49.10 seconds.

New and Improve was still last at the top of the lane, before being guided six wide in the lane. While Feel Glorious, sixth early on, was splitting horses in midstretch under Junior Alvarado, New and Improved was rallying six wide and outfinished Feel Glorious to win by a half-length. It was 1 1/2 lengths back to Romantic Pursuit in third.

Olendon, a rare not-ready-for-primetime turf filly for Brown, Dyna Passer, Souper Escape, and Ledecka completed the order of finish.

New and Improved, a daughter of Cairo Prince owned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.44 and returned $5.20 as the favorite.

“I didn’t want to ask her to get my spot a little early because she probably would have jumped into the bridle and started running a little early,” said Rosario, who won three races on Saturday’s card. “I felt very comfortable where she was and she put in a nice run at the end.”

Christophe Clement, the trainer of Feel Glorious, was pleased with his filly’s effort even if the result was a little disappointing.

“I thought she trained well before the race, looked very well in the paddock, and I was excited to see her and she ran very well,” Clement said.

While it’s uncertain where New and Improved would run next, Feel Glorious could make her next start in the $150,000 Winter Memories Stakes on Nov. 28 at Aqueduct.