Nutella Fella rallies wide for 54-1 upset in Hopeful Stakes
?q=100)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The 2023 Saratoga meet ended the way it began – with trainer Gary Contessa pulling a stunning upset in a graded stakes for 2-year-olds.
On opening day, it was the first-time starter Becky’s Joker who upset the Grade 3 Schuylerville for juvenile fillies at 21-1.
On Monday, closing day of the eight-week meet, Contessa sent out Nutella Fella, the second-longest shot in the 10-horse field at 54-1, to upset the Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths.
Timberlake, the 2-1 favorite who made the lead outside the sixteenth pole, had to settle for second, a neck in front of Pirate. Be You, like Pirate, trained by Todd Pletcher, was fourth, followed by Mission Beach, Gold Sweep, Just Steel, Baytown Chatterbox, Valentine Candy, and Yo Yo Candy.
Muth, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, scratched and is being considered for the Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita, according to trainer Bob Baffert.
Contessa left New York a few years ago to work privately for Nick and Delora Beaver’s Bell Gable Stable in Delaware. While Contessa remains racing manager for the Beavers, he returned to New York this spring to open a public stable, comprised mostly of 2-year-olds.
:: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more.
But there was always an understanding if the Beavers had a horse worthy of racing in New York, Contessa would get the horse.
Nutella Fella won his debut July 26 at Delaware Park for trainer Richard Sillaman, overcoming significant gate issues. He shipped to Contessa in Saratoga soon after that.
Contessa credited the New York Racing Association gate crew for working with Nutella Fella during the past month the colt has been here.
“The New York gate crew made this happen as much as I did,” Contessa said.
Monday, Nutella Fella acted up some at the gate and broke last under Junior Alvarado.
But he was able to take advantage of a hot pace as Just Steel, under Joel Rosario, and Mission Beach, ridden by John Velazquez, battled through a quarter-mile in 22.19 seconds and a half-mile in 44.89 with Yo Yo Candy, the upset Sanford winner from July 15, just off of them.
Timberlake, who broke slow under Florent Geroux, was sitting right behind that trio though racing a bit eagerly.
Around the turn, Alvarado temporarily brought Nutella Fella to the outside, then darted back to the inside. At the quarter pole, Nutella Fella had a head of steam and Alvarado went to the far outside. Despite being seven wide and failing to change leads, Nutella Fella outfinished Timberlake, who split horses in upper stretch and made the lead but couldn’t see it out.
Nutella Fella, a son of Runhappy who sold for $12,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale, covered the seven furlongs in 1:24.41 and returned $111, the highest-priced winner of the meet. He earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure.
Nutella Fella was named by Delora Beaver after the sweetened hazelnut spread.
“I knew he was going to beak slow from the gate because he’s a moron in the gate,” Contessa said. “I just was hoping there’d be plenty of speed, which there was. When they said 22-flat I’m thinking this is great and then Junior went to the inside then outside, really rode a great race. He saved ground when he could and then ultimately went outside and got the money.”
Alvarado said Nutella Fella was moving so well on his left lead that he didn’t worry about trying to make him switch.
“He was already in a run and I didn’t want to bother him at that point, so I just keep riding him and he kept finding more for me,” Alvarado said.
Though Contessa does most of the buying for Bell Gable Stable he credited Nick Beaver with purchasing this one.
“I went to the bathroom I came back he said ‘I just bought a Runhappy,’ ” Contessa said. “I said ‘What? We didn’t even look at him.’ He said ‘I always wanted one.’ He gets all the credit.”
Timberlake, like Nutella Fella, broke slow under Geroux, but quickly gained a stalking position behind the speed. He found a seam between horses to get the lead outside the sixteenth pole, but was run down.
“He’s not a good gate horse, he’s too big. He’s always been a little bit sluggish, so it’s hard to establish good position with a horse that doesn’t break that sharp,” Geroux said. “From there, I thought I got a good setup. I was right behind [Just Steel]. I wait for my turn, split horses, got through, just made the lead a sixteenth of a mile out, and there was a horse that ran me down right away.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.