Pizza Bianca works half-mile, will head to BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, Flay says
ELMLONT, N.Y. - Celebrity chef Bobby Flay wore a sweatshirt and ski cap Sunday morning to brave the upper 40-degree temperatures at Belmont Park. After watching Pizza Bianca work over the turf course, he told trainer Christophe Clement to “pack your suntan lotion.”
Pizza Bianca, whom Flay owns and bred, worked well enough to convince him to send her to Southern California for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 5. Pizza Bianca, second in the Grade 1 Natalma at Woodbine on Sept. 19, worked a half-mile in 52.53 seconds over the turf, finishing her last quarter in 24.39 while galloping out strong in company with recent maiden winner Shad Nation.
Workouts on the turf are conducted around three sets of orange traffic cones, referred to as dogs, keeping the workers well off the part of the turf course that is used during the races.
Clement, who can be conservative at times, pointed out to Flay that Pizza Bianca would be a heavy favorite in next Sunday’s $100,000 Chelsey Flower Stakes at Belmont.
“He’s always very cautious, of course,” Flay said. “I said ‘pack your suntan lotion. Let’s go.' ”
Said Clement: “Nobody can put a price on the Breeders’ Cup experience more than you.”
In Pizza Bianca, Flay will try to recreate the feeling More Than Real gave him 11 years ago at Churchill Downs when she won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Pizza Bianca is by Fastnet Rock out of the Galileo mare White Hot. Flay purchased the mare White Hot for 1.2 million guineas ($2.1 million U.S. at the time) at the 2014 Tattersalls auction in England.
White Hot, a half-sister to Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi and a full-sister to Group 1 stakes-placed Dawn Patrol, never made it to the races.
“She just didn’t have a lot of talent,” Flay said. “She was a gorgeous horse, from a huge family and I’m patient with that kind of stuff. I bred her to Fastnet Rock and this is her first foal.”
Pizza Bianca won at first asking at Saratoga on July 22 before her runner-up performance in the Natalma. In 2010, More Than Real went into the Juvenile Fillies Turf with a maiden win at Saratoga and a runner-up finish in the Natalma.
Pizza Bianca is one of two horses Flay planned to have pre-entered Monday for the two-day Breeders’ Cup event. Caravel, a filly whom Flay bought majority interest in earlier in the year, was to be pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. She is trained by Graham Motion.
Flay bought 75 percent interest in Caravel from owner/trainer Elizabeth Merryman following the 3-year-old filly’s victory in the Goldwood Stakes at Monmouth Park. In her first start with Flay as majority owner, Caravel won the Grade 3 Caress Stakes at Saratoga.
Since then, Caravel finished third in the Grade 1 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine and finished in a dead heat for sixth as the 9-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Turf Monster at Parx Racing. The turf at Parx was like running in ”quicksand” Flay said.
“This is five furlongs, you know it’s going to be a firm, tough race, with Golden Pal, etc. but I think she’s got a shot if she gets in,” Flay said. “She’ll get a call for sure. That’s all you want, a scream.”
In other Breeders’ Cup works at Belmont on Sunday, Raging Bull, third in the Woodbine Mile last out, worked five furlongs in 1:02.01 over the Belmont turf course in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Raging Bull worked in company with Orglandes, the Grade 3 Waya runner-up who is pointing to $150,000 Zagora Stakes here next Sunday.
Raging Bull is trained by Chad Brown for Peter Brant.
Sail By, the Grade 2 Miss Grillo winner, worked three furlongs in 37.09 seconds over the Belmont turf in preparation for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Sail By is trained by Leah Gyarmati for Jeff Treadway.