A Raving Beauty edges clear in Just a Game

ELMONT, N.Y. – Chad Brown gets along with European imports. German-bred A Raving Beauty gets along with American racing. Perhaps most importantly, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. gets along with A Raving Beauty. The duo teamed to win the Grade 1, $700,000 Just a Game Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park, the mare's second graded stakes victory in as many starts in this country.

"She's a little quirky, as you can see, like behind the gate," Brown said of A Raving Beauty, who forced Ortiz to dismount behind the gate while protesting the load. "And she can be a little headstrong – in both races, [she was]. And Irad used those good hands of his to really settle her down."

Lull, who had been fractious in the paddock and warming up, bounced away quickest from the gate, and was quickly joined by a keen La Coronel on her flank. Meanwhile, Ortiz kept A Raving Beauty, who had broken from the post directly to La Coronel's inside, clear on the outside, and encouraged her to bide her time, about 3 1/2 lengths behind the leading duo, through a half in 46.37 seconds.

"I thought [Ortiz] made a really important decision early, when La Coronel decided to move down the backside, to sort of stay behind her and get [A Raving Beauty] just to relax and maybe drop the bit a little bit," Brown said. "She responded and really switched off nicely."

Lull had disposed of La Coronel approaching the quarter pole, but A Raving Beauty was revving up three wide to challenge. With Lull grimly holding on toward the inside and Proctor's Ledge attempting to rally between horses, A Raving Beauty poked her head in front in deep stretch and edged away to win by three-quarters of a length. The mare finished the mile in 1:32.14 on a course rated firm. She was less than three-fifths off the course mark of 1:31.63 established by Elusive Quality 20 years ago.

Proctor's Ledge edged Lull by half a length for second. Less than a length separated the third- through seventh-place finishers, as Lull edged the favored Off Limits – also trained by Brown – by a neck, followed by On Leave, Dream Dancing, and Cambodia. La Coronel faded to last, another 5 1/2 lengths back.

A Raving Beauty and Ortiz were three-length winners in the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes on May 12, also on the Belmont course. The 5-year-old daughter of Mastercraftsman was Group 3-placed in her native Germany and Group 1-placed in Italy for trainers Andreas Wohler and Andreas Suborics.

"She was sent to me this winter in good condition and we just took our time with her, and she's really taken to the program well," said Brown, who trains the mare for Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables.

Brown said the summer events for the female turf division at his Saratoga base, including the Grade 1 Diana Stakes in July, are possibilities for A Raving Beauty.

"We'll talk to the partners and see what they want to do next," he said. "She won at a mile and a sixteenth in [the Beaugay], today she cut back to a mile effectively, so we're gonna have to figure out what her best distance will be."