Seeking the Ante rematches Fierce Lady and My Italian Rabbi

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Fierce Lady will try to earn back the promise she showed after her scintillating maiden debut win when she starts as the even-money morning-line favorite in the $200,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies on Friday.

Fierce Lady won her debut at Belmont Park on June 22 by six lengths while posting an impressive time for five furlongs and earning an 87 Beyer Speed Figure. But four weeks later, she started as the 2-5 favorite in the Stillwater Stakes at six furlongs and was worn down in the shadow of the wire after a stretchlong battle with My Italian Rabbi, the fourth choice in the five-horse Stillwater but now her chief opponent in the 6 1/2-furlong Seeking the Ante.

“It was an incredible race,” said Dermot Magner, the trainer of Fierce Lady for the partnership of Nice Guy Stables and Steve Hornstock. “Probably the best 2-year-old race I’ve seen in a long while. We came out on the wrong side of the head bob, unfortunately.”

Fierce Lady was entered in the Stillwater after a somewhat unusual gambit. Following her striking maiden win, she was shipped to Kentucky for the July 8 Fasig-Tipton horses of racing age sale, where she failed to meet her reserve of $749,000. Shipped back to New York, she ran in the Stillwater 10 days after appearing in the sales ring.

“It wasn’t an ideal preparation,” Magner said. “I flew on the plane with her, and even I was tired. So I imagine she was too.”

Fierce Lady will be ridden in the Seeking the Ante by Javier Castellano, who was on board for her other two races. She has post 5 in the six-horse race.

Breaking just outside of her will be My Italian Rabbi, who has been installed as the 2-1 second choice. She’s undefeated in two starts, both for trainer Jeremiah Englehart and owner Gold Square Racing, and will have Luis Saez back in the irons.

A horse to watch in the field is Violent Point, who won her second race by six lengths over a muddy track. Although Violent Point was beaten 15 1/4 lengths by Fierce Lady in her own maiden debut on June 22, she was favored in that race at 8-5. She’s 5-1 on the morning line for trainer Mark Casse and rider John Velazquez, breaking from post 1.

Rounding out the field are Big Q, who drops from a fifth-place finish in the Adirondack Stakes into New York-bred company; Time Limit, who was 16 lengths back of the winning pair in the Stillwater; and Wharf Cat, a Finger Lakes shipper who is a homebred for owner Barry Ostrager.

Funny Cide: Clement duo tough

Christophe Clement will be rooting for a finish like the Stillwater in the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes for 2-year-old New York-breds on Friday, considering he trains the one-two horses on the morning line, Listentoyourheart and City Man.

City Man and Listentoyourheart both won their debuts, but they did so in decidedly different styles and with far different reputations coming into their races. City Man won with a decisive move to overtake the leaders in the stretch and win by three lengths on July 18 at Saratoga as the 6-5 favorite, whereas Listentoyourheart went wire to wire on June 23 at Belmont at 16-1.

City Man’s debut performance and his subsequent works were enough to earn morning-line favoritism in the Funny Cide Stakes. City Man will break from post 3 in the 6 1/2-furlong race under Joel Rosario.

Manny Franco will no doubt get Listentoyourheart involved early when they break from the outside post in the field of nine. Listentoyourheart is 7-2 on the morning line, and on paper has the best speed in a race bereft of pace.

Sky of Hook will break just inside of Listentoyourheart, whom he bested in the Rick Violette Stakes on July 17 in Saratoga, run at six furlongs over a sloppy track and with a field of just five. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, Sky of Hook won both his debut and the Rick Violette with off-the-pace runs.

Others in the field include Bull of Bayern, who may have the only early turn of foot to challenge Listentoyourheart, and Missionwrapitup, who won his debut with a decent speed figure but then regressed as the favorite in the muddy Rick Violette. Rounding out the field are No Lime, Opportunist, Theitalianamerican, and Cleon Jones.