Timeless Journey comes from last to win Biogio's Rose
It wasn’t the trip trainer Ray Handal envisioned Timeless Journey would get in Sunday’s $100,000 Biogio’s Rose at Aqueduct, but it was the desired result.
After a less-than-ideal break, Timeless Journey rallied from last under Dylan Davis to run by Know It All Audrey and win the Biogio’s Rose for New York-bred females by 1 1/2 lengths. Know It All Audrey was second by the same margin over pacesetting Impazible Donna. Mia Bea Star and Captainsdaughter, both supplemented to the race on entry day, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The win was the seventh from 18 starts and first in a stakes for Timeless Journey, a 6-year-old daughter of Verrazano owned and bred by the Merrylegs Farm of Penny Hallman.
Timeless Journey was ridden to victory by Dylan Davis, who won the first three races on Sunday’s nine-race card before getting beat a neck in race 4.
Handal said he thought Timeless Journey would be sitting just off Know It All Audrey in the early stages of the one-mile Biogio’s Rose. But Davis said that Biogio’s Rose was leaning against the back stall doors and got away last of five.
Meanwhile, Impazible Donna set the pace, opening up two lengths on Know It All Audrey after a half-mile in 47.52 seconds. Timeless Journey found herself in between Mia Bea Star and Captainsdaughter down the backstretch.
When Captainsdaughter launched a bid entering the far turn, Davis had Timeless Journey advance as well. Turning into the stretch, as Know It All Audrey was about to wrest the lead from Impazible Donna, Davis got Timeless Journey into the three path and, after brushing slightly with Captainsdaughter, Timeless Journey moved toward and ultimately by Know It All Audrey for the win.
Timeless Journey covered the mile over a track upgraded to fast right before the Biogio’s Rose in 1:37.42 and returned $3.40 as the favorite.
“Dylan said she was sitting against the back gate and missed the break completely,” Handal said. “Dylan did a good a job calling an audible, getting her covered up. When he gave her daylight, man, she took off.”
Davis said when Timeless Journey didn’t break well, his back-up plan was to follow Know It All Audrey, ridden by Manny Franco.
“I was tracking Manny, because I knew he was [on] the other horse to beat,” Davis said. I knew he’d take me all the way through and once I got through, she did [the] job for us.”
Handal said he would point Timeless Journey to the $200,000 Critical Eye for New York-bred females on May 29 at Belmont Park. He did not rule out the $100,000 Top Flight on April 2 at Aqueduct, though that would mean running back in three weeks.
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