Victory Ride: Smash Ticket and Todd Fincher make New York debuts
Not only has Todd Fincher never run a horse at a New York racetrack during his 24-year training career, he had never even visited the state prior to coming to Belmont Park to send out Smash Ticket in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes. The trip will be all the more memorable should the Lone Star invader run to her abundant potential in the 6 1/2-furlong dash for 3-year-old fillies.
Smash Ticket has won twice in four starts, her two victories coming by a combined 16 lengths and including an 11-length entry-level allowance win in her 3-year-old debut at Lone Star for which she received a 92 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest number posted by any member of the Victory Ride lineup. She can also be somewhat forgiven for her two losses, a second-place finish in her debut to Wicked Halo, winner of the Grade 2 Adirondack nine weeks later at Saratoga, and a third-place effort in the Grade 2 Sorrento at Del Mar when victimized by a nightmarish trip.
Smash Ticket was sidelined 10 months before her extremely impressive 3-year-old debut, which earned the filly and her trainer their first trips to the Big Apple.
“I don’t think the added distance is a concern for her,” said Fincher. “My main concern for her is getting a clean trip. I know there is a lot of speed in this field, and while I think she’s fast enough to make the lead if we wanted, she can rate and I’d rather see her sitting back and allow some of the others do the dirty work.”
Pretty Birdie, who has led for the opening half-mile in six of her seven starts, again figures to show the way. Pretty Birdie has finished second in her last two outings, the Grade 2 Eight Belles when beaten by recent Grade 1 winner Matareya, and the Leslie’s Lady overnight stakes at Churchill Downs won by Wicked Halo.
“We’ve tried to teach this filly to relax some, maybe to her detriment, so we’re not going to take away her best asset. We’re going to make them catch us,” said trainer Norm Casse. “We certainly can’t be upset the way she’s run recently, since she’s faced a couple of very talented horses who won their next races.”
The multiple stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Happy Soul also figures to have a say in the early running of the Victory Ride as should Hot Peppers, an easy wire-to-wire winner of the Jersey Girl Stakes in her last start.
Sterling Silver, who rallied to victory against New York-breds in the Bouwerie Stakes, figures to benefit from the expected pace scenario, with longshots Half Is Enough and Stand Up Comic rounding out the lineup.