A Raving Beauty (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) remained unbeaten in America with a three-quarter-length success in the GI Just a Game S. Saturday at Belmont. Sent off as the 7-2 second choice behind Grade I-winning stablemate and 9-5 favorite Off Limits (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), the gray broke sharply, but was quickly overtaken by an eager Lull (War Front) and sat back in third, running alongside 'TDN Rising Star' Proctor's Ledge (Ghostzapper) as the pacesetter was chased by GISW La Coronel (Colonel John) through opening splits of :23.34 and :46.37. A Raving Beauty and Proctor's Ledge closed in on the top on the backstretch, splitting to overtake La Coronel with Proctor's Ledge riding the rail and A Raving Beauty tipping out two wide. Breathing down Lull's neck at the top of lane, A Raving Beauty was going the better of the two and swept to the front in the final strides to score. Proctor's Ledge overtook Lull late for second and Off Limits checked in fourth.
“We showed a lot of confidence her first time in this country putting her in a graded stakes [GIII Beaugay S.] last time and she delivered and ran really well,” said winning trainer Chad Brown, who captured last year's renewal of this even with Antonoe (First Defence). “Then to come around and come right back in a few short weeks and to be put in a Grade I, that's climbing the ladder pretty fast given her previous form. She really responded and I'm so impressed with the way she ran today, and how, in both starts, Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] has gotten along with her.”
Brown added, “I thought he made a really important decision early when La Coronel decided to move down the backside to just stay behind her and get her to relax and maybe drop the bit a little. Then she responded and she switched off nicely and came with that good turn of foot that she showed in her first start.”
As for his beaten favorite, the conditioner said, “It looked like she was just too far back today. She didn't help Javier [Castellano] at all out of the gate to give him any position. She's a one-run horse and unfortunately, with those kind of horses, sometimes you're susceptible to how the horses in front of you have the jump on you.”
A Raving Beauty was previously campaigned in Europe by trainer Andreas Suborics and breeder Gestut Karlshof, winning a pair of stakes in her native Germany. Runner-up in Germany's G3 Grosser Preis der Landeshaupstadt Dusseldorf S. Oct. 1, she was second in Italy's G1 Premio Lydia Tesio S. Oct. 29 before being privately purchased by these connections and transferred to two-time Eclipse winner Brown. The 5-year-old won her Stateside debut for her new team here at Belmont in the May 12 GIII Beaugay S.
Pedigree Notes:
A Raving Beauty is the ninth Grade I winner for her sire Mastercraftsman. Her dam Anabasis is a half-sister to three=time German Highweight Alianthus (Ger) (Hernando {Fr}). The winner is her first foal and she is also responsible for the 4-year-old filly Ava (Ger) (Kamsin {Ger}), the sophomore gelding Adjali (Ger) (Kamsin {Ger}) and a yearling filly named A Racing Beauty (Ger) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).
Saturday, Belmont Park
LONGINES JUST A GAME S.-GI, $700,000, Belmont, 6-9, 4yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:32.14, fm.
1–A RAVING BEAUTY (GER), 117, m, 5, by Mastercraftsman (Ire)
1st Dam: Anabasis (Ger), by High Chaparral (Ire)
2nd Dam: Allure (Ger), by Konigsstuhl (Ger)
3rd Dam: Adjani (GB), by Surumu (Ger)
1ST GRADE I WIN. (€60,000 RNA Ylg '14 ARAUG; €95,000 RNA Ylg '14 BB14; €225,000 4yo '17 ARQDE). O-Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC & Bethlehem Stables LLC; B-Gestut Karlshof (GER); T-Chad C Brown; J-Irad Ortiz Jr. $375,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Mare, SW & GSP-Ger, 19-5-3-2, $694,555. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.[bullet ad=”bsw-mandore-double-arqana-purchase”][bullet ad=”mersant-international”][bullet ad=”german-horsepower”]2–Proctor's Ledge, 123, f, 4, by Ghostzapper&log=">Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Archstone, by Arch
2nd Dam: Aliata, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Drumtop, by Round Table
O/B-Patricia L Moseley (KY); T-Brendan P Walsh. $130,000.[bullet ad=”fedamore-brokentrained”]3–Lull, 117, f, 4, by War Front&log=">War Front
1st Dam: Quiet Now, by Tiznow
2nd Dam: Quiet Dance, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Misty Dancer, by Lyphard
O/B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B Dilschneider (KY); T-Christophe Clement. $70,000.[bullet ad=”claiborne”]Margins: 3/4, HF, NK. Odds: 3.65, 7.30, 4.60.
Also Ran: Off Limits (Ire), On Leave, Dream Dancing, Cambodia, La Coronel.
Click for the Equineline.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. NBC HD Replay.
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