By Mike Kane
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As 'TDN Rising Star' Tennessee Belle (Yaupon) proved Saturday, flattery can come from both directions, who you beat and who you have lost to.
When handicappers and bettors took a look at the past performances for the fourth race at Saratoga Race Course, $100,000 maiden special weight 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs, they saw that Tennessee Belle was a 3 1/4-length second in her debut on July 26. And that loss was to 'TDN Rising Star' Tommy Jo (Into Mischief), a most impressive maiden winner this meet.
Tennessee Belle, trained by John Alexander Ortiz for Boyd Racing, went off as the even-money favorite in the field of seven and cruised to a 7 1/4-length victory. Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario and Tennessee Belle completed the gate-to-wire romp in 1:10.74 and paid $4.10. All About You (Maclean's Music), the longest shot in the field at 25-1, was second.
Ortiz smiled broadly as he acknowledged that his filly's race versus Tommy Jo, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, pretty much confirmed that his assessment of her talent was spot-on.
John Ortiz | Sarah Andrew
“We were going into the first race very prepared and very confident,” Ortiz said. “We got word that Pletcher liked his filly as well in that race, and we ran second to, I think, a very fantastic animal, to give credit where credit is due. It reassured me that we were sitting on a nice filly, as well.
“We were actually planning on running her next week, but we saw this race was coming up, and she came out of that race in fantastic shape, didn't miss a beat, didn't miss a meal. I said, 'You know what? We'll just use this as a stepping stone for our next race, which hopefully is a stakes.'”
Bloodstock agent Billy Love purchased Tennessee Belle as a short yearling at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February sale for $160,000, then brought her to Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, where she RNA'd for $385,000. Randy Boyd purchased her privately after the sale.
“Mr. Boyd got involved and the rest is history,” Ortiz said. “I think we have a very promising future with Boyd Racing in the industry itself. We are looking forward to all his horses that are coming up.”
Equibase stats show Tennessee Belle is Boyd's only starter this year.
“When she came in, she caught our eyes right away,” Ortiz said. “She's not the tallest, but she's very well-balanced, a really good physique to her. She's got amazing angles and lines. Anything you could look for in a good horse, they're all there. But, more importantly, she's got a great demeanor. She's very quiet, docile in the stall, but once she steps on the track, she puts her business face on and it's game time.
“She trains incredibly well in hand. Just very smart all the way around. I've had a lot of fillies that just act the same way, like her, Brightwork (Outwork) and Quietside (Malibu Moon) and many other fillies. I just think it's a great trait for a filly to have: be smart in the mornings and be all game when it's time to play.”
Tennessee Belle was bred in Kentucky by Breeze Easy LLC out of Belle Gallantey (After Market). She is yet another winner for Yaupon (Uncle Mo), the very successful first-crop sire. Ortiz said he was immediately impressed with the Yaupons headed to market.
“They all caught our eyes,” Ortiz said. “I would say we tried to catch a couple. I think that Yaupon has got a tremendous future ahead of himself.”
Tennessee Belle dominates today in R4 at Saratoga! 💪@johnnyortiz24 trains and @jrosariojockey was aboard. pic.twitter.com/3NZCqkMNIw
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 16, 2025
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