Jorge Abreu

Deterministic (Liam's Map) exited his victory in the GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct Saturday in fine shape and connections are still mulling a possible next start for the sophomore. "He came back in good order. We're very much enjoying the fact that he won the Gotham yesterday. It was a very strong performance and we're happy with the way he looks this morning," trainer Christophe Clement said Sunday. "We will probably ship him to Florida this week. He's done very well in Florida and the weather is more under control....

Jody's Pride (f, 3, American Pharoah--Jody's Song, by Scat Daddy) opened her 2024 with style here as she outgamed Carmelina (Maximus Mischief) to claim her first stakes win of the season in the Busher S. A dirt horse by accident after her maiden turf dash debut Aug. 9 at Saratoga was brought off the grass and she dominated by 10 1/2 lengths, it was a similar story for the Matron S. in her second start Oct. 8 when that six-panel sprint also came off the turf and again sending Jody's...

Steve Weston hoped to produce a nice turf horse when he sent his mare Jody's Song (Scat Daddy) to Coolmore's American Pharoah. Jody's Song had been undefeated in two starts on the grass in New York and American Pharoah had already shown his versatility as a sire when he produced several Grade I-winning turfers from his first few crops. Everyone spoke highly of the resulting filly, whom he named Jody's Pride, throughout her early years, but when it came time for the dark bay to make her debut last August...

Jody's Pride, a 10 1/2-length debut winner in an off-turf event upstate Aug. 9, enjoyed the same surface switch here and the result was similar. Off towards the back of the pack, the dark bay quickly picked off rivals down the backside and uncorked a three-deep move around the bend to take command under her own power before a half posted in :45.93. She found no challengers from there on in, and cruised under the line a dominant victoress from last-out New York-bred stakes fourth finisher Tricky Temper. A Primera...

3rd-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 1m, 2:07 p.m. The only first-time starter facing a field of more experienced maidens, SPELL ON YOU (Curlin) makes her afternoon debut Friday as a homebred for John Gunther, also the breeder of the filly's Triple Crown-winning half-brother Justify (Scat Daddy). Dam Stage Magic, 2018's broodmare of the year, is also responsible for the late GSW The Lieutenant (Street Sense) along with 'TDN Rising Star' Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile). Under the tutelage of trainer Jorge Abreu, Spell On You picks up jockey Dylan Davis...

A pair of graded stakes for 3-year-olds highlight Saturday's racing action, starting with the GII Mother Goose S. at Belmont. Two of the five fillies are looking to rebound after off-the-board finishes in the May 6 GI Kentucky Oaks, 'TDN Rising Star' Shahama (Munnings) (sixth) and Venti Valentine (Firing Line) (14th). Shahama is making just her second U.S. start after starting her career with a perfect four-for-four record during her time in Dubai. Her trainer Todd Pletcher is looking for his seventh Mother Goose victory here. "It was hard to...

Venti Valentine (Firing Line), a dominating seven-length winner with a flashy 92 Beyer in the Busher Invitational S. Mar. 5, will be favored over seven rivals to punch her ticket to the GI Kentucky Oaks via Saturday's GIII Gazelle S. at Aqueduct. The New York-bred fell just a neck short of Nest (Curlin) two back in last December's GII Demoiselle S. over track and trip, the only blemish in her four career starts. "We knew she had talent early on, and turning from two to three, you could see the...

BUSHER INVITATIONAL S., $242,500, Aqueduct, 3-5, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:39.65, ft. 1--VENTI VALENTINE, 118, f, 3, by Firing Line                 1st Dam: Glory Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro                 2nd Dam: Gayla, by Lord Gaylord                 3rd Dam: La Chela (Arg), by Utopico (Arg) O-NY Final Furlong Racing Stable & Parkland Thoroughbreds; B-Final Furlong Racing Stable & Maspeth Stable (NY); T-Jorge Abreu; J-Manuel Franco. $137,500. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $366,250. *1/2 to Espresso Shot (Mission Impazible), MSW, $516,625. 2--Shotgun Hottie, 120, f, 3, Gun Runner--Re Entry, by Malibu Moon. ($45,000 2yo '21...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Nothing seemed to go Cricket West (f, 2, Majestic City--Special Charm {Ire}, by Dansili {GB})'s way in her unveiling sprinting versus fellow New York-breds over the Saratoga lawn Aug. 12 (video). And she still came within a neck of getting her picture taken that day. The Bloom Racing Stable homebred, off at odds of 10-1 for trainer Jorge Abreu, was bumped from both sides at the start and...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--While the July portion of the Saratoga season was frustrating, a bunch of mostly wasted racing days for trainer Jorge Abreu, August has been far more rewarding. With the bulk of his stable stuck in a quarantine after one of his unraced 2-year-old fillies tested positive for equine herpesvirus, Abreu had one win and two seconds from eight starts between July 16 and July 31. Since the quarantine was lifted, Abreu, 47, has four wins and three seconds and from 13 starters. "All the horses were ready to...

No man an island, huh? Not so sure about that, after the last year or so, when even a family household has sometimes felt like a peninsula at best. So, the very last thing anyone wanted on returning to Saratoga, after being denied its unique balm of fellowship last year, was to hear "the Q word" yet again. A 21-day quarantine for horses stabled in Barn 86, after one of Jorge Abreu's fillies tested positive to EHV-1, must have felt like Groundhog Day for Abreu and neighbor Kenny McPeek. Here...

When entries were taken the previous Friday for a six-furlong Aqueduct turf maiden scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 8, you can safely assume that owner Larry Goichman wasn't necessarily brimming with confidence. After all, he was pitching his 200,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in against two well-meant runners from the all-conquering Chad Brown barn, a Godolphin homebred trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and a second-timer from the always potent Christophe Clement shedrow. Goichman approached the start with a can-do attitude. "You've got...