Photo: Susie Raisher / NYRA
Beautiful Cachee led at every decisive point to fend off the late onslaught of stablemate Gina Romantica and secure the $300,000 Grade 2 on Thursday Ballston Spaa 1 1/16 mile turf track for older mares and foals in Saratoga.
Beaute Cachee was one of three runners for four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, who recorded his eighth victory at Ballston Spa and set a new record as his three mares finished first through third after a strong finish.
Brown attributed Beaute Cachee’s newfound ability at the front to the expert guidance of jockey Frankie Dettori, who has made it three wins out of three with the mare. The veteran rider used a tactic when guiding her to victories in the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland in April, most recently in the Matchmaker (G3) on July 20 at Monmouth Park and now at Ballston Spa.
“She ran great. She trained really, really well. Frankie really saw through her, I have to give him a lot of credit and my team that prepared her,” Brown said. “He was the one who really wanted to put her in the lead at Keeneland and then last time at Monmouth. He said, ‘You know, Chad, I have to tell you, I really think she’s happier there,’ so I listened to him. He had to put her in a little earlier. I’m proud of her for being able to slow the pace and then still get going at the end and keep a good mare in check.”
Beaute Cachee emerged well from post 3 and took the lead with Dettori cheering her on, completing the first quarter mile in 23.76 seconds on good ground, with Delahaye following in second place, with Surprisingly, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, and closing favorite Gina Romantica following close behind.
The order remained unchanged down the backstretch and over a slowed half-mile in 49.54 before Delahaye approached the turn and made a surprise attempt to drive up the inside lane. Flavien Prat, on Gina Romantica, remained patient on the three-way path before sending his charge behind the leading flight on the turn and drew level with his stablemates after three quarters in 1:15.06.
“I had to push a little bit to get to the front. She’s a wonderful filly, she knows how to relax in front too,” Dettori said of the pace. “We showed the world that she’s a real fighter, she doesn’t give up. They all came to challenge me and she left them all behind. She has this will to win, it’s so great. She’s smart enough to slow down a little bit, fill her lungs and keep going. She’s not a one-dimensional filly, she’s very smart.”
Beaute Cachee held her position on the inside and slowly pulled away from the resilient Delahaye as the quartet headed for the finish and Gina Romantica appeared to lose her temper a little midway through the stretch. The two-time Grade 1 winner came into her stride late and threatened to pull away in the final sixteenth but Beaute Cachee had enough in reserve to hold off her pursuer and win by a neck with a final time of 1:44.41, with Delahaye another half-length behind in third.
Surprisingly, the race was completed at the end, while Brown’s fourth entry, Coppice, was eliminated along with main-course-only entries Hoosier Philly, Movie Moxy and Amanda’s Folly.
Dettori, who recorded his sixth win at the meeting, said his horse’s third-place finish again in the Matriarch (G1) under Umberto Rispoli in November was the reason he decided to try her out in the lead when he first rode her successfully in the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland at 25-1 odds.
“I was watching the Matriarch and she was unlucky. She ran out of room and kept pushing,” Dettori recalled. “Keeneland, there wasn’t much pace so I decided to control it from the front. She was an outsider, nobody expected her to win like that. When she ran at Monmouth, everyone was against me and she showed them that was no fluke. The third time around, she just shows that she has a tremendous will to win. They were all keen to overtake me but she fended them all off.”
Bred in France by Gregor Vischer and owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Louis Lazzinnaro and Michael Caruso, the Literato gray was purchased at the 2020 Arqana Deauville Autumn Flat Yearling Sale for just $1,775. She pocketed $165,000 with her win, increasing her earnings to $891,962 with a record of 21-6-5-2. She brought in $7.10 on a $2 winning ticket.
Prat, who rides two-time Grade 1 winner Gina Romantica, said the daughter of Into Mischief may have been hampered by the pace.
“We got the race going in the first quarter, but then they slowed down a bit and it became a sprint down the stretch,” Prat said. “I thought my trip was good. I gave her a head start more than I wanted and I think she’s just coming along better.”
“(More speed) certainly wouldn’t hurt and the ground is a bit bumpy and I think she’s better on fast ground. But I think she’s coming along well and hopefully she’ll run a good race next time,” Prat said.
Brown said it is likely that both Beaute Cachee and Gina Romantica will next head to Keeneland on Oct. 5 for the First Lady (G1), a race the latter won last year and which Brown has won seven times, including the last six races.
