By Alan Carasso
Sent off at 4-1 with 'TDN Rising Star' Sweet Rebecca (American Pharoah) taking the lion's share of the pari-mutuel action in Monday's GII Wonder Again S. at a rainy Aqueduct Racetrack, Juddmonte's beautifully bred Segesta (Ghostzapper) was given a heads-up ride by Irad Ortiz, Jr. to cause a mild upset.
Quickly into stride from the inside gate in a scratched-down field of six, the dark bay–whose dam was highly impressive in winning the GI Just A Game S. for this barn in 2017–led into the first turn, but Ortiz, Jr. was looking to drop anchor and achieved that nicely, allowing Curlin's Girl (Curlin) to lead while retaining a foothold at the fence.
Into the box seat when a keen Sweet Rebecca tugged her way up into second at the half-mile, Segesta was on hold and traveling strongly turning for home, quickened up better than Sweet Rebecca to her outside and, after appearing to wait on horses a bit, rebroke in the final sixteenth of a mile and held sway. Sy B (English Channel) closed for second ahead of Vive Veuve (Collected) in third.
“The pace was going a little faster than it looked on paper and Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] made the good decision to take her [Segesta] back and that was it. She got a good trip,” said trainer Chad Brown, winning his third straight Wonder Again and sixth overall. The winner will now target the July 6 GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks over a mile and three-sixteenths, Brown said.
Sweet Rebecca, the 3-4 chalk who was mooted as a possible starter in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot next month before landing here, could do no better than fifth, though possibly with an excuse.
“Sweet Rebecca took a really bad step around the five-sixteenths pole and I'm hoping she's OK,” Brown explained. “Tyler [Gaffalione] said after she took that step, she did not feel the same down the stretch, so fingers crossed she didn't get injured.”
A slow-starting and wide-trip ninth on Gulfstream debut Jan. 21, Segesta was run down close to home facing easier at Tampa Mar. 9. That confidence boost translated to a good-looking, half-length success in a mile contest at Keeneland when last seen Apr. 21, sitting a trip similar to the one she did en route to victory Monday while also idling in the late stages.
SEGESTA, the 3YO daughter of @HillnDaleFarm stallion Ghostzapper, wins the Grade 2 Wonder Again Stakes with @iradortiz aboard for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/2sqvgq4QHz
— NYRA (🌳) (@TheNYRA) May 27, 2024
Pedigree Notes:
Segesta is the 102nd worldwide stakes winner and 56th graded winner for her sire and is bred on a similar cross to Paulassilverlining, purchased privately by Juddmonte before going on to win the GI Madison S. and GI Humana Distaff. Unbridled's Song's son First Defence is now the broodmare sire of 16 stakes winners, 10 at the group/graded level, while another son of Unbridled's Song, namely Arrogate, is the sire of Paulassiliverlining's stakes-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Artorius.
Winner of the G3 Prix d'Aumale in six French appearances for trainer Pascal Bary, Antonoe made a major splash in impressively annexing her U.S. debut in Keeneland allowance company before flashing home smartly to win take out the Just A Game by three-parts of a length. Stretched to nine furlongs for that year's GI Diana S., she was beaten a length into third by stablemates Lady Eli (Divine Park) and Quidura (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and signed off with a fourth to 2015 Wonder Again winner Lady Eli in the GII Ballston Spa S.
“She looks a lot like her mom and I'm always happy to train some of the family that I've trained,” said the winning trainer. “Antonoe was a really good filly for us and we quite liked her at the barn.”
Antonoe is also responsible for the juvenile colt Salamis (Speightstown), a yearling filly by Gun Runner and another Speightstown filly foaled May 7.
Monday, Belmont at The Big A
WONDER AGAIN S.-GII, $200,000, Belmont The Big A, 5-27, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.24, fm.
1–SEGESTA, 118, f, 3, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Antonoe (GISW-USA, GSW-Fr, $565,377), by First Defence
2nd Dam: Ixora, by Dynaformer
3rd Dam: Imroz, by Nureyev
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $173,675. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sy B, 118, f, 3, English Channel–Ocean Drive, by Belong to Me. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Blue Heaven Farm (Bonnie Baskin and Adam Corndorf); B-Blue Heaven Farm (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. $40,000.
3–Vive Veuve, 118, f, 3, Collected–Candy Store (Ire), by Lope de Vega (Ire). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($30,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; 45,000gns RNA 2yo '23 TATBRE). O-Sterling Stables, LLC; B-Speedway Stables LLC (KY); T-Jack Sisterson. $24,000.
Margins: HF, HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 4.00, 10.00, 6.60.
Also Ran: Grayosh, Sweet Rebecca, Curlin's Girl. Scratched: Golden Degree, Six Pack Senorita. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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