By Alan Carasso
Chad Brown had three chances to record a sixth victory in the last eight runnings of the GIII Pebbles S., and it was the 10-1 longest priced of the trio Implicated (Connect) who parlayed a perfect trip into a first black-type success Saturday at the Big A.
Drawn the fence with Manny Franco at the controls for the first time, the $125,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling purchase was away without incident and raced a touch keen into the first turn as 53-1 Precious Avary (Divining Rod) showed the way at a moderate pace. Saving every inch of ground down the back, Franco went for Implicated midway on the turn and rode for some luck as Precious Avary was still going well enough up front. But the pacesetter rolled away from the fence in upper stretch, giving Implicated the room she required and she punched through before holding Sacred Wish (Not This Time) at bay. Startup Mentality (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) was second-last to make the stretch and might have caught Sacred Wish for second but for having to steady when off that one's heels a sixteenth of a mile from home.
A distant third on main-track debut at Saratoga last August, Implicated won her maiden in her grass debut and closed the season with a victory in this track's Chelsey Flower S. Oct. 28. Away nearly a year thereafter, the gray ran out of fitness late when fourth in a nine-furlong allowance Oct. 19.
“Last year when she ran covered up, she was better,” said Brown. “I told Manny in the paddock, 'You drew a nice, cozy post here. If you can get a pocket trip, let's test her out.' I thought I had her ready last time but sure enough, a covered trip worked for her and Manny did a great job.”
Pedigree Notes:
Implicated is the third graded winner for Connect, who has now been represented by graded scorers on dirt (Rattle N Roll), synthetic (Witwatersrand) and now the grass.
Somewhere Stable Kentucky paid $200,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September sale for Wysteria, a half-sister to Kallio (Scat Daddy), a Grade III winner on turf, SW Clear the Runway (Broken Vow) and MSP Sallisaw (Exchange Rate). The mare is represented by a yearling The Factor colt that sold for $155,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale, and her weanling colt by Knicks Go was bought back for $75,000 Friday at KEENOV. Wysteria was most recently bred to Golden Pal.
Saturday, Aqueduct
PEBBLES S.-GIII, $200,000, Aqueduct, 11-11, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.82, fm.
1–IMPLICATED, 120, f, 3, by Connect
1st Dam: Wysteria, by Tale of the Cat
2nd Dam: Smokey Diplomacy, by Dynaformer
3rd Dam: Attractive Missile, by Relaunch
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($125,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT). O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, Cambron Equine, LLC and Laura Leigh Stable; B-Somewhere Stables KY, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Manuel Franco. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-1, $246,970. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sacred Wish, 122, f, 3, Not This Time–Indian Wish, by Indian Charlie. ($80,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $70,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP; $50,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, Christopher T. Dunn and Anthony Spinazzola; B-John R. Penn (KY); T-George Weaver. $40,000.
3–Startup Mentality (Ire), 118, f, 3, Kingman (GB)–Fine Time (GB), by Dansili (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (300,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Mount Armstrong Stud. (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: HF, NK, NO. Odds: 10.80, 3.25, 3.80.
Also Ran: Silver Skillet, Rhiannon, On the Shortlist, Plentitude, Precious Avary, Stephanie's Charm. Scratched: Just Katherine.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
IMPLICATED, by @LanesEndFarms stallion Connect, shows off down the stretch to take the Pebbles Stakes (G3) under @jockeyfranco! pic.twitter.com/pUERUpVp8t
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) November 11, 2023
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