Brightwork (Outwork), who returned from a 10-month layoff to win the GIII Prioress Stakes at Saratoga Saturday, could make her next start in the GII Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 19, if all goes well, according to trainer John Ortiz.
“We'll let her tell us where to go next,” Ortiz said. “This is the biggest effort I've seen her lay out in the afternoon–she was running against 3-year-olds that have been running and I want to make sure she comes out of it in good shape and has enough time to recover.”
Brightwork opened her career last summer with four straight victories, including wins in the GIII Adirondack Stakes and GI Spinaway Stakes. She suffered her first loss when fifth when trying two turns in the 1 1/16-mile GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes and had not been seen since finishing sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last November.
“She just proved us right that she's an athlete,” Ortiz said of Saturday's return win. “She looked so tired coming down the stretch and [runner-up] Two Sharp (Twirling Candy) was so game with her, and they had a really good horse race. But you could just see the class and the heart that she has for this game–she loves it. She starts nickering any time you put the saddle on for training. She loves her job, and she definitely proved it yesterday.”
Brightwork's winning effort in the Prioress matched her career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure and capped an impressive Spa season for Ortiz, who sports a 11-6-1-1 record at the meet.
“It's always great to come to Saratoga,” Ortiz said. “It's one of the biggest stages in the world and it's a place where you want to be seen and recognized to be doing well. Having success at Saratoga is something you want on your resume, but when you crush the meet like we did this year, it speaks volumes about our team.”
Ortiz also has a Keeneland stakes assignment on the calendar for Shortleaf Stable's Quietside (Malibu Moon). Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following her 6 1/4-length debut win Aug. 4, the dark bay filly was runner-up in the GI Spinaway Stakes Saturday. Caught four wide after exiting post 11 with Luis Saez aboard in the Spinaway, Quietside made an early move for the lead through the turn, opening up by 2 1/2 lengths at the stretch call, but had to settle for second, landing 1 1/4 lengths back of the rallying Immersive (Nyquist).
“We got a little unfortunate with the post, which I initially loved, but we did get caught widest the whole race,” Ortiz said. “Luis tried to cut the corner coming out of the turn to get the jump on the girls, but we just got caught. It was a great ride, great effort and we're happy to see she has real ability to come back and repeat a good effort after winning first time out. She proved she is some quality.”
Ortiz continued, “She came out of the race in great form–bright eyed. She ate up her dinner last night and she jogged up sound for us this morning. We're super happy with the winning effort she put out there. Getting caught at the wire is just part of horse racing.”
Ortiz said Quietside will now target the Oct. 4 GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland.
“We think she'll like the two turns in the long term,” Ortiz said.
Trainer Brad Cox confirmed Sunday that the Alcibiades is also the likely next start for Godolphin homebred Immersive.
“She looked good,” Cox said. “We expected her to run big and she did. We always thought she showed the potential to stretch out. She got the seven-eighths and she should handle two turns. We will ship her back to Kentucky on Monday, and zero in on the Alcibiades, and go from there.”
Immersive, who was a two-length winner going six furlongs in her July 21 debut at Saratoga, broke from the rail while making her second career start in the seven-furlong Spinaway.
“She showed she has a tremendous amount of class to overcome the one hole,” Cox said of the filly's effort Saturday. “Manny [Franco] did a good job of putting her in a good position of tracking the frontrunners. Then she was able to show her stamina and class late to get by a very good filly inside the final sixteenth. She had a big gallop-out and I'm looking forward to getting her around two turns.”
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