Klaravich Stable's Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah), loose on an easy lead, went wire-to-wire to earn her first top-level success in the GI New York S. at Belmont Park Friday. Sent off at 6-1, the lightly raced 4-year-old was looking to stretch her speed to 10 furlongs following a pair of stakes wins over 1 1/16 miles. She broke alertly and was soon at the head of affairs, setting moderate fractions of :24.56, :50.26 and 1:15.29 while kept well in hand by jockey Jose Ortiz. Finally let loose at the top of the lane, Marketsegmentation scampered away with only Didia (Arg) (Orpen) attempting to make it interesting late.
“She [Marketsegmentation] was impressive today,” said trainer Chad Brown, who was winning his second Grade I event on the card. “Jose rode an excellent race. She's been training super. With this particular race after her last win, we nominated her and kept her eligible depending on the pace of the race. I felt getting her out to a mile and a quarter she'd be very forward, most likely on the lead, so she was a last-minute entry. We put her in here and it was Jose's first time on her, but he rode her like he's always ridden her her whole life. He got along with her beautifully and carved out the fractions just right.”
Favored War Like Goddess (English Channel), who trailed the field for much of the race, was unable to close into the pedestrian pace after being caught wide around the far turn and checked in sixth.
Marketsegmentation was a debut winner over the Aqueduct lawn in December of 2021, but went missing for nine months. She returned with a runner-up effort in an Aqueduct allowance last September and rounded out her two-race 2022 campaign with a win in a Gulfstream allowance Dec. 31. The dark bay filly opened 2023 with a third-place effort in the Feb. 4 GIII Endeavor S. at Tampa Bay Downs and started her now three-race win streak with a narrow victory in the Apr. 1 Sand Springs S. at Gulfstream. She entered her first Grade I attempt off a 2 1/2-length score in the May 7 GIII Beaugay S. at Belmont.
“She's improved every race,” said winning owner Seth Klarman, who was also represented by third-place finisher McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}). “She's solid. She always tries. We thought she might be the only speed and it set up, and sometimes that's dangerous. To win a race like this, a Grade I, and to have a filly advance like that and another filly that ran third, it's an exciting time.”
The victory might have earned Marketsegmentation a match-up with Brown's other Grade I winner on the card, In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the GI Just a Game S. a few races earlier, in the July 15 GI Diana S. at Saratoga.
“She has gotten better every single race and you love to see horses like that,” Brown said. “You have to think about the Diana next. I think a cut [back] to a mile and an eighth wouldn't bother her at all. She's got a big grizzly bear to run against [In Italian], but I'm not afraid to run multiple horses like this and let them settle it on the track.”
Pedigree Notes:
Marketsegmentation is the seventh Grade I winner worldwide for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The filly is the first of American Pharoah's 22 worldwide graded winners out of a Medagalia d'Oro mare, but his graded-placed son Another Miracle is out of Retraceable (Medaglia d'Oro).
Marketsegmentation's dam Lonelily was exported to Japan after selling for $100,000 while in foal to Mendelssohn at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. The winner's third dam is Mr. P's Princess, who produced champion Fasliyev, as well as the dam of Group 1 winners Misty for Me (Ire) and Ballydoyle (Ire). Misty for Me is responsible for Group 1 winners U S Navy Flag and Roly Poly.
Friday, Belmont Park
NEW YORK S.-GI, $600,000, Belmont, 6-9, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4mT, 2:02.12, fm.
1–MARKETSEGMENTATION, 120, f, 4, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Lonelily (Ire), by Medaglia d'Oro
2nd Dam: Empress of France, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Mr. P's Princess, by Mr. Prospector
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($200,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $120,000 RNA
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Marcus Stables LLC
(KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $330,000. Lifetime
Record: 7-5-1-1, $638,730. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Didia (Arg), 120, m, 5, by Orpen
1st Dam: Delambre (Brz) (G1SP-Brz), by Rainbow Corner (GB)
2nd Dam: Diya, by Ariosto (Arg)
3rd Dam: Sevilla (Arg), by Ringaro
O-Merriebelle Stable; B-La Manija (ARG); T-Ignacio Correas, IV.
$120,000.
3–McKulick (GB), 124, f, 4, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Astrelle (Ire) (GSP-Eng), by Makfi (GB)
2nd Dam: Miss Mariduff, by Hussonet
3rd Dam: Sopran Mariduff (GB), by Persian Bold (Ire)
(180,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.;
B-Essafinaat UK Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $72,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1 3/4, NO. Odds: 6.10, 4.40, 7.90.
Also Ran: Flirting Bridge (Ire), Virginia Joy (Ger), War Like Goddess, Shantisara (Ire). Scratched: With The Moonlight (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
