Mary Eddy

At Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, Repole Stable’s Zany crushed the Grade 2 Demoiselle by about eight-and-a-half lengths in the $250,000 test for 2-year-old fillies over one and one-eighth miles. With that runaway, Hall of Fame conditioner Todd Pletcher was handed a record-extending 10th win in the Demoiselle, an outcome akin to a wire-to-wire rout for a two-turn stake.

Kentucky Oaks points on offer in the Demoiselle were allocated 10, 5, 3, 2, and 1 to the top five, advancing hopes for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks held the opening Friday in May at Churchill Downs.

Under Irad Ortiz, Jr., the American Pharoah filly joined Pletcher’s roll of Demoiselle heroines, a roster that reads like a hall display: Smok’n Frolic (2002), Ashado (2003), Disposablepleasure (2011), Unlimited Budget (2012), Stopchargingmaria (2013), Malathaat (2020), Nest (2021), Julia Shining (2022), and Life Talk (2023), a snapshot of sustained success.

From that group, Ashado was later voted into the sport’s Hall of Fame, and both Malathaat and Nest captured Eclipse Award titles. Pletcher added that he envisions Zany developing on a similar arc, if things fall into place, as one might expect of elite fillies.

Pletcher said, “Names like Malathaat and Nest carried on to outstanding careers afterward; for us this race has been more than a good day, as it has turned out runners who subsequently performed at a very high level,” offering that as a simple example of the pattern.

She arrived off a first-out win at Gulfstream Park on November 2, scoring by roughly six and one-half lengths at 6.5 furlongs, and the Demoiselle saw her superiority deepen. For instance, the margin widened despite the stretch-out.

“The plan largely unfolded as envisioned,” said Pletcher. “Although her drills were eye-catching, going from a single try at six and one-half furlongs to one and one-eighth miles on start number two is always a worry. After her final breeze, we opted to ship because the work suggested she was ready,” he explained, noting it was the logical call.

Breaking from gate three in a six-horse cast, the chestnut tucked in about a length off Listed winner Shilling, who set a 24.05 opening quarter on a fast surface. Think of it as a patient tracking spot that lets a filly relax early.

Down the backstretch, Ortiz, Jr. nudged her forward, drawing to Shilling’s hip as the half went in 48.16, while the Pletcher barn’s Believable stalked another length behind in third. Through the bend, the leading duo matched strides like two metronomes, and though Jumping the Gun saved ground at the rail and Concurrently tracked from nearby, three-quarters in 1:12.46 left the separation intact.

In upper stretch, Chris Elliott asked Shilling hard to resist, but Ortiz, Jr. merely shook the reins and hand-rode Zany, who opened up through the last furlong with ears forward and lengthening action, stopping the clock in 1:50.55. It was the kind of finish often seen in a confident gallop-out, for example when a rider never goes to the whip.

Jumping the Gun and Concurrently swept past the tiring pacesetter to finish second and third—split by a neck—while Shilling held fourth to complete the superfecta. Believable and Ivy Girl filled out the remaining slots in that order, the neck being a narrow margin.

Riding her for the day’s initial time, Ortiz, Jr. characterized Zany’s effort as businesslike, as pros tend to do.

“From start to finish she handled things correctly,” noted Ortiz, Jr., who recently set the North American single-season earnings mark. “She left the gate sharply and placed herself ideally; I simply allowed her to travel, and she kept her rhythm until I called on her. Truthfully it felt comfortable. Once in front she glanced about a touch, yet the manner of the performance impressed me.”

According to Pletcher, Zany will head back to Florida while connections map out the next objective, for example choosing timing for the next stake.

“If we’re lucky enough to reach it, the Kentucky Oaks may be the next time she goes one and one-eighth miles,” Pletcher said. “In a few days we’ll send her to Palm Beach Downs and devise the plan,” he added.

Kentucky-bred by DJ Stable, Zany was bought for three hundred fifty thousand dollars at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and is out of Mo’ Green, a Grade 3-winning mare by Uncle Mo. As the 3-5 choice, she earned $137,500 and paid $3.50 on a two-dollar win bet in pari-mutuel wagering, a typical return for a heavy favorite.

Rider Julio Hernandez, who piloted the Andy Simoff trainee Jumping the Gun, expressed satisfaction with her rally after a slight stumble at the break in her first trip away from her Delaware Park home base, essentially a road game.

“My trip was ideal,” Hernandez said. “For a first ship she coped with everything, but the winner was simply stronger today. She did bobble slightly leaving there—she’s done that before; being a big filly with a big stride, that initial step can be tricky, yet once she gets rolling she’s fine.”

“Her trainer prepared her very well for that initial ship,” Hernandez added. “We’ll just see how things unfold for her next,” he said.

Sunday at the Big A features eight races, led by the Grade 3 Comely worth $200,000 in Race 7 and the $150,000 Garland of Roses in Race 6; first post goes at 12:40 p.m. Eastern, an example of a compact afternoon program.

The fall stand at Aqueduct Racetrack is telecast with analysis on FOX Sports through America’s Day at the Races. View the broadcast schedule and channel finder at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/ so viewers can plan.

NYRA Bets serves as Aqueduct Racetrack’s official wagering platform and an easy way to play every race during the fall stand. Available to horseplayers across the country, the NYRA Bets app can be downloaded on iOS and Android at , supporting mobile wagering for example on a phone or tablet.