Future Is Now arrives in time in $150K Smart N Fancy
R. Larry Johnson’s Grade 2-winning Maryland homebred Future Is Now fought back having lost the lead to Star Guest in mid-stretch and survived an inquiry after coming together with that rival moments earlier to register a half-length victory in Friday’s Listed $150,000 Smart N Fancy at Saratoga Race Course.
The 12th running of the Smart N Fancy for older fillies and mares sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon turf course was joined by the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign for older fillies and mares over the main track on the eve of Saturday’s lucrative 14-race program featuring five Grade 1 stakes headlined by the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers.
It was the third career stakes win, all since mid-May, for the 4-year-old Future Is Now, who covered a firm course in 1:03.19 and returned $6.30 to win for a $2 wager as the 2-1 second betting choice. In her prior start, she was beaten a half-length when third in the 5 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Caress presented by Albany Med Health System July 25 at Saratoga, a race where she had to break for the lead from an inside post and saw jockey Paco Lopez lose his crop.
Lopez was back for a fourth straight race in the Smart N Fancy, breaking on the outside of four rivals and settling in second on the right flank of pacesetting longshot Lady Milagro, who was fidgety in the starting gate but in command early through an opening quarter-mile in 21.62 seconds. Star Guest raced in third along the rail with Glitter Up and dual graded stakes-winner and 4-5 favorite Roses for Debra trailing the field.
The half-mile went in 45.30 when Star Guest was tipped out by jockey Flavien Prat and moved up on the outside of Future Is Now to overtake Lady Milagro approaching the top of the stretch, when the two horses came together. Once straightened out they were set down for the wire with Star Guest forging a short lead inside the eighth pole, but Lopez persisted aboard Future Is Now, who regained the advantage late and edged clear. The result stood following a stewards’ inquiry.
“I liked the trip today,” Lopez said. “That was easy – she broke good, I have outside position. I liked the early position for her. She waited and at the top of the stretch the three bumped us a little bit, but I just waited on her and asked for more through the stretch. She ran very good, my filly. She was a little confused when she got bumped by the three.”
Star Guest was a clear second, two lengths ahead of late-running Roses for Debra, the defending race champion, followed by Lady Milagro and Glitter Up. Scratched were Munnys Gold, slated to run in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina at Saratoga; Dontlookbackatall, in favor of the Grade 2 Ladies Turf Sprint August 31 at Kentucky Downs; and main track-only entrant Everyoneloveslinda.
“We had a good trip,” Prat said of Star Guest. “It felt like she made a good run turning for home. I had the jump on her [Future Is Now], but the other one came back. She ran her race.”
A daughter of Great Notion out of the Bernardini mare Past as Prelude, Future Is Now became a stakes winner in the 5 1/2-furlong The Very One on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, earning graded credentials in her next start, the Grade 2 Intercontinental presented by MTV Solutions on June 7, edging Roses for Debra by a head. In the Caress, Future Is Now led into deep stretch before yielding.
“As always, she was fights really hard. When that other horse [Star Guest] collared us and kind of got a shoulder to us, I was a little concerned, but she just stuck it through and persevered,” winning trainer Michael Trombetta said. “It was kind of tough [to evaluate the inquiry] because coming off that bend like that, it was hard to say what exactly was going on other than to sit back, watch and see what they say and hope for the best. Fortunately, it went our way today.”
Overall, Future Is Now has six wins, one second, one third and $431,435 in purse earnings from 13 starts.
“When she was passed, I thought, ‘Oh no.’ But then she came back,” Johnson said. “She’s a fighter. Anytime you win at Saratoga it’s a big deal. When you’re winning one of the better races with a homebred, it’s really special.”
Live racing resumes Saturday with a lucrative 14-race card headlined by the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers in Race 13. Also scheduled are two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifiers with the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer [Turf] in Race 9 and the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina [Filly and Mare Sprint] in Race 10; as well as the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego in Race 11 and the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in Race 12. First post is 11:20 a.m., with gates opening to the public at 9 a.m.
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