Lady Ivanka more than okay

There were 525 Thoroughbred foals born in Oklahoma in 2015, representing just 2.5 percent of the registered foal crop in the United States. But a good horse can come from anywhere, as Oklahoma-bred millionaires Lady’s Secret, Kip Deville, and Clever Trevor have already proved.

And among those 525 Thoroughbreds born in the Sooner State two years ago was Lady Ivanka, who will go for the second Grade 1 win of her nascent career in Sunday’s Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park.

The one-mile race at Belmont is one of two major preps for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies this weekend. The Grade 1 Alcibiades on Friday’s opening day at Keeneland offers a fees-paid berth in the Juvenile Fillies.

Lady Ivanka, bred by Scott Pierce, was offered at auction three times prior to her racing career, but each time failed to meet her reserve. She drew a high bid of $21,000 as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale, and $11,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale. She was consigned to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile sale earlier this year, and tied for the fastest quarter-mile work of the breeze show at 21 2/5 seconds. She was purchased privately after the sale session by agent Kim Valerio on behalf of Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, Michael Imperio, and Susan Montanye for $80,000. The new connections sent her to Rudy Rodriguez in New York.

“She showed us a lot of talent from the beginning,” Rodriguez said. “My brother Gus trained her at Belmont, and the first time we ran her he was excited. It’s a lot easier to keep it quiet and let the horse do it, because if you’re expecting a lot and they don’t get results, then everything falls apart for the owners, trainers, jockeys, grooms, hot walkers. It’s tough. So, we tried to take it as it comes. But my brother did pretty much all the work. I’m just here to run her.”

And run she did. Lady Ivanka was an eight-length debut winner Aug. 9 at Saratoga, springboarding her into the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes on closing weekend. She sat behind the suicidal speed duel of Pure Silver and Separationofpowers, surged clear when asked, and held off the closing Maya Malibu by three-quarters of a length. Maya Malibu will be back for more in the Frizette.

The Spinaway was at seven furlongs, and Rodriguez thinks Lady Ivanka can handle the extra furlong of the one-mile Frizette.

“She’s got a very good mind,” Rodriguez said. “She’s just sitting there behind horses. She’s been doing that in the morning all the time, so I think she can stretch out.”

Lady Ivanka is part of a select club of Oklahoma-bred Grade 1 winners, led by 1986 Horse of the Year Lady’s Secret. The Hall of Fame racemare bankrolled more than $3 million. The state’s top earner is $3.3 million multiple Grade 1 winner Kip Deville. Oklahoma also is responsible for Grade 1-winning millionaire Clever Trevor, and, more recently, Grade 1 winner Shotgun Gulch.

Oklahoma-breds are 5-2-2-0 in the history of the Breeders’ Cup. Lady’s Secret won the 1986 Distaff after finishing second the prior year. Kip Deville captured the 2007 Mile, then was second to Goldikova in 2008. Clever Trevor finished sixth in the 1991 Sprint.