BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Foggy Night will try for her second graded-stakes victory of the year when she goes to the post in the Grade 2 Mother Goose at Belmont Park Saturday. The daughter of Journeyman Stud’s leading Florida sire Khozan is 15-1 on the morning line of the $250,000 Mother Goose, a nine-furlong contest for 3-year-old fillies.
Trained by Robert Reid for Pine Brook Farm, Foggy Night has two stakes victories this year including the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on July 1 and the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia going a mile-and-70-yards at Parx Racing on Aug. 22. She was also second to Occult, who she will face again in the Mother Goose, in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on July 29 and was most recently sixth in the Grade 1 Cotillion won by Ceiling Crusher at Parx on Sept. 23.
Bred by Brent and Crystal Fernung, the consistent Foggy Night has won half of her six races this year and sports four victories with five seconds in 11 career starts. She has two starts over the Aqueduct main track including a second in last year’s Tempted at a mile. The chestnut daughter of Settling Seas, by Stormy Atlantic has lifetime earnings of $458,750.
The Fernungs sold Foggy Night for $20,000 to Pine Brook Farm through their Journeyman Bloodstock Services consignment at last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale.
Foggy Night will break from post one in the Mother Goose and Jose Lezcano will ride her for the first time.
Rigney Racing LLC’s Xigera is the morning line favorite at 6-5 while making her first start at Aqueduct and jockey Julien Leparoux will be aboard when they depart from post six.
The Philip Bauer trainee comes into the Mother Goose off a six-and-a-quarter-length victory in the $171,000 Seneca overnight stakes at a mile-and-sixteenth in her first start of the year on dirt. In three other starts in 2023, all on turf, she has an allowance victory at Churchill Downs in June and won the $224,000 Tepin at Ellis Park in July, both at a mile.
By Nyquist out of Argent Affair, by Uncle Mo. Xigera has a career ledger of four wins in eight starts with a second and a third with earnings of $439,101.
Occult is the second choice in the program at 5-2 for trainer Chad Brown and was third in Cotillion in her last start. In addition to her win in the Monmouth Oaks, Occult has two other wins, both coming at Aqueduct, including a three-and-three-quarter-length triumph in the $97,000 Busanda in January.
During her seven-race career, the daughter of Into Mischief out of Magical Feeling, by Empire Maker has three wins in seven starts with two thirds with revenues of $421,450.
Occult has post five and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
Making up the other Mother Goose contenders are Peak Popularity with Dylan Davis named to ride, Julia Shining with jockey Javier Castellano, Undervalued Asset will have Manny Franco aboard and Defining Purpose will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.
