BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Social Fortress, a winner of her first two career starts including a seven-length pounding of her rivals in the $201,000 Sorority at Monmouth Park, graduates into Grade 1 company Saturday in the $400,000 Frizette at Aqueduct. The one-mile Frizette carries a “Win and You’re In” invitation to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup NetJets Juvenile Fillies to be run at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Nov. 1.
Trained by Jamie Ness for Charles B. Johnson and breeder Joseph M. Imbesi, Social Fortress will face nine other 2-year-old fillies including the highly-regarded Senza Parole and fellow Florida-bred stakes-winner Whatintheliteral.
After breaking her maiden by 11 lengths at first asking going five furlongs in an off-the-turf maiden special weight for fillies at Delaware Park in July, Social Fortress dominated the one-mile Sorority, leading from the start to finish with Jaime Rodriguez aboard.
She worked a bullet four furlongs in :47.20 at Delaware Park Sept. 29, confirming a plan Ness developed early for Social Fortress.
“She’s coming off of two wins, including the Sorority, and this was a race that was kind of on our radar the whole time,” Ness said. “She has worked well, had a good workout this morning at Delaware, so we are going to come up and take a shot. She’s proven she can go two turns. This is a one-turn mile, but it proves that the distance I don’t think is an issue for her.”
Social Fortress is by Social Inclusion, who stands in Florida at Imbesi’s Briardale Farm in Belleview, out of Cold Hearted Pearl, by Parading. She has earned $144,000 in her two starts and will again have Rodriguez aboard from post nine.
HorseOlogy Racing and Craig Steinhart’s Whatintheliteral won the $150,000 Astoria at Saratoga Race Course in her third start in June but lost rider Javier Castellano after stumbling at the start of the $175,000 Schuylerville at Saratoga on July 11. She then disappointed when seventh in the Grade 3 Adirondack at Saratoga on Aug. 4 but rebounded in her next race to finish second in the $85,000 Hallandale Beach at Gulfstream Park on Sept. 14.
Whatintheliteral is out of Lilikoi, by Freud and was bred in Florida by Bella Inizio Farm LLC. She has one win, one second and a third in six starts with earnings of $112,379.
Trainer Jena Antonucci has named Jorge Ruiz on Whatintheliteral from post four.
Senza Parole will make her first start since winning on debut by seven-and-a-half lengths at Saratoga on Aug. 23. The Chad Brown-trained daughter of Gun Runner won a maiden special weight for fillies while covering six furlongs in 1:09.84. Her 94 Beyer Speed Figure is tops among 2-year-old fillies in North America this year and second among all juveniles.
“She was very impressive,” Brown said. “We were cautiously optimistic that she would put in a good performance first time out and run to her works, but you never know, especially at Saratoga.”
Senza Parole received her early training in Florida from David Scanlon at his Scanlon Training and Sales located at Oak Ridge Training Center in Morriston. Scanlon sent her through the auction ring at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale but she did not meet her $240,000 reserve.
Out of Senza Te, by Street Cry (Ire), Senza Parole has earned $55,000 for owner Don Alberto Stable and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post eight.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will saddle The Queens M G for owner C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable LLC.
Second to Whatintheliteral in the Astoria, The Queens M G won both the Schuylerville and Adirondack before finishing fifth last out in the Grade 1 Spinaway won by Immersive.
The Queens M G is by Florida-bred sire Thousand Words out of Show Queen, by Grindstone and has won three of five starts while earning a field-high $266,380.
She has post two and jockey Dyan Davis gets the return mount.
Rounding out the field are Snowyte and with Joel Rosario named to ride, Flavien Prat will be aboard Pondering, Scottish Lassie has jockey Jose Lezcano, Paradise City will have Manny Franco in the saddle, Another Cleeshay with pilot Junior Alvarado and Kendrick Carmouche will be in the irons on Icona Mama.
