BY NYRA PRESS OFFICE (Edited)

Florida-breds R Disaster and All Class, first and second-place finishers respectively in a $100,000 optional claiming at Saratoga Race Course in their last race on Aug. 20, meet again Saturday in the $250,000 Gallant Bloom (Grade 2) during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct Race Track. Nine fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, are entered in the six-and-a-half-furlong contest.

Averill Racing, Two Eight Racing and Anthony Mattera’s R Disaster seeks a breakthrough victory after three previous runner-up efforts at the graded level.

The 4-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud stallion Awesome Slew arrives from the aforemention win against All Class. She set the pace over a sloppy and sealed six furlongs, landing one length ahead of All Class after being pressured by the Horacio De Paz-trained Striker Has Dial early.

 

The allowance win came on the heels of a half-length second to Florida-bred Halina’s Forte in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss on July 20 at Saratoga, where she was also pressured by Striker Has Dial before putting away that rival and being caught late.

“Both times she had [Striker Has Dial] pressuring her,” Joseph said. “Obviously it took a toll in the Grade 2. She got beat and she ran second. Then she came out last time and she was able to win the allowance. Now hopefully she can step back up and get a graded stakes win on her resume.”

R Disaster returns to the scene of a hard-trying second to stablemate Haulin Ice—who won the Grade 3 Princess Rooney on Saturday at Gulfstream—in the Grade 3 Vagrancy going this distance in May. There, she pressured the pace set by Haulin Ice throughout and took a head lead at the stretch call before coming up just shy following the sustained stretch battle, with Grade 1-winner Leslie’s Rose landing another three-quarter lengths back in third.

“She’s run well in the six-and-a-half furlongs at Aqueduct,” Joseph said. “Originally we were going to go to Keeneland, but with this spot coming up, we thought that we could be the favorite. She’s comfortable there and she’s going in good order off the allowance win. Hopefully she’ll run as consistent as she has in the past.”

Joseph added that speed is R Disaster’s best weapon.

“She’s a speed filly. She can be on the lead or she can stalk. Most of the time, she is fast enough where she just makes the lead,” he said.

R Disaster has finished less than one length back in each of her graded attempts, the other being second to Florida-bred Nic’s Style in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in March at Gulfstream Park.

She holds a record of six wins and five seconds in 11 starts with $426,180 in earnings. R Disaster is out of Making Havoc, by Gottcha Gold and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and J. Michael O’Farrell Jr., of Ocala.

Jose Ortiz has the call from post one.

All Class has won two of eight starts and earned $184,382 since being claimed for $62,500 by owner and trainer Linda Rice out of a victory at Keeneland in October of last year. She won a second level, $75,000 optional claiming going six-and-a-half furlongs at Saratoga on July 23 and a first level, $50,000 optional claiming over a sloppy and sealed six furlongs during the Belmont at Big A meet on May 9. She also has two seconds and a third at Aqueduct in her first three races for Rice from December through March.

 

By Kantharos out of Commentary, by The Factor, All Class was bred by George and Karen Russell’s Rustlewood Farm Inc. in Reddick, Fla. She has a career ledger of five wins, four seconds and a third in 13 races with earnings of $270,761.

She was a $7,000 yearling at the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Sale where Span Invenstments selected her out of the Summerfield consignment of Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck.

Kendrick Carmouche will ride All Class from post six.

Rounding out the field for are Impel and jockey Flavien Prat, Patricia Ann with Javier Castellano named to ride, Scalable will have John Velazquez up, Sterling Silver has Junior Alvarado taking the assignment, Street View with Manny Franco in the irons, Senza Parole with Dylan Davis up and Sunday Girl will carry Katie Davis. 

— Brock Sheridan contributed to the article

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