Maple Leaf Mel Shines for Parcells on Day for NY-Breds

It may not have been the Rose Bowl after he notched the first of two Super Bowl wins as coach of the New York Giants. Yet for Bill Parcells, who recently turned 81, there was no better place to spend the early afternoon of Aug. 26 than Saratoga Race Course, watching his 2-year-old New York-bred filly Maple Leaf Mel become a stakes winner. "This is the best," the Pro Football Hall of Famer said. "It's nice to be my age and have something that can get you as excited about as this." Less than an hour after heavy rain turned Saratoga's main track into a sloppy, sealed surface, Parcells' daughter of Cross Traffic trained by Jeremiah Englehart skipped over it like Joe Morris sprinting into the end zone as she recorded a 3 1/2-length victory over Lady Mine (First Samurai) in the $194,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies bred in the Empire State. The 6 1/2-furlong race was one of six state-bred stakes on the 11-race New York Showcase Day card at the Spa, each of them worth at least $200,000 originally and carrying a combined value of $1.25 million, underscoring the importance and value of the thriving breeding program in New York. The day even brought New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to Saratoga to rename a portion of Union Avenue alongside the famed racetrack, from I-87 to East Avenue, Marylou Whitney Way and attend the races. "I want you to know that I will always be there to represent New York State's commitment to horse racing," Hochul said. The posthumous honor for Whitney was especially fitting considering her acclaim as "The Grand Dame of Saratoga" and her numerous contributions to preserve and improve New York racing. "No one has meant more to the continued success of Saratoga Race Course than Marylou Whitney," said New York Racing Association president and CEO Dave O'Rourke. "NYRA was honored to celebrate Mrs. Whitney's lasting contributions to the sport and to Saratoga by dedicating the Clubhouse entrance in her memory. And now today, Marylou Whitney Way will serve as the gateway to Saratoga along Union Avenue—an incredibly fitting way to continue to honor Mrs. Whitney's remarkable life and legacy." From start to finish, the card featured races for horses bred in New York and illustrated how integral the program has become to NYRA. "Saratoga New York Showcase Day is a banner day as it allows us to shine a light on everyone who owns, breeds, and participates in the New York-bred program on racing's biggest stage," said Najja Thompson, executive director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders. "Today is even more special because we also got to honor the connections of five legendary New York-breds in Fio Rito, Fourstardave, Commentator, Funny Cide, and Tiz the Law, who each helped raise the stature of the program. "Working with NYRA to create and promote each of our three Showcase Days throughout the year is important to our program. With cards supported by competitive stakes, allowances, and overnight races combined with the lucrative incentives on offer, these Showcase Days demonstrate why more people are looking to own and get involved in the New York-bred program." Englehart and Parcells labeled themselves fans of the state-bred program. "I think the New York-breds are speaking for themselves," Englehart said. "A race like this has always been special for me. (Maple Leaf Mel) may be a New York-bred, but I'll put her up against any of my 2-year-old fillies." For Englehart, it was an especially memorable win as the daughter of the City Place mare City Gift bred by Joe Fafone is named after his Canadian-born assistant trainer Melanie Giddings, a cancer survivor. "My clients really enjoy working with her, and I'm blessed to have her. We're like brother and sister. I trust her more than anyone with the barn, and it shows in having a meet like this and a filly like this. She's my assistant trainer-slash-trainer," Englehart said. Englehart kidded that he wanted that name for the filly to make sure Parcells sent her to him after the filly was scouted by a team that included trainers Robbie Medina and George Weaver and purchased for $150,000 from the Robert Brewer consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Yet Parcells, who races under the August Dawn Farm banner, was quite happy to attach Giddings' name to the speedy filly and send her to Englehart. "She preens every time this filly wins," Parcells said about Giddings. "She hasn't dropped a feather." For Englehart, working with the fiery Parcells has provided some valuable life lessons, especially when he attended a New York Mets game with his children Aug. 10 and was not at the Spa for Maple Leaf Mel's five-length win in her career debut. "He told me, 'Yeah, I could see myself telling Mr. (Wellington) Mara I'm not going to be able to get to the NFC Championship Game because I have to take my kids to a Mets game,' " Englehart said with a chuckle. "I tell people you haven't been yelled at until you've been yelled at by a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach, and you know what, I'm a better person for knowing him and working with him. In the last four years of our friendship, I'll take these life lessons I've gotten from him. It's like having another dad." Sent off as the 3-5 favorite in a field of five, Maple Leaf Mel ($3.20) set the pace through fractions of :21.74 and :45.42 under Joel Rosario, then brushed aside a bid by Lady Mine on the turn to cross the wire in 1:18.07 and earn $110,000 for Parcells. Trainer James Chapman and Rolf Obrecht's Lady Mine, bred by Anlyn Farms, was second by 2 1/4 lengths over WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Miracle, a Mendelssohn filly bred by Magnolia Mares and Pony Express Sale and trained by Rodolphe Brisset. Reflective of the quality of state-breds, Englehart said he would look for an open stakes next for Maple Leaf Mel, and said the Oct. 2 Frizette Stakes (G1), a mile test at Aqueduct Racetrack, is a "possibility." "I've always thought she would handle distance," he said. Maple Leaf Mel is the sixth foal from City Gift and her first stakes winner. She also has a yearling Brody's Cause colt.