A well-timed ride from regular pilot Jorge Ruiz landed No Show Sammy Jo back in the winner's circle for a graded stakes breakthrough in Friday's Grade 3, $175,000 Sheepshead Bay, a 1 3/8-mile inner turf route for older fillies and mares, at Belmont at the Big A.
Trained by Graham Motion for Newstead Stables, the 6-year-old Lope de Vega mare was previously graded placed three times, including close seconds in back-to-back editions of the local Grade 3 Long Island in 2024-25, and last out when runner-up in the Grade 3 The Very One on February 28 at Gulfstream Park. The talented bay was a bridesmaid no more on Friday, stalking a tepid pace and pouncing in the lane to score the three-quarter-length victory as the 1-2 mutuel favorite.
"She's very competitive against these types and should have won a few more races here over her career, she just never got there in time," said Ian Wilson, assistant to Motion. "It was nice to not have to sweat it out to the wire today as much as we normally have to. They had to come get her for a change."
No Show Sammy Jo exited post 3-of-5 and settled in next-to-last as Storm Miami asserted herself early and led through the opening quarter-mile in 25.71 over the firm footing. Lady Firefoot, who was third in the first of the three turns, ran in tandem with No Show Sammy Jo into the stretch for the first time and split between her and the rail-riding Unreasonable to move up to second through the half-mile in 52.04.
"There wasn't a lot of speed in the race," Ruiz said. "I wanted a good position to close into the speed, and she ran very well. She's a nice filly. There was only one speed, so I waited to send her for the win."
The field proceeded in an orderly line down the backstretch, with Storm Miami ticking along under Victor Carrasco and marking three-quarters in 1:18.34 while No Show Sammy Jo sat patiently in fourth. Ruiz coaxed along the favorite approaching the turn with Lady Firefoot being asked for her best from second, but Storm Miami was still in-hand through the mile in 1:42.54.
No Show Sammy Jo awaited her cue heading into the stretch, and accelerated impressively when Ruiz shook his reins, sweeping past Lady Firefoot and Unreasonable to set her sights on the stubborn pacesetter. Kiamba attempted a bid from last, and Storm Miami dug in gamely, but No Show Sammy Jo proved superior in the final sixteenth and edged clear to win in a final time of 2:19.67.
Storm Miami held second by 1 3/4 lengths over Kiamba with Unreasonable and Lady Firefoot completing the order of finish. Dona Clota, who is entered in Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Modesty today, and main track-only entrant Bernietakescharge were scratched.
Wilson praised the ride from Ruiz, who has now been aboard for eight of the mare's 16 starts, and each of her last six.
"Our biggest concern is there was no speed in there," Wilson said. "He kept her in the race - she came out of the gate and kind of dropped back a little bit - but he got her into it. I thought Jorge gave her a nice ride and she did the rest."
Wilson added No Show Sammy Jo could come under consideration for the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1, $750,000 New York next on June 5 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
"That would make a lot of sense," he said. "It's a step up in class but this was a legit race, and I think she would love to go up and run in Saratoga, so hopefully we get the chance to do it."
Bred in Great Britain by Fittocks Stud and St Albans Bloodstock, No Show Sammy Jo was purchased for $214,611 from Book 1 of the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and is out of the Exceed and Excel mare Shomaria. Her second dam is Group 3-winner Shemima and her third dam is Group 1-winner Shemaka. No Show Sammy Jo banked $96,250 in victory and improved her record to 16-7-4-0 while returning $3.04 on a $2 win ticket.
Carrasco, aboard the Amelia Green-trained Storm Miami, said his trip went according to plan as the 5-year-old Blue Point mare entered from a pair of off-the-board stakes efforts going one mile on Tapeta and turf.
"First, I want to say thank you to the connections," Carrasco said. "The instructions today were very simple: she is coming from one-mile and has shown good speed out of the gate in the past, so 'Plan A' was to slow it down as much as I possibly could. I feel like I did. She was going very well to the wire. We turned for home, I got after her, she gave a nice kick, but the winner is a very nice filly."
Live racing resumes Saturday at Aqueduct with an 11-race card, featuring the Grade 3, $175,000 Fort Marcy in Race 4 and the Listed $150,000 Elusive Quality in Race 8. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern. The facility is open to the public from 10 a.m. - 8:45 p.m. to accommodate an 11 a.m. first post at Churchill Downs for their 14-race card that features the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby in Race 12 at 6:57 p.m.
America's Day at the Races presents live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
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