OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As is the case with most young horses, regardless of gender or surface, the inclination is to try and find out how far they can run.
The connections of Love Cervere seem to have found that their 3-year-old filly would prefer going shorter than longer.
Turned back to a sprint after two defeats going two turns, Love Cervere rallied from last of nine at the three-sixteenths pole to win the inaugural $150,000 Take the A Train Stakes by a neck at Aqueduct on Saturday. Love Cervere, who rallied down the middle of the track under Joel Rosario, outfinished a rail-rallying Hey Bertie, who was a half-length in front of Disco Star. It was a nose back to Annascaul, who was a nose better than Warming.
Marvelous Madison, Gata Brazil, Wisconsin Gal and favored Lovely Emma completed the order of finish.
Love Cervere won her debut sprinting here last November. She ran a close second, with trouble, going a mile in the Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream on Jan. 4. She was a no-excuse fifth in the Sanibel Island going 7 1/2 furlongs, a two-turn race, at Gulfstream on March 29.
“We tried to stretch her a little too far in the last starts, but you have to try it, if you think there’s a chance they can get a mile,” said Miguel Clement, assistant trainer to his father Christophe. “She lost going [a mile] at Gulfstream in a very unlucky manner. We were puzzled and disappointed by her last start; just keep it simple bring her back to sprinting and she validated it today.”
Under Rosario, Love Cervere was next to last early on while Gata Brazil set fractions of 22.97 seconds and a half-mile in 46.40 stalked by Annascaul, an uncoupled entrymate of Love Cervere. Love Cervere was last around the far turn and still last at the three-sixteenths pole when she kicked in hard and rallied by the whole field, including the inside-rallying Hey Bertie.
Rosario, who earlier on Saturday’s card teamed with Clement to win the Grade 2 Man o’ War with Far Bridge, said he wasn’t sure he was going to get there on Love Cervere.
“Hopefully, it wasn’t too much to do, but she ended up back there, it looked like the pace was good,” Rosario said. “I didn’t know she was going to win the race, but she was going to come running and she did.”
Love Cervere, a daughter of Into Mischief owned by Edward Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, covered the six furlongs over good ground in 1:10.25 and returned $12.
“I was a little worried she was given too much to do, maybe the ground’s a bit on the good side, that’s what probably made Annascaul pay for it late and the stablemate was able to come and run them down late,” Miguel Clement said. “She’s talented, she’s 2 for 2 sprinting.”
And sprinting is where she’ll likely stay. Love Cervere - as well as recent Gulfstream allowance winner Make Haste - will point to the Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga on June 8.
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