David Cassidy on the Web
Angel in Harlem shows versatility in 6F dirt win
October 24, 2004
www.nybreds.com
A turf mile maiden special winner at Belmont in June, David Cassidy's and Edward Lipton's homebred ANGEL IN HARLEM proved her versatility by capturing Belmont's Sunday allowance opener for New York-bred fillies and mares going six furlongs on the main track, winning by a length and a quarter. The four-year-old was no surprise, going off as the 1.85-to-1 favorite among 10 starters in the $43,000 restricted N1X allowance event for female three-year-olds and up, and jockey Cornelio Velasquez, who had ridden her to third-place and second-place efforts at Saratoga and Belmont during September, obviously knew her well. Although 8-to-1 third choice Show Ready sprinted to a two-length lead with a 22.03 opening quarter-mile after ducking out and breaking last from the outside post, Angel in Harlem initially raced within about three lengths of the pacesetter and cut her margin to a length following a 45.20 half-mile. Velasquez's mount rallied three wide approaching the stretch to gain command near the eighth-mile pole and set a 57.57 five-eighths fraction, and in the final furlong she pulled clear under right-handed urging to score in 1:10.89, with 18.30-to-1 eighth choice Too Many Bubbles placing second over Show Ready.
The victory was worth $25,800 in purse money, increasing Angel in Harlem's bankroll to $91,226 and improving her record to 2 - 4 - 1 in nine starts while also qualifying the filly's breeder and co-owner, television and singing star David Cassidy, for an additional $2,580 breeder award. Angel in Harlem campaigns under the care of trainer Gary Contessa, who had given the New York-bred a half-mile "bullet" workout of 48 3/5 (fastest of 11) at Aqueduct a week earlier on October 17 and sent out two New York-bred winners on Belmont's Sunday fall meet closing-day card. The dark bay filly's latest previous outing had been 32 days earlier at Belmont on September 22, when she had placed a strong-closing second -- beaten only a neck -- in a restricted N1X allowance going six furlongs under Velasquez. Angel in Harlem did not race as a two-year-old or three-year-old, making her debut with the first of three consecutive second-place efforts on May 2 of 2004 at Aqueduct.
Angel in Harlem is by graded turf winner General Meeting and is a half-sister to five winners, including the dam of graded winner Crowned Dancer ($210,949 through 2003), being out of stakes winner Princess Caveat ($208,709), by Caveat. Breeder and co-owner Cassidy, who starred in the 1970s television sitcom The Partridge Family and has been active in racing and breeding for decades, had purchased Princess Caveat for $13,902 (in U.S. equivalent funds) at the 1998 Canadian Breeders Sales' September mixed sale at Woodbine. The mare is a half-sister to stakes winners King's Deputy ($247,379) and Misty Magic ($164,643). Princess Caveat's allowance-winning New York-bred daughter, Angel in Harlem, is inbred 4 x 4 to Raise a Native.
