News and STORIES

Holiday Disguise Looking for Another Stakes Win in Union Avenue

Author: Don Mckee
Published: Wednesday August 14, 2019

Holiday Disguise will be looking for her third stakes win of 2019 in the $100,000 Union Avenue at Saratoga Race Course on Thursday. She will be running among an eight-horse field that will feature plenty of speed.

Trained by Linda Rice, Holiday Disguise is coming off a win in the Dancin Renee on June 15 at Belmont Park. Before that, she finished in fifth place twice against graded stakes company. Her 2019 debut was a win in the Broadway at Aqueduct by 4 1/4 lengths. The Union Avenue will be a 6 1/2-furlong main track event for fillies and mares.

In 2018, Holiday Disguise also won a grades stakes race in the Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct Racetrack. She is a six-time stakes winner.

Holiday Disguise was bred in New York by Dr. William B. Wilmot and Dr. Joan M. Taylor, and she is out of the Yes It’s True broodmare Thin Disguise. Midnight Disguise, a three-time stakes winner, also came from there and is trained by Rice.

“She’s trained well, and we’re excited about running her. She’s very consistent,” Rice said. “They are very different. Midnight Disguise is very tall and large, and she’s very kind and gentle. Holiday Disguise, on the other hand, is smaller, average size and very tough and feisty.”

Holiday Disguise will be breaking from the inside post with jockey Jose Lezcano.

Flat Calm

Flat Calm, also trained by Rice, will be looking to take the race. It will be her first start since Aqueduct on New Year’s Day, an allowance victory.

She was the one-length winner of an allowance race over an Aqueduct main track. The Union Avenue will be the Tic Stables horse’s stakes debut.

“We gave her some time off, and she’s come back well,” Rice said. “I thought we could get her some black type. It’s a bit aggressive, but we’re giving it a try.”

Flat Calm was purchased from the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling Sale in 2016 for a price tag of $62,500. She is bred by L. Ferrari & D. Brendemuehl and out of Tiznow broodmare Tizgone.

She will be breaking from post 9 with jockey Luis Saez.

Trainer Servis’ Bonita Bianca and Fair Regis

Bonita Bianca and Fair Regis will be running for trainer Jason Servis. They are owned by NYRA-leading owner Michael Dubb.

Bonita Bianca is the daughter of Curlin, who is out of Grade 1 winner Friendly Michelle. She was the winner of last year’s running of the Union Avenue. This would be her first victory since the Empire Distaff at Belmont Park in October. In that race, she finished six lengths ahead of the next horse. In her last race, Bonita Bianca lost by 8 1/2 lengths to Kathryn the Wise in the Critical Eye at Belmont Park.

Bonita Bianca was bred by Dormellito Stud and is owned by Dubb with Bethlehem Stables and Michael Imperio. She will break from post 2 with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Fair Regis will be breaking from post 5 under jockey Kendrick Carmouche as an eight-time winner. If she were to win, it would be her third time in the winner’s circle in 2019.

She was claimed by Servis two starts back and ran against open company on July 24 at Saratoga, where she finished second. Fair Regis is the daughter of Bustin Stones.

The rest of the field includes Baby Boss (post 3, Jose Ortiz), Pauseforthecause (post 4, Joel Rosario), Carrera Cat (post 6, Rajiv Maragh), and Shooting Star (post 8, Manny Franco).

The Union Avenue is set to be the eighth race on Thursday’s nine-race card. The first post is at 1 p.m. ET.