Ashleyluvssugar Gives Team Another Shot

So says his former partner, Mike Mellen, whose Bran Jam Racing Stable has carried on with the partnership successfully since Alesia’s death in February of 2011, along with Alesia’s widow, Sharon, and Joe Ciaglia.

“He’d be very excited about ‘Sugar,’ obviously,” said the 77-year-old Mellen, who runs a retail tire business in New England. “And the thing about being in the race he’d be most be excited about is that he’s a California homebred. You just don’t see that happen at this level. I’ll tell you, though, he was a big, big Cubs fan, and I know he’d be really enjoying that, too.”

Ashleyluvssugar is by Game Plan, out of the Urgent Request mare Ashley’s Folly, was bred by owners Alesia, BranJam Stables and Ciaglia Racing and is trained by Peter Eurton. He has eight wins in 17 starts, earnings of $847,504 and is coming off a win in the Oct. 2 John Henry Turf Championship. He drew the 5-hole in the field of 13.

Another Cal-bred entered in the race is Ralis, who drew in as an also-eligible and got the rail. He is by Square Eddie, out of the Ten Most Wanted mare Silar Rules, was bred by owner Reddam Racing and is trained by Doug O’Neill. He has two wins in 15 starts, earnings of $424,428 and is coming off a sixth in the Oct. 2 John Henry Turf Championship.

Alesia formed the Ashleyluvssugar racing partnership in 1996 with Mellen and another partner who was replaced after a few years by Ciaglia. They haven’t bred many horses, but they scored with Ashleyluvssugar.

A 5-year-old gelding by Game Plan out of the partnership’s broodmare, Ashley’s Folly, by Urgent Request, Ashleyluvssugar is the third Breeders’ Cup starter for the group. The others were two-time grade I winner Weemissfrankie, who finished third in the 2011 Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), and Dance With Fate, eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) two years later and eventual winner of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) in 2014.

Their Breeders’ Cup entrant this year gained an automatic berth with a thrilling nose victory over Metaboss in the Del Mar Handicap Presented by The Japan Racing Association (gr. IIT) Aug. 20. That was followed by another grade II win for Ashleyluvssugar in the John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita Oct. 2. But the Del Mar win made the Breeders’ Cup possible.

LEWYN: Ashleyluvssugar Holds Tough in Del Mar ‘Cap

“I don’t know if we would have had to pay whether we would have done it,” Mellen said of entering Ashleyluvssugar. “It would have been a close call.”

Ashelyluvssugar is named for Mellen’s third grandchild, Ashley Capece, now 16, and her dog, a much-loved golden retriever. Mellen’s racing stable name, Bran Jam, is short for his first two grandchildren, Brandon and Jamie. All plan to be in attendance with the rest of Mellen’s family Saturday. The group includes Mellen’s daughter, Dawn, who is president of the horse retirement non-profit After the Finish Line, which tries to find second careers for ex-runners.

Through their wives, Mellen and Alesia met in Southern California in 1995 and Alesia convinced him to team up in the racing game a year later. Mellen, who lives most of the year in Connecticut and also owns a home in Rancho Santa Fe near Del Mar, said he wasn’t a fan of Thoroughbreds beforehand but had followed harness racing in his native New York. Alesia’s knowledge of racing—his father had owned horses in Chicago trained by Steve Ippolito—and his enthusiasm won Mellen over. 

Alesia had moved to Southern California for his acting and directing career. He performed parts in some of the 1960s beach movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and on such TV shows as “Laverne & Shirley,” “Gomer Pyle,” and “That Girl.”

The new partners claimed a horse at Del Mar that won his first start for them “and things kind of took off from there,” said Mellen. With Ciaglia soon joining, they eventually moved up into the lower stakes ranks with some of their most successful claimers trained by Peter Eurton.

Unfortunately, the partnership’s first major success came after Alesia’s death with a 2-year-old filly Ciaglia bought at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s 2011 spring sale for $175,000. They named her Weemissfrankie in honor of Alesia.

“Frank would not have approved,” Mellen said. “He would never have wanted to spend that much money.”

It worked out well, however. Weemissfrankie won her first three starts, including the Del Mar Debutante and Oak Leaf stakes (both gr. I), before losing to My Miss Aurelia in the Juvenile Fillies. She raced just once more before she was retired with earnings of $559,920, and was sold to Japanese interests for seven figures.

As for Ashleyluvssugar, who is 15-1 on the morning line in the Turf, Mellen concedes, “It’s going to be really tough.” 

But he notes a couple of factors in the bay’s favor, starting with a four-for-six record on the Santa Anita lawn, including a pair of victories last year at the 1 1/2-mile distance—the San Luis Rey and Charles Whittingham stakes (both gr. IIT). Gary Stevens is Ashleyluvssugar’s regular rider.

“We have a little home-court advantage,” Mellen said of Ashleyluvssugar, who drew post 5 in an original field of 13.

“Peter (Eurton) says, ‘Sugar’ is in the best shape he’s ever been in,” he added. “He missed most of last year after shipping to Monmouth for the United Nations (gr. IT). He didn’t ship well and he didn’t run well (finishing sixth). And he came back body sore and with some leg soreness. But we gave him lots of time to come back.”

With his return, a new running style also emerged for Ashleyluvssugar. Previously a horse that liked to rate from mid-pack, he opened up an eight-length lead in the Del Mar Handicap, then held on gamely as Metaboss came with a stirring close.

Given the tightness of the turns on the Santa Anita turf course and little speed in the field, Mellen expects a similar approach Saturday.

“I think we’ll be forwardly placed. I don’t think there’s any other option,” Mellen said of the Turf. “It’s not going to be an easy trip for anyone. I want to be able to hear my horse’s name called at the top of the stretch and maybe if the closers have some problems, we can hang on. But we’ve got a Hall of Fame jockey, so what am I going to tell the guy?”

Ashleyluvssugar, foaled shortly before Alesia’s death, broke his maiden at first asking at odds of 40-1 at Del Mar in August of 2013. In spite of his soreness issues, he has come a long way since, winning eight of 17 lifetime starts with earnings of $847,504.

“He wasn’t much of a work horse to start,” Mellen said. “I remember Peter telling me, ‘This horse can’t spell run.’ But he’s really turned it around.”