fair hill girl - horse racing · *no edition aug. 11, sept. 1 the saratoga special,...
TRANSCRIPT
Year 16 • No. 2
Mag
gie
Kim
mitt
wMiss Temple City tackles tough Diana
Fair Hill Girl
Saturday, July 23, 2016
aratogaT he
Saratoga’s Daily Newspaper on Thoroughbred Racing
3Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
here&there... at Saratoga
Connie BushJumping for Joy. Opening Day couldn’t come soon enough for this Saratoga fan, who headed to a key spot Friday morning.
HIT PAY DIRTBernardini, Curlin and Tapit with six. Then Street Sense on five. The top sires of G1 winners on dirt since 2013.
Street Sense has the highest percentage of G1 horses among stallions standing
for less than $75,000.STREET SENSEStreet Cry – Bedazzle (Dixieland Band)859-255-8537 www.darleyamerica.com Darley
DAR11013 Saratoga Special Street Sense 23 JULY16.qxp 22/07/2016 15:14 Page 1
NAMES OF THE DAYAfleet Martini, first race. The 4-year-old gelding is by Afleet Alex out of Helluva Hangover.
Piazza Del Campo, second race. Owner/breeder Harvey Clarke’s 2-year-old gelding, on the main-track-only list, is by Gio Ponti out of Cobblestone Way. Piazza in an Italian word for a public square or marketplace.
LICENSE PLATE OF THE DAYWINPHOTO, New York.
T-SHIRT SLOGAN OF THE DAY#No Wedding. #No Babies. #Party On.
BY THE NUMBERS1: Man riding a skateboard, while preparing to sleep on the sidewalk in front of the Union Ave-nue gate at 12:07 Friday morning.
1: German Shepherd watching morning workouts from the front seat of a Pepperidge Farm delivery truck on Union Avenue Friday morning.
1: Tigger stuffed animal holding tight to the bed of a Nissan Frontier parked on the backside Friday morning.
0: Street signs in trainer Joe Parker’s golf cart (he says he’s fixing that).
4 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
here&there... at Saratoga
3YO SP filly TAKREES wins
Saratoga allowance,
boosting her earnings to over
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WORTH REPEATING“Don’t forget the harness track.”
Assistant trainer Riley Mott, who sent out plenty of winners
from that side of Nelson Avenue last year
“He’s got one older than this.”Mott, while wearing
a hand-me-down helmet from his dad
“It’s like walking through Wall Street at lunch time.”
Trainer Brian Lynch, on taking horses to the starting gate at Saratoga
“Even the bad days are good days.”Lynch, on life in general
“What?”Clocker John Nichols to the question,
“Is Tepin the gray one?” Friday morning
“Nothing against you, but I’d rather not see you in the morning.”
The Special’s delivery driver Gary Ryan, who got behind schedule Friday morning
because of a press problem; he normally starts at 3 a.m. and never
sees anyone else on the team.
“Goldwater’s dead. Reagan’s dead. Who else are you going to vote for?”Christophe Clement groom Robert Cutler,
on why he’s voting for Trump
“I’ve got a number for you. 11:05. Time The Special got to the paper box over here.”
Cutler, looking for his Special late Friday morning
“A hundred? I have five hundred, quit complaining.”The Special’s Gabe McGarry to Sean Clancy
as they compared delivery routes Friday morning
“You were good to us last year. Thank you.”Kid Breeden, agent for Kendrick Carmouche, to The Special’s Sean Clancy,
who said he couldn’t write the old ‘new kid on the block’ story this year
Connie BushEasy Riders. Two racing fans test out the new escalator Friday.
Connie BushSun Day. Fans, some who spent the night, wait to enter Saratoga Race Course early Friday morning.
5Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
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6 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
WORTH REPEATING“Aer Lingus will be happy with me.”
Trainer Fozzy Stack, on his plans to come to Saratoga often this summer
“It’s the only thing the wife would get me for Christmas.”Trainer James Bond, about the new hopped-up golf cart he’s driving
“Be happy. Be good. Don’t get caught.”Exercise rider Simon Harris, dispensing advice while eating Cup of Noodles for breakfast
“You can print that if you want.”Trainer Frank Alexander, after dishing out a barb at the Oklahoma rail Friday morning
HANDICAPPING THE HANDICAPPERSYou think picking winners is difficult, try betting on public handicappers. Our prognosticator the Koz chimes in with his picks for our pickers. We love them all and hope for a five-way dead heat, but they’ve all got their strengths. You’d be wise to pay attention.
1. John Shapazian ....................................... 8-5 ..........................................Rallied late, just up2. Gaile Fitzgerald ....................................... 2-1 .............................................Gaile will prevail!3. Chad Summers ....................................... 8-1 ............................................ Big effort last out4. Tom Law ................................................. 8-1 ........................................................Value play5. Charles Bedard ...................................... 12-1 .....................................Top flight handicapper
Selections: 2-3-1. Best Bet: Shapazian to show – bridge jumper!Longshot: Summers might wire the field.
here&there...at Saratoga
The aratogaEditors/PublishersSean Clancy: (302) 545-7713. [email protected]
Joe Clancy: (302) 545-4424. [email protected]
Managing EditorTom Law: (859) 396-9407. [email protected]
Writers/Handicappers: Charles Bedard, Gaile Fitzgerald, Teresa Genaro, Annise Montplaisir, John Shapazian,
Chad Summers, Shayna Tiller, Brandon Valvo.
Photographers: Tod Marks, Dave Harmon, Connie Bush.
Layout/Design: Linzay Marks.
Distribution: Jack Clancy, Gabe McGarry.
112 Spring Street, Suite 205Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
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NAME OF THE DAYCome As You Are, fourth race.
The 4-year-old colt is by Run Away And Hide out of No Dress Code.
800-523-8143
“This is always nerve-wracking.”Trainer Mark Casse, as champion Tepin
prepared to breeze Friday morning
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“That opening day, we ran three horses, we finished third with a cheap horse and lost him, we won the co-feature and the feature, incredible. Willie Lester comes sauntering in, ‘I guess these horses will need a race.’ I said, ‘What? If you don’t let these horses run, I’ll choke you…’ He said, ‘I don’t know how you’re going go have these horses fit enough…’ I said, ‘You let me worry about that.’ He said, ‘OK. OK. OK.’ He came to me one day and said, ‘You never ride me. How come?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ He said, ‘Put me on three horses, if I don’t win on them, I’ll never bother you again the rest of my life.’ He won the first seven I put him on, he beat the best sprinter in America with Decimal.”
– Trainer Allen Jerkens, 1929-2015
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8 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
Trainer Mark Casse hesitated and then said it. “I think we’ve got about eight millionaires in the barn. Wow. That’s something when you think about it.” Then he started counting. “Kaigun, Dynamic Sky, Lexie Lou, Za Approval – they’re in Canada. And here we’ve got Tepin, Catch A Glimpse and . . . well, maybe there’s only six. I think there’s one more though. That’s going to bother me.”
Not really. He’s not bothered in the least by the quality in his barn and his point is well made. Things are rolling for Casse Racing. Classy horses pop out of pretty much every corner of shedrows in New York, Canada, Ken-tucky and Florida.
Casse is fourth on the national earnings list behind Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen and Chad Brown with $8.25 million. Champion Tepin rides a seven-race winning streak dating back to two narrow losses here last summer, and is a legitimate Horse of the Year candidate. Nearly a millionaire, World Approval has also blossomed, winning a Grade 1 last out at Monmouth Park. Anoth-er nearing seven figures, Noble Bird
took the Pimlico Special in May and could show up in the Whitney off a half-mile move in :47.66 Friday.
The trainer has 30 stalls in his barn near the three-eighths pole of the main track, and – though he won’t set concrete goals – hopes to better last year’s three wins at the meet.
“Last year was a weird year,” he said. “We didn’t win a lot of races, but we lost three or four stakes by inche. That can happen here. Some-times those inches come back and go your way. We’re not complaining. I would just love to go out as healthy as we are now. Our horses are good right now. I wouldn’t set any goals. I don’t expect to be the leading trainer. We don’t have the numbers for that.”
The Saratoga string will be a mix of stakes horses, 2-year-olds and oth-ers rotating in and out depending on the condition book and the entry box-es at Saratoga, Woodbine and other spots.
Pausing to reflect on Tepin, World Approval and some of the other stars, Casse went through a few names in the barn with The Special’s Joe Clan-cy Friday morning.
Tepin: After losing two photo finishes here last year, she’s done nothing but win on the world’s biggest stages including Royal Ascot last month. She’s aiming for the Fourstardave against males Aug. 13 and worked an easy half-mile on the turf in :50.42 Friday morning for jockey Ju-lien Leparoux. “Well, she breezed great. She’ll have a little better, stronger work next week. I’m looking at the timing and if we ran in the Ballston Spa (Aug. 27) it would only give us three weeks (to the Woodbine Mile). If we went just to the Woodbine Mile, you’re talking about three months between races. She likes to run. I go by the Allen Jerkens thing – if they’re good, run them. We don’t train her that hard. The Fourstardave gives us five weeks to the Woodbine Mile and then we can decide whether we want to go right to the Breeders’ Cup or we might put anoth-er race into her at Keeneland.”
World Approval: The 4-year-old won the United Nations at Monmouth July 3 and worked a half-mile in :48.72 Friday for jockey Florent Geroux. The Arlington Million or the Sword Dancer are on his card. “They’re worried about how far he’ll go, but Florent got off him today and said he’s like driving a car on cruise control. You push the button and he takes off.”
Conquest Big E: He’s only 3, but Casse called him a “blast from the past” after briefly trying the Kentucky Derby trail. The son of Tapit also worked Friday. “He’s doing really good right now. That’s him, the gray horse sticking his head out. We sent him home for a couple months
with Mark Casse
Every day at Saratoga, The Special presents an exclusive Stable Tour with
a Saratoga trainer. For more, see: thisishorseracing.com/stabletours and he seems like he’s doing a lot bet-
ter. I don’t know (where he’ll run). We’ve breezed him on the grass and he worked well. He could show up on the grass.”
Noble Bird. His good race/bad race streak stands at four after a second in the Ben Ali, an eighth in the Alysheba, a win in the Pimlico Special and a sixth in the Met Mile. If that pattern holds, the $790,000 earner might be sitting on a big effort. “He probably worked as good as I’ve ever seen him work this morning (a half-mile in :47.66 on the main track) so if I get the OK from Mr. (John) Oxley we’ll take a look at the Whitney.”
Mighty Souper: Yet to run in 2016, the 4-year-old daughter of War Front broke her maiden last May and placed in two stakes before the year was out. “If she can stay healthy, I think she’s going to be one of the better turf fillies later on. We gave her some time off over the win-ter and she’ll be ready to run the second week or so here.”
La Coronel, Conquest Bad Girl: Casse put them together because they’re coming to Saratoga – along with several other 2-year-olds – after making their de-buts. “We have five or six or seven horses that have run well their first starts differ-ent places and we’re bringing them here. We’re always trying to win, but our goal is not to win first time out. I like to see our horses get better and better. La Coronel (fifth Friday) is one and we breezed Con-quest Bad Girl today. She got left and ran third first time at Calder. We have a bunch of those kinds of horses, 2-year-olds, that are coming in for their second and third starts and could do well.”
Sean ClancyTrainer Mark Casse’s barn at Saratoga includes the world-class Tepin and other stars.
9Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
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Enstone: Co-owned by Casse’s wife Tina, the 2-year-old daughter of Tiznow placed in two starts at Woodbine and is en-tered in Sunday’s second race. “I entered her in Toronto and she didn’t get in so she’s on her way. She’s running here. You’re go-ing to see some of that with our horses.”
Catch A Glimpse: Unbeaten in five starts this year, the 3-year-old filly’s only career loss in nine starts came in her debut here last summer. Off a win in the Belmont Oaks July 4, she aims for the Lake Placid Aug. 21. “One thing about Tepin that I’m really proud of is she didn’t start out as a great horse, she’s become one. Catch A Glimpse started out pretty good and she’s gotten better and better. I’m pretty proud of that. It’s nice to see.
Conquest Enforcer: Like Catch A Glimpse, he lost his first start but has done nothing but win in three since – all in Can-ada. The Ontario-bred 4-year-old may stay north of the border, but vans go to Sarato-ga all the time. “We have a horse a lot of people haven’t heard about yet that I think is a superstar. People in Canada have heard of him. He’s 3-for-4. I’m hoping – we’re still a long ways away but – he could be the male version of Tepin though he’s more a seven-eighths or a mile horse.”
With a stable this deep, winners could come from anywhere so Casse thought hard on the last question of the interview . . . and delivered a final answer, “Who is a horse that nobody’s ever heard of? A 2-year-old? . . . Black Canary.”
Who knows? She might be a future millionaire.
Stable Tour – Continued from page 8
Linzay MarksTepin returns from her work Friday.
10 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
BY ANNISE MONTPLAISIRThere’s an elephant in the room, and her name
is Tepin.Last year’s champion turf female and Breeders’
Cup Mile winner is absent from the entries for today’s Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and that’s likely causing trainers to breathe a sigh of relief. Seven of the 10 fillies and mares entered in the $500,000 stakes have unsuccessfully gone head-to-head with the dark bay powerhouse on at least one occasion. Tepin, the winner of seven straight and dominant in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes last month at Royal Ascot, is in training at Annise Montplaisir
Dacita gallops on the main track this week.
All But OneTop turf distaffers, minus Tepin, tangle in meet’s first Grade 1
DIANA STAKES PREVIEW
Continued On Page 12
11Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
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Saratoga but her connections opted to bypass the Diana.
She’s out of sight, but definitely not out of mind. “With the exception of Tepin it’s got every strong
filly there is on the East Coast,” said Todd Pletcher, who saddles multiple graded stakes winners Isabel-la Sings and Sandiva in the Diana.
Pletcher isn’t the only trainer trying to avoid Tepin in the Diana, the first of 18 Grade 1 stakes at the meet.
Graham Motion did it earlier this year with Miss Temple City, running her in the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile April 15 at Keeneland against males to avoid Tepin in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley the next day. Miss Temple City won the Maker’s and also ran at Roy-al Ascot, finishing fourth in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes the day after Tepin’s victory.
“(She) had everything to do with it, I mean that was the reason we did it,” Motion said of Miss Temple City running against males at Keeneland. “I just didn’t fancy running against Tepin, and I really didn’t do it until the last minute. I’d always planned on running in the Jenny Wiley, and as it got closer to the time I started thinking, ‘I’m just not sure that I want to run against this mare who’s already beat-en the boys.’ I thought perhaps the Maker’s Mile was the best of the two evils. And she got a break
with the weight, running in there against the boys, and it was a mile, which I thought was a really good comeback distance. So it just kind of added up. I entered both races, but that ended up being what made the most sense.”
Miss Temple City, the 3-1 favorite for the Diana, won the Maker’s Mile by 1 1/4 lengths over Heart
To Heart to set up the Royal Ascot try. Her race there was credible, just 3 1/4 lengths behind the winner while carrying 131 pounds.
“I thought she ran very respectfully,” Motion said. “I also think I underestimated how much of
Diana – Continued from page 10
Maggie KimmittMiss Temple City (left) works with Ring Weekend at Fair Hill last week.
Continued On Page 14
13Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
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an effect the weight was going to have on her. You know when she ran at Keeneland, she carried 113 pounds against the boys. And when we went to England she carried 131 pounds, so it was a huge weight shift. And she picked up a five-pound pen-alty for winning the Group 1 at Keeneland, which, you know for us in this country, I don’t think five pounds we’re quite used to it.
“We run on firm, flat turf courses, so I don’t think it makes that much of a difference. But over
there, you know running on soft ground, up and downhill, it makes a big difference, and I think they said no horse had won that race in 18 years or something carrying what they call a penalty. I underestimated that. And when he came back to me after the race, (jockey) Ryan Moore, he said ‘you know I think without the extra weight we hit the board.’ I thought she ran very courageously, she wouldn’t have beaten the winner I don’t think. But I thought it was a very good effort.”
Dacita is the Diana’s sole runner with a win over Tepin, in last year’s Grade 2 Ballston Spa, by a head in the Chilean-bred’s U.S. debut.
Dacita’s next start against Tepin came in the Jen-ny Wiley, where she was fourth and 7 1/4 lengths
back. A multiple Group 1 stakes winner in her home country, Dacita won the Grade 2 New York Stakes June 10 at Belmont in her last start. She and Chad Brown-trained stablemate Mrs McDougal own Saratoga wins.
“They both have that key race over the course, which should help them,” said Brown. “Dacita’s coming off a nice win in the New York Stakes, so she’s rounded back into form nicely, so she’s coming into this race in good form. Mrs McDougal kicked her season off as a 4-year-old with a nice win at Aqueduct, and then the Just A Game, she really didn’t get a good trip in there. She ran quite well to
Diana – Continued from page 12
Continued On Page 16
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be third; maybe she could have been second with a cleaner trip. The mile might be a little short for her. She’ll appreciate the added distance here.”
Brown entered two others – Grade 1 Gamely runner-up Wekeela and Rainha Da Bateria, 3 1/2 lengths be-hind Tepin two starts back when sec-ond in the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes. She comes into the race off of a seventh in the June 11 Just A Game.
“(Wekeela)’s run twice for us, sec-ond in two Grade 1s, she’s run well,” Brown said. “This filly’s coming into the race in good shape, she’s training well. We’ve been pointing to this race for a while. She drew a good post, I expect her to run well. Rainha Da Bateria, her first start for us unfortu-nately she ran into Tepin at Churchill and ran a really good second to her. Her first start for us, her first start with blinkers. And then she really got a wide trip in the Just A Game. In hindsight it really wasn’t the right setup for her, running basically a one-turn mile grass race, too short for her. I’m excited to get her back around two turns and see how she does.”
Recepta did well when she raced at Saratoga last summer, winning the De La Rose for the second stakes win of her 4-year-old campaign to land a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.
The 5-year-old Speightstown mare finished 12th in the Mile, 14 1/4 lengths behind Tepin, but bounced back with a second in the Grade 1 Matriarch to end the season. Trained by Jimmy Toner, a three-time winner of the Diana, Recepta comes into this year’s renewal with an improving form cycle with a fifth in the Jenny Wiley, third in the Grade 3 Beaugay after clipping heels and nearly going down and a runner-up to the brilliant Celestine in the Just A Game.
Toner opted to skip a breeze with Recepta at Belmont before shipping her upstate and took a cautious ap-proach to her final training before the Diana. Accompanied by assistant Tif-fany Webb on the barn’s new pony,
Wabbajack, Recepta went to the track Thursday just after 9:30 and was in no rush to get going with an easy jog once around on a cool morning be-fore the heat moved in Friday.
“She could stand all day,” Toner said, watching from his usual spot near the 5-furlong pole.
“It was just so hot and humid down there, I didn’t breeze her last week, just wanted to get her into this race happy and as fresh as we can get her,” Toner said. “She’s doing really good. It’s cooler up here, she’s hap-py, but training down there and the difference in tracks, I just said, ‘you know what, I don’t need to breeze her.’ She’s fit and ready.”
Like some other members of the field, a Grade 1 is about the only thing missing on Recepta’s resume. Toner and John Phillips, who races her in the name of his Phillips Racing Part-nership with Pam Gartin, considered taking the mare out to California a second time for last weekend’s Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon before deciding to stay closer to home.
“We thought about going out there last week,” Toner said. “It’s one thing to go out in the fall, it’s your last race of the year, and the weather is compa-rable. I felt going out in the middle of the summer might have been a chance of whacking her out. Paper wise she looked good. I was concerned about the shipping and the heat and if she didn’t take it, we’ve got like three or four more races picked out for her. I didn’t want to take a chance of miss-ing those races.”
The Diana field, in addition to Re-cepta, Brown’s quartet and Pletcher’s duo, includes Beaugay winner Strike Charmer for trainer Mark Hennig and last year’s Grade 3 Common-wealth Oaks winner Onus for Shug McGaughey.
All but Miss Temple City are seek-ing that first Grade 1 win and without Tepin the opportunity is now.
“It’s a really tough race to win,” Motion said about the Diana. “It’s one of those Saratoga, New York rac-es that has great history to it. It’s a really good race, no doubt about it, it’s the best fillies around.”
Almost all of them.
Additional reporting by Tom Law.
Diana – Continued from page 14
thisishorseracing.com
18 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
BY TOM LAWA juvenile maiden race late in the Churchill
Downs spring/summer meeting frequently packs a punch. Horsemen look to get a win for a decent purse before the Kentucky circuit shifts to Ellis Park for the summer and, if they’ve got the stock to send a string north, to set up a possible run at graded stakes company at Saratoga with sufficient space between races.
When Eddie Kenneally saw the overnight for the third race at Churchill June 30, the last open maid-en special weight on the third-to-last day at the Linzay Marks
Bitumen eyes the competition, or maybe somebody’s arm, in today’s Sanford.
Key RaceKenneally hopes experience in tough maiden helps Bitumen
SANFORD STAKES PREVIEW
Continued On Page 20
LadiesManaging Partners: Laurie Wolf | Barbara Lucarelli
Contact: Donna Barton Brothers | [email protected] | 502.645.2232
www.StarLadiesRacing.com
Ladies' Day!
Small Racing Partnerships Fillies Owned & Managed by Women
Every Day is
20 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
POCAHONTAS (GII)2016 “Win and You’re In Juvenile Fillies Division”
2017 Kentucky Oaks Points Race
Runs Sat., Sept. 17$200,000Fillies, Two Years Old
Closes Sept. 3($200 nomination fee)1 1/16 Miles
IROQUOIS (GIII)2016 “Win and You’re In Juvenile Division”
2017 Kentucky Derby Points Race
Runs Sat., Sept. 17$150,000Two Year Olds
Closes Sept. 3($150 nomination fee)1 1/16 Miles
LOCUST GROVE (GIII)
Runs Sat., Sept. 17$100,000Fillies & Mares, Three Years Old & Up
Closes Sept. 3($100 nomination fee)1 1/16 Miles
OPEN MIND
Runs Sat., Sept. 17$100,000Fillies & Mares, Three Years Old & Up
Closes Sept. 3($100 nomination fee)6 Furlongs
DOGWOOD (Listed)
Runs Sat., Sept. 24$100,000Fillies, Three Years Old
Closes Sept. 10($100 nomination fee)7 Furlongs
ACK ACK (GIII)
Runs Sat., Oct. 1$100,000Three Year Olds & Up
Closes Sept. 17($100 nomination fee)1 Mile
LUKAS CLASSIC (Listed)
Runs Sat., Oct. 1$175,000Three Year Olds & Up
Closes Sept. 17($175 nomination fee) 1 1/8 Mile
JEFFERSON CUP (Listed)
Runs Sat., Oct. 1$100,000Three Year Olds
Closes Sept. 17($100 nomination fee) 1 1/8 Miles Turf
2016 September Meet Stakes ScheduleSeptember 16 - October 2
Ben Huffman Racing Secretary: 502.638.3820 • [email protected] Bork Stakes Coordinator: 502.638.3806 • [email protected]: 502.636.4479
meet, he knew his two entries would need to run big to compete. Bitumen, who ran uncoupled with stablemate Bourbon Country, did just that and takes the next step up the ladder in today’s $150,000 Sanford Stakes
“It was a fast race in a loaded maiden race at Churchill,” Kenneal-ly said of Bitumen’s 6 3/4-length win going 6 furlongs in 1:09.49. “The last of the 2-year-old maidens every spring meet are always tough races. He went quick and did it the right way.”
Kenneally’s assertion of the race’s quality looks legitimate, at least on paper. The beaten favorite for the race, the Dale Romans-trained Gi-ant’s Causeway colt Not This Time, is a half-brother to last year’s Wood-ward and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam’s Map. Not This Time finished fifth.
The runner-up, the Bernardini colt Casses Story trained by Mark Casse, cost Live Oak Plantation $250,000 this year, while third-place finisher Oxford Lane was a $125,000 yearling last year for Ken McPeek. Kenneally’s Bourbon Country cost $145,000 at a 2-year-old sale this year and Lipan, who finished sixth, cost $205,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale.
How the experience against that group translates to how well Bitumen will fare in the Sanford – against just four opponents – will play out when the co-feature of the first Saturday of the 2016 meeting unfolds as the day’s third race at 2:07 p.m.
Kenneally, who picked Bitumen out of the OBS March sale with bloodstock agent Barry Berkelham-mer and purchased the colt on behalf of longtime client Joseph Sutton for $280,000, is anxious to find out.
“He had a work over the track, seemed to like it,” Kenneally said Friday morning as Bitumen poked his head out of his stall and played with a groom. “You don’t know how they’re going to like this track, some love it, but you don’t know until you actually have to run over it before you know for sure. But the work was good, he did it in hand. Talented horse.”
Trainer Rick Violette also helped
one of his most dedicated patrons, Ralph Evans, pick out and buy two horses at the OBS March 2-year-olds in training sale. Both won first time out and made it to graded stakes company the first two days of the Saratoga meet – Olive Branch in Fri-day’s Grade 3 Schuylerville and Ran-dom Walk in the Sanford.
The more expensive of the two, Random Walk cost $300,000, and is the 7-5 favorite on the morning line for the Sanford. He won his debut June 3, taking a 5 1/2-furlong maid-en by 5 3/4 lengths under Jose Ortiz, who gets the return call in the San-ford.
“I bought him a bunch of ordinary ones the year before that so we’re making up for it,” Violette joked Thursday morning while he watched training from the backstretch. “Se-riously though, we bought two and these are the two. Pretty cool.”
Random Walk, a son of Super Saver out of the stakes-winning sprinter Lunargal, gave Violette and his team a bit of a surprise when he won as easily as he did on debut. He’d worked in company with Olive Branch and never got the better of his female counterpart.
“He’s not necessarily that impres-sive in the morning,” Violette said of the colt who breezed a quarter-mile in :20.60 before the OBS sale. “He’s never beat her. When they worked to-gether they were always heads apart but she did it on the bridle.”
Todd Pletcher won last year’s San-ford with Uncle Vinny after Magna Light was disqualified for bumping third-place finisher Percolator in the stretch. The trainer won it five other times from 1999 to 2011 and sends out Bronson for Mathis Stable.
A $350,000 buy at last year’s Keeneland September yearling sale, Bronson won his debut at Monmouth Park June 18. He came from just off the pace to win by 1 3/4 lengths at 4-5. Pletcher said this week that Bronson was a bit of a surprise, being a Medaglia d’Oro out of a multiple graded stakes winner on the grass, but still feels there’s “room for im-provement.”
Zartera, a colt from the first crop of Tapizar trained by Steve Asmus-sen, and Bay Numbers, a winner in the slop two weeks ago at Mon-mouth for Eddie Plesa Jr., complete the short field.
Sanford – Continued from page 18
21Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
Breeders’ Cup Package Raffle
On sale all summer!Sponsored by Xpressbet
Win a trip for two for Breeders’ Cup
weekend (Thursday, November 3rd through Sunday, November 6th)
at Santa Anita Park in California! Enjoy
airfare for two, a three-night stay in Pasadena,
two days at the races with hospitality, a $500
betting voucher and $500 spending money
for both Friday and Saturday.
Tickets are $100 (cash-only) and may be purchased at the
Museum Front Desk.
You will also receive free admission to the Museum
with the purchase of a raffle ticket.
The drawing will be held on September 8th at noon.
22 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
Saturday, July 23.1ST (1:00PM). $42,000, CLM $25,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 6 1/2FExacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Pic 5, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............Zamjara .......................... J. Velazquez ..................... T. Pletcher .................... 8-52 ..... 2 ............Dr Luber’s Kiss ............... E. Cancel .......................... J. Ferraro .................... 15-13 ..... 3 ............Money Changer .............. J. Castellano .................... T. Pletcher .................... 5-24 ..... 4 ............Benny and Alex .............. L. Saez ............................. C. Englehart ................ 20-15 ..... 5 ............Battle Midway ................ J. Rosario ........................ N. Zito ........................ 12-16 ..... 6 ............Roman Revival ............... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ J. Toscano, Jr. .............. 5-17 ..... 7 ............Afleet Martini .................. M. Franco ........................ J. Servis ....................... 7-2
2ND (1:33PM). $83,000, MSW, 2 YO, 1 1/16M (INNER TURF)Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Pic 4, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............Master Merion ................ J. Ortiz ............................. W. Ward ....................... 9-52 ..... 2 ............Conquest Sure Shot ....... J. Lezcano ....................... M. Casse ...................... 9-23 ..... 3 ............Lucky Lou Pal ................ I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ C. Englehart ................ 30-14 ..... 4 ............Unbridled Eagle .............. L. Saez ............................. D. Lukas ..................... 30-15 ..... 5 ............Oscar Performance ........ J. Rosario ........................ B. Lynch ....................... 6-16 ..... 6 ............One of a Kind ................. J. Castellano .................... E. Kenneally .................. 8-17 ..... 7 ............Our Stormin Norman ..... J. Leparoux ...................... M. Casse ...................... 5-18 ..... 8 ............Keynesian ....................... M. Franco ........................ C. Clement.................... 8-19 ..... MTO ......Kahramani ...................... J. Velazquez ..................... T. Pletcher .................... 3-110..... 10 ..........It’s Your Nickel ............... R. Santana, Jr. ................. K. McPeek .................. 15-111..... 11 ..........Piazza Del Campo ........... J. Alvarado ...................... W. Mott ...................... 20-112..... 12 ..........Sahara Storm ................. M. Luzzi ........................... J. Desormeaux ........... 20-113..... MTO ......Red Again ...................... J. Alvarado ...................... W. Mott ........................ 5-114..... MTO ......Everybodyluvsrudy ........ . ...................................... R. Rodriguez ................ 7-2
3RD (2:07PM). $150,000, STK - THE SANFORD, 2 YO, 6FExacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............Zartera ........................... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ S. Asmussen ................ 9-22 ..... 2 ............Random Walk................. J. Ortiz ............................. R. Violette, Jr. ............... 7-53 ..... 3 ............Bay Numbers ................. P. Lopez ........................... E. Plesa, Jr. ................ 10-14 ..... 4 ............Bronson ......................... J. Velazquez ..................... T. Pletcher .................... 5-15 ..... 5 ............Bitumen ......................... J. Castellano .................... E. Kenneally .................. 8-5
4TH (2:41PM). $45,000, MCL $40,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 6FExacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............Condominium ................ R. Santana, Jr. ................. D. Lukas ..................... 12-12 ..... 2 ............Tb Salute ........................ J. Ortiz ............................. D. Stewart .................. 12-13 ..... 3 ............Chomsky ........................ I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ M. Hennig .................... 3-14 ..... 4 ............Tree Top Lover (GB) ....... P. Lopez ........................... D. Jacobson ............... 10-15 ..... 5 ............Black Doblin ................... S. Bridgmohan ................ J. Parker ..................... 20-16 ..... 6 ............Whitegate ....................... M. Franco ........................ C. Baker ...................... 20-17 ..... 7 ............Onlytheshadowknows .... E. Cancel .......................... H. Bond ........................ 5-28 ..... 8 ............Come as You Are............ J. Torres .......................... W. Ward ....................... 4-19 ..... 9 ............Greyjoy ........................... J. Castellano .................... C. Martin ...................... 8-110..... 10 ..........Choir Director ................ L. Saez ............................. N. Zito ........................ 15-1
5TH (3:15PM). $85,000, ALW, 3 YO’S & UP, 5 1/2F (TURF)Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Daily Double1 ..... MTO ......Entertainer ..................... R. Santana, Jr. ................. R. Moquett ................... 6-12 ..... 2 ............Altar Boy ........................ J. Ortiz ............................. L. Rice .......................... 7-23 ..... 3 ............Canadian Flyer ................ J. Velazquez ..................... W. Mott ........................ 3-14 ..... MTO ......Gentrify .......................... . ...................................... R. Handal ..................... 3-15 ..... 5 ............Big Rock ........................ J. Castellano .................... C. Clement.................... 8-16 ..... 6 ............Tapit Wicked................... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ S. Asmussen .............. 10-17 ..... MTO ......Evolution ........................ . ...................................... D. Cannizzo .................. 4-18 ..... 8 ............Lord of Love ................... J. Alvarado ...................... J. Hertler ...................... 6-19 ..... MTO ......Delta Outlaw ................... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ G. Weaver..................... 6-110..... 10 ..........Cort ................................ G. Saez ............................ G. Weaver..................... 9-211..... 11 ..........Rootformejustin ............. E. Cancel .......................... J. Terranova, II ............. 4-1
6TH (3:49PM). $83,000, MSW, 2 YO, 5 1/2FExacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Pic 6, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............Conquest Reformo ......... J. Leparoux ...................... M. Casse ...................... 4-12 ..... 2 ............Pretty Boy Flash ............. I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ S. Asmussen ................ 8-13 ..... 3 ............Albert Charles ................ M. Franco ........................ I. Wilkes ..................... 20-14 ..... 4 ............South Sea ...................... J. Rosario ........................ W. Mott ........................ 6-15 ..... 5 ............Any Questions ................ J. Ortiz ............................. G. Sciacca .................... 8-16 ..... 6 ............Forge .............................. J. Castellano .................... C. Brown ...................... 7-2
7 ..... 7 ............Royal Copy ..................... R. Santana, Jr. ................. D. Lukas ..................... 12-18 ..... 8 ............One Liner ....................... J. Velazquez ..................... T. Pletcher .................... 3-19 ..... 9 ............Johnny Obvious ............. L. Saez ............................. R. Moquett ................. 20-110..... 10 ..........Lookin At Blessing ......... J. Alvarado ...................... N. Zito ........................ 12-111..... AE..........Magnolia Mountain ........ J. Velazquez ..................... G. Preciado .................. 8-1
7TH (4:25PM). $90,000, AOC $62,500, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M (TURF)Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............With Exultation ............... J. Leparoux ...................... G. Weaver................... 15-12 ..... 2 ............Inordinate ....................... J. Castellano .................... C. Brown ...................... 9-53 ..... 3 ............Slim Shadey (GB) ........... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ D. Jacobson ................. 8-14 ..... 4 ............Taghleeb ......................... J. Lezcano ....................... K. McLaughlin .............. 6-15 ..... 5 ............Hothersal ....................... P. Lopez ........................... J. Servis ..................... 15-16 ..... 6 ............Orino .............................. E. Cancel .......................... H. Bond ...................... 30-17 ..... 7 ............Oathkeeper ..................... J. Rosario ........................ B. Lynch ..................... 12-18 ..... 8 ............Ascend ........................... J. Velazquez ..................... H. Motion ..................... 4-19 ..... 9 ............Adirondack Dancer ......... J. Ortiz ............................. L. Rice .......................... 6-110..... 10 ..........Ice Cutter ....................... J. Alvarado ...................... C. Clement.................. 15-111..... 11 ..........Prime Time Man ............. R. Santana, Jr. ................. D. Lukas ..................... 30-1
8TH (5:02PM). $85,000, AOC $80,000, 3 YO, 1M (INNER TURF)Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Pic 4, Daily Double1 ..... 2 ............Wyeth ............................. J. Castellano .................... C. Brown ...................... 5-21a .... 9 ............Catapult .......................... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ C. Brown ...................... 5-22 ..... 1 ............Our Way ......................... J. Ortiz ............................. H. Bond ........................ 6-13 ..... 3 ............Tizzarunner .................... J. Alvarado ...................... M. Casse .................... 12-14 ..... 4 ............Scissors and Tape .......... J. Leparoux ...................... M. Maker .................... 15-15 ..... 5 ............Gio’s Calling ................... L. Saez ............................. B. Lynch ....................... 8-16 ..... 6 ............Conquest See Ya ............ J. Lezcano ....................... M. Casse .................... 10-17 ..... 7 ............Rappel ............................ M. Franco ........................ R. Ribaudo ................... 7-28 ..... 8 ............Cave Johnson ................ J. Velazquez ..................... J. Toner ...................... 10-19 ..... 10 ..........Hockey School ............... J. Rosario ........................ B. Lynch ....................... 8-110..... 11 ..........Jay’s Way ....................... P. Lopez ........................... D. Gargan ................... 20-111..... 12 ..........Wicked Wink .................. E. Cancel .......................... T. Albertrani ................ 20-1
9TH (5:40PM). $85,000, ALW, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/8MExacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Pic 3, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............Gray Sky ........................ R. Santana, Jr. ................. D. Lukas ....................... 9-22 ..... 2 ............Cadeyrn .......................... L. Saez ............................. J. Englehart .................. 9-23 ..... 3 ............Conviction ...................... J. Velazquez ..................... T. Pletcher .................... 3-14 ..... 4 ............My Man Sam .................. I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ C. Brown ...................... 8-55 ..... 5 ............Tale of Verve .................. J. Rosario ........................ D. Stewart .................. 12-16 ..... 6 ............Testosterstone................ M. Franco ........................ C. Englehart .................. 5-1
10TH (6:18PM). $500,000, STK - THE DIANA, 3 YO’S & UP, F & M , 1 1/8M (TURF)Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Daily Double1 ..... 1 ............Sandiva (IRE) ................. M. Franco ........................ T. Pletcher .................. 12-12 ..... 2 ............Miss Temple City ............ D. Van Dyke ..................... H. Motion ..................... 3-13 ..... 3 ............Strike Charmer ............... J. Alvarado ...................... M. Hennig .................. 15-14 ..... 4 ............Wekeela (FR) .................. J. Castellano .................... C. Brown ...................... 7-25 ..... 5 ............Mrs McDougal ............... J. Rosario ........................ C. Brown .................... 10-16 ..... 6 ............Dacita (CHI) ................... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ C. Brown ...................... 5-17 ..... 7 ............Recepta .......................... J. Velazquez ..................... J. Toner ........................ 9-28 ..... 8 ............Onus .............................. J. Ortiz ............................. C. McGaughey III ....... 15-19 ..... 9 ............Rainha Da Bateria ........... J. Leparoux ...................... C. Brown .................... 20-110..... 10 ..........Isabella Sings ................. P. Lopez ........................... T. Pletcher .................... 8-1
11TH (6:54PM). $50,000, CLM $25,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M (INNER TURF)Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta1 ..... 6 ............The Imposter .................. L. Saez ............................. P. Serpe ........................ 6-11a .... AE..........Mr Rosenthal ................. P. Lopez ........................... A. Adsit ........................ 6-12 ..... 1 ............Winter Springs (FR) ....... I. Ortiz, Jr. ........................ C. Brown ...................... 5-23 ..... 2 ............Aripeka ........................... J. Ortiz ............................. D. Jacobson ................. 7-24 ..... 3 ............Procurement .................. J. Castellano .................... M. Maker ...................... 8-15 ..... 4 ............Street Chief .................... S. Bridgmohan ................ R. Persaud ................. 20-16 ..... 5 ............Lure of the South ........... M. Franco ........................ S. Klesaris .................. 15-17 ..... 7 ............Cotton Town ................... R. Santana, Jr. ................. D. Lukas ..................... 30-18 ..... 8 ............Status of Forces ............. E. Cancel .......................... S. Torelli ..................... 30-19 ..... 9 ............Dendrite ......................... J. Torres .......................... C. Martin .................... 20-110..... 10 ..........Dream Man .................... J. Alvarado ...................... M. Hennig .................... 6-111..... 11 ..........Amen Kitten ................... J. Rosario ........................ W. Ward ..................... 12-112..... 12 ..........All Over Me .................... J. Velazquez ..................... T. Morley .................... 20-1
Copyright 2016 EQUIBASE Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
SARATOGA ENTRIES
23Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
grid
the Power
Race #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
91011
ZamjaraMoney ChangerAfleet Martini
KahramaniMaster Merion
Oscar PerformanceRandom Walk
BitumenBronson
OnlytheshadowknowsCome As You Are
Tb SaluteEvolution
Canadian FlyerBig RockOne Liner
ForgeAny Questions
InordinateAscend
OathkeeperBrown entry
Hockey SchoolScissors And Tape
My Man SamCadeyrn
ConvictionWekeela
Miss Temple CityMrs McDougalWinter Springs
AripekaDrawing Away entry
ZamjaraAfleet Martini
Money ChangerOur Stormin NormanEverybodyluvsrudy
Master MerionBitumen
Random WalkZartera
ChomskyOnlytheshadowknows
Come As You AreCanadian Flyer
Altar BoyTapit Wicked
One LinerConquest Reformor
ForgeIce CutterAscend
InordinateBrown entry
Our WayTizzarunner
My Man SamConviction
TestosterstoneDacita
Isabella SingsWekeela
Dream ManDrawing Away entry
Aripeka
ZamjaraMoney ChangerRoman RevivalOne Of A KindMaster Merion
KeynesianBitumenZartera
Random WalkCome As You Are
OnlytheshadowknowsBlack Doblin
Big RockCanadian FlyerTapit Wicked
One LinerConquest Reformor
South SeaInordinateOathkeeperTaghleebWyeth
TizzarunnerOur Way
My Man SamConviction
Tale Of VerveRecepta
Miss Temple CityDacita
The ImposterAmen Kitten
Winter Springs
ZamjaraMoney ChangerDr Luber’s Kiss
Oscar PerformanceOne of a KindMaster MerionRandom Walk
ZarteraBay Numbers
ChomskyOnlytheshadowknows
CondominiumTapit WickedEntertainer
Canadian FlyerPretty Boy Flash
South SeaForge
InordinateIce CutterAscendWyeth
Conquest See YaOur Way
My Man SamTestosterstone
Gray SkyMiss Temple City
WekeelaRecepta
Winter SpringsAripeka
Dream Man
Money ChangerAfleet Martini
Dr Luber’s KissMaster Merion
KeynesianPiazza Del Campo
Random WalkBronsonBitumen
OnlytheshadowknowsCome As You Are
GreyjoyLord of Love
RootformejustinCort
Pretty Boy FlashOne LinerSouth SeaHothersal
With ExultationInordinate
RappelTizzarunnerBrown entry
Gray SkyTestosterstoneMy Man Sam
WekeelaMiss Temple CityStrike CharmerProcurement
Winter SpringsDrawing Away entry
2016 Records 4/10 3/10 3/10 4/10 3/10
TomLaw
GaileFitzgerald
CharlesBedard
JohnShapazian
Chad Summers
High Earning HorsesTop Class TrainersLeading Jockeys
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24 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
From start to finish...30 years running!From start to finish...30 years running!
Saturday, October 8, 2016Post Time 7:05 PM
Featuring the
West Virginia Breeders ClassicAnd the Breeders Classics Races
West Virginia Breeders Classics, [email protected] • www.wvbc.com
P.O. Box 1251 • Charles Town,WV 25414 • 304-725-0709CAROL HOLDEN - PRES. • THERESA BITNER - EXEC. SEC.
SAM HUFF - CHAIRMAN EMERITUSTV Coverage on Fox Sports Network, Comcast Mid-Atlantic & TVG2
BY SEAN CLANCYChad Brown watched from one
box. Steve Young watched from an-other. A row apart high in the club-house box seats, the trainer and the agent leaned, cajoled and implored as eight fillies swung into the stretch of Friday’s Grade 2 Lake George Stakes.
The only difference, Brown urged two fillies and Young bellowed for one.
Brown wound up going 1-2 and Young went 1-for-1, as Alpha Delta Stable’s Ancient Secret took advan-tage of a stalking outside spot to get the jump on Elysea’s World, who chased but couldn’t corral her stable-mate, finishing 1 1/4 lengths behind the undefeated daughter of Kanthar-os. Bettors sent off the uncoupled
duo as first and second choices and they backed up the opinion, finish-ing in that order after 1:40.35 for 1 1/16-miles on the turf.
Irad Ortiz guided the winner, one of four tallies on the card for the de-fending champion.
“She’s a nice filly, she broke and put me in a good position, so I just hold her together, and swing her out, we went a little slow so I let her do her thing, she passed horses and took off,” Ortiz said. “I was worried about the two turns, but I rode her with con-fidence because Chad said she could get the mile and sixteenth and I trust him. She’s very little, I never expect her to run that far but she impressed
me today. She’s been better and better every time I rode her. I had a perfect trip.”
Others did not. Irish invader Di-amond Fields’ race was over quickly as Junior Alvarado’s saddle slipped forward, costing her all chance and causing Alvarado to finish without his stirrups. Sky My Sky burnt up on the
lead. Longshot Outsider Art bumped early but closed to be third. Baciami Piccola was jostled early.
Young purchased Ancient Secret for $225,000 on behalf of John Clay’s Alpha Delta Stable at the OBS April Sale last year. Bred in New York by
Tod MarksAncient Secret wins her fourth consecutive start for trainer Chad Brown.
LAKE GEORGE RECAP
Grand SlamAncient Secret wins 4th straight for team of Brown, Young, Ortiz
Continued On Page 25
25Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
14 Phila St. Saratoga Springs, NY 518.580.0003. www.harveyspub.com
Lambholm, she was consigned by De Meric Sales and had Young at hello.
“She trained great at the sale, she always had a ton of class about her,” Young said. “Kantharos, I liked him a lot as a 2-year-old in training, he was a very good horse for (Steve) Asmus-sen and he’s a good sire, he’s going to end up doing even better, because he’s doing this off of mares that might not be helping him as much as he’s help-ing them.”
Kantharos retired after going un-defeated in three starts, including The Saratoga Special and now stands at Ocala Stud Farm in Florida.
“We looked at a bunch of Kan-tharoses and liked them,” said Young, who trained for Clay before retiring and concentrating on his bloodstock business. “I thought she could run a lot but she’s better than I thought she was, markedly better. It’s a good way to start, all we need now is an air con-ditioner.”
On a stifling hot day at the Spa, Ancient Secret provided Brown with
his second consecutive win in the Lake George. Last year’s runner-up in the trainer’s standings, Brown swept the late double Friday.
“I don’t get nervous any more but there’s a lot of anticipation, I can’t wait for opening day, that will never change. It’s a big relief, to knock off a graded stake,” Brown said. “My staff have been working over time getting ready for this meet, they take a lot of pride, and they’re pretty pumped up at the barn. It’s a good feeling when both fillies are firing on the day. Un-fortunately one of them had to lose, but they both ran terrific. They’re two very good horses.”
Brown unveiled Ancient Secret in a New York-bred maiden going 6 fur-longs on the turf at Belmont Park in October. She won by 3 lengths and wasn’t seen again until returning in state-bred allowance in May, win-ning easily again. Stepping out of the division, she rallied to win the Wild Applause June 19. The tidy chestnut filly stepped further Friday, tackling two turns and graded stakes compe-tition for the first time. Defying her pedigree, Ancient Secret improved her record to 4-for-4 on the turf.
“It’s a typical example of get-
ting them in the barn, observe them, they’ll tell you, she trained pretty good on the dirt, but there was some-thing about her, she had a turf look about her, physically, I had to put the pedigree aside and just go with what I saw,” Brown said. “Thankfully, John
Clay and Steve Young went along with it. Steve deserves a lot of credit, he picked her out at the sale. And Mr. Clay is a great owner, once the hors-es come in, he says, ‘Turf, dirt, long short, you’re the boss.’ I appreciate that.”
Lake George – Continued from page 24
Tod MarksAncient Secret (center) finds a spot early in the Lake George.
26 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
SHEETSSHEETSSunrise Stallion
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LL Racing LLC, Breeder
Chris Englehart, Trainer
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Sunrise Stallions – Standing dual classic winner and champion Big Brown and Heavy Breathing at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains, N.Y.; and Frost Giant at Keane Stud in Amenia, N.Y.
Eric Bishop | [email protected] | 516-606-9768
BY TOM LAWVinnie Viola was thinking one
thing when he approved the purchase of a weanling Tapit filly back in 2014 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. A few of the major entities that shop the world’s boutique year-ling sales were hoping for something else, specifically that he’d offer the leggy bay filly as a pinhooking pros-pect a few months later.
“We were thinking buy to race,” said Viola, standing under the heat and the sun in the winner’s circle Fri-day at Saratoga Race Course. “They came to us, the big operations, looked at her and said, ‘put her in a sale, we
want to buy her at a super-premium.’ We bought her with the idea that the family, with Spring In The Air in there, that this filly could stretch out with the Tapit and with the Spring in the Air underneath.”
The filly in question is Sweet Lo-retta, who overcome a tardy start and showed distance isn’t a limitation at this point in her young career by winning the $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes in front of a big Opening Day crowd. Ridden by John Velazquez, Sweet Loretta won the 6-furlong Schuylerville by 4 ¼ lengths to run
her record to 2-for-2 for Viola’s St. Elias Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher.
“She won going away, like a ma-ture 2-year-old,” Viola said. “You could just see here, watching the re-
play, you can see how she’s mature. This is a mature pace for a filly that is learning how to run. The best thing about her is, if you really think
Tod MarksSweet Loretta surges to the wire in the Schuylerville.
SCHUYLERVILLE RECAP
Good buy, good bye
Sweet Loretta rolls in 2YO stakes
Continued On Page 27
27Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
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through the race, she really wanted to win.”
Sweet Loretta is the first foal out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Ithinki-sawapudycat, a half-sister to 2012 Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Spring In The Air, and winner of that year’s Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland. Her $750,000 price made her the fifth most expensive weanling at the 2014 November sale.
“The game is great when it works for you,” Viola said. “She’s part of a real strong class for us of 2-year-olds. We’re excited, but all the credit goes to Jimmy Crupi who selected her and Todd Pletcher who trains her. That was a big win.”
Pletcher collected his sixth Schuy-lerville, tying his former boss D. Wayne Lukas for the most wins in the traditional Opening Day feature.
Saratoga’s 12-time leading trainer admitted he wasn’t quite sure how good the field Sweet Loretta beat in her debut at Monmouth Park was, though she did win by 7 lengths going 5 furlongs June 18. Viola thought it was plenty good, joking that it “was by about 7 furlongs.”
Sweet Loretta rated early and drew off easily in her debut at 1-2 odds. The announced crowd of 32,980 and bet-tors around the world who wagered more than $17 million on the meet’s opening 10-race card sent Sweet Lo-retta off as the 4-1 third choice for the Schuylerville. Churchill maiden win-ner Made Me Shiver was the 8-5 fa-vorite with Olive Branch, who need-ed a shoe adjustment in the paddock after getting unsettled for the second consecutive race, the second pick.
Pletcher met Velazquez, who he gave the leg up for on five of his six Schuylerville winners, in the paddock and kept things simple.
“She’s not a big filly but she’s kind of leggy,” Pletcher said. “The only thing I tried to communicate to John-ny in the paddock is ‘she’s not super quick, you’re not going to make her super quick, so don’t try to overdo it leaving there.’ ”
Velazquez didn’t need to worry ei-ther way, since Sweet Loretta lunged at the start and lost about 3 lengths before the field went 20 yards.
Pletcher, watching from his usual
spot in the clubhouse boxes through his binoculars, wasn’t overly con-cerned.
“When she broke bad, I didn’t want her to get away that slowly, but at the same I thought it might be a good thing,” he said. “Especially when they threw up the (:21.68 open-ing quarter-mile), you know they’re going to come back to you a bit. He was making progress down the back-side the right way. I was optimistic and glad to see her do it.”
Maryland shipper Inspired Flight and Edgar Prado, who rode Pletcher’s other Schuylerville winner in 2003 aboard Ashado, set the early pace up the backstretch through that quick quarter and a half in :44.79. Made Me Shiver was close around the far turn, took the lead at the quarter pole and opened up slightly under Irad Or-tiz Jr.
Made Me Shiver’s lead didn’t last long, with Sweet Loretta continuing her steady run racing wide around the turn. She took command inside the eighth pole and quickly opened up. Fun, a debut winner June 24 at Chur-chill Downs for Ian Wilkes, also made a deep run from the back of the field and ran past Made Me Shiver, Har-lands Thunder and Olive Branch to secure the place spot. Harlands Thun-der was 1 1/2 lengths back in third.
Sweet Loretta capped an emotional day for the Pletcher barn, which start-ed grimly when Stradivari suffered a career-ending injury shortly after breezing 5 furlongs in company on the main track with Belmont Stakes runner-up Destin.
Stradivari, who ran in the Preakness and Belmont for breeder and own-er John Gunther and owners Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, was under consideration for next week’s Curlin with the Travers down the road mentioned as a possi-bility. The son of Medaglia d’Oro suf-fered a lateral condylar fracture and an axial fracture of a sesamoid in his right foreleg and was taken to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Sara-toga for further evaluation that might include surgery next week.
“It’s nice to have a win in the Schuy-lerville; this morning we lost what we projected was one of our Travers starters,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully he’s going to be OK, it’s kind of the nature of the business, you’ve got to try and stay level and keep working at it.”
Schuylerville – Continued from page 26
28 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
ALLAN G. LAVIN, JR.allanlavinbloodstock.com [email protected](502) 773-0043
AllanLavin Bloodstock
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FIRST $78,000, NY-BRED AOC $40,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/8M1 Clifton Pleasure M. Franco $14.60 $7.20 $4.007 Battle of Evermore J. Castellano $6.20 $3.904 Jet Black J. Ortiz $3.20Dk B/ Br Gelding 2011, by Harlington - Stolen Pleasures by MarfaOwner: Wire To Wire Stable, Inc.. Trainer: Jeremiah Englehart. Breeder: Gary Least II & Gabriel McDonough (NY).Time: 1:51.03Exacta (1-7), $96.50; Superfecta (1-7-4-6), $3,891.00; Trifecta (1-7-4), $328.00
SECOND $73,000, NY-BRED MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT, 2 YO, 5 1/2F1A Bliss to You E. Cancel $19.60 $7.70 $3.102 Ribbonite D. Davis $5.90 $2.907 Seattle Ice Queen J. Ortiz $2.10Ch Filly 2014, by Freud - Peppy Candy by Candy StripesOwner: Birnbaum, Joseph. Trainer: Russell Cash. Breeder: Joseph Birnbaum (NY).Late Scratches: Bree’s Got Heart, With Wings, Tizza Temper, Cha Cha HeelsTime: 1:06.41Daily Double (1-1), $120.50; Exacta (1-2), $100.00; Quinella (1-2), $46.60; Superfecta (1-2-7-5), $329.00; Trifecta (1-2-7), $159.00
THIRD $42,000, CLAIMING $25,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 6 1/2F6 Roll Tide Roll I. Ortiz, Jr. $6.90 $3.40 $2.802 Chipit J. Velazquez $3.30 $2.701 Match Up J. Leparoux $4.10B Colt 2012, by Elusive Quality - Lightfoot Lane by Phone TrickOwner: Aprahamian, Ara. Trainer: Jason Servis. Breeder: Hidden Brook Farm, Jonathan Mills &Darley (KY).Late Scratches: In R DefenceClaimed: Chipit claimed by Contessa, Jennifer for $25,000, Match Up claimed by Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc. for $25,000, Dynamo Flotilla claimed by Sportsmen Stable for $25,000Time: 1:15.88Daily Double (1-6), $51.00; Exacta (6-2), $18.00; Superfecta (6-2-1-4), $231.00; Trifecta (6-2-1), $73.00; Pic 3 (1-1-6), $432.00
FOURTH $93,000, AOC $80,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M2 Sentiero Italia J. Rosario $2.70 $2.10 $2.107 Selenite J. Castellano $3.00 $2.401 Distorted Beauty K. Carmouche $2.40B Filly 2012, by Medaglia d’Oro - Golden Way (IRE) by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)Owner: Godolphin Racing LLC. Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin. Breeder: Darley (KY).Late Scratches: Isabelle, TapitryTime: 1:40.11Daily Double (6-2), $8.80; Exacta (2-7), $8.70; Quinella (2-7), $7.00; Superfecta (2-7-1-5), $88.40; Trifecta (2-7-1), $17.00; Pic 3 (1-6-2), $68.00
FIFTH $47,000, CLAIMING $40,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1M12 Annie Rocks I. Ortiz, Jr. $7.30 $5.10 $3.708 Scarlet Goddess R. Santana, Jr. $39.40 $17.802 Sense of Beauty J. Velazquez $4.00B Filly 2013, by A. P. Warrior - Five Star Annie by Five Star DayOwner: Dubb, Michael. Trainer: Jason Servis. Breeder: Brenda Jones & Silver Oaks Farm (FL).Late Scratches: Night Madam, Game Girl, Forever Plus, Reckless HumorClaimed: Annie Rocks claimed by Ramsey, Kenneth L. and Sarah K. for $40,000, Candida claimed by Rice, Linda for $40,000Time: 1:36.99Daily Double (2-12), $13.00; Exacta (12-8), $408.00; Superfec-ta (12-8-2-6), $22,977.00; Trifecta (12-8-2), $3,443.00; Pic 3 (6-2-12), $43.40; Pic 4 (1/6/2,3,6/11,12,14,15,16), $390.50; Pic 5 (1/1/6/2,3,6/11,12,14,15,16), $4,428.00
SIXTH $83,000, MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT, 2 YO, 5 1/2F5 Bowie F. Geroux $7.70 $4.60 $3.807 Special Risk I. Ortiz, Jr. $5.00 $3.506 Torrent J. Ortiz $5.60Ch Filly 2014, by Malibu Moon - Life Lesson by Unbridled’s SongOwner: LNJ Foxwoods. Trainer: Steven Asmussen. Breeder: T. F. VanMeter & Ricky Stivers (KY).Late Scratches: SeamTime: 1:05.64Daily Double (12-5), $36.40; Exacta (5-7), $45.40; Superfecta (5-7-6-1), $1,528.00; Trifecta (5-7-6), $465.00; Pic 3 (2-12-5), $60.00
SEVENTH $85,000, ALLOWANCE, 3 YO’S & UP, 6F2 Takrees J. Alvarado $10.80 $5.60 $4.007 True Romance M. Franco $9.40 $4.904 Delicate Lady J. Castellano $4.00B Filly 2013, by Daaher - Uroobah by DynaformerOwner: Shadwell Stable. Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin. Breeder: Shadwell Farm, LLC (KY).Time: 1:10.37Daily Double (5-2), $45.00; Exacta (2-7), $107.00; Superfecta (2-7-4-5), $2,260.00; Trifecta (2-7-4), $632.00; Pic 3 (12-5-2), $288.50
EIGHTH $150,000, STAKES - SCHUYLERVILLE S., 2 YO, 6F4 Sweet Loretta J. Velazquez $10.80 $5.70 $3.708 Fun J. Alvarado $16.20 $7.109 Harlands Thunder F. Geroux $4.80B Filly 2014, by Tapit - Ithinkisawapudycat by Bluegrass CatOwner: St. Elias Stable. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. Breeder: Ashview Farm, LLC &Colts Neck Stables, LLC (KY).Late Scratches: Platinum SparkTime: 1:10.89Daily Double (2-4), $105.50; Exacta (4-8), $226.00; Superfecta (4-8-9-5), $4,094.00; Trifecta (4-8-9), $1,366.00; Pic 3 (5-2-4), $352.00
NINTH $200,000, STAKES - LAKE GEORGE S., 3 YO, 1 1/16M5 Ancient Secret I. Ortiz, Jr. $6.40 $3.90 $3.102 Elysea’s World (IRE) J. Castellano $3.80 $2.709 Outsider Art M. Franco $4.90Ch Filly 2013, by Kantharos - Privacy by NotebookOwner: Alpha Delta Stables. Trainer: Chad Brown. Breeder: Lambholm (NY).Late Scratches: Try Your Luck, Enjoy Yourself (GB), Tin Type Gal, Flora DoraTime: 1:40.35Daily Double (4-5), $33.40; Exacta (5-2), $20.80; Superfecta (5-2-9-6), $820.00; Trifecta (5-2-9), $145.00; Pic 3 (2-4-5), $255.50; Place Pix Nine (5/6/7-2/4/7-4/8/9-5), $296.50
TENTH $45,000, MAIDEN CLAIMING $40,000, 3 YO’S & UP, 1 1/16M5 Market Strength I. Ortiz, Jr. $5.50 $3.60 $2.806 Come Around J. Ortiz $20.00 $11.8012 Dark Gemini (IRE) G. Saez $6.00Dk B/ Br Colt 2013, by Twirling Candy - Stellar Strength by Gone WestOwner: Klaravich Stables, Inc. and Lawrence, William H.. Trainer: Chad Brown. Breeder: Carolin A. Von Rosenberg DVM (FL).Late Scratches: Paschal, Silver Romeo, Snowfly, Sunshine Sperry, Big PlatinumTime: 1:41.13Daily Double (5-5), $16.80; Exacta (5-6), $109.50; Superfecta (5-6-12-2), $6,119.00; Trifecta (5-6-12), $1,062.00; Consolation Double (5-8), $6.20; Pic 3 (4-5-5), $100.00; (4-5-8), $36.20; Pic 4 (2-4-4/5/7/10/11-1/5/8/9/15/16), $711.00; Pic 6 (12-5-2-4-4/5/7/10/11-1/5/8/9), $236.00; Pic 6 (12-5-2-4-4/5/7/10/11-1/5/8/9), $13,660.00
Attendance: 32,980. On Track Handle: 4,703,479Inter-State Handle: 13,059,558
Copyright 2016 EQUIBASE Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
SARATOGA RESULTS
29Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
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30 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
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The horses glistened and danced as they paraded around the paddock, a sweet mixed aroma of fried food, cigars and perfume blew through the club-house and grandstand and the perfectly manicured turf and track shined under the warm summer sun as Saratoga Race Course opened for the 2016 sea-son Friday afternoon.
An Opening Day crowd of 32,980 turned out, people lining every inch of the fence surrounding the track, climbing on shoulders and standing on benches and picnic tables for a better view. Cheers Tod Marks
Clifton Pleasure (left) gets to the line first in the opener, making Jeremiah Englehart leading trainer at the meet – briefly.
Fun inthe Sun
Heat, humidity greet big crowd for opener
FRIDAY RACING RECAP
Continued On Page 31
31Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
boomed from the crowds as the hors-es rounded the far turn to the finish, the names of favorites and longshots echoing simultaneously through the grandstand, tickets flying in the air as horses lost, people jumping as their horses won. Not even the heat, soaring over 90 degrees with plenty of humidity, could take away from the splendor and excitement that is Opening Day.
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart picked up where his stellar 2015 Saratoga season left off when he saddled Clif-ton Pleasure to win the first race of the meet, a 1 1/8-mile allowance-op-tional for New York-breds. Englehart won 11 races last year and Clifton Pleasure’s victory brings his total Saratoga wins to 17.
“It was a great start, Manny gave the horse a great ride,” Englehart said. “The barn’s done a great job, this is a great start to the meet. I’m going to call Todd Pletcher right now and tell him I’m the leading trainer for 30 minutes and see what he says.”
Clifton Pleasure broke well and held an inside position in third before overtaking Battle Of Evermore and Jet Black in deep stretch.
“The way he put Manny into the race early on, I thought he was go-ing to have horse,” Englehart said. “I think he was trying to make room.”
The 5-year-old Harlington gelding won for the second straight time, and Englehart is hoping he makes anoth-er appearance before the end of the meet.
“I’m more happy for my barn, my assistant, for Manny, and for the
horse,” Englehart said. “They go without being seen most of the time and it’s nice to have them. Everyone’s going to show up early tomorrow morning and hopefully it’s going to be a stress-free day.”
– Shayna Tiller
• There were smiles everywhere Opening Day – from the ushers clad in red directing smartly dressed fans to their boxes, to handicappers scan-ning programs and smoking cigars standing along the rail. The smiles get bigger there’s a winner to be found and it’s even better when there’s two.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won two races Friday, the fourth with 2015 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf fourth and graded stakes winner Sentiero Italia and the seventh with stakes-placed filly Takrees.
Sentiero Italia, off since her run in the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, made a commanding return to the races as the heavy favorite in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional on the turf. Sen-tiero Italia stumbled a few jumps out of the gate, but recovered to move up along the rail. Settling mid-pack be-hind Darling Sky and Distorted Beau-ty, jockey Joel Rosario kept Sentiero Italia off of the rail and gunned past Distorted Beauty in the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths.
“Joel had to ride his race because it didn’t look like there was much pace,” McLaughlin said in the win-ner’s circle. “He had a lot of horse the whole way, so it worked out great.”
“It was a little easier than going in the Grade 1 tomorrow, which is about all she was eligible for. We decided to pick an allowance race to have a nice spot and she ran very well. And then we’ll look at the Ballston Spa in five weeks and go from there. She’s a top
Friday – Continued from page 30
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filly. She’d been away a long time, so we didn’t really want to jump into a Grade 1 off a long layoff. We cleaned up her ankles. She had a little debris in her ankles.”
McLaughlin is hoping for another trip to the Breeders’ Cup with Godol-phin Racing’s 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro.
“We hope (she has) no limit,” he said. “She’s a top filly. We’re happy to get her back in the winner’s circle.”
McLaughlin was back in the win-ner’s circle three races later to cele-brate the victory of Shadwell Stable’s Takrees. The 3-year-old daughter of
Daaher came off a short layoff, rested since a fourth in an allowance-option-al May 1 at Belmont Park after earn-ing her first black type with a second in the Cicada Stakes in late March at Aqueduct.
“She’s a very light-framed filly, and we ran her back a little quick in the winter to try and get black type. And we did, we finished second in a stake, we almost won it,” McLaughlin said. “But it did take a toll on her a little bit. She needed a little bit of time in between. It paid off today.
Continued On Page 32
32 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
“The first one’s always tough to get and you feel good about it. But to have two is great. And both fillies ran super and we’re really pleased.”
– Annise Montplaisir
• Annie Rocks looked like a horse who’d been around the block a few times as she was saddled in the paddock for the fifth. Despite blazing tem-peratures and a large crowd gathered around her seeking shade cast by a nearby tree, the 3-year-old A. P. Warrior filly stood quietly and patiently with a kind look in her eye, ready for her sixth race for her fifth trainer at her fifth racetrack.
Making her first start for trainer Jason Servis in the 1-mile claiming race on the grass, Annie Rocks won for the second time in 2016.
“She’s doing super; great flesh,” Servis said. “Fil-lies aren’t easy sometimes, especially this time of year. She’s doing good.”
Annie Rocks broke from post 12 under Irad Or-tiz Jr. and despite briefly taking up heading into the first turn, found herself racing just two paths off the rail and 6 lengths from 50-1 pacesetter Scarlet Goddess. Midway around the far turn, Ortiz guid-ed Annie Rocks up the inside of rival Nile Princess before angling wide into the lane. With the longshot still leading the field, Ortiz shook up Annie Rocks with a furlong to run and went to a right-handed whip. Annie Rocks inched closer with every stride,
and crossed the line with a nose in front in a head bobbing finish.
“I actually thought I got beat,” Servis said. “Irad did a good job getting over, saving some ground, and getting ready to draft. I walked away from the TV at the last minute and thought, ‘what a beat.’ We got the nod. It was great. It was terrific.”
The win almost didn’t come, as Servis considered scratching the filly due to her outside draw.
“I mean, number 12, no, I wasn’t feeling that good,” he said. “Maybe scratch from the outside post. But I had Irad so I was thinking, if a lot of peo-ple weren’t reaching out to get them, then maybe I’d look good in the race. I was feeling good about hav-ing Irad.”
Two races earlier, Servis paired up with Ortiz to win a 6 1/2-furlong claiming race on the main track with his only other starter on the card, Roll Tide Roll. Ortiz won another two races on the card, tak-ing the Grade 2 Lake George with Ancient Secret and the finale with Market Strength, both for Chad Brown.
“I’m a very humble person and I’m thankful for what I have,” Servis said of the training double. “I’m never going to get up on my high horse and tell anybody how great I am. I’m real thankful. I know this is special what happened today and I’m going to savor it and just try to stay humble.”
– Brandon Valvo
• Joseph Birnbaum’s homebred Bliss To You shipped in from Monmouth Park to win the first 2-year-old race of the season in the second, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race for New York-bred fillies on the main track.
“For a filly coming here to Saratoga and winning the first time out is great,” said Miguel Santiago, assistant to winning trainer Russell Cash. “Not only the atmosphere here at Saratoga but bringing her here for her first time, and only her second start of her life and winning is great for her future.”
Bliss To You broke slow, but moved to the out-side and was able to pull away in the stretch to win by 4 1/2 lengths.
“She’s still obviously a little green, you know, coming down the lane she weaves back and forth,” Santiago said. “But I think she’s a smart filly and she’ll continue to improve as we go on.”
– Shayna Tiller
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Friday – Continued from page 31
Tod MarksSentiero Italia (2) draws clear to win the fourth.
33Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
BY BRANDON VALVOWhen owner George Teague Jr.
reflects on the most memorable mo-ments in the career of star pacer Wig-gle It Jiggleit, the first race that comes to mind is the Little Brown Jug. Held on a half-mile track at Central Ohio’s Delaware County Fairgrounds, the Little Brown Jug is one of pacing’s biggest races and requires a horse to win two heats in a single day.
In his elimination heat, which went to post at 4:37 p.m. Thursday, Septem-ber 14, Wiggle It Jiggleit spent half the mile grinding into leader Artspeak’s advantage on the outside. The two horses battled to the wire, with Wig-gle It Jiggleit pulling out a 1 1/4-length win, stopping the clock in 1:49.2.
At 6:19 the same day, Wiggle It Jig-gleit came back to contest the decid-ing heat. After nearly breaking stride in the opening furlong, Wiggle It Jig-gleit gathered himself and mounted another grueling bid on the outside without the benefit of cover. Out this time for five-eighths of a mile, Wiggle It Jiggleit challenged Lost For Words for the next lap, and despite losing ground on the final turn, battled back to prevail by a nostril in 1:49.3.
“First-up, on the outside, on a half-mile racetrack. That’s one of the most impossible spots to try to win from against a quality group of hors-es,” Teague said. “He won that day, two heats, very similar races.”
Long before his Little Brown Jug victory, Teague could see that Wiggle It Jiggleit was a special horse.
“Before he got to the races, I knew he was the best horse I ever had be-cause he always did three things differ-ent. His lung capacity was a lot better, he was faster, and he was way smart-er,” he said. “I thought, as long as we could manage him carefully early and he didn’t go a little bit crazy because of his speed, then we’d have a chance to make him into a nice horse.”
Careful management and a stock-pile of black-type victories helped Wiggle It Jiggleit earn the 2015 Horse
of the Year title. The 4-year-old geld-ing has won 32 of 41 races and earned $2,862,162. The champion pacer will make his Saratoga debut Saturday in the $260,000 Joe Gerrity Jr. Memori-al Pace, marking the first time a Horse of the Year has graced the Spa’s half-mile oval since 2001 honoree Bunny Lake raced here in 2002.
The seventh race on the card goes to the post at about 9:30 p.m., and Wig-gle It Jiggleit is 6-5 in a field of eight.
While the stats are impressive and the accolades are greatly appreciated, lasting friendships and family con-nections are the most rewarding as-pect of Teague’s journey with Wiggle It Jiggleit. Trainer Clyde Francis and groom “Big Mike” Taylor are long-time supporters of Teague’s stable and George’s 25-year-old son, Montrell, drives the star pacer.
“Clyde and Big Mike have been there for quite a few years working with me and we’ve had pretty good horses in the past, but these two guys through thick and thin have stuck it out with myself and the stable and ev-eryone has been rewarded. But they have done, and still do, most of the work with the horse,” Teague said.
“To see [Montrell] drive a horse like this at age 23, 24, and 25, is more rewarding than anything else,” Teague continued. “A baseball player will never play with their kids on the same team, football players will nev-er throw a pass to one of their kids who’s a wide receiver, but I get to pass the lines to my son and he does what a lot of kids in other sports might not get a chance to do, and he does it real well.”
Wiggle It Jiggleit enters the Gerri-ty off a rare defeat. He finished third behind Always B Miki, one of harness racing’s “big three” pacers (along with Wiggle It Jiggleit and Freaky Feet Pete), in the 1 1/8-mile William R. Haughton Memorial Pace July 16 at The Meadowlands. Despite the loss, Teague was happy with the race.
“Last time was a good race,” Teague said. “They kind of pinned
him down and he really didn’t have a whole lot of racing room late. In the last sixteenth, the other horse was sprinting and he didn’t really get a chance to sprint, so not a big dis-appointment, I just wish there was a little more racing room.”
Two starts back, Wiggle It Jiggleit paced to a lifetime best 1:47.2 over a sloppy track in the Graduate Pacing Series Final July 9 at The Meadow-lands after tracking Freaky Feet Pete throughout. “You couldn’t ask for a better trip,” Teague said. “To follow that quality of horse was really the key to that race. That was a dream trip to really have a crack at him with enough time to reach him because those horses don’t stop going.”
While The Meadowlands is a mile track, Saratoga is just a half-mile. Some pacers can’t handle the tight turns of the small tracks, Wiggle It Jiggleit takes it all in stride.
“Without a doubt, he’s been awe-some that way,” Teague said. “I don’t think many horses can even remote-ly do what he’s doing. He’s just been that awesome. This horse has always been super on a half. He’s always go-ing to give you a real good effort.”
Wiggle It Jiggleit is the only one of the big three in Saturday’s Gerrity Pace, but he will have to work. Six of the eight entrants boast millionaire sta-tus, including Bit Of A Legend, a New Zealand-bred who won the $609,000 George Morton Levy Memorial Pac-ing Series Final at Yonkers in March, All Bets Off, who is talented on a half-mile track and has earned $1,941,267, and the race’s defending champion,
PH Supercam. Doctor Butch, Artistic Major, Sunfire Blue Chip, and Cooper-stown complete the field.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Teague said. “I’ve raced horses at Saratoga a few times, but I’m planning on com-ing myself (Saturday night). I’ve never been to this track, so I’m looking for-ward to that. Just hoping for a good, safe trip and a little bit of racing luck, and I hope things work out for us.”
Brandon ValvoWiggle It Jiggleit streaks to the finish at The Meadowlands last year.
Keeping PaceHorse of the Year comes to Spa
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34 Saturday, July 23, 2016the Saratoga Special
We’ve had better starts. We’ve had worse starts. The printer broke in the middle of the night of
the first print run. We sleep while it prints, like wait-ing for Santa Claus, most mornings, we wake up and there’s the paper on the porch. Sometimes, San-ta gets re-routed, grounded or off course and the tree is bare when we wake up.
In a way, it was refreshing to get a call, well, two calls, from The Paper Lady at 5:15 and 5:27 this morning and a text at 5:11, “Sean…HELP.” Just like old times. “Where’s the paper?” has become our “Where’s Waldo?” over all these years. Friday morning, it was somewhere between the Times Union in Albany and The Horseshoe in Saratoga, which is better than a lot of places it’s been over the past 15 years. We scurried, audibled, but with-out the dismay and panic of prior years. As we’ve learned, when it’s time to make the doughnuts, we make the doughnuts, but we can’t always control when they actually cook. We know they’ll be eaten when they’re ready. The paper arrived, it was deliv-ered and all was right in the world.
One down, 32 to go. Irad Ortiz has never had a better start. On the first day of his title defense, Ortiz ham-
mered his stake, winning four races on the card, including the Grade 2 Lake George Stakes on the undefeated Ancient Secret. The 23-year-old Puer-to Rico native won a dirt claimer with Roll Tide Roll, a turf claimer with Annie Rocks and a maiden claimer with Market Strength.
“It was great, sometimes you have a good day like this and other days you don’t, we’ll take it,” Ortiz said as he walked back to the jocks’ room af-ter win number four. “I always start off a little slow and finish strong, hopefully we start good and still finish strong this year. It’s the same, working hard.”
Every morning, Ortiz and his agent, Steve Rush-ing, work hard. Most mornings at Saratoga, Rush-ing’s 13-year-old daughter, Kylie, joins them, part of
the team. At the end of each morning, the agent and his daughter go one way and the jockey goes the other, but not without a question.
“How many are you going to win today?” Kylie asked Ortiz Friday morning.
Ortiz didn’t hesitate, “Three.”At the end of the day, just before Ortiz reached
the jocks’ room, Kylie darted through fans and held up four fingers at Ortiz. The girl laughed. The jock-ey laughed.
“You screwed up,” Kylie said. “You won four.” “That’s good,” Ortiz said. “If every time, I win
one more than I say, that would be perfect.”Ortiz walked into the chute of the jocks’ room
and tossed his arm number on the shelf. “She loves the horse races, she’s got the book like
her dad, every day, she asks, ‘How many are you go-ing to win today?’ I always say, ‘Two. Three. One.’ Today I said three.”
Sometimes, it’s good to be wrong.
Todd Pletcher’s had better starts. At 8:45, the main track opened after the renova-
tion break for burners from Pletcher, Chad Brown and trainers far and wide.
Photographers readied on the far turn, trainers cradled a stopwatch in one hand and a walkie-talkie in the other, clockers readied for the cascade. Then the lights flashed. Horsemen scanned the horizon in the distance for a loose one, but there wasn’t a loose one. Then the red horse ambulance rumbled in the distance.
From nowhere, from everywhere, the word STRA-DI-VAR-I echoed and ricocheted from one person to another. Winner of two of his first three starts, fourth in the Preakness and fifth in the Bel-mont, the son of Medaglia d’Oro was pointing for the Curlin and then possibly the Travers. After a 5-furlong breeze in 1:00.87, that dream was over.
From the far turn, no one knew how bad, we just knew it was bad.
Pletcher’s exercise rider, Nick Bush, off this set, screamed and wheeled his golf cart in a 180, nearly taking out a woman in a sundress. Trainer Mark Casse walked away, thinking about Tepin and World Approval due to work in an hour. Javier Cas-tellano, on Destin, Stradivari’s workmate, stared blankly as he slowed to a stop near the quarter-pole gap. Jason Beides leaned against a telephone pole and shook his head. Barbara Livingston and Teresa Genaro stood along the rail, one with a phone, one with a camera, both stalled.
A hour later, Pletcher went to turf works at the Oklahoma.
“Sorry, man,” a clocker said.“Sounds like he might be OK,” Pletcher respond-
ed. Stradivari suffered a condylar fracture in his right
foreleg, he was at Rood and Riddle Friday night, fighting for his life.
He had the worst start of all.
cupofcoffee RestartBY SEAN CLANCY
BROWN ADVISORY IS PROUD TO SUPPORTRACING AT SARATOGA
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Tod MarksIrad Ortiz Jr. started the meet with four wins.
35Saturday, July 23, 2016 the Saratoga Special
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