On Friday, August 10, Saratoga Race Course’s fifth race of the day will be 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf for 2-year-old fillies. Daily Racing Form‘s Dan Illman and Nicole Russo have the preview.
Legendary Trainer Bob Baffert To Be Inducted Into Saratoga Walk Of Fame
On Wednesday, August 8 the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced that world-class trainer Bob Baffert will be inducted into the Saratoga Walk of Fame on August 24, the same date as the New York Showcase Day (more on that later).
Baffert is only one of two trainers in Thoroughbred racing history to capture multiple Triple Crown titles (and saratoga living did an exclusive interview with Mr. Baffert for our recent The Races! issue). He first won in 2015, with American Pharoah (the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978) and again this year with the now illustrious Justify. “Saratoga is very dear to me and to be recognized in this manner with a plaque in the Walk of Fame is something special,” said Baffert. His plaque will be joining luminaries on the Walk of Fame such as Allen Jerkens, Wayne Lukas and Bill Mott. But Baffert’s track record (pun intended) doesn’t stop with the Triple Crown winners he’s trained. He’s also won 11 Grade 1 victories at the Saratoga Race Course, including three Travers victories (two of which were in 2016 and 2017 with Arrogate and West Coast, respectively), even setting a new track record with a time of 1:59.36 with Arrogate. In addition to all this, over the course of Baffert’s career, which has spanned more than four decades, the famous trainer has fetched 15 victories in Triple Crown races, won four Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Trainer (incredibly, he won three years in a row: 1997-99) and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2009.
“Bob’s achievements have firmly established him as one of the most successful trainers in modern history,” said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay. “It is with sincere pleasure that we welcome Bob to the Walk of Fame to take his place alongside the other greats of the game.” Opened in 2015, the Saratoga Walk of Fame honors the accomplishments and talents of those who have made important contributions to the sport of Thoroughbred racing. The Walk of Fame features plaques, memorabilia and videos honoring the best of the best in racing, including jockeys, trainers, owners and more. Guests to this year’s Red Jacket Ceremony will also get a glimpse of the new Triple Crown trophy, which was commissioned by NYRA on behalf of Triple Crown Productions and designed and created by world-renowned sculptor Robert Santo.
Prior to the opening of the Saratoga Walk of Fame, the greats of Thoroughbred racing were recognized with the Red Jacket Ceremony (started in 2013), named for the titular red jackets awarded each year. This year’s Red Jacket Ceremony will also take place on one of the biggest events of the summer for Saratoga Race Course: New York Showcase Day on August 24. New York Showcase Day will feature six stakes exclusively for New York-bred horses, including the $250,000 Albany for 3-year-olds and the $200,000 Funny Cide for up-and-coming Thoroughbreds. On top of this, the New York Showcase comes just one day before what is easily the biggest event of the summer track meet, the 149th running of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes.
So start making your plans now because it’s going to be a busy weekend (and tickets sell out quickly). Travers Day grandstand and clubhouse tickets are available online at nyra.com or in-person at the NYRA Box Office at Saratoga Race Course.
Daily Racing Form: Six Undefeated Juvenile Fillies Make Up Adirondack Field
Six undefeated juvenile fillies will enter the Saratoga starting gate for a very contentious $200,000 Adirondack Stakes on Saturday.
All six won their only start. Four of them – Virginia Eloise, Lyrical Lady, Grandma Gertie, and Sue’s Fortune – did so in dominant fashion. Mucho Amor was a hard-fought winner of her debut more than 3 1/2 months ago at Keeneland, while Guacamole earned her diploma via a somewhat controversial stewards’ disqualification of the original winner of the final race here on the July 26 card.
Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out Virginia Eloise and Guacamole in the Grade 2 dash at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Virginia Eloise, a daughter of Curlin, has been pointed to the Adirondack since she slipped through along the rail to a five-length maiden win at Belmont Park going six furlongs July 5. She is the only member of the field to have run farther than 5 1/2 furlongs.
“I thought she showed a lot of professionalism in her debut coming up the fence, and I think with her pedigree stretching her out will be in her favor as well,” said Pletcher, who trains Virginia Eloise for the partnership of St. Elias Stable and McB Racing Stable.
“Having had a race at six furlongs is probably a little advantage, as long as there is an honest pace and nobody gets loose. There are a couple of fillies in there with speed. She’s not super quick, so they’ll probably get the early jump on her. But the pace scenario could play in our favor.”
Guacamole, by Flat Out, was bet to a 2-1 favorite launching her career going 5 1/2 furlongs over a muddy track just 16 days ago and was out-nodded by a nose by Super Simple – only to be elevated to first following a claim of foul by her rider, John Velazquez, and a lengthy deliberation by the stewards.
“We hadn’t really planned on running her [in the Adirondack], but the field came up short, she seemed to bounce out of the race well, and it looks like an opportunity for her to get some black type,” Pletcher said. “And off her pedigree, she’s supposed to want to run farther.”
Lyrical Lady will likely be favored for the red-hot Steve Asmussen barn. Asmussen has already won five 2-year-old races at the meet and lost a sixth as a result of Super Simple’s disqualification. Lyrical Lady led throughout in winning her debut here by 5 3/4 lengths on July 20, earning easily the best Beyer Speed Figure of this group, a 75, after completing 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.24 under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.
Lyrical Lady could find herself with a little sterner challenge for the early lead in her stakes bow. Mucho Amor and Grandma Gertie were quick enough to lead throughout going 4 1/2 furlongs, while Sue’s Fortune likewise made every call at winning one, defeating New York-bred competition by 8 1/2 lengths at 5 1/2 furlongs last month at Belmont Park.
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Daily Racing Form: Zennor Back From Long Break To Defend Lure Stakes Title
He’s waited a year – what’s one more week?
Zennor has not started since winning the $100,000 Lure Stakes last August on the Saratoga turf. He returns Saturday to defend his victory in the 1 1/16-mile Lure, which was originally carded for last Saturday but was postponed due to wet weather.
Zennor, a Godolphin homebred trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, won three straight races last year, taking salty allowance races at Keeneland and Belmont before winning the Lure by a length over Projected in his stakes debut.
“There were no conditions for him, but he’s doing well,” McLaughlin said.
Zennor knows how to fire off lengthy layoffs. After making his first two starts in the fall of 2014, he returned from more than nine months on the bench to win his maiden at Saratoga. That was his only start of 2015. More than 10 months later, he was second in a Belmont allowance.
The postponement of the Lure allowed Zennor to get in one more work, and he zipped a half-mile in 48.44 seconds on the Oklahoma turf course on Monday, the third-best of 99 at the distance that day.
Joe Bravo, aboard for Zennor’s three wins last year, has the mount on the gelding, who is among six horses returning from the original field for the Lure, along with Blacktype, Conquest Panthera, Dalarna, Inspector Lynley, and Mr Cub. Forge and Projected are the newcomers to the field, along with main-track-only entrants Secret Passage and You’re to Blame.
Camelot Kitten, Ticonderoga, and Voodoo Song all departed the field, with Voodoo Song entered in the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Saturday. Those shifts have resulted in a well-matched group, as five of the eight entrants in the main body of the field have last-out Beyer Speed Figures from 95 to 100.
Mr Cub is in career form for trainer Ian Wilkes, having won two of his last three. He was beaten a half-length when caught late in the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes last out, finishing third behind Mr. Misunderstood and Inspector Lynley.
Conquest Panthera, Grade 1-placed last year, gets some class relief after finishing third in the Connaught Cup and King Edward Stakes, both Grade 2 events at Woodbine.
“He’s tough,” trainer Mark Casse said. “It’s been a little while since he’s won, but he tries hard all the time. He’s a nice horse.”
Projected, a Grade 2 winner at Laurel last year after running second in the Lure, enters off a second to Voodoo Song in the Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont. Forge, who like Projected is a Juddmonte homebred, finished second in the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile at Keeneland two starts back and then was fifth in the Connaught Cup.
This story originally appeared on DRF.com.
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Daily Racing Form: Delta Prince Looks Set For Big Effort In Fourstardave Handicap
Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga drew an interesting field with three Grade 1 winners and three others who have put forth performances worthy of winning such an event.
Heart to Heart, Divisidero, and Yoshida are all Grade 1 winners, with Heart to Heart having done so twice at the Fourstardave distance of a mile. But the recent efforts of Delta Prince, Voodoo Song, and Made You Look – all at a mile – put them right in the mix of this race that helped start World Approval’s run to an Eclipse Award as champion male turf horse last year.
Delta Prince, a 5-year-old son of Street Cry trained by Jimmy Jerkens for Frank Stronach, may be primed for a breakthrough performance in the Fourstardave. He came off a near 10-month layoff to win the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine, where he ran a mile in 1:32.35. He is 4 for 5 at a mile, with a half-length loss in the Grade 3 Appleton in April 2017.
“He had trained really well, he’s very willing training-wise,” Jerkens said. “He’s one of those naturally athletic horses. If anyone could do it off a long layoff it would be him.”
The question is, can Delta Prince do it again? His most recent workout, a half-mile move in 47.01 seconds on Monday, suggests he can.
“The work before on the turf was a little slow,” Jerkens said. “I didn’t want a killer work, and the rider overcompensated early in the work then he finished nicely. That’s why we came back and did a little more with him. He’s carrying a little more flesh than he did last year.”
Jerkens said his biggest concern is the condition of the course. Last year, in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch run over a yielding turf, he was beaten 2 1/2 lengths by Heart to Heart.
“He didn’t accelerate like he does when it’s firm,” Jerkens said. “He tried anyway because he’s got so much guts.”
Heart to Heart, a 13-time stakes winner who is just shy of $2 million in earnings, should be the favorite in the Fourstardave. After a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale to begin his 7-year-old season, he won the Gulfstream Park Turf and the Maker’s 46 Mile – both Grade 1 stakes – before getting beat a neck by Hunt in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita.
“The horses he’s beat, the way he’s done it, he just seems like he’s come to himself at this stage,” trainer Brian Lynch said.
Heart to Heart, the 124-pound highweight under Julien Leparoux, figures to be stalking Voodoo Song early in the Fourstardave.
Voodoo Song, who went 4 for 4 at Saratoga last summer, is coming off a victory in the Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont, where he ran a mile in 1:31.67.
“At Belmont this summer we were dealing with a lot of track records and firm courses, and I think he definitely liked that,” trainer Linda Rice said. “I guess my only concern is the weather and soft turf.”
Yoshida is a two-time Grade 1 winner at 1 1/8 miles. He is coming off a 1 1/4-length loss when fifth in the Group 1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot in June.
“At the furlong marker he tipped to the left, actually got head and head for the lead, then they started the incline, and there were just a couple of horses that were just a little stronger than him,” trainer Bill Mott said.
Divisidero, also a two-time Grade 1 winner at 1 1/8 miles, is coming off a half-length victory in the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap at 1 3/16 miles. Made You Look, trained by Chad Brown, was second in the Grade 3 Poker to Oscar Performance.
The Fourstardave goes as race 8 on an 11-race card that includes the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and the $100,000 Lure Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, a race that was canceled last Saturday and rescheduled.
KEY CONTENDERS
Delta Prince, by Street Cry
Last 3 Beyers: 101-99-98
◗ Is 4 for 6 on turf, with all four wins at a mile.
◗ Didn’t care for the yielding turf when third to Heart to Heart in the Bernard Baruch.
◗ Comes off a course-record performance winning the King Edward in 1:32.35 off a lengthy layoff.
Heart to Heart, by English Channel
Last 3 Beyers: 104-105-103
◗ May be in career-best form, having won two Grade 1’s and losing another by a neck in his last three starts.
◗ Has learned to rate, a style that would suit him well with Voodoo Song in this field.
◗ Is 2 for 2 at Saratoga.
Yoshida, by Heart’s Cry
Last 3 Beyers: NA-106-96
◗ Came off an extended layoff to beat a good field in Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Derby Day.
◗ Goes back on Lasix after racing well without it in England in the Group 1 Queen Anne.
Voodoo Song, by English Channel
Last 3 Beyers: 102-100-98
◗ Went 4 for 4 over the Saratoga turf last summer.
◗ Will likely try to take this field gate to wire under Jose Lezcano, aboard for all those wins last year.
This story originally appeared on DRF.com.
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Daily Racing Form: Saratoga Race Run At Wrong Distance
Wednesday’s fifth race at Saratoga, a maiden race for New York-bred juvenile males, was run at the incorrect distance of 1 1/8 miles. It had been scheduled for 1 1/16 miles.
There seemed to be something amiss when the race’s fractions were posted as incredibly slow – 29.69 seconds for the quarter, 53.50 for the half, and 1:19.50 for six furlongs.
Initially, corrected fractions were reported and the final time for 1 1/16 miles was reported as 1:44.51, though it’s unclear where that time came from. The official final time will go down as 1:50.51 for 1 1/8 miles.
Somelikeithotbrown, a son of Big Brown trained by Mike Maker, won the race by eight lengths.
On Thursday, a review of the video of the race confirmed that the gate was in the wrong place. An amended footnote in the official Equibase chart read: “This race was scheduled for one mile and one sixteenth but was run at one mile and one furlong due to the gate being placed in the wrong location. The times were adjusted from the video and compiled by subtracting six seconds from the time on video.”
The New York Racing Association declined to comment on what happened. The stewards said they were looking into it.
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Saratoga Living And Tequila Avión Host Event To Celebrate ‘The Season’
On the last day of August, saratoga living and Tequila Avión hosted the party of ‘The Season’ at Putnam Place in downtown Saratoga Springs. Music was provided by DJ Trumastr and Bobby Kendall, food by Osteria Danny and complimentary margaritas by Tequila Avión. Phinney Design Group, Daily Racing Form and Putnam Place served as co-sponsors.
The Latest Book In The Ellie Stone Mystery Series Is Set In Saratoga Springs
Who doesn’t love a good mystery, especially when horse racing is involved? Well, fans of both (they exist) are in for a treat as A Stone’s Throw, the latest book in the Ellie Stone murder mystery series, came out June 5, and it’s set right here in Saratoga Springs. Except, don’t expect the bustling, sleek Saratoga of today that you know and love; A Stone’s Throw is set during the thrill of the summer track meet in 1962, before Saratoga went through a massive revitalization push in the mid-1960s and 70s.
The author, James Ziskin, remembers the slightly rundown Saratoga from those days. “What I tried to concentrate on was the excitement, and there is definitely, even in the early 60s, more glamour [in Saratoga] once August rolls around.” Set in the fictional town of New Holland, NY (a thinly veiled Amsterdam, where Ziskin grew up), the mystery series follows a twenty-something girl named Ellie Stone working for a small town newspaper solving murder mysteries in her hometown and other locations in Upstate New York. The series has already won prestigious prizes in the crime writing/mystery genre including an Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original and a Macavity Award for Best Historical Novel, and both for the fourth book in the series, Heart of Stone (Ziskin’s fifth Ellie Stone mystery is also up for the same two awards this September).
This is the sixth book in the series and the first set in Saratoga where Ziskin spent many of his summers growing up. Why Saratoga, especially considering Amsterdam—ahem—I mean New Holland is already so close? “Well, since my main character lives in this small town of New Holland, I can only set so many murders in that location before it becomes unbelievable,” says Ziskin (his main character has also solved mysteries in the Adirondacks, New York City and Los Angeles).
But Ziskin also wanted to write about the unique culture and blend of people that flock to Saratoga every summer. A Stone’s Throw revolves around the track and opens with an abandoned stud farm that has burned down in the night, leaving in its charred rubble the bodies of two victims. Stone documents the incident for her newspaper but discovers inside the ruins the remains of racing silks wrapped around the neck of one of the victims. I don’t want to reveal any more except to say sorry, Jockeys, looks like you’re on the suspect list.
Ziskin is on tour right now promoting the book and was at Northshire Bookstore on Tuesday, August 7 for a signing. Despite being on tour, he’s already hard at work planning his next Ellie Stone mystery. The way Ziskin describes his main character, it’s almost like he’s talking about a real person. “I just love the character so much. She’s just so smart and so witty and so much fun. Ultimately, I’m just having too much fun, and I’m going to continue to do it.”
A Stone’s Throw is now available in stores and online. Pick up a copy and, who knows, bring it to the track with you. On second thought, you might not get much reading done there.
Daily Racing Form: My Boy Tate Returns In Tale Of The Cat Stakes
Last summer, My Boy Tate won a six-furlong maiden race at Saratoga off a 126-day layoff. He hasn’t lost since.
Friday, My Boy Tate will look to improve on what is now a five-race winning streak when he returns from a 172-day layoff in the $100,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes going six furlongs at Saratoga.
It will be My Boy Tate’s first race since he won the Hollie Hughes for New York-breds at Aqueduct on Feb. 19. It will also be his first start against open-company opponents.
Trainer Michelle Nevin said My Boy Tate lost weight following the Hollie Hughes, his fourth race in 100 days.
“He’s not a very big horse, he’s kind of a long string bean,” said Nevin, who is also the breeder and part-owner of My Boy Tate along with Little Red Feather Racing. “He just got very light on me. The training, racing, it’s hard to keep the weight on, so I kind of backed off just for that reason.”
Nevin said she was hoping to have My Boy Tate ready for the John Morrissey Stakes on July 26.
My Boy Tate, who has shown the ability to win from on or off the pace, breaks from the rail under Manny Franco.
My Boy Tate, who carries top weight of 124 pounds, faces just four rivals in the Tale of the Cat: Mr. Crow, Silver Ride, Pop the Hood, and Always Sunshine.
KEY CONTENDERS
My Boy Tate, by Boys At Tosconova
Last 3 Beyers: 99-98-95
◗ Makes his first start in nearly six months, but has a work pattern that indicates to Nevin he is ready to fire fresh.
“I think he’s pretty tight,” she said. “When he worked the other day, he did it pretty easy. It didn’t look like he was under any pressure.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over last three years, Nevin is 11 for 70 with a $1.13 ROI with horses returning from a 60- to 180-day layoff in a sprint race.
Mr. Crow, by Tapizar
Last 3 Beyers: 89-81-96
◗ Wheels back in 13 days after getting beat 8 1/4 lengths by Imperial Hint in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt.
“He showed a little more speed last time,” trainer Ben Colebrook said. “In hindsight, he might have been too close to the pace to get a good trip. He’s coming back a little quick, but he was up there already, so it kind of made sense with the short field to take a shot. Plus, there’s no Imperial Hint.”
Silver Ride, by Candy Ride
Last 3 Beyers: 95-87-82
◗ Came off a 13-month layoff, precipitated by a condylar fracture, to win a high-class allowance race by a nose on June 22.
“Some of his biggest races have been his first race back off the bench,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “That’s why I gave him plenty of time off that race to this race. He seems like the more time you give him between races, the better he is.”
This story originally appeared on DRF.com.
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Daily Racing Form: Red Ruby To Miss Alabama Stakes With Injured Splint Bone
Red Ruby, the emphatic winner of the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks last month, will miss the Grade 1 Alabama and potentially the remainder of her 3-year-old season due to a splint-bone injury, trainer Kellyn Gorder said Wednesday.
Gorder said Red Ruby may have a hairline fracture of a splint bone in a front leg and is getting stall rest at Keeneland, where she is based.
“We’re pretty positive that’s what it is, but we need to X-ray it again,” Gorder said. “She’s just getting stall rest to keep [the leg] as quiet as we can.”
Red Ruby missed some time this year when she sustained cuts to a leg in a freak barn accident at Oaklawn. Though she missed the Kentucky Oaks, she came back with a 4 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico in May and a 13-length gallop in the Delaware Oaks. Gorder was planning to start her in the Alabama on Aug. 18.
Gorder said the splint-bone issue only developed within the last week. If it is a fracture, she would likely not return to the races until next year.
“She can come back 100 percent, better than what she was,” Gorder said. “I can see her filling out and becoming an awesome 4-year-old.”
Red Ruby, a daughter of Tiznow owned by Sandra Sexton and Brandi Nicholson, has won 4 of 6 starts.
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