Saratoga, Race 1 – Saturday, July 22, 2023
Saratoga, Race 7 – Saturday, July 22, 2023
By 2YO EdgeMan
SAR1:072223 – 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. Nine colts have arranged to knock heads (two are listed as ‘Main Track Only’) in this first race of the season to see the babies travel 8 ½ furlongs. Only two of the nine have ever squared off in competition previously during the afternoon and each of those have only done it once. Clement and Gargan will both tighten the girth on two dudes, while Mott, Kevin Rice, Weaver, Rudy Rod, and Pletcher will each send out one runner. The list of sires is also fantastic: two from Cairo Prince and one apiece from Uncle Mo, Kitten’s Joy, Noble Mission, Winstar’s Constitution, Connect, Good Magic and Liam’s Map. One of today’s runners is gonna jump off the page to you when we introduce him to you. So, this should be a bunch of fun, let’s plunge on in…
#1 – Ask Isaac (4/1) – Bill Mott sends out this FTS colt who is sired by Uncle Mo and is from a dual-stakes winning Sky Mesa dam. She actually cashed in for $339K by going 6 for 26 and has thrown one winner from her only starter. Today’s runner sold for $400K as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton KY Summer Sale last year (23/95). He started his workout regime in April down in Florida at Payson Park Training Center and clicked off four efforts down there before shipping up to upstate NY where he’s worked eight times here at Saratoga (six covering a ½ mile and the other two at 3f). He first showed promise in his second effort at SAR when he fired off a bullet going three poles in 36.78 (1/52). Mott’s man – Junior Alvarado – gets the riding assignment.
#2 – Spirit Prince (6/1) – This is Christophe Clement’s first of two entered in this affair and he’s one of the two by Cairo Prince. Mom only ran once, but she made the most of it by scoring a win (as a 3YO) – Spirit Prince is her first foal. This firster brought $110K at the Keeneland September Yearling Sales last year (8/47) and has the benefit of 14 official works (the first five at Payson Park and the most recent nine here at the Oklahoma oval). In fact, three of the nine works here at SAR were over the grass training strip and in two of those he traveled 5/8 of a mile. His times have not been stunning, but they’ve been steady and his last was done in 48.77 seconds (8/51). Manny Franco has been tapped to be the pilot.
#3 – Fortune Seller (3/1) – The late, master turf sire – Kitten’s Joy – is the proud papa to this colt who is from an Unbridled’s Song dam who won $30,000 on the track with a record of one win from six starts. This colt hammered down for $65,000 as a short yearling at the 2022 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. He will be making his first start today and he’s trained by Kevin Rice who has not sent out a 2YO in a MSW race at Saratoga during the previous five year period (2018 thru 2022). Kevin has led him out for seven morning preps, all on the All-Weather strip at Presque Isle Downs. His last was on 7/14/23 when he went in 1:00 flat for five furlongs coming out of the gate (2/10). Jose has signed up to handle the jockey duties.
#7 – Noted (2/1) – You are probably thinking that he’s the favorite since he’s 2/1, but actually that honor goes to the #8 horse (more on him in a minute). This Repole colt is the second one from Cairo Prince and he sold for $200K as a yearling at KEE September (3/47). Her dam won one time in eight tries and brought home $58,000 and she’s had three other foals of racing age, one to race and no winners. Noted has raced one time previously, that was at BEL over the turf on 6/22/23 when he broke awkwardly and was roughly five lengths behind more than half way through the 5f event before closing nicely on the outside to finish less than two lengths behind the victor. TAP is the conditioner and he’s sent her out for two ½ mile workouts since her last run, both in the 49 second range. Irad, who rode him last time, is listed as the reinsman, however he also shows on the #8 horse below.
#8 – Dornoch (7/5) – OK, you ready for this? This fella is a full brother to a horse that you may have heard of named ‘Mage’. Yes, Good Magic and Puca also collaborated to bring you this colt who brought $325K as a yearling last Sept at KEE (7/81), four months before Mage ever even made his first start. For those of you not familiar with Puca, she was an outstanding race mare having won nearly $300K and four races from the 17 starts that she made. Her highest EBSF was 119 and she won in her third time out in her two-year-old campaign at Belmont in October, notching an 87 EBSF. Dornoch is trained by Danny Gargan and he’s overseen nine morning moves, all at the Oklahoma training strip on the dirt. He’s been stretched out to four furlong efforts in his last seven works and only one of them was under 49 seconds, and that was barely (48.88 – 17/56). Irad has also been named to sit in the saddle. Important note: this guy is one of the MTOs.
#9 – Deterministic (5/2) – Christophe Clement will also saddle this Liam’s Map colt who will be making his first career start in the colors of St. Elias Stable, along with a few partners (assuming that he does start since he’s also listed as an MTO). He was a smashing success at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale when he was picked up for a cool $625K (tied for the highest yearling by his sire last year from 64 that sold). Mom was 3 for 9 with $85,000 in purse money and has throw two fillies who earned $270K and $168K (the first was 10/29 and the other was 1/24). He’s drilled seven times, all here over Oklahoma, the first two were 3f, with four of the next five at four furlongs with a 5/8 mile move thrown in two back on 7/8/23, which turned out to be a ‘soft’ bullet – 1:00.20 (1/7). Flavien Prat will guide this dude from the outside post.
Pick – #7 Noted – As much as I’d like to pick Mage’s brother, I think that he’ll be over bet. So, I’m ‘settling’ (pun intended) on TAP’s runner. He’s got the experience of a race on the lawn and ran big on that day. I like that he’s been able to get in two works since that race and I’m hoping that Irad goes with this guy – that will be very interesting to watch, assuming that Dornoch runs. Best of luck to Whirlaway Farms as the owner of this dude in the Game of Silks.
SAR7:072223 – Six furlongs over the dirt. 12 colts, representing 11 betting interests have been dropped into the entry box to do battle in this exciting affair comprised of all First-Time Starters. TAP sends out two, along with singles from the likes of D. Wayne, Chad Brown, Gargan, Asmussen, Cox, Moquett, Mott and Handal. And, have a look at these sires: Two from both Medaglia d’Oro and Justify and one apiece from Speightstown, Good Magic, Tapiture, and Winstar’s Constitution. And to add a few sprinkles on top, add brilliant First-Crop Sires, both from Spendthrift Farm – Omaha Beach and Vino Rosso. Not bad, huh? Diving in with both feet…
#2 – Daily Grind (15/1) – BC Stables opened their wallet wide last year at the yearling sales, but this one by Medaglia d’Oro is a whopper – they dropped $1.35 million on this colt at the Fasig-Tipton November Saratoga Select Sale last fall (1/41; $450K more than the second highest). His dam is by Tapit and she won $294K, went 4 for 13, won at the Grade 2 level and also scored at first asking during September of her 2YO year at Belmont with an 83 EBSF (she was over 100 four times, with a career high of 104). In the breeding shed, she’s produced Anneau d’Oro (a full bro to Daily Grind) the runner up in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (106 EBSF), after winning his first race in September at the soon to be shuttered Golden Gate with an 87. The Coach has pumped ten works into this fella with the first nine coming under the Twin Spires before shipping him up for one spin over Saratoga’s dirt training track. He’s stepped it up in his last two efforts – on 7/5/23, his last at CD, he covered a half mile in a sizzling 47 seconds flat (1/39) and his most recent was also at the same distance, done this time in 48.8 secs (5/40). Kendrick Carmouche has been tapped to ride.
#3 – General Partner (9/2) – Klaravich Stables, Inc owns this colt and of course they’ve entrusted the training duties to Chad Brown. By Speightstown and from a Distorted Humor mare, he sold for $1/4 million as a weanling at Fasig-Tipton’s Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale back in 2021 (2/3). His dam notched two victories, but she only tried four times and one of those wins was in her first ever race in November of her 2YO campaign at the Meadowlands when she zipped off an 85 EBSF. She’s also thrown a colt who was a winner in his second outing as a juvenile at Keeneland in a maiden claiming affair and in total won $133K while racing, putting up a record of 4 for 23. Eight workouts are in the books for this guy, all at Saratoga, with his most recent being over the main dirt strip. Three efforts back, he went 4f in 48.62 (3/66). Flavien Prat will be the man in the irons.
#5 – Valentine Candy (3/1) – The first of two by Justify, this colt is owned by the Helligbrodt’s (with partners) and conditioned by Steve Asmussen. He also demanded $250K at public auction, but he sold as a yearling in FT’s KY October Sale (36/78). His mama, by Candy Ride, banked $286K by going 2 for 15 on the track with one of those wins coming at first asking in October of her juvenile season at Santa Anita and earned a terrific EBSF of 94 on that day. This fella worked four times at Keeneland, went to Louisville for another breeze at CD and then put in a dandy in his only one here on the main dirt track at The Spa – 47.47 seconds for a ½ mile from the gate (3/174). Ricardo Santana, Jr. gets the call to climb aboard.
#6 – Annointed (4/1) – The second colt by Justify, this guy is a homebred from Winstar Farm, now owned in partnership with Siena Farm and trained by TAP. Although his dam was not a success on the track (1 for 7 and $9,000), she was sold as a broodmare carrying a foal by Siyouni for $1.7+ million over at Tattersalls in 2018. This guy’s three-year-old full sis won on debut last year in August at Ellis Park (74 EBSF), however she’s winless in three more races. Todd started his drills at Winstar’s training facility and gave him four outings there before shipping him up to Saratoga for six more on the Oklahoma dirt and then, most recently, three 5/8 moves on the main dirt oval. His first try going five poles was on 7/4/23 when he whizzed around in 59.77 seconds (1/6). Jose will manage the reins.
#7 – Dive Bomber (5/1) – Brad Cox manages this colt who comes to us from Omaha Beach. He was quite popular at the KEE Sept Yearling Sale where he earned a bid of $400K (8/87). His dam, a daughter of Blame, made her first two traces at two-years-old both winning ones, starting at Parx in October (74 EBSF) and then she captured the Grade 3 Tempted Stakes at Aqueduct, adding 10 EBSF points). Unfortunately, she only raced four more times without a victory. Other than today’s runner, her only foal is a 3YO filly and she’s already brought home $386K in purses with a nifty record of 4 for 7, including a score last November in the third race of her career at Turfway Park, garnering an 89 EBSF. Since then, she’s hung a high E-Speed Fig of 112. Dive Bomber worked out eight times in Kentucky, the first four at Keeneland and the next four at Churchill (where he rifled off a bullet over four panels) before shipping up here to Saratoga recently. Since on the grounds, he’s taken one spin around the Oklahoma oval and it was done in 48.48 seconds for the four furlongs (2/28). Brad looks to Florent Geroux to boot him home.
#9 – Protective (8/1) – Repole Stables went to $250K for this colt when he was a yearling at Keeneland’s big September Sale (18/41). His mom, Grace Hall (by Empire Maker) was a fantastic race mare who earned $1.5 million while winning six of the 16 events that she ran in. She was amazing in her juvenile campaign – a score in her first race at Delaware Park in July (EBSF of 87), then she won the G1 Spinaway here at The Spa with an EBSF of 92 before going back to DEL for another stakes, noticing an E-Speed Fig of 92. Finally, she capped off her two-year-old year with a runner up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies event. She sold at the end of her 3YO racing year for $3.2 million, but her buyer kept her racing for two more seasons. So far she has been a bit of a disappointment as a broodmare – she’s had four previous foals of racing age with only one to make it to the track and that colt, a full bro to Protective, has failed to win. Back to today’s runner – he started his work down in Florida at Palm Beach Downs where he drilled twice in April. He’s been up in Saratoga since mid-May and has fit nine breezes in – none terribly fast, but trainer TAP has stretched him out to five furlongs in each of his last three. Irad will take care of the driving duties.
Pick – #2 Daily Grind – Goodness me, how do you pick just one horse in this one? I’d love to be able to choose five or six of them, but no – as always, I’ll select one and only one. At 15/1, I’m going to give Daily Grind a shot. The Coach has already scored with two FTSers this year (both at ELP) and this colt looks as good as any in the field. A giant price tag as a yearling, a G2 winning mom who won at two, a full bro who was runner up in the BC Juv and ten works covering 4 ¾ miles (with a strong bullet). This colt is still in the pot at the Game of Silks, just ready to be minted.
As passionate followers of two-year-old Maiden Special Weight races, these are the days that we live for – so much promise and potential! I can’t wait – let’s have some fun and cash some tickets, my Edgie Monsters.
