Book’em Danno conquers the Forego, extending his win streak to three (Chelsea Durand)
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Atlantic Six Racing’s Book’em Danno, five weeks removed from a career-best performance, turned in another stellar effort when taking over the lead in mid-stretch and holding off late-running longshot Scotland to extend his win streak to three races with a popular one-length decision in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Forego at Saratoga Race Course.
The 43rd running of the seven-furlong Forego for 4-year-olds and up, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile November 1 at Del Mar, was among five graded-stakes worth $3.15 million in purses on a stacked program headlined by the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers.
Ridden by Paco Lopez for trainer Derek Ryan, Book’em Danno covered a fast main track in 1:22.43 to improve to 10-for-16 lifetime and earn his fourth win from five career starts at Saratoga and third this year, following the Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt July 19 and Grade 3 True North June 7 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
Ryan said the New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year for 2023-24 is likely in uncharted territory as a state representative.
“He’s probably the first one that’s won all those three races…I don’t think it’ll be done again. But he’s a really good horse,” Ryan said. “Once I’d seen him pretty close turning for home, I knew he’d have his kick. He [Lopez] just gets along with him. He gets in the position I want him in all the time.”
Book’em Danno was unhurried in the early going as Most Wanted, exiting a four-length optional claiming victory June 1 at Churchill Downs, sailed through a quarter-mile in 22.63 seconds with fellow last-out winner Hold My Bourbon at his right hip in second. Most Wanted’s Brad Cox-trained stablemate Bishops Bay, riding a four-race win streak including back-to-back Grade 3s, rode the rail saving ground in third.
The half went in 44.85 as Hold My Bourbon forged a short lead over Most Wanted, while Lopez had Book’em Danno positioned between horses in third with Bishops Bay to his immediate inside. The top four straightened for home on even terms with Book’em Danno racing three wide before he edged clear of a stubborn Most Wanted approaching the sixteenth pole and was kept to task as Scotland closed with a flourish.
“I was like, let him break a little bit sharper than last time. I saved a little bit of run. By the eighth pole, I let him go. My horse, he goes for it today and he comes through today. He’s very good,” Lopez said. “He is a game horse. The race and the competition today and a little trouble between horses, but no problem today. He showed up big time and came through today.”
Crazy Mason, winner of the Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets April 5 at Aqueduct, came with a late run to be third, three-quarters of a length behind Scotland, with another two lengths to Doc Sullivan in fourth. Most Wanted, Bishops Bay, defending race-winner Mullikin, Extra Anejo, Hold My Bourbon and Over and Ollie completed the order of finish. Grade 3 winner Full Moon Madness was scratched.
Sent off as the 4-5 favorite over nine rivals, Book’em Danno returned $3.80 for a $2 win bet.
Lopez has been aboard Book’em Danno for each of his last five starts, including a season-opening win in the restricted Boston Handicap March 14 at Colonial Downs and a hard-luck fourth, beaten a neck by Mindframe, in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs May 3 contested over a sloppy and sealed main track.
“This horse, he shows up,” Lopez said. “He’s done very well, and Derek Ryan has done very good for that horse.”
The gelded 4-year-old son of Bucchero is an eight-time stakes winner out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Adorabella, who also produced dual stakes winner Girl Trouble. Named for the catchphrase from the 1970s television show Hawaii Five-O, he picked up $275,000 in victory to bring his total earnings in excess of $1.8 million.
Despite Book’em Danno earning an all-fees-paid spot in the Breeders’ Cup, Ryan is not looking at making the cross-country trip to Southern California.
“No, I’m still sticking to my plan,” he said. “I’m sure it might change. But they’re [owners Atlantic Six Racing] pretty good and have never told me where to run. So it’s worked out pretty good.”
Atlantic Six Racing’s Jeff Rubenstein said the ownership group is content to leave the final decision up to Ryan.
“Owners are like mushrooms, best kept in the dark. So Derek makes all the decisions. I go one race at a time. So that’s all him,” he said. “As a Jersey-bred, on this stage – on the world’s biggest racing stage with a Jersey-bred and [to] compete with Paco and Derek and this awesome ownership group, it means the world.”
Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $150,000 West Point presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
