Classic Q victorious in the Wild Applause (Susie Raisher)
Mary Eddy/NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hugh Dailey, Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Classic Q lived up to her post-time favoritism with a wire-to-wire score in Thursday’s Listed $150,000 Wild Applause, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, on Opening Day of the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the daughter of Classic Empire rebounded from a last-out seventh in the Grade 3 Regret on May 31 at Churchill Downs. She landed her first stakes win in her fourth attempt, and adds to previous wins in a maiden at second asking in January at Gulfstream Park and an allowance score in April at Churchill.
Casse said he was pleased to see Classic Q bounce back from her Regret effort, where she was unsettled under the Twin Spires.
“I don’t know why she got so upset last time, but horses are funny,” Casse said. “You’ve got Churchill Downs, which is a little intimidating sometimes. It is just a different scenario, and I don’t know.”
Ridden to victory by Jose Ortiz, Classic Q rocketed to the front from post four in the six-horse field as Lavender Disaster pushed the issue to her outside, the pair drawing well off from the rest of the field before Classic Q was left alone on the front through the opening quarter-mile in 23.34 seconds over the firm footing.
The strung-out group saw Play With Fire wait patiently in third well behind a patient Lavender Disaster as Classic Q reached the half-mile in 46.46. Irad Ortiz, Jr. coaxed along Lavender Disaster heading into the turn, and ranged up to loom large as Flavien Prat tipped Play With Fire three-wide to set her sights on the freewheeling pacesetter.
“I was good with the first one [opening fraction], not so good with the second one,” Casse said. “Then honestly, at about maybe the half-mile pole, I was a little concerned because it looked like they were coming to her, but he [Ortiz] had something in reserve. She was a different horse today.”
Classic Q completed three-quarters in 1:10.25 and Ortiz got busy aboard the speedy grey, dispatching the challenge from Lavender Disaster as she spun her wheels, but was left to deal with the menacing Play With Fire as she closed with giant strides down the center of the course. Ortiz showed a left-handed crop and Classic Q dug in inside the final sixteenth to keep her foe at bay and win by a half-length in a final time of 1:33.21.
Play With Fire finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of her Chad Brown-trained stablemate Lavender Disaster with Fixin to Bee – who stumbled at the start – Midway Memories and Love and Poetry completing the order of finish. Especially and main track-only entrant Ruth were scratched.
Ortiz said Classic Q was well within herself on the lead.
“There was not a lot of speed in the race, and she has speed,” said Ortiz, who was also aboard Classic Q in her last two starts. “So, she broke well and that was the main thing, so I let her do her thing on the lead and she was relaxed and when they came to her, she got a second kick.”
A logical next local start for Classic Q could be the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3, $175,000 Lake George presented by Surfside on July 26.
Prat said last-out Listed Hilltop-winner Play With Fire gave a game effort in her first start for Brown.
“I was in a good spot and made a good run, but we just couldn’t go by them,” Prat said. “Going into the first turn, they were running, and I thought they would come back to me – which they did at some point, but she [Classic Q] re-rallied after that.”
Bred in Kentucky by Winning Bloodstock, Classic Q was a $40,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Lovely Em, who also produced the stakes-placed Copper Em. Classic Q banked $82,500 in victory while returning $5.30 on a $2 win ticket.
Live racing will resume Friday at the July 4th Racing Festival with an 11-race Independence Day card headlined by the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational in Race 9. A stacked program includes the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban presented by Subourbon in Race 10, the Grade 3, $200,000 Manila in Race 8; the Listed $150,000 Harvey Pack in Race 11; and the Listed $150,000 Schuylerville in Race 2. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
Statistics for the 37-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet will include the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
