Governor Sam victorious in the Quick Call (Chelsea Durand)
Christian Abdo/NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Bregman Family Racing and Swinbank Stables’ Grade 1-placed Governor Sam looked very professional when capturing Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Quick Call presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by George Weaver, the Improbable bay went 4-for-6 as a juvenile with three turf sprint stakes scores at as many tracks, culminating with a pacesetting one-length third to Magnum Force in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar.
On Sunday, the precocious Governor Sam used stalking tactics to earn his first win as a sophomore. He entered following a third in the 5 1/2-furlong Listed William Walker in April at Churchill Downs and a last-out fourth in an off-the-turf allowance sprint on June 6 there.
“A lot of people we’re saying maybe he didn’t come back as good and that’s a legitimate thing,” said Weaver. “2-year-old racing is like high school athletics, 3-year-old is like college and the older horses are pros. Some horses don’t make that transition, but everything he was telling me is he had – he was bigger, stronger and he’s been doing really well. I think just the third race of the form cycle [helped.] He’s a big, heavy horse and he really produced a big effort today.”
With Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard for the first time in the afternoon since his second-out graduation last July here, Governor Sam exited post 2 sharply and settled to the inside of Supersonic Blue while Ortley Avenue, one of his two Weaver-trained stablemates along with Insubordination, set an opening quarter-mile in 21.71 seconds on the good turf.
“He can sit off of the speed too and relax and give me that run at the end. I think that works great, so he wasn’t hard to really relax,” said Ortiz, Jr. who won this event previously aboard World of Trouble [2018], Golden Pal [2021] and Uncashed [2023].
The Eric Cancel-piloted Ortley Avenue was pressed by Santa Anita Park’s Listed John Shear-winner Supersonic Blue into the turn while Governor Sam saved ground just off the hedge. Midway through the turn, Ortiz, Jr. angled Governor Sam three-wide in pursuit of the top pair through a half-mile in 44.68.
Supersonic Blue retreated in the upper stretch and Governor Sam cruised by Ortley Avenue easily inside the three-sixteenths with an eye-catching turn of foot. At that point, the race was wrapped up, with Governor Sam winning by 3 1/2 lengths over Ortley Avenue, who gamely defended place honors for a Weaver-trained exacta, in a final time of 1:02.68.
No Evidence closed along the inside for third, with the Weaver-trained Insubordination rounding out the superfecta. The slow-starting Jet Sweep Joe and Supersonic Blue completed the order of finish. Grayscale and main track-only entrant Soontobeking were scratched.
Weaver was pleased to see Governor Sam come from off-the-pace.
“Irad had great judgment. The horse ran big like that and it’s nice to know he can do it,” said Weaver, who on July 10 Opening Day took turf sprints with Cy Fair and Devil in Disguise. “I told him in the paddock, ‘if he doesn’t break, if something happens at the start where he doesn’t break and put you there, you don’t have to hustle him to the lead.’”
Weaver added that Governor Sam could next contest the Grade 3, $175,000 Mahony on August 10 here, pending the green light from owner Alex Bregman, a player for the Boston Red Sox, who won their 10th consecutive game on Sunday.
“That’s the logical spot,” said Weaver. “I would probably vote for that. I’ll talk with Alex. At some point we want to maybe put him in a position to run in the Breeders’ Cup against older. He’ll have to keep stepping it up, but he’s a good turf sprinter and today we learned he doesn’t need the lead, so we’re excited.”
Cancel said Ortley Avenue, the 15-1 longest shot on the board following a second in the five-furlong Roar in May at Gulfstream Park, was game in defeat.
“To be honest, I was very happy with the performance that I got out of my horse,” Cancel said. “He faced a really nice horse and he got beat, but he got beat running. Really happy with the performance and hopefully he can improve out of this.”
A $275,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Governor Sam is out of the multiple graded stakes-placed Into Mischief mare I’m Betty G, who also produced dual graded stakes-winner Pin Up Betty. He was bred in Kentucky by Stoneriggs Farm.
Governor Sam banked $96,250 in victory while improving his record to 9-5-0-2 and returning $3.50 for a $2 win bet as the post-time favorite.
Live racing resumes Wednesday with a nine-race card that includes the New York-bred $150,000 Suzie O’Cain in Race 9. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
