Obliteration, winner of last year’s Grade 3 Sanford here, heads a field of eight in Friday’s Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga for trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Jose Ortiz. (NYRA Photo)
Jon Forbes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Obliteration will seek his fourth stakes win and second graded score when he heads a field of eight in Friday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Amsterdam, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, at Saratoga Race Course.
Winner of the 2025 Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga, Obliteration has subsequently added stakes triumphs in the Renaissance in January at Oaklawn Park and the Listed Chick Lang in May at Laurel Park, both at six furlongs.
Between those starts, he was second in the Group 3 Saudi Derby at about one mile in February. In his most recent outing, the seven-furlong Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on June 6 at Saratoga, Obliteration raced in seventh early, was kept inside along the far turn, angled wide for the stretch run, and gave vain chase to Englishman in the stretch, who powered clear to a 5 3/4-length score in track record-equaling time. Obliteration finished a nose behind runner-up Crude Velocity.
Obliteration, a bay son of Violence, is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe, and John Cilia.
“I think he is sitting on a very big race,” said Asmussen. “He’s run two really fast races in a row. I think the Amsterdam is the right spot for him to get back into the winner’s circle.”
Since the Woody Stephens, Obliteration has posted four workouts over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track, most recently a three-furlong breeze in 37.90 seconds July 25.
“That was a crazy race last time,” said Asmussen. “He came out of it good. He was able to stay here since. The weather we’ve had recently, he seems to have really responded and been feeling good in it. The racetrack has also been in great shape up here.”
Jose Ortiz will ride Obliteration from post 7.
Finishing an additional 5 1/4-lengths behind Obliteration in the Woody Stephens was Pin Oak Stud’s Gilded Bandit [post 4, Junior Alvarado], who raced last-of-9 up the backstretch and passed tiring rivals to finish fourth, 11 lengths behind Englishman.
The Woody Stephens ended a two-race winning streak for Gilded Bandit, who in April won a Keeneland maiden special weight in his second start and followed suit with a 2 1/2-length optional-claiming win in May at Churchill Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Gilded Bandit worked three-eighths in 36.30 July 25 in company with Chief Wallabee, who is entered in Wednesday’s Listed $150,000 Curlin presented by Casamigos here.
Also exiting the Woody Stephens is Solitude Dude [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who finished seventh, beaten 20 1/2-lengths, after setting a contested pace. Solitude Dude has won three stakes races to date, including the Listed Bay Shore in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“He doesn’t have to face Englishman. That’s the most important thing,” said Saffie Joseph, Jr., who conditions Solitude Dude for Chris Fountoukis. “I think he’s a good horse. Obviously, Englishman did not make him look like a good horse last time. Hopefully, he can get back to the way he was when he ran better races and did not have that kind of pressure on him.”
Lightly-raced Local Knowledge [post 2, John Velazquez] will make his stakes debut in the Amsterdam. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher for Spendthrift Farm, Local Knowledge made one start as a 2-year-old, breaking his maiden by 1 1/4-lengths at Keeneland in October. In his lone performance this year, he finished 1 1/4-lengths behind the winner, 4-year-old Buttah, when third in a 6 1/2-furlong entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up June 6 at Saratoga.
“He was impressive in his maiden win, and then we got sidetracked,” said Pletcher. “He caught what I call a difficult ‘one other-than’ field with open optional-claiming on there. We ran against some horses with way more experience. I thought it was a good performance, and we just felt like that rather than giving him another allowance race we would go ahead and give him a stakes try since he has impressed us so far. I think he’s tactical enough that he can be close or he can settle off a hot pace and, hopefully, put himself in a position to make a run.”
Another colt who is entering the Amsterdam off an entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up is Albert Fried’s White Smoke Rising [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], who prevailed by 1 3/4-lengths at that level in a seven-furlong event on July 3 at Saratoga. He entered that race off a 1 1/2-length maiden triumph in May at Belmont at the Big A in his second start, having finished second by a neck in January at Aqueduct Racetrack on debut.
“Sooner or later, we have to step up in class,” said trainer Charlton Baker. “This seems like a good time. He’s a pretty smart horse. He’s still a little green and hangs when he gets up to horses, but I think he’ll get it together, sooner or later. He’s got tactical speed and can sit a little further back. It depends on the race. He can sit where he needs to sit.”
Gervais Racing’s American Man [post 1, Flavien Prat] has never finished outside the exacta in four starts. Trained by Dallas Stewart, American Man began his career at Oaklawn Park, breaking his maiden by 1 1/2-lengths at first asking in March before starting in a pair of optional claimers, finishing second by one length in April and winning by two lengths in May, all at six furlongs. He enters the Amsterdam off a distant second to Deep Flame in the Grade 3 Maxfield on June 28 at Churchill.
Completing the Amsterdam field are Lincoln’s Law [post 6, Luis Saez], second in an optional claimer June 25 at Churchill for trainer Phil Bauer; and the Dale Romans-trained Rockies Balboa [post 8, Manuel Franco], seventh in Saratoga’s Grade 3 Quick Call presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation on the turf July 19.
The Amsterdam is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s 10-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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