SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Public Sector, sent to post as the 4-5 favorite in the seven-horse field of sophomores, rallied up the rail to win the 37th running of Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga Race Course.
Owned by Klaravich Stables and trained by Chad Brown – who teamed again with Digital Software’s victory in Saratoga’s 10th race finale that netted the conditioner his 2,000th career win – Public Sector was rated kindly by Flavien Prat behind Next’s honest fractions of 23.91, 47.56, and 1:11.36 on the firm inner turf.
When a seam opened along the inside past the sixteenth pole, Public Sector powered home to cover the one-mile distance in a 1:35.03 final time.
“Our plan was to leave out of there with intention,” Brown said. “It looked like there was a lot of speed on paper but make them go, get our spot and if they’re going to go, go. If not, we’ll be there. As it turned out, they actually weren’t going. The 47 and 3 [half-mile] is solid but it’s been dry here and in a graded race at Saratoga, that’s not that fast for these horses. Flavien does many things wonderfully and that was one of them. He gives you a chance to win by adapting to the pace right away. If you give him the right horse, he’s going to deliver for you.”
Prat made his third start aboard Public Sector following an optional-claiming win in June and a runner-up effort to Hall of Fame rival Original last out in the Manila on July 4, both at Belmont.
“The first time I rode him, I was really close to the pace and he won a nice race,” said Prat. “Last time, I think it was just a slow pace. I got stuck behind horses. He couldn’t really bring me anywhere around the turn and I had to make up a lot of ground on the slow pace. Today, we had a good draw and he broke well and put me in the race. The pace was a bit stronger and it worked out well.
“I thought I was going to be able to go around the leader, but then I saw the leader came out and I dropped in and had room,” he continued. “We were pretty much making the move together but when I really asked him to make the move, he responded well.”
Annex, who settled in fifth position early under Junior Alvarado, rallied wide into the lane angling in slightly at the three-sixteenths in front of Original, who clipped heels amongst a crowd of rivals and was pulled up by his rider, Luis Saez.
Annex re-rallied to complete the exacta, a length behind, and In Effect, the longest shot in the field at 30-1, was another 1 ¾ lengths back in third.
“I was moving with Luis and we both made the run. At the time, I was moving more forward than him and I felt him bump me on my rear end,” Alvarado said. “I knew I was still straight in my path. After that, when he was out of there, I started coming again. My horse put in a good run today and I was happy with him. It may have cost me a few lengths but I didn’t have much room on the inside. The winner had the trip, and I really didn’t have another way to go but just move outside.”
Next, Easy Time, and Wolfie’s Dynaghost completed the order of finish. Original walked off the course under his own power.
Following a stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run, no change was made to the order of finish.
Public Sector, a son of Kingman bred in Great Britain, returned $3.80 for a $2 wager. He improved his record to 3-3-0 in six outings and upped his bankroll to $278,600 for owner Seth Klarman.
“We’ve become very close friends and he’s such a loyal supporter of our stable and he provides us with these wonderful horses like you saw today with Public Sector. He’s a real sportsman and always does the right thing by the horse and he gets rewarded because of that,” said Brown.
Brown also expressed his appreciation for his hard-working team after reaching the 2,000-win milestone in Friday’s 10th race.
“I’m running the ship and calling the shots, but I can’t do it without all my wonderful co-workers, all the great horses and all the people that taught you along the way,” Brown said. “There are so many things that go into it. I play one role – it’s an important role – but far from the only role. It’s a great thing to experience and hopefully it will sink in and my team can really appreciate it and move forward to try and get the next goal.”
Live racing resumes Saturday with a loaded 12-race card headlined by the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at nine furlongs for older horses, a Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” qualifier for the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Whitney Day also features two other Grade 1 events with the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational for 3-year-olds going 1 3/16 miles over the Mellon turf and the $500,000 Longines Test for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs over the main track. Also featured on the card are the Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls for older fillies and mares travelling 1 1/2 miles over the inner turf and the $120,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure for 4-year-olds and upward over the Mellon turf. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
By Lynne Snierson/NYRA
Photo: Public Sector, (Chelsea Durand)
