NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— The well-related Authentic Gallop will debut in Race 7 on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, a six-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds that features 10 contenders made up of nine first-time starters.
Trained by Tom Amoss for owner Gregory Tramontin, Authentic Gallop [post 2, Tyler Gaffalione], by Authentic, was a $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase.
The dark bay colt, bred in Kentucky by Tall Oaks Farm, is out of the Victory Gallop mare Galloping Ami, who has produced a trio of graded stakes-winning half-siblings to Authentic Gallop in Kopion, Amis Gizmo and Ami’s Flatter as well as stakes-winner Aragorn Ami. All four of those half-siblings won on debut.
Authentic Gallop started his training in Kentucky and has now breezed twice over the Saratoga main track, including a five-eighths breeze Saturday in 1:02.77.
“He has prepared very well. You don’t come up to Saratoga with any empty wagons and we don’t think we did, but this is a very good race,” Amoss said. “He is a big, imposing horse on looks, but he’s more athletic than he is body appearance – a lot of bigger, stronger-made horses, you might be nervous about going a short race with, but in this case he has been very athletic for us and we think he can handle it.”
Amoss assembled an experienced team of friends to evaluate prospects at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, including Julie Cauthen; former assistants Brent Sumja and Chris Richard; as well as Ron Faucheux, who retired in April 2023 on the heels of three consecutive training title wins at Fair Grounds.
Last year, Amoss and Tramontin teamed up with a smart debut winner here in Alys Beach, a $120,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, who went on to finish third in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland.
Amoss said the solid result last summer fueled enthusiasm for a return visit to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale with an eye on two-turn prospects, including Authentic Gallop.
“Greg attended the sale with us and we had a team that bought for him. This was a horse we were really excited to get,” Amoss said. “He was very active at the sale. It all started right here at Saratoga last year. He had Alys Beach win first time out here and that enthusiasm and enjoyment carried over to the sale this year and getting more involved. Everything we bought was designed to be a horse that can stretch out and go two turns.”
Amoss said all of the connections are looking forward to Saturday’s unveiling as maiden special weight races at Saratoga are as much a part of the fanfare as stakes races.
“Saratoga has these maiden races on Saturday and Sunday for a reason,” Amoss said. “Greg is flying up for the race to give you an idea of his excitement. We think he’s one of the better 2-year-olds we have in the barn, so we’re excited about it as well.”
The Chad Summers-trained Filoso [post 9, Dylan Davis], by City of Light, has trained forwardly into his debut for owner Al Gold’s Gold Square.
Filoso worked six times over the Belmont Park dirt training track led by a half-mile gate work in 48.22 on June 29 that was ranked 3rd-best of 184 efforts at the distance. Filoso worked in company that day with the Bruce Levine-trained New York-bred Joker On Fire, who is entered in Race 6 on Friday at the Spa.
“He worked pretty well and was able to put away the other horse at the end of the work,” Summers said.
Filoso then shipped upstate to Saratoga to post a bullet half-mile from the gate in 47.63 in company with a pair of Melanie Giddings trainees on July 10 over the main track that was ranked best-of-50 efforts at the distance.
“They worked in a set of three. Dylan Davis was aboard for that gate work and got to know him a little bit and learn about him,” Summers said. “For first time starters, 2-year-olds especially, if you can get a jock on them once to breeze and get to know them, I think it gives you a little bit of an advantage.”
Filoso is named for owner Gold’s friend Lou Filoso, who was in attendance at Saratoga for Opening Day but will be at Monmouth Park this weekend for Saturday’s NYRA Bets Haskell Day card.
“Lou Filoso is a gem of the earth kind of guy and this is a really cool horse. He’s come together really well for us,” Summers said. “We’ll hope this horse gets better as he gets on. This race is a starting point to get to know him and as the races get longer it will be to his advantage, for sure. He’s quick enough that you’re not afraid to run him three-quarters, but we look forward to him a little bit further along as they get to stretching out.”
Filoso was bred in Kentucky by Hunter Valley Farm and Irish jockey Oisin Murphy – although Dylan Davis will have the honors from post 9 aboard the dark bay on Saturday.
The $210,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the stakes-winning Bodemeister mare Kenda. Her second dam, the stakes-winning Cherokee Run mare Indian Legend, is a full-sister to graded stakes-winner Cherokee Queen.
“He was one we liked the more and more that we saw him,” Summers said. “He was a stand out on the physical and when you see him Saturday, he will make his presence known. He’s a very pretty horse.”
Hall of Famer Bill Mott will debut Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Cooper [post 1, Junior Alvarado], a bay son of Nyquist out of the Bernardini mare Apiary, who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Frosted.
Cooper is a half-brother to sophomore stablemate Jefferson Street, who earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure for an eight-length romp here last month in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance against older horses.
The well-related colt has worked weekly at Saratoga, including a half-mile breeze from the main track gate in 49.82 on Monday.
Mott will also send out Ranger Battalion [post 6, Jose Lezcano], a Kentucky homebred for Peachtree Stable by Omaha Beach. The half-brother to stakes-winner Full Nelson worked a bullet half-mile from the gate over the Oklahoma training track in 48.48 on July 5 in company with unraced filly Ragtime – a Union Rags chestnut out of Grade 2-winner Burmilla.
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will send out BC Stables’ Perfect Force [post 5, Ramon Vazquez], a $625,000 Gun Runner colt and half-brother to multiple graded stakes-winner Scuba.
The $625,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is the lone runner in the field with experience, having finished fourth on debut in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on June 23 at Churchill Downs.
The Chad Brown-trained Volatile colt Incentive Pay [post 4, Joel Rosario], who was a $315,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, has worked extensively over the Saratoga main track led by a half-mile breeze from the gate [hopping at the start] Sunday in 48.25 seconds, working to the inside of an unnamed Into Mischief horse.
Incentive Pay, owned by Klaravich Stables, is out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Distinguishable, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Mo Cuishle. He also worked a half-mile from the gate on June 24 in 49 flat over the Oklahoma training track.
Dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox will send out Calumet Farm’s Kentucky homebred Track Ranger [post 8, Manny Franco], by Hightail and out of the Grade 3-winning Oxbow mare Oxy Lady, from a series of consistent works in Kentucky that includes a pair of gate breezes at Churchill Downs.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle a pair of firsters in Be Real [post 7, John Velazquez] and Social Hour [post 10, Brian Hernandez, Jr.]
Be Real, by Curlin and out of the graded stakes-placed Speightstown mare Island Saint, worked a half-mile solo from the main track gate in 48.25 Saturday. He was a $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase.
Social Hour, by Practical Joke, was purchased for $500,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. His second dam, the graded stakes-placed Touch Gold mare Chasethegold, is a half-sister to 2009 Grade 1 Donn Handicap-winner Albertus Maximus.
He worked a half-mile from the main track gate in 47.47 Saturday to the inside of unraced 2-year-old colt Noble Confessor, an effort ranked 5th best out of 103 efforts at the distance.
A stacked field includes Dapper Moon [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], a Louisiana-bred Malibu Moon colt for trainer Dallas Stewart, who already has a 2-year-old winner at the meet in Tough Catch.
