Keith McCalmont/NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Belladonna Racing’s Strate Cash will look to make his first start for new connections a winning one in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Manila, a one-mile inner turf test for 3-year-olds on Day Two of the July 4th Racing Festival, at Saratoga Race Course.
The Manila is slated as Race 8 on a stacked Independence Day card headlined by the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational in Race 9. The program is supported by the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban presented by Subourbon in Race 10; 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.
Strate Cash [post 10, Brian Hernandez, Jr.] will make his stakes debut for new connections after being privately purchased following an impressive 3 1/2-length maiden win for trainer Richard Baltas in March traveling six furlongs over firm turf at Santa Anita Park.
There, the Kentucky-bred son of Tiz the Law broke outward from the outermost post 5 under Flavien Prat before settling into an outside stalking position. Strate Cash, the 2-5 mutuel favorite, was last-of-5 into the turn but responded with a tremendous turn-of-foot when asked to join the leaders and make it three across the track turning for home. Strate Cash surged clear once straightened away to score in a final time of 1:09.17 while galloping out far in front of the competition. The winning effort registered an 83 Beyer Speed Figure.
Paul Manganaro is a founding member and co-owner of Belladonna Racing, which includes David Ingordo as Manager and Cherie DeVaux as head trainer.
Manganaro said the turn-of-foot shown by Strate Cash on debut was impressive.
“Cherie is a very good judge of talent and when she likes a horse, we like a horse,” Manganaro said. “You could see the talent there and with some experience and the tutelage of being under Cherie, I think there’s big potential there. He’s shown enough to get the barn interested, for sure.”
Strate Cash returned to the work tab in May in Kentucky and has posted his two most recent breezes over the Oklahoma dirt training track at Saratoga Race Course, including a half-mile in 49.66 seconds on June 23.
However, it is the significant pedigree of Strate Cash that intrigues Manganaro most. The dark bay is out of the stakes-winning Not Bourbon mare Conquest Strate Up, making Strate Cash a half-brother to Classical Cat, winner of the 2022 Listed Eddie Logan traveling one-mile on the Santa Anita turf. His second dam, the winning Hadif mare Deputy, is a half-sister to Hall of Famer Curlin.
“I’ve been in the racing and breeding business for over 30 years and, as we all know, a good horse can come from anywhere, but one constant that I’ve found in my program is these deep, productive families with quality usually keep repeating themselves. They might skip a generation, too, but they’ll come back,” Manganaro said.
Manganaro said he is hoping his Belladonna Racing partners will enjoy a winning experience on Friday.
“We have partners that really enjoy racing at Saratoga,” Manganaro said. “It wouldn’t matter if it was a maiden claiming, maiden special weight or a stakes race – any win at Saratoga is very appreciated. We respect that it’s not easy to do, so any win there becomes extra special.”
DeVaux also entered Reagan’s Wit [post 5, Jose Ortiz], victor of the James W. Murphy on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, who was scratched from the American Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, David Ingordo and CJ Stables, the Authentic chestnut graduated in January at Fair Grounds before running a close second to returning rival Zulu Kingdom in the Columbia in March at Tampa Bay Downs and fourth, as the favorite, in the Grade 3 Transylvania in April at Keeneland.
The $135,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is a half-brother to the dual graded stakes-placed Reagan’s Edge, who ran second to Frank’s Rockette in the 2020 Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga.
Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out a formidable pair in multiple graded stakes-winner Zulu Kingdom [post 4, Flavien Prat] and impressive maiden winner Uncatalyzed [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.]
Zulu Kingdom, by Ten Sovereigns, scratched out of Friday’s Grade 3 Penn Mile and arrives from a 1 1/4-length score in the Grade 1 American Turf traveling 1 1/16-miles over good turf on May 3 at Churchill Downs.
Campaigned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael Caruso, Zulu Kingdom has won 5-of-6 starts. He was purchased privately following a maiden score at Saint-Cloud for trainer Andre Fabre in June 2024 and transferred to Brown, immediately paying dividends with neck scores in both the Grade 3 With Anticipation that August at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Pilgrim at Belmont at the Big A that September.
Zulu Kingdom completed his 2-year-old campaign with a prominent seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Del Mar.
Klaravich Stables’ Uncatalyzed was entered in Saturday’s Tale of the Cat at Monmouth Park and re-routed to the Manila. The British-bred Kingman dark bay finished second on debut to returning rival Capitol Hill in March at Tampa Bay Downs, but returned victorious last out with a pacesetting 1 1/2-length maiden score over Pilgrim runner-up Noble Confessor.
Work of the Day from #Saratoga—Zulu Kingdom (Outside) and Uncatalyzed worked 4 Furlongs in 50.75 on June 14th, 2025, for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/k8JTzlutmW
— 1/ST TV (@Watch1ST) June 14, 2025
The $380,742 purchase from Book 1 of the 2023 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is out of the Shamardal mare Queen’s Code. His third dam, Desert Frolic, is a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Storming Home.
West Point Thoroughbreds and Winters Equine’s Revolutionnaire [post 7, Joel Rosario] will look to pick up his first stakes win in his first outing for trainer Miguel Clement.
The Penny’s Picnic grey launched his career in his native France, winning a pair of races to go along with a three-quarter length third in the Group 3 Prix la Rochette over soft footing at Longchamp in September.
Revolutionnaire was subsequently purchased for $303,084 at Arqana Saint-Cloud. Although Clement’s late father, Christophe Clement, is named as the buyer, Miguel noted he was the one that pushed to purchase the horse as he was fond of another Penny’s Picnic grey trained by the Clements in last year’s Listed Winter Memories-winner Les Reys.
“Dad did not purchase him, I did,” Clement said, with a laugh. “Dad strongly told me not to go for horses that had form going over a mile and I went against him solely because of Dad’s other purchase, Les Reys, who is also by the same stallion. I think there are only three Penny’s Picnics in America, and we have two of them.
“We won the Winter Memories with Les Reys, and I always thought she was top class that filly, so I went ahead and double dipped on the same stallion,” he continued. “They’re both grey and very similar physically, in the way they train, mentally and distance wise. They’re both laid back, carry plenty of condition and have an explosive turn of foot.”
Revolutionnaire made two starts in North America for Christophe Clement, landing third in the aforementioned Columbia in March and a half-length fourth in the Woodhaven in April at Aqueduct.
He has trained into this event at Saratoga where he worked a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.45 Friday in company with maiden winner Unreasonable [1:00.85] over the Oklahoma training turf. That breeze followed a five-eighths breeze in 1:02 flat over the Oklahoma training turf on June 20.
“He had two very good works on the turf. That is the luxury of training at Saratoga – we have access to that amazing turf course,” Clement said. “Based off his last two works, he gave us the confidence to go for the Manila rather than the allowance the following week.
“He was in company, covered up in behind and he really accelerated home in the [recent] work,” Clement added. “I think I got the last quarter of the work in 22 and change, while always well held on the bridle. It’s no easy task. Zulu Kingdom is the horse to beat, he’s a very talented horse, but nevertheless it’s Saratoga and if you have a horse that’s doing well, why not?”
A robust field includes graded stakes-placed Maui Strong [post 1, Junior Alvarado] for trainer Dale Romans; the stakes-placed Flat to Da Mat [post 12, Dylan Davis, blinkers ON] for trainer Mike Maker; stakes-placed Tiz Dashing [post 2, Javier Castellano] for trainer Barclay Tagg; stakes-placed Golden Channel [post 9, Manny Franco], who re-routed from the Tale of the Cat for trainer George Weaver; three-time winner Fire Pit [post 3, Andy Hernandez] for trainer Guadalupe Preciado; recent allowance winner Mythical Man [post 11, Luis Saez], who re-routed from the Tale of the Cat for conditioner Danny Gargan; and maiden winner Capitol Hill [post 8, John Velazquez] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
