Two of a Kind winning the 2022 Tremont Stakes at Belmont. (Adam Coglianese)
Uncashed To Make His Turf Debut in G3 Quick Call
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— K and R Racing Stable and Town Branch Racing’s Two of a Kind brings a six-race streak of on-the-board efforts in stakes events to Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Quick Call presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at Saratoga Race Course as he looks for a breakthrough score at the graded level.
Trained by Brian Lynch, the 3-year-old son of Overanalzye began his streak with a win in last year’s Tremont at Belmont Park before a shoulder injury forced a seven-month layoff. He returned as a sophomore with a trio of third-place efforts in Gulfstream Park’s Limehouse, Grade 3 Swale, where he made the lone graded start of his career, and Hutcheson.
In April, Lynch made the decision to switch the bay colt to the turf, a move he said was done on a whim.
“It seems like he’s doing really well and we’re happy with him,” said Lynch.
“The turf has been a pleasant surprise. I’m a guy who will just try horses on the grass, and his form had been OK down in Florida, but I never felt like we weren’t getting out of him what we expected. So, we thought we’d give it a try and I think things have turned around.”
The decision left him cold on the board in the 5 1/2-furlong Palisades when making his grass debut over good footing in April at Keeneland. He exited the inside post at odds of 51-1 and was held near the rear of the 12-horse field down the backstretch before unleashing a strong turn of foot in the turn and running down all but Gaslight Dancer, who he faces again Sunday.
“That was a great run down there,” said Lynch. “I think the further he’s getting into his 3-year-old year, he’s becoming a bigger and stronger horse. He’s getting a lot more confident and he’s starting to come around. It seems I can keep horses sound and around a lot longer if they show affinity for the turf, and right now what we’re doing seems to be working.”
Two of a Kind enters the 5 1/2-furlong Quick Call off a runner-up effort at the same distance in the William Walker on May 13 at Churchill Downs, where he defeated Gaslight Dancer and finished 1 1/2 lengths behind fellow Quick Call aspirant No Nay Hudson.
Saratoga’s turf courses could hold decent moisture heading into the weekend after torrential rain Thursday evening forced Friday’s scheduled turf races to be moved to the main track. Even with more rain forecasted for Sunday, Lynch said he has little concern for what kind of surface the Quick Call is contested over.
“He’s a horse that you wouldn’t hesitate to run on the dirt either, so either way we are up there to run,” said Lynch. “He ran well at Keeneland when there was a bit of cut in the ground, so no excuses.”
Two of a Kind is out of the stakes-placed Freud mare Freud’s Irish Miss, who herself is a half-sister to broodmares Private Eyes and Sweet Vale, the respective dams of graded stakes-placed millionaire Immortal Eyes and multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Sterwins. Two of a Kind has banked $273,785 in total purse earnings through a record of 7-2-2-3.
Uncashed To Make His Turf Debut in G3 Quick Call
Patricia’s Hope LLC’s Uncashed is set to try the turf for the first time in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Quick Call presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf test for sophomores.
Uncashed, trained by Larry Rivelli, owns a 5-4-1-0 record including three straight wins, most recently with an 8 1/2-length score in the six-furlong Golden Circle on May 20 at Prairie Meadows. This victory received a 91 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest figure of Sunday’s field.
Prior to the Golden Circle, the Florida-bred found the winner’s circle twice versus allowance company at Hawthorne and last year when breaking his maiden first time out at Louisiana Downs.
“It is a straight three-year-old race that looks to me like it probably will be off-the-turf, which we would be okay with,” said Rivelli. “The dam side of his pedigree suggests turf and we are willing to try it. I think he will like it actually, but it won’t hurt my feelings if it comes off.”
Bred by Nicksar Farms and out of the unraced War Chant mare Charlie B, Uncashed has posted his four victories in dominant frontrunning fashion, but Rivelli believes his horse has versatility in running style as well.
“He just was on the lead because he was so much better than those horses,” Rivelli said. “I think he has the ability to rate and in the post position he has [nine], he might have to. He might be three in front I don’t know… especially if there’s a bunch of scratches if it comes off.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride from post 9.
“I sought Irad out when I knew he was going to run,” said Rivelli. “He’s ridden for me a lot before when I ship in for stakes…always been a fan of his.”
