NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— For the past five years, the lucrative Travers Day card at Saratoga Race Course has seen subsequent graded stakes winners graduate in maiden races on the undercard, including Verifying [2022], Jack Christopher [2021], Mutasaabeq [2020], Tap It To Win, [2019], Magic Star [2019] and Forty Under [2018].
This year, Team Spoor’s regally-bred Shop Lifting could be a star in the making for trainer Tony Dutrow as she makes her debut in Race 6 on Saturday off a series of impressive works at the Spa, including a half-mile bullet from the gate in 47 seconds flat over the main track on August 16 with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons.
“She’s been well prepared, and she knows the paddock and gate very well,” said Dutrow. “She’s got a solid foundation and all is there except the experience, so I’ll watch the race like everybody else and take it from there.”
Shop Lifting has no shortage of talent in her pedigree, her dam being 2007 Grade 1 Personal Ensign victress Miss Shop, a daughter of Deputy Minister that Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens trained to two other graded scores through a record of 27-9-3-4 and earnings over $1.1 million. Miss Shop is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner and sire Trappe Shot, as well as Shop Again, the dam of dual graded stakes-winner Power Broker.
Shop Lifting is a half-sister to Tin Type Gal, a dual graded stakes-winner on turf, and was a $475,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. In addition to her prolific female family, Shop Lifting’s sire Into Mischief has been the leading general sire four times and saw his progeny earn a record $28,106,800 in total purse earnings last year.
“It’s astonishing how talented those Into Mischiefs are,” said Dutrow. “How can a stud pass along that amount of talent to so many of his offspring? He’s incredible. Shop Lifting is a typical Into Mischief with all the talent in the world.”
As far as race strategy on Saturday, Dutrow said he is content to let the race play out however it does.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen – American Pharoah lost the first time – but I have my opinion, and that is, looking at her, you think, ‘Wow,’” Dutrow said. “If you told me she was a 5-year-old, I wouldn’t even question it. When I see her out there on the racetrack, it’s like few can do. I firmly believe that she’s a nicer kind and time will tell just how nice.”
Shop Lifting, tabbed at 6-1 on the morning line, will exit post 4-of-10 in rein to Jose Ortiz.
