God could not possibly have created a more perfect backdrop for Opening Day, as 33,000+ fans were greeted by bright sunshine and amazingly blue skies, for the kickoff at the Spaaaaa!
When trainer Robertino Diodoro arrived in Saratoga for the first time ever last year, it took him 18 starts before he had a winner. This year, his 7-year-old gelding, Bad Student, turned the tables for him, as he captured the first race of the meet with a 3 1/4 length victory under Ricardo Santana, Jr.
The first stakes race of the meet was the 100th running of the Grade 3 Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies, and Mark Casse’s precocious Catherinethegreat ruled her competition, while cruising to a 4 1/4 length victory over favorite Nonna Madeline, the daughter of Candy Ride, by Storm Cat. Once again, Nonna had an awkward break under Hall of Famer, Johnny Velazquez, who was attempting to win his record 6th Schuylerville. In spite of added gate work with the “horse whisperer,” Bob Duncan, Nonna still exhibited problems, but hopefully it won’t remain a recurring issue.
Catherine blazed through the opening quarter in :21.78, with Jose Ortiz aboard, and finished the 6 furlongs in 1:09.98, and I’ll look forward to seeing both of these fillies in the Adirondack and/or Spinaway later in the meet.
In the second feature on Friday’s card, the Grade 3, Lake George, for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, over the Mellon Turf Course, Daddy is a Legend, George Weaver’s classy daughter of Scat Daddy, ended her 3 straight graded stakes races’ losing streak, with a 2-length victory, as the favorite, under a hot Manny Franco, over French-bred Altea and Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Although Irad easily outdistanced his brother Jose while winning his first Belmont Spring/Summer Meet title since 2014, with 60 wins, the “3rd Amigo” amongst the trio of great friends hailing from Puerto Rico, Manny, tied the reigning Eclipse Award winner, Jose, for 2nd with 49 wins, and signaled his arrival at the top, rightfully joining his buddies in elite company.
In the 104th running of the Sanford for 2-year-old colts, the iconic race that has produced two Triple Crown champions in Secretariat and Seattle Slew, Starlight Racing’s Sombeyay chased down the speedy duo of Bano Solo and Strike Silver, to win an exciting edition by a neck.
The Sanford is of course best known for putting the lone blemish on the legendary Man o’ War’s record, when he lost to the appropriately named Upset in 1919, but Todd Pletcher’s odds on favorite was not going to encounter a similar fate under Hall of Famer, Javi Castellano, who is also off to a red hot start, collecting 8 wins over the first 4 days.
Sombeyay gave his conditioner his record seventh Sanford victory, and Todd has indicated that his next start should be in the Hopeful, after his impressive closing drive.
In the first Grade 1 of the Saratoga Meet, the fans were treated to another thriller in the 80th running of the Diana, for fillies and mares, over the Mellon Turf Course at 1 1/8 miles. Chad Brown’s Irish-bred and French-raced Sistercharlie, under a masterful ride by Hall of Famer Johnny Velazquez, nailed Graham Motion’s Ultra Brat, a 15-1 shot, by a nose at the wire.
It was a tale of two worlds for the trainers, as it was Chad’s fourth Diana win, while Graham has had several heartbreaking bridesmaid finishes. Chad first won the Diana with Zagora in 2011, and just completed a “3-peat” with Sistercharlie, following victories by Dacita in 2016, and with the incomparable Lady Eli last year.
Sistercharlie did not break well, as she seemed to lope out of the gate, in a more European fashion, and after Johnny angled her out five wide, she wouldn’t switch leads, but he finally got her to swap leads to the right, inside the eighth pole. She powered home from there, in the nick of time, showing a ton of heart and class.
It was an emotional victory for Chad Brown, as it has been for him with each Diana win. It was one of the favorite races of his late, great Hall of Fame mentor, Bobby Frankel, and Chad has said how very often he thinks about the man who taught him so much during his early years as his assistant.
Bobby Frankel won back-to-back editions of the Diana in 2001 and 2002, with his own filly, Starine, with Johnny V up, and the year after for Juddmonte’s Tates Creek, with Jerry Bailey, and it would take his very young assistant nine more years to do it on his own.
It looks like Chad is pointing Sistercharlie toward the Grade 1, Beverly D on the Arlington Million card, along with her stablemate, NY-bred gelding, Fourstar Crook, who beat her last time out in the Grade 2, New York Stakes at Belmont. Sistercharlie beat Fourstar Crook in the Grade 1, Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland in April, and I had hoped to see the rubber match here at the Spa.
Monomoy Girl showed everyone on Sunday in the 102nd running of the Grade 1, Coaching Club American Oaks, why she’s the Queen atop the 3-year-old filly division, with her monster performance and three-length victory over multiple graded stakes winner, Midnight Bisou. With her front-running, tactical speed, MG was able to dictate the pace, on the way to her fifth straight win, and fourth consecutive victory in a Grade 1.
Hall of Famer Mike Smith flew in for the mount on once-beaten Midnight Bisou, but he wasn’t able to pull off a “3-peat,” after winning the CCAO last year with Abel Tasman, and the year before with the magnificent Songbird.
It appears that it’s all but “Game Over” for the race for year-end honors, as MG has surely cemented divisional honors and the Eclipse Award, much as Justify did with his Belmont victory and Triple Crown, with her dominating victory in the CCAO.
Sadly, this might be the only time we see MG at the Spa, unless she returns as a 4-year-old. Brad Cox has intimated that she’ll next race in the million dollar Cotillion at Parx on September 22nd, at a distance of 1 1/16 miles, as opposed to our classic 1 1/4 mile Alabama on August 11th. I believe he thinks the shorter distance makes more sense in preparation for the Breeder’s Cup Distaff, and ‘tho it’s been rumored that he may opt to run her against the boys in the Pa Derby on the same card, that seems unlikely to me, when they have identical million dollar purses.
What a lucky ride it’s been for Florent Geroux, having the mounts on both Monomoy Girl and Gunrunner, as these two great horses alone have propelled him to the top of the earnings list. Amazingly, “Money Mike” Smith has only earned just over half of what “Flo-G” has this year, in spite of riding Triple Crown champ Justify, and Midnight Bisou, among others. However, the Ortiz Bros are right on Flo’s heels on the earnings list, and Irad easily leads the nation in victories.
Trainer Brad Cox has to be on Cloud Nine with his great ride with Monomoy Girl, too! In just over three months, she’s given him not only his career-first Grade 1 in Keeneland’s Ashland Stakes in April, but three more, with her victories in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, the Acorn at Belmont, and now the CCAO at Saratoga. In his fifth year at the Spa, the former Dallas Stewart assistant has definitely hit his stride!
Flo G, off to a better start than in his previous years at the Spa, notched his second stakes victory and third win of the young meet, in Monday’s $200K Caress Stakes for older fillies and mares. He pulled off an upset with 27-1 longshot, Ruby Notion, and she paid a hefty $56.50, while obviously liking the going on the yielding turf course.
I’m looking forward to seeing Hofburg, Juddmonte’s homebred colt by Tapit, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, run in Friday’s Curlin Stakes, but he may be cross-entered in Saturday’s Jim Dandy on Wednesday, after my press deadline. This will be Hofburg’s first start since his 3rd place finish behind Justify in the Belmont, and either race will serve as his prep for the Travers.
Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen will enter a pair of runners in the Curlin, named after his 2-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer, with Zing Zang by Tapit, and Reride by Candy Ride. The “freakishly versatile” Reride, per Steve, may also be entered in the Jim Dandy, however. Also in the small field will be Bourbon Resolution.
Mike Repole and St. Elias’ Vino Rosso, the chestnut colt by Curlin who ran 4th in the Belmont, will be cutting back to 1 1/8 miles in the Jim Dandy, for the first time since his 3-length victory in the Wood, and I’m anxious to see how he’ll respond for Todd and Johnny V.
Also entered in the Jim Dandy are Mark Casse’s Flameaway, and Steve Asmussen’s Tenfold, while Peter Eurton is considering shipping either Core Beliefs or Draft Pick from Cali, while Lone Sailor is another possibility.
Sadly, with only a week separating the Jim Dandy from the Haskell, several of these horses’ connections may opt to go to Monmouth instead, which could leave us with an even shorter field.
Saturday’s card will also feature the Grade 1, Alfred G. Vanderbilt, the Grade 2, Bowling Green, and the Grade 3, Amsterdam.
Trainer Dale Romans may enter as many as 3 horses in the 6 1/2 furlong Amsterdam, the local prep for the Grade 1, H. Allen Jerkens, with Promises Fulfilled, Seven Trumpets and Cove Blue. Promises Fulfilled set the pace in the Kentucky Derby, but finished 15th, and came back with a 3rd in the Grade 2, Woody Stephens at Belmont. West Point’s Seven Trumpets recently finished a distant 2nd to Firenze Fire, in the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont.
In closing, what a difference a day can make, as we were blessed with gorgeous weather for the opening weekend, but the rain and humidity returned with a vengeance on Monday. Hopefully, Ma Nature will bless us again for the second weekend!
