Three juvenile races were run during the Sunday and Monday cards at Saratoga, by far the most prestigious being the $200,000 Sanford Stakes (gr. II). However, the other two races were both intriguing in their own right, and the winners look like a nice pair.
July 22nd
Race 9: Sanford Stakes (gr. II)
6 furlongs for 2yos
Bern Identity was the favorite based off of a 13 3/4 length maiden victory, and he lived up to his billing with another strong performance. Under a perfect ride from Rosie Napravik, the colt broke slowly but recovered to race in fourth along the rail. He then shifted to the outside in the homestretch and wore down pace-setting Handsome Jack to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The latter colt set a quick pace of :21.60 and :44.70 before tiring in the homestretch. Onetwentyeight rallied mildly for third, but gave the impression of being a colt that would appreciate additional distance. Rose Junction was in the perfect position going down the backstretch, but faded in the stretch and finished last.
July 23rd
Race 5: Maiden Special Weight
8.5 furlongs on turf for 2yo fillies
Todd Pletcher had a pair of runners, including heavily favored Citizen Emma, but the winner proved to be trainer Christophe Clement's Da Mi Basia Mille, who rallied powerfully from off the pace to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Her performance was especially impressive due to the fact that she made up six lengths inside the final five-sixteenths of a mile, despite the fact that those final five-sixteenths were run in :30.1 seconds. Citizen Emma ran well from off-the-pace to finish second, while Emotional Kitten held on to third after setting quick fractions of :22.55 and :46.99. Zadina, who finished fourth, and Pletcher's other runner Aventurine, who finished sixth, made late runs from well behind and could be ones to watch in the future.
Race 7: Maiden Special Weight
5.5 furlongs for 2yo New York-breds
Pletcher's first-timer starter Polan was favored, and ran well in the early stages of the race while running the opening quarter mile in :22.03 seconds. However, he tired inside the final five-sixteenths of a mile to finish fifth, allowing Soul House, with Joel Rosario aboard, to rally for a convincing victory. The winner's performance was an eye-catching one, as he found himself some 8 1/2 lengths off of the pace after a poor start. Despite this, he was able to rally on the far outside in the homestretch to give trainer Larry Rivelli his first winner of the meet. Weekend Hideaway tracked Polan through the early stages of the race before opening up a two-length lead in the homestretch before tiring late. Dark Roast raced in the third position for much of the race and wound up in that position at the finish.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment