Three more juvenile races were run at Saratoga over the last two days, including the first turf sprint. Surprisingly, trainer Todd Pletcher had only one entrant, but it turned out to be a good one.
July 29th
Race 2: Maiden Special Weight
6 furlongs for New York-bred 2yos
Seven horses went to post, with second-time starter Awesome Weekend the odds-on favorite for trainer Gary Contessa. The colt lived up to expectations, settling into third place early on behind fractions of :22.61 and :46.11 and gamely wearing down Comandante to win the race by two lengths in 1:11.15. Comandante ran very well, setting the pace and putting up a good fight in the stretch before winding up second best by a clear margin. Can't Catch Me Now raced in third for much of the race and couldn't make an impact on the top two, but was 6 1/2 lengths clear of the fourth-place finisher, Thingamajigger.
July 30th
Race 3: Maiden Claiming
5-1/2 furlongs for 2yos
The Roofer was favored off of third- and second-place finishes in his first two starts -- both in maiden special weight company -- and figured to be a major contender for trainer Wesley Ward while dropping in class. But while the colt showed speed from the start, running the opening quarter mile in :22.15, he tired a good deal in the homestretch and wound up finishing fourth, seven lengths behind the victorious Fly Bye Pomeroy. The latter colt encountered just a bit of traffic down the backstretch and around the turn, but found racing room along the rail and burst clear of the field in the homestretch to win in clever fashion. Zaccheus turned in a good rally on the far outside to secure second, making up 2 1/2 lengths on the winner inside the final furlong. Brother Bob received a perfect trip, racing in fourth while tracking a speed duel, but drifted in during the stretch run and flattened out to finish third.
Race 5: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs on turf for 2yo fillies
Todd Pletcher's lone juvenile runner during the last two days was Top Tier Lass, who was sent off at about 6-1 but ran like a 3-5 shot. Under John Velazquez, the filly raced close to the pace while four-wide during the first couple furlongs of the race, then accelerated in good fashion around the turn to secure the lead. She then pulled away under a hand ride to win by seven lengths, stopping the clock in the good time of 1:03.34. Smithwithkitten rallied from last after a poor start to finish second, but was no match for the winner. Jane of All Trades encountered traffic in the homestretch but finished up with a good run to secure third. Being a daughter of Rock Hard Ten, I would expect her to improve with time and distance. Mariel N Kathy, Priscilla Marie, and Regal Joanne all vied for the lead through an opening quarter in :22 seconds, but all gave way to finish fifth, sixth, and eighth, respectively.
-Keelerman
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