The last few days at Saratoga have yielded a number of promising performances from two-year-olds, including terrific victories by Jocosity, Palace Malice, and Fortify. Don't be surprised if two or three future stakes winners emerge from the following races!
August 3rd
Race 2: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs on turf for New York-bred 2yo fillies
Perhaps the final time wasn't all that spectacular, but trainer Chad Brown has unleashed a potential star in Neck of the Moon, a first-time starter that absolutely romped in her debut. Ridden to victory by Javier Castellano, Neck of the Moon settled into the fifth position early on while not too far off the rail, found a seam turning for home, and exploded under a hand ride to win the race by four easy lengths. The final time was 1:03.71 seconds. Hot Rendezvouz raced in seventh for much of the race before putting in a good run on the far outside to secure second. With Honorandgrace rallied mildly for third after escaping from traffic encountered on in the stretch.
Race 5: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs for 2yos
Trainer Todd Pletcher is having another good Saratoga meet. In this particular race, Pletcher had two entrants, and they wound up being much the best while finishing 1-2. Jocosity, with John Velazquez aboard, was the odds-on favorite, while Pletcher's other entrant, Midnight Taboo, was 7-1. At the start, it was Jocosity who broke on top, going straight to the lead and setting stiff fractions of :21.79 and :44.93. Despite this fast pace, the colt had plenty left for the homestretch, bursting clear of the field following a single tap from the whip. He led by 5 1/2 lengths passing the eighth pole, a lead that he extended to 7 1/2 by the time he hit the wire in the sharp time of 1:02.85, just 0.34 seconds off of the track record set by Fastus Cactus in 2010. He was awarded a Beyer speed figure of 95 for the effort. Midnight Taboo put in a good rally from fifth to get up for second, but was no match for the winner. Central Banker raced evenly to finish third, 4 3/4 lengths behind Midnight Taboo. Sky Commander finished a dull fourth for trainer Mark Casse, but struck me as a colt that could be a good runner further down the road.
August 4th
Race 3: Maiden Special Weight
6-1/2 furlongs for 2yos
The favorite was El Duro, a first-time starter from the barn of Todd Pletcher, but while the colt did put in a good rally from sixth to finish second in a decent debut effort, he proved no match for Fortify, a fellow first-time starter from the powerful Darley Stable. Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Fortify showed speed from the start, settling into second place through an opening quarter mile in :21.73 seconds before accelerating sharply to seize command of the race just prior to running the half-mile in :44.43. From there, the race was his, and the colt coasted home under jockey Joe Bravo to win by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:16.34 seconds. Unlikely Scenario raced evenly throughout to finish third, four lengths behind El Duro and nearly ten behind the winner.
Race 5: Maiden Special Weight
1 1/16th miles on turf for 2yos
Jockey Joel Rosario rode Craving Carats perfectly in this spot, rationing the colt's speed brilliantly through fractions of :48.15 and 1:12.41 before holding off a terrific late run from the first-time starter Balance the Books to win by a half-length in 1:42.96. The winner is owned by Donegal Racing and trained by Dale Romans, the same duo that raced turf star Paddy O'Prado and -- more recently -- the talented three-year-old Dullahan. Time will tell if Craving Carats is able to enter the same illustrious class as his stablemates, but he does look like a nice one. Balance the Books trailed the field by fifteen lengths during the early stages of the race before turning in an eye-catching and brilliant late bid to just miss. Summer Shiner tracked Craving Carats' lead and held on well to finish third while never a serious threat to the winner.
Race 7: Maiden Special Weight
6-1/2 furlongs for 2yos
Palace Malice was the heavy favorite off of a strong runner-up effort in his debut, and got the job done in good fashion this time around for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Javier Castellano. After settling into third place through an opening quarter mile in :21.90 seconds, the son of Curlin took over the lead with five-sixteenths of a mile to go and finished up well to win by 3 1/2 lengths. The final time was 1:16.48, slightly slower than the 1:16.34 turned in by Fortify earlier on the card. Apex and Hightail both battled with Palace Malice for the early lead before tiring somewhat to finish second and third, respectively.
August 5th
Race 6: Maiden Special Weight
7 furlongs for 2yos (originally scheduled for 1 1/16th miles on turf)
Nine horses scratched following a switch to the main track, although seven horses still went to post in the sloppy/sealed conditions. Tap Twenty One was the favorite for trainer George Arnold II, but the winner was Pletcher's first-time starter Skyfall, who raced in fifth through fractions of :22.97 and :46.24 before rallying strongly in the homestretch to win by three-quarters of a length. The final time of 1:26.89 seconds was rather slow, but given the condition of the track, that's not surprising. Tap Twenty One also rallied well from off-the-pace to finish a strong second, while Anita Chica finished third after leading past the eighth pole.
Race 8: Maiden Claiming
5-1/2 furlongs for New York-bred 2yo fillies
Todd Pletcher did not have an entrant; thus, William Badgett Jr.'s Ascended Fever was favored off of a runner-up effort at Belmont on June 27th. But as it turned out, Ascended Fever was third at every call and wound up beaten 4 1/2 lengths by the first-timer starter Gee Linz, who showed speed from the start before coasting to a three-length victory under Ramon Dominguez. The final time, however, was a slow 1:06.48 seconds. John's Mariah put in a decent rally from off-the-pace to finish second, but was never a threat to the winner.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment