August 20th
Race 4: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs on turf for New York-bred 2yos
Eight went to post, and there was no clear favorite. In a race that seemed ripe for upset, Half Wildcat succeeded in doing so at odds of 5-1, rallying strongly from fourth to wear down Everydoghashisday for a half-length victory. The final time was 1:03.21. Everydoghashisday tracked the pace in third and finished up well, but couldn't keep pace with the winner inside the final furlong. Birchwood Road, the mild favorite, closed well from seventh after a slow start but ran out of ground. Grahamandwithers set a decent pace of :22.21 and :45.28 before giving way and finishing in a dead-heat for sixth.
Race 7: Maiden Special Weight
8.5 furlongs for New York-bred 2yos
Todd Pletcher, Mike Repole, and John Velazquez teamed up with favored Notacatbutallama, who went off at even-money but ran like a 1-5 shot. After tracking the pace in second for three-quarters of a mile, the colt burst clear when turning for home and quickly opened up a five-length lead, which he extended to 6 1/2 by the time he hit the finish line in 1:43.67 seconds. Irish Jade was squeezed at the start and dropped some thirteen lengths off the lead, but rallied very well along the inside to secure second in a bold performance. Arctic Missile sat a few lengths off of the early lead in a good stalking position, but raced greenly in the homestretch while failing to quicken and wound up a distant third. Slimshady set a slow pace of :25.03, :49.96, and 1:14.97 before giving way badly and finishing last of nine.
August 22nd
Race 1: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs for New York-bred 2yos
All six of the entrants were first-time starters. Goodtolook was favored, but after leading the way through fractions of :22.29 and :45.53, he weakened in the homestretch and wound up fourth. The winner was Meet the Mets, who tracked the pace in fourth before encountering traffic in the homestretch. The son of Grand Slam was able to split horses near the eighth pole, and from there, he accelerated well to catch Sandy'z Slew for a half-length victory in 1:04.42. The latter colt raced in second for much of the race, took over the lead outside the eighth pole, and just missed late while turning in a good effort. Saint Arthur finished third in an even effort.
Race 5: Maiden Special Weight
1 1/16th miles on turf for 2yo fillies
Chad Brown had a pair of starters, including favored The Lady Says Yes, and in the end, they finished 1-2 -- but not in the expected order. The winner ended up being Bourbon Twist, a daughter of Langfuhr out of the Cozzene mare Pammie From Miami. With Ramon Dominguez aboard, Bourbon Twist sat reserved in sixth early on as Flattermewithroses set a slow pace of :25.80, :50.47, and 1:14.98. He then accelerated sharply to taker over the lead turning for home and led by a commanding 2 1/2 lengths past the eighth pole before drawing off easily to win by 4 1/4 in 1:44.80. The Lady Says Yes trailed the field for three-quarters of a mile before finishing up with a good run to secure the place. Moonlit Sonnet tracked the pace in second for much of the race before winding up third in an even effort. Flattermewithroses tired to finish sixth.
Race 7: Maiden Claiming
5-1/2 furlongs on turf for 2yos
Todd Pletcher had the odds-on favorite in Coach A. J., and the colt rewarded his backers with a gritty victory. Under Javier Castellano, the son of Tale of the Cat went straight to the lead and set quick fractions of :21.99 and :44.99 before getting passed by Boston Proper in the homestretch. He appeared to be on his way to a defeat, but the colt re-rallied gamely in deep stretch to claim a neck victory in 1:02.89 seconds. Boston Proper tracked the early pace and put in a good run in the homestretch to claim the lead, but couldn't hold off the winner late. River Cruising settled into fourth early on but couldn't really make headway in the homestretch while securing the show.
August 23rd
Race 6: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs on turf for 2yos
Hightail was the favorite off of a third-place finish in a main-track maiden special weight here at Saratoga on August 4th, and while the D. Wayne Lukas-trainee ran well in this spot, he was beaten to the wire by Central Banker. The latter colt, trained by Albert Stall Jr., raced in fourth place while Redwood Kitten and Hightail set quick fractions of :22.26 and :44.51. He then rallied along the rail under Rosie Napravnik to reach contention entering the homestretch, shifted to the outside, and wore down Hightail late to win by a head in 1:02.21. Hightail ran well to open up a one-length lead passing the eighth pole, but couldn't quite finish the deal while turning in another good effort.
-Keelerman
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