Overanalyze, Noble Tune return to work tab

A number of promising three-year-old colts returned to the work tab over the last two days, including Remsen Stakes (gr. II) winner Overanalyze and Pilgrim Stakes (gr. III) winner Noble Tune.

Both colts are spending the winter at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida. Overanalyze, who is trained by Todd Pletcher, breezed three furlongs in :36.94 seconds on January 13th, his first workout since winning the Remsen at Aqueduct on November 24th.

Noble Tune also went three furlongs, getting the distance in :37.02 seconds on January 14th, in his first breeze since finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. I) on November 3rd. He is trained by Chad Brown.

Other prominent horses that turned in their first works of the new year at Palm Meadows included Frizette Stakes (gr. I) winner Dreaming of Julia (3f in :37.96); With Anticipation Stakes (gr. II) winner Balance the Books (3f in :37.02); Demoiselle Stakes (gr. II) winner Unlimited Budget (3f in :39.09); So Many Ways (3f in :37.72); and Futurity Stakes (gr. II) runner-up Carried Interest (3f in :37.38.)

-Keelerman

Juveniles at Saratoga -- September 1-3, 2012

September 1st

Race 7: Maiden Special Weight

7 furlongs for 2yos

Trainer Todd Pletcher had a pair of entrants, with the more highly El Duro receiving more betting support. But in the end, that colt could only manage an even fourth-place finish behind Pletcher's other colt Micromanage, who stamped himself as a colt of very high quality with a decisive victory. Ridden to victory by Javier Castellano, the son of Medaglia d'Oro settled into fifth place early on before working his way into contention about a half-mile from the finish. He then made a bold run around the turn to take command of the lead at the top of the stretch before subsequently drawing off in powerful fashion to win by five lengths in the exceptional time of 1:23.01 seconds. Apex tracked the pace for much of the race and finished clearly second best, but was no match for the winner. Gulfport was heavily favored, but tired to finish third after setting fractions of :23.23 and :46.62 seconds.

September 2nd

Race 2: Maiden Special Weight

7 furlongs for 2yo fillies

There were four first-time starters in the field of eight, and in the end, they swept the trifecta. The winner was Cue the Moon, who spent much of the race in fourth place before attempting a rally in between horses and having the hole close. Then, after waiting for racing room, jockey Ramon Dominguez shifted his mount to the outside, and Cue the Moon responded with a good run that carried her to a half-length triumph in 1:24.30. Emollient was last early on, rallied well on the far outside to take the lead, but couldn't hold off the winner's run while turning in a good effort. Madgi put in a mild rally from seventh place to finish third, 3 1/4 lengths behind the winner. Liquid Lunch tracked the pace in third place, took over the lead at the top of the stretch, but gave way late to finish fourth.

Race 10: Spinaway Stakes (gr. I)

7 furlongs for 2yo fillies

Teen Pauline was the odds-on favorite thanks to a track record-setting debut earlier in the meet, but tired in the stretch to finish third behind So Many Ways, who brought her record to a perfect 3-for-3 with a decisive victory.

http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/09/so-many-ways-wins-spinaway-stakes.html

September 3rd

Race 1: Maiden Special Weight

8.5 furlongs on turf for 2yos

Noble Tune was favored for trainer Chad Brown, and the son of Unbridled's Song lived up to expectations with a dominating victory. With Ramon Dominguez aboard, the colt didn't get off to the best of starts, but soon settled into the sixth position along the rail while Bye Bye Bernie set fractions of :24.66 and :49.74. Noble Tune continued to save ground around the turn, then split horses entering the homestretch to seize command of the lead and draw away powerfully to win by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:43.08 seconds. Draw Too rallied from last to finish second in a good effort. Metro raced wide throughout and just missed securing the place. Bye Bye Bernie tired to finish seventh.

Race 3: Maiden Special Weight

8.5 furlongs on turf for New York-bred 2yos

West Hills Giant, with Jose Espinoza aboard, turned in a gritty effort to win this race by a head. The son of Frost Giant spent much of the race in the third position, saving ground on the first turn before switching to the outside rounding the second bend. He then moved up to take over the lead from pace-setting Holy Endeavor before subsequently finding himself in a thrilling battle with that one for the length of the stretch. In the end, West Hills Giant held tough to win by a head in 1:43.39 seconds. The runner-up set a slow pace of :24.59 and :49.36 seconds before eventually losing the stretch duel with the winner. Irish Jade rallied from ninth to secur third, beaten just three-quarters of a length.

Race 6: Maiden Special Weight

5.5 furlongs for 2yos

Seven horses went to post, with Todd Pletcher's Revolutionary sent off as the favorite. But the winner was Always in a Tiz, who tracked the pace in the second position before taking over in the at the top of the stretch and holding off a late run from Clawback to win the race by a half-length in 1:04.13 seconds. The latter colt settled into the third position early on, four lengths behind the eventual winner, then made a bold run to draw within a head of Always in a Tiz at the eighth pole. However, he failed to sustain his momentum to the wire, losing ground to the winner late while holding on to finish second. Revolutionary was bumped hard at the start and trailed the field by fourteen lengths with just five-sixteenths of a mile to go, yet rallied furiously in the homestretch to finish third, missing the victory by just 1 1/4 lengths.

Race 9: Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (gr. I)

Fortify was the favorite for owner Goldophin Racing and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, but Todd Pletcher was able to put the finishing touches on a spectacular meet by winning this race in impressive fashion with Shanghai Bobby.

http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/09/shanghai-bobby-wins-hopeful-stakes.html

-Keelerman

SO MANY WAYS WINS THE SPINAWAY STAKES!

So Many Ways brought her undefeated record to a perfect 3-for-3 while at the same time establishing herself as one of the best fillies of her generation when she rallied in the Saratoga homestretch to win the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) by several lengths.

Ridden to victory by Javier Castellano, So Many Ways was off to a good start and soon settled into the third position early on a Corail and Teen Pauline dueled through fractions of :22.29 and :45.13. So Many Ways was only a length behind them in third, but there was a gap of about a dozen lengths back to Seasoned Warrior in fourth, and another four or five back to Sweet Shirley Mae, who was the early trailer.

Rounding the turn, So Many Ways made a bold three-wide bid to challenge for the lead, sweeping past a tiring Corail to put her head in front of Teen Pauline. The latter filly battled back gamely for about another furlong, but just didn't have enough left in the tank to hold off So Many Ways, who drew clear late to score a convincing victory in the good time of 1:23.74 seconds.

Sweet Shirley Mae put in an excellent run to secure second, while Teen Pauline, Seasoned Warrior, and Corail completed the order of finish. The winner is owned by Maggi Moss and trained by Anthony Dutrow.

-Keelerman

Spinaway Stakes Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (gr. I), to be run on Sunday at Saratoga. The prestigious seven-furlong race has drawn a strong field of seven two-year-old fillies, led by impressive debut winners Teen Pauline and Dreaming of Julia, as well as Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III) winner So Many Ways.

1 Teen Pauline
2 Corail
3 So Many Ways
4 Sweet Shirley Mae
5 Baby J
6 Dreaming of Julia
7 Seasoned Warrior

-Keelerman

SO MANY WAYS WINS THE SCHUYLERVILLE STAKES!

So Many Ways proved that her eight-length debut victory was no fluke when she rallied past Baby J and Can't Explain to win the $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III) by 1 1/2 lengths.

Ridden to victory by Javier Castellano, So Many Ways didn't break particularly quickly, but she soon recovered to settle about three lengths off of the early pace set by Baby J, who ran the opening quarter mile in :22.22 while showing the way over Brown Eyes Blue and Can't Explain. Sweet Shirley Mae was racing in fourth, followed by the eventual winner So Many Ways and Fully Living.

Baby J continued to lead the way around the turn, and entered the homestretch with a narrow lead over Can't Explain after running the half-mile in :45.85. However, So Many Ways was looming a serious challenge on the far outside, and while Can't Explain and Baby J fought on gamely in the stretch, So Many Ways eventually proved best, drawing off late to win the six-furlong race in 1:11.51.

Can't Explain wore down Baby J for second, while Fully Living, Sweet Shirley Mae, and Brown Eyes Blue completed the order of finish. The winner is trained by Anthony Dutrow and owned by Maggi Moss.

-Keelerman

SARATOGA STAKES ANALYSIS -- July 20th, 2012

Welcome, racing fans, to the first in a series of blog posts analyzing the major stakes races being held at Saratoga this year. Every graded stakes race -- as well as select listed stakes races -- will be given thorough analysis, and we shall try our best to identify some of the leading Breeders' Cup hopefuls before they establish their reputations. Let's start handicapping!

James Marvin Stakes (gr. III)

Today's stakes action begins with the eighth race on the card, which is the $100,000 James Marvin Stakes (gr. III), a seven-furlong sprint for three-year-olds and upward. The morning line favorite is Jackson Bend, who won this race last year before coming back and winning the Forego Stakes (gr. I) in his next start. The five-year-old Nick Zito-trainee is having a good season this year, winning the Carter Handicap (gr. I) and Hal's Hope Stakes (gr. III) in addition to placing in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II). Last time out, he turned in a poor performance in the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I), finishing fifth of sixth after pressing the pace, but the pace scenario of the race really didn't suit his style, and the one-mile distance of that race really isn't his best. He should be much sharper today while returning to a distance at which he is undefeated, and a repeat victory would surprise no one.

Caixa Eletronica is also expected to receive a great deal of wagering support, as the seven-year-old veteran is coming off of an impressive victory in the True North Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park. In that race, he took advantage of a pace meltdown to rally from over a dozen lengths behind. He is unlikely to get the same sort of pace today, but he is a consistent runner, and he should appreciate the distance of today's race.

Pacific Ocean has only raced once this year, finishing sixth behind Caixa Eletronica in the True North, but that was his first start since winning the Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (gr. III) last November, and he should be much sharper today. He is quite possibly the quickest horse in the race, easily capable of turning in a :21-and-change opening quarter, and should he seize command of the early lead, he could take this field a long way on the front end.

The only other horse in the race that might try and go with him on the front end is Crossbow, a speedy son of Bernardini that won two allowance races in front-running fashion earlier in the year. However, he could only manage a fifth-place finish in the True North Handicap (gr. I) last time out after being beaten to the lead by Pacific Ocean. He doesn't seem to be quite as quick early as Pacific Ocean, but he is more than capable of maintaining a solid pace to the finish, and so long as Pacific Ocean doesn't kick away turning for home, Crossbow should be able to wear him down inside the final eighth of a mile.

The longshots in this race are Golddigger's Boy and Scotus, a pair of closers that could pick up the pieces if the early pace is hot enough. The first-mentioned runner could be considered a Parx specialist, as he has made thirteen of his seventeen starts at that track and finished in the top three every time. He has raced here at Saratoga before, finishing a decent fifth in last year's Forego Stakes behind the above-mentioned Jackson Bend, but is 1-for-4 at tracks other than Parx, and may be in a bit deep here.

As for Scotus, only two of his twelve starts have come in sprints, but he has won both of them in impressive fashion. Being a deep closer, he is reliant on a strong early pace to set up his late run, but he has the talent to be a contender and is cutting back in distance after a pair of route races, which is often a successful technique. Don't be surprised if he outruns his odds.

My selection is Jackson Bend.

Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III)

Two-year-old fillies are the stars of this race, as six promising maiden winners are scheduled to contest this six-furlong event. The morning line favorite is Baby J, who broke her maiden impressively for trainer Michelle Nehei before being transferred to the barn of Rick Dutrow Jr. However, the eventual winner could end up being So Many Ways, who is trained by Dutrow's brother, Anthony Dutrow. Anthony is not known for winning with first-time starters, so when one of his horses breaks their maiden in their debut effort by eight lengths, it's worth noting. That is exactly what So Many Ways did in her debut, and if she improves on that performance at all, she should win this race.

Brown Eyes Blue, a daughter of Big Brown trained by Dale Romans, broke her maiden in visually impressive fashion on June 30th at Churchill Downs, holding off late run to win the six-furlong race by 1 3/4 lengths. But her front-running style could potentially be compromised by Sweet Shirley Mae, who broke her maiden over colts at Belmont Park on May 9th. She is coming into this race off of a lengthy layoff, but she is training sharply and should be a contender from the start.

The other two fillies in the race are Can't Explain, who broke her maiden second time out by 4 1/2 lengths for trainer Todd Pletcher. She, too, possesses a great deal of early speed, and while her recent workouts haven't been anything spectacular, she looks good enough to win this race on talent alone. But she'll have to be sharp to turn the tables on Fully Living, who handed Can't Explain a defeat when they faced off in a maiden special weight at Belmont Park on May 31st.

My selection is So Many Ways.

-Keelerman

Schuylerville Stakes Entries and Post Positions

Here are the entries and post positions for the $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III), to be run on Friday at Saratoga, the opening day of the 2012 meet. The six-furlong race for two-year-old fillies has drawn a competitive field of seven lightly-raced juveniles, including promising debuts winners trained by Todd Pletcher (Can't Explain), Anthony Dutrow (So Many Ways), Dale Romans (Brown Eyes Blue), and Wesley Ward (Sweet Shirley Mae).

1 Sweet Shirley Mae
2 Baby J
3 Brown Eyes Blue
4 Can't Explain
5 Fully Living
6 Mr. Hall's Opus
7 So Many Ways

-Keelerman