Saratoga Race Course Notes

NYRA RELEASE —-

• G1 Belmont Derby winner Catholic Boy works on main track as trainer Thomas eyes G1 Travers, G3 Saranac
• Wonder filly Wonder Gadot joins list of early probables for Travers; Mid-Summer Derby decision pending for G2 Jim Dandy runner-up Flameaway
• Diversify’s sharp Sunday work leaves ‘door open’ for G1 Whitney
• Talk Veuve to Me sizzles in Sunday breeze, G1 Alabama possible
• Voorheesville resident Bob Baron basks in afterglow of Promises Fullfilled’s G3 Amsterdam victory
• ‘Quirky’ Vino Rosso still on target for G1 Travers after Jim Dandy effort
• G1 Vanderbilt hero Imperial Hint ‘little horse with big, big heart’
• Fillies and mares look to bask in spotlight in Wednesday’s Shine Again

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational winner Catholic Boy breezed four furlongs on the Saratoga Race Course main track on Sunday as trainer Jonathan Thomas mulls his options with the 3-year-old.

Working under exercise rider Tracy Price, Catholic Boy ran the opening quarter-mile in 23 4/5 seconds and wrapped up his move in 48 3/5. The breeze was Catholic Boy’s first since his victory in the Belmont Derby on July 7. He hadn’t worked on the dirt since May 19 in what was his second breeze following his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby in April.

“First and foremost, it looks like he came out of the Belmont Derby really well,” said Thomas, who conditions the More Than Ready colt for Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm, and Twin Creeks Racing Stables. “His energy level was good, but he was nice and relaxed and was moving really well. Solid eighths to the wire, and he wanted to really gallop out when Tracy reached up to grab him. He really jumped into the bridle and really looked full of himself. Purely a maintenance drill. We weren’t looking for anything fancy.”

Catholic Boy, winner of the Grade 2 Remsen on the dirt last November at Aqueduct Racetrack, most likely will make his next start in either the Grade 1, $125 million Travers on the main track August 25 or the Grade 3, $300,000 Saranac on the turf September 1.

“We wanted to keep the Travers in play and learn about his action over this track,” said Thomas. “We wanted to give him an opportunity. We’re not going to make a decision off one breeze. We want to have a body of work over it, and then make a determination. The timing into the Travers is very good, and the Saranac is a great backup because it’s a week later. We have always been of the mindset that he’ll tell us through his training where we are going. We have a circle around that seven-day span.”

The Belmont Derby was the first Grade 1 victory for both Catholic Boy and Thomas, a former assistant to Christophe Clement and Todd Pletcher. Catholic Boy was headed in the stretch by Analyze It before coming back to win by a nose in what was a virtual carbon copy of his victory in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge in June at Belmont.

“As a team, we were really proud to deliver a Grade 1 for the horse and for our clients,” said Thomas. “He has always trained like a Grade 1-caliber horse. He’s a horse I bought as a yearling and we broke, so it was a real team effort. He’s a real house horse for us. There was a lot of satisfaction. The style of it added a little dramatic flair to both efforts. He’s acquired some fans. I’ve had a lot of people comment on how fun it was to watch him. That part has been cool.”
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Wonder filly Wonder Gadot joins list of early probables for Travers; Mid-Summer Derby decision pending for G2 Jim Dandy runner-up Flameaway

Trainer Mark Casse reported that Flameaway emerged from his runner-up performance in Saturday’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy in good shape. Where Flameaway will be pointed next is yet to be determined, but the decision on whether the colt will start in the Grade 1 Travers will be made by his owner John Oxley as Casse has announced that Gary Barber’s Wonder Gadot is likely to likely to bypass the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama on August 18 in favor of facing males in the Mid-Summer Derby.

“In horse racing, nothing is ever 100 percent,” Casse said. “But I would tell you I’d bet it’s about 90 percent [to run Wonder Gadot in the Travers]. We’ve talked about it. Gary always thinks out of the box, and a lot of it makes sense. One, if you look for the most part, I guess some of them did run a mile and a quarter in the Derby, but she’s already got a mile and a quarter under her. She’s got a mile and three sixteenths under her, and she gets five pounds. It’s a big deal going a mile and a quarter, and I can tell you this, when they go over to the paddock on Travers Day, she may be the biggest horse in the race. She doesn’t look like a filly. She’s a big, stout mare.”

Earlier this week, Casse announced that Wonder Gadot would skip the Breeders’ Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, after two consecutive wins in the Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales, and instead run in the Alabama.

The 3-year-old Medaglia d’Oro filly could become the eighth female to win the Travers since its inaugural running in 1864, and would be the first filly to run since Davona Dale in 1979.

The chance at history is exciting for Casse.

“Anybody that knows me, knows that I love horse racing and that it’s my entire life, and any time we can get excitement, it’s good for horse racing,” he said. “I think anything that gets people’s attention is good for Saratoga and it’s good for the Travers. We just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope everything stays well. I think it spices it up a little because it’s going to be males against a female. I’m sure she’s going to have the ladies on her side.

“I think if you look at the numbers and everything, she’s probably got as good a shot as anyone; again, we’re going to have five pounds. The question is whether or not we’re going to have Johnny [Velazquez]. We threw this curveball at Johnny, and obviously they have the horse that ran third yesterday [Vino Rosso] in the Jim Dandy. We haven’t talked to him about it. I know that will be tough. He rides so much for Todd, it may not even be about who he thinks is best, but where his loyalty lies.”

Casse said he always defers to the owners when he has multiple horses under consideration for the same race.

“I never ever, ever base my decisions on what some other horse is doing unless it’s owned by the same owner,” said Casse. “We may choose to go different paths but that will be up to Mr. Oxley. He’ll ask my opinion and I’ll tell him, but he’ll ultimately make the final decision.

“A lot of people don’t know, but Flameaway was supposed to go to the Prince of Wales. He’s a Canadian-bred as well, but Mr. Oxley said, ‘I don’t want to run against Wonder Gadot.’ He’s seen her in action many times. I don’t know. There’s only one Travers, so we may give it a try.”
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Diversify’s sharp Sunday work leaves ‘door open’ for G1 Whitney

Ralph and Laura Evans’ Diversify zipped through a five-furlong work in 59 seconds over Saratoga’s main track Sunday morning, prompting trainer Rick Violette to reconsider an earlier plan to skip the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney August 4.

Regular exercise rider Roddi Aly was up for the breeze, which was the first work for Diversify, a gelded 5-year-old son of Bellamy Road, since his front running 6 ½-length rout in the 1 ¼-mile Suburban July 7 at Belmont Park.

“I wanted him to chirp a little bit at the eighth pole, which he did. I’ve got him on walkie talkie and I said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s enough,'” Violette said. “He sprinted for an eighth of a mile and still went [a half-mile] in 47 [seconds] and [five furlongs] in 59, and that was kind of eased up. It was a pretty fancy work.”

Entries will be taken and post positions drawn for the 1 1/8-mile Whitney Tuesday evening, July 31 at Sperry’s Restaurant in downtown Saratoga Springs. It is a “Win and You’re In” event for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Violette had initially intended to wait for the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward, also for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles, to give Diversify more time off his breakout Suburban effort. The Woodward will be run September 1.

The trainer’s decision will hinge on Diversify’s health and condition coming out of Sunday’s work.

“We’ll do all the one-on-one stuff. We’ll take bloods [Monday], and that’s kind of critical with him. He can kind of go up and down on how good his blood is. We’ll see how he comes out of it and how he eats up. I’m not saying no yet,” Violette said. “I’m leaving the door open for the Whitney; other than that we’ll just go for the Woodward.

“For all intents and purposes I was just going to pass the Whitney, and it’s a tough race to pass. It’s [$1.2 million] and ‘Win and You’re In,’ historic race, but so is the Woodward, as far as historic relevance,” he added. “It’s a fairly appealing race. There’s one other speed horse in there with the horse from Del Mar [Dalmore]. We’re going to give it some serious consideration.”

Diversify became a millionaire in the Suburban, his second straight victory following the one-mile Commentator against fellow state-breds May 28 at Belmont. He won his only previous start at Saratoga, a gate-to-wire 11 ½-length romp in the 1 1/8-mile Evan Shipman last August, also facing New York-breds.

Sunday’s work was not unlike Diversify’s final breeze prior to the Suburban – a half-mile in 46.85 seconds over Belmont’s main track June 30 that ranked first of 68 horses.

“I just got off the phone with Mr. Evans to let him know that we complicated things by going so well today,” Violette said. “But, that’s a good thing. It is. His last race was spectacular. We’ll see what happens.”
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Talk Veuve to Me sizzles in Sunday breeze, G1 Alabama possible

Grade 3 Indiana Oaks winner Talk Veuve to Me turned heads with a sharp four-furlong work in 47.02 seconds Sunday over the Oklahoma training track, the fastest of 98 horses at the distance, as she prepares for a possible start in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama.

Trainer Rodolphe Brisset was aboard Talk Veuve to Me, who galloped out five furlongs in :59 4/5. Brisset, a former assistant and exercise rider for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, co-owns the Violence filly with Team Valor International and Stephen McKay.

“She worked very good. We went a tick faster than what I wanted, but I guess I’m the one to blame,” Brisset said. “She did it pretty easy, on her own. We were looking for a 48 more than a 47, but we were happy with the way she did it and the way she cooled out.”

Talk Veuve to Me was working for the first time following her 4 ¾-length triumph in the Indiana Oaks, contested at 1 1/16 miles on July 14. It was her second win from five career starts and first in a stakes, preceded by back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Grade 1 Acorn June 9 at Belmont Park and Grade 2 Eight Belles May 4 at Churchill Downs.

“She bounced back really good from her last race and she was ready to breeze. She may have fooled me a little bit,” Brisset said. “It didn’t feel like I was going that fast, so it’s always a good sign, but at the same time it was a bit faster than what we were looking for. So, we may want to try and slow her down a little bit next week.”

Talk Veuve to Me raced once at 2, finishing second in a maiden special weight last August at Ellis Park. She didn’t race again until breaking her maiden by 11 ¼ lengths going six furlongs at Fair Grounds on March 25.

The Indiana Oaks marked Talk Veuve to Me’s first time racing beyond one mile. Favored in the field of seven, she took the lead after a half-mile and completed the distance in 1:43.15 over a fast track at Indiana Grand under a hand ride from jockey Julien Leparoux.

“Her race in Indiana we thought was pretty impressive. She handled the two turns very well,” Brisset said. “We are very strongly looking at the Alabama, for sure. She showed us two turns may not be a problem for her at all. The mile and a quarter, you don’t really know until you try it. If we are pleased with the next two breezes, it could be the spot where we go next.”
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Voorheesville resident Bob Baron basks in afterglow of Promises Fullfilled’s G3 Amsterdam victory

For thoroughbred owner and Voorheesville, New York. resident Bob Baron, Saturday’s Grade 3 Amsterdam fulfilled a dream.

Baron’s Promises Fulfilled tracked a fast pace and took over at the top of the stretch to win the 6 ½-furlong Amsterdam by 3 ¼ lengths and give the owner his first Saratoga stakes victory.

“When you first get into horse racing and come to Saratoga you dream of having a horse win here,” said Baron, who was accompanied on Saturday by his wife, brother, sister, and two of his children. “I’ve had winners, but winning a stakes takes you to a whole other level. It was a lot of fun. We did our yelling and cheering, all of the stuff you are supposed to do. We went a little overboard, but we loved it.”

Baron, a native of Mohawk, New York, played quarterback at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, earning All-America honors his senior season and graduating with a degree in civil engineering. He was inducted into RPI’s athletics hall of fame in 1976. Baron currently owns construction and automobile dealership companies in the Albany area.

“Three things: It’s good to win a stakes, no matter what. It’s really good to win for a good friend. And it’s even better to win for a good friend in his backyard,” said trainer Dale Romans. “Bob checks all those boxes. Only somebody who grows up here can realize how special it is to win a race here. I think it really does makes a difference. They grow up always hearing about Saratoga, knowing how special the place is, how special it is to the Capital Region. To come here and win a race is big, and to win a stakes is even bigger.”

Promises Fulfilled clinched a spot in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby starting gate with a gate-to-wire victory the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in February at Gulfstream Park. He faded to ninth the Grade 1 Florida Derby in April and 15th in the Kentucky Derby in May, and Romans and Baron subsequently decided to focus on sprints with Promises Fulfilled. The colt entered the Amsterdam off a third in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on June 9 at Belmont Park.

“We went to the Derby and after that Dale said, ‘Let’s cut back for the Woody Stephens at seven furlongs,'” said Baron. “He ran well in there. There were crazy fractions, but he still finished. He got some time off and put some weight on, and he looks good. It’s been a great journey. I’m happy for the horse because he’s such a neat horse. I think he got a little respect yesterday.”

Romans said Promises Fulfilled will now target the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds on August 25, Travers Day.

“The biggest problem we’ve had with him is keeping weight on him,” said Romans, who has now won at least one race at Saratoga for 26 consecutive years. “He’s a natural athlete. He came out of the race perfect, and we’re pointing for the Allen Jerkens.”

Promises Fulfilled could give Baron and his wife Deborah a belated wedding anniversary gift with a victory in the H. Allen Jerkens. The couple will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary August 18. Baron named the colt Promises Fulfilled last August in commemoration of their 44th anniversary.

“He proved he had another dimension, and I think he’ll do well going seven furlongs, but I think he’ll be able to go longer now that he can rate,” said Baron. “It will be interesting where we can go with them. Dale will make the calls and we’ll go from there.”

On the Sunday worktab for Romans was Coach Rocks, winner of the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. Coach Rocks, second in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and Grade 3 Delaware Oaks in her past two starts, breezed five furlongs on the main track in 1:00 2/5 under Tammy Fox as she trains for her upcoming engagement in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama on August 18.

“She looked good,” said Romans. “I think she’s ready to roll.”
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‘Quirky’ Vino Rosso still on target for G1 Travers after G2 Jim Dandy effort

One day after Vino Rosso rallied to finish third in the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy, trainer Todd Pletcher said the Curlin colt remained on target for the Grade 1 Travers.

Vino Rosso was last of five through the opening half mile of the Jim Dandy. Under John Velazquez, the Grade 2 Wood Memorial winner saved ground and made a late bid in the stretch, with his Hall of Fame jockey using a left-handed whip as Vino Rosso finished a head back of runner-up Flameaway.

“He came out of it well,” Pletcher said at the Oklahoma training track Sunday morning. “He didn’t get quite as involved early on as we’d hoped, and he kind of regained his position going into the far turn and lost a little bit of that position. He was closing well at the end, we just need to keep him motivated in the turn a little better but overall, we were pleased with his effort. Hopefully, he’ll come back and train well for the Travers.”

After debuting a winner on November 11 at Aqueduct Racetrack, Vino Rosso wintered in Florida, where he ended his juvenile campaign with a win against optional claimers on December 22 at Tampa Bay Downs and finished third behind Catholic Boy and Flameaway in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis over the same track on February 10 in his 3-year-old bow.

Pletcher said Vino Rosso, owned by St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable, has habitually fallen off the pace before making a late push, a trend that continued when he improved from 18th through a half-mile to finish ninth in the Kentucky Derby on May 5.

“He’s a little quirky,” Pletcher said. “To me, the race yesterday reminded me of a couple of his races at Tampa where he kind of had decent position going into the far turn and lost it and came on again in the stretch. We’ll continue to work on it.”
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G1 Vanderbilt hero Imperial Hint ‘little horse with big, big heart’

Raymond Mamone’s Imperial Hint exited his 3 ¾-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap in good order and has headed back to his home base at Parx Racing, said trainer Luis Carvajal, Jr. on Sunday morning.

“He came out of it well and finished all his dinner. Everything is good,” said Carvajal.

The Vanderbilt was the first Grade 1 and the second straight stakes win for the Florida-bred millionaire by Imperialism, who posted a neck score earlier this summer in the Grade 2 True North on June 8 at Belmont Park.

In the Vanderbilt, Imperial Hint carried the field’s 124-pound highweight under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who confidently guided the 5-year-old through a wide charge in the turn and wrapped up on Imperial Hint under the wire. Imperial Hint’s winning time of 1:08.98 for six furlongs was .94 seconds off Speightstown’s track record set in the 2004 Vanderbilt.

“I got to watch the race this morning a little more relaxed than I was yesterday,” Carvajal said. “I like to see what the other horses did and how the race developed. I like to look at different angles, not just my horse. I think that Javier let the race develop in front of him. Javier was the main thing, I think. He just made all the right decisions. The way he did it just gives me goosebumps every time I see it.

“He’s a little horse with a big, big heart,” he added. “The way he did it was awesome. I don’t know what he would’ve done if Javier had asked him the last eighth of a mile. It’s a great feeling to win a Grade 1 for Imperial Hint, for my owner, and for myself. It was special to do it at Saratoga, too.”

Carvajal said he’s likely to skip the Grade 1, $600,000 Forego at seven furlongs on August 25, preferring the Grade 3 Frank De Francis Memorial Dash on September 15 at Laurel Park or the Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh on September 29 at Belmont, a Breeders’ Cup qualifier for the Sprint on November 3. The De Francis and Vosburgh are both at six furlongs.

“I always like to give him around seven weeks between races, so I think we’ll pass the Forego,” he said. “[His next start] could be in Maryland or in New York. I just have to consider the time frame between the Vosburgh and the Breeders’ Cup if we get to go. The Vosburgh would give me about four weeks before the Breeders’ Cup and the one in Maryland would give me about seven weeks.

“I like the timeframe of running in Maryland, but the race in New York pulls me in a little bit because it’s a ‘Win and You’re In,'” Carvajal continued. “We’ll see how everything plays out and we’ll make a decision in a few weeks.”
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Fillies and mares look to bask in spotlight in Wednesday’s Shine Again

Curragh Stables’ Heavenly Score will look to capitalize on class relief when she competes against a field of seven in the $100,000 Shine Again for fillies and mares on Wednesday at Saratoga.

In her graded stakes debut last out, Heavenly Score finished third in the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 7 at Belmont Park, stalking pacesetter Faypien before finishing one length behind winner La Sardane at the Shine Again distance of seven furlongs on the turf.

Trainer John Terranova will now move the 4-year-old Even the Score filly back to dirt, where she beat allowance company on December 22 at Aqueduct Racetrack before running seventh in the Interborough in her last main-track appearance on January 15 at the Big A.

Jockey Luis Saez picks up the mount and will ride from post 7.

Your Love will look to give trainer Chad Brown his third consecutive Shine Again win, returning to stakes competition after running second to Nisha in a six-furlong optional claimer on June 28 at Belmont.

The 4-year-old daughter of Flatter ran second in her previous Saratoga race, finishing a neck behind Ring Knocker in an optional claimer last September. That marked a return to the Spa after finishing sixth in the 2017 Grade 1 Test.

Brown won last year’s edition with Carina Mia and again with Wavell Avenue in 2016. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who picked up the mount last race, will have the return call from the outside post.

Multiple stakes-winner Wonderment ran third in the La Verdad on January 18 at Aqueduct Racetrack and enters off a six-month layoff. Now 5, the Kenny McPeek trainee won the Dancin Renee and the Arctic Queen in 2017 and is the field’s most-seasoned entrant with 20 career starts with a 5-2-4 record. Her only previous start at the Spa was a fourth-place finish in last year’s Union Avenue. Dylan Davis will ride from post 2.

Carienn has been knocking on the door in her quest for a first trip to the winner’s circle in stakes action, finishing on the board and earning identical personal-high 85 Beyer Speed Figures in her last three starts, which marked her first three career stakes.

Trained by Graham Motion, Carienn rallied for third in the Dashing Beauty on July 7 at Delaware Park, following a similar pattern when she got up for third behind Highway Star and Lewis Bay in the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses Invitational on June 18 at Belmont.

The First Dude filly started her year as the runner-up in a starter allowance on January 26 at Aqueduct, which was followed by back-to-back wins at Laurel before Cairenn made her stakes debut in the Primonetta on April 21 on the same Maryland track. In her first race at Saratoga, jockey Jose Ortiz picks up the mount, breaking from post 5.

Yorkiepoo Princess will be seeking her first win in eight starts for trainer Edward Barker. After finishing out of the money as a 3-year-old in the 2017 Grade 2 Gazelle, Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga, she ended her year with a strong second in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks for her best graded stakes finish.

Following nine months off, Yorkiepoo Princess returned to action, finishing third in an optional claimer at six furlongs on June 28 at Belmont. Junior Alvarado, who was aboard for that race, will be in the irons again from post 6.

Rounding out the field are Aura Rose, trained by Lacey Gaudet, from post 1; Come Dancing, conditioned by Carlos Martin out of post 4; and Impasse, trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.