Saratoga Race Course Notes

NYRA PRESS RELEASE —-

Money Moves confirmed for G1 Kentucky Derby; Dr Post points to G2 Jim Dandy
Trombetta still in awe of last-to-first performance in G1 Forego from Win Win Win
Channel Maker could target repeat win in G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
Trainer Chris Progno attempts first Saratoga stakes win in NYSSS Park Avenue
Prioritize set for G1 Woodward; Mani Pedi has follow-up appointment at the Spa
Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 returns $15,572; handles $109K
Kentucky Derby draw along with racing from Churchill and Finger Lakes headline special Tuesday edition of America’s Day at the Races

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed that allowance winner Money Moves will travel to Louisville for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on September 5 at Churchill Downs.

Pletcher has trained more Kentucky Derby starters than any other conditioner with 54 previous “Run for the Roses” entrants and will look to add to that total.
Money Moves worked five furlongs in 1:00.14 over Saratoga Race Course’s main track Friday, with his conditioner saying and he’s liked what he’s seen in the mornings from the son of multiple champion-producing stallion Candy Ride.

“The horse ran well last time and he’s been training sharply. I felt like this is an opportunity that you don’t get very often, so we’re taking a shot,” Pletcher said.

Money Moves will be making his first start against stakes company after finishing a game second to Prioritize in a 1 1/8-mile allowance event against older horses on July 25 at Saratoga. This was his first start since besting winners going a one-turn mile in March at Gulfstream Park.

“That was a lot to ask,” Pletcher said. “He got sick after his win at Gulfstream, so he missed some time, and to run a mile and an eighth off the layoff, I thought he showed a lot of determination in that race. It’s a tall order, but he’s given us all the right indications that he’s ready to step up and give it a try.”

Money Moves will be a ninth Kentucky Derby starter for co-owner Robert LaPenta and a first for Jerry Bortolazzo. LaPenta sent out his first Derby starter with The Cliff’s Edge in 2004, who finished fifth as the fourth choice to Smarty Jones. His best finish in the Kentucky Derby was ten years ago when Ice Box was a late-closing second to Super Saver, who gave Pletcher his first Derby victory.

“He was keen to take a chance and for his partner, Jerry Bortolazzo, it has been a lifelong dream of his to have a horse in the Kentucky Derby,” said Pletcher, who also won the Kentucky Derby with Always Dreaming in 2017. “These opportunities don’t come around but once and the horse has given us every reason to go forth and give it a try.”

Money Moves will be ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Money Moves was purchased for $975,000 from the OBS 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last April. He is out of the Proud Citizen broodmare Citizen Advocate, who was a stakes winner over all three surfaces.

Dr Post, who initially was targeting the Kentucky Derby, will remain at the Spa and point to the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy on Saturday, September 5.

Owned by Vincent Viola’s St. Elias Stable, Dr Post was second to Tiz the Law in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 20 before finishing third in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 16 at Monmouth Park.

Wertheimer and Frere’s Happy Saver is a perfect 2-for-2, including a romping four-length allowance win last out traveling nine furlongs on July 26 against older company that garnered a 96 Beyer. The Super Saver colt is under consideration for the Federico Tesio on September 7 at Laurel Park, which offers a berth in the Grade 1 Preakness on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

The veteran conditioner will be busy on multiple fronts Saturday with Wertheimer and Frere’s Spinoff and Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbreds’ Moretti targeting the 10-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward on September 5.

The duo worked a half-mile in company on August 28 in 49.29.

“I was very happy with their breezes,” said Pletcher. “They came out of it well, so they’ll both take a shot at the Woodward.”

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Trombetta still in awe of last-to-first performance in G1 Forego from Win Win Win

Trainer Mike Trombetta had only one word to describe the deep-closing victory from Win Win Win over sloppy going in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Forego presented by America’s Best Racing: Unbelievable.

Owned by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, the Florida homebred was last, more than 16 lengths off the pace and nine-wide at the quarter pole, before splashing home to victory with a powerful turn of foot to make the grade in the prestigious seven-furlong event.

After competing on the Triple Crown trail last year and having recently tried turf, Trombetta said he entered Win Win Win in the seven-furlong Forego with the goal of replicating the Hat Trick colt’s track-record setting performance in last year’s Pasco at seven furlongs on the Tampa Bay Downs main track, where he stopped the clock in 1:20.89.

“It worked out really well. It seemed like he came out of it in pretty good shape,” Trombetta said.

A next start has yet to be decided for Win Win Win, who is a stakes winner on both dirt and turf. In the final start of his sophomore campaign, he won his turf debut in the Manila in July 2019 at Belmont Park. He made his first start since such effort in the First Defence, where he was tenth but made amends when finishing a good second to eventual Forego runner up Complexity going a one-turn mile over the main track at Belmont Park.

“I’ll talk with the ownership and try to map out a plan for him for the rest of the season,” Trombetta said. “With him, there are options. We’re a little limited because he’s one of those middle-distance types of horses. In a perfect world, you find seven-eighths racing for him and there isn’t as much of it as you would like. We’ll have to figure out where he fits in the big picture.”

Win Win Win is the third offspring out of the late Smarty Jones mare Miss Smarty Pants, whose two other progeny were winners. His granddam was stakes winner Devotion Unbridled who produced Unbridled Humor – a two-time turf stakes winner on the NYRA circuit.
Trombetta was extra pleased to see Win Win Win run so well in such unfavorable circumstances.
“I think he’s one of these kinds of horses that can deal with just about whatever you throw at him for the most part,” said Trombetta. “He’s won on the turf; he’s won on dry track; and now he’s won on this kind of tracks. He can play the cards any way that they’re dealt to him.”

Win Win Win is scheduled to ship to Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland on Monday morning, where Trombetta is primarily stabled.

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Channel Maker could target repeat win in G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott reported that Grade 1 Sword Dancer-winner Channel Maker was in good shape the morning after making his third appearance in the 1 1/2-mile test at Saratoga Race Course a winning one, leading at every point of call and drawing off to a 5 3/4-length victory over a soft inner turf.

Owned by Wachtel Stable, R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Gary Barber, the veteran son of English Channel was a respective second and fourth in the last two editions of the Sword Dancer and scored a third Grade 1 victory in a 35-race career, while upping his lifetime earnings to $2,494,051.

In winning the Sword Dancer, Channel Maker earned an automatic entry to the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Turf on November 7 at Keeneland. He has run a respective 11th and 12th in the last two runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

“He does appreciate the soft ground without a doubt,” said Mott, who previously won the Sword Dancer with Hall of Famer Theatrical [1987], Fraise [1992], and Broadway Flyer [1996]. “He gets over it pretty well, but it might help him more than some of the others.”

In 2018, Channel Maker won the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park in similar wire-to-wire fashion. Second in last year’s Joe Hirsch, Mott said that he could target a repeat victory in this year’s running, which is scheduled for October 3.

“Naturally, that would make the most sense to run him there, and he won a berth into the Breeders’ Cup,” Mott said.

Channel Maker registered a 108 Byer for Saturday’s performance, which replicated a career-best number he reached in winning the 2018 Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic

A victory in the Sword Dancer made Channel Maker a Grade 1 winner on the NYRA circuit the past three years. After taking the Joe Hirsch in 2018, he won the Grade 1 Man o’ War in May 2019 at Belmont Park, marking his last victory prior to Saturday’s Sword Dancer.

“He gives you something,” Mott said. “Sometimes he doesn’t get the right set of circumstances, but you could say that about most other horses. When he gets the right circumstances, he’s tough.”

Co-owner Randy Hill of R.A. Hill Stables was particularly happy with the well-executed ride from jockey Manny Franco.

Channel Maker gave Hill his first Grade 1 victory as an owner when he took the Joe Hirsch in 2018.

“He’s had great success on soft turf, so I was pretty confident going in,” Hill said. “I give a lot of credit to Manny. He got him to relax and he’s a difficult horse to ride as everyone knows. He broke well, went to the lead and it was a tremendous job by the horse, jockey and Billy for getting him ready.”

Bred in Ontario by Tall Oaks Farm, Channel Maker is out of the turf stakes-winning Horse Chestnut broodmare In Return, making him a full brother to dual Grade 1 winner Johnny Bear.

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Trainer Chris Progno attempts first Saratoga stakes win in NYSSS Park Avenue

Finger Lakes-based trainer Chris Progno notched a career milestone last year when New Girl In Town gave him his first win at Saratoga Race Course, capturing an allowance race in July 2019.

Progno will look for a higher achievement level on Thursday, as Chester and Mary Broman’s homebred Spin a Yarn will attempt to give her conditioner his first stakes win at the historic race course when she competes in the $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series Park Avenue for sophomore fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs in Race 6.

The 48-year-old Progno has been a mainstay at Finger Lakes Racetrack, continuing his family’s success on the circuit where his father, John, was also a conditioner. John Progno developed a rapport with the Bromans over the years, and that relationship continued when Chris took over the stable in 2008.

The hard work resulted in a winner’s circle trip at Saratoga last year, which Chris Progno said was his career highlight. Now, he will look to achieve an even higher level of success with Spin a Yarn, who has started her career 4-for-4 with all victories at Finger Lakes.

Located in Farmington, New York, Finger Lakes is located about 200 miles west of Saratoga Race Course. It’s also the home base of Progno, who was credited with his first wins as a trainer in 2003, though he did not start training full time until 2008. He entered Sunday with 290 career victories out of 2,049 starters.

“It’s really exciting. I give all credit to Mary and Chester Broman. I’ve trained for them for quite a while and my father trained for them for 30 years prior to me taking over the business,” he said. “That was my first win at Saratoga. I don’t bring a lot of horses out there, but a lot of them have been competitive.”

Spin a Yarn, a daughter of Forty Tales, has won at three different distances ranging from five-to-six furlongs and will now be stretched out slightly in the 6 1/2-furlong Park Avenue, drawing post 3 in the seven-horse field with Jose Lezcano aboard. Among her competitors on Thursday will be stakes-winner Big Q, who won the Key Cents in November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“It’s always going to be tough because we’re coming from a smaller racetrack and shipping into their home,’ Progno said. “They are going to be some tough horses in there, but looking at the paper, I don’t think there’s any wicked standouts.”

While larger circuits mean bigger purse money and more prestige, Progno said the benefits of operating at smaller track can be more flexibility for his starters to ship into NYRA-run tracks, with Spin a Yarn able to gain valuable experience and win races.

“The way they write the condition books at Finger Lakes is that, because our purses are so much less, it allows us to win more races and still be eligible for certain restricted New York-bred races in Saratoga, Aqueduct and Belmont,” Progno said. “The nice thing is that this filly has been able to get some experience and get some races under her belt.”

Progno has also won races at Aqueduct, Presque Isle and Suffolk Downs, and has come close to earning additional Saratoga glory, most notably when Crackerjack Jones nearly overcame a bad trip in the 2016 Morrisey and still forced a photo finish, ending up in third. He then ran second to Royal Posse in the Evan Shipman at the Spa in September 2016.

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Prioritize set for G1 Woodward; Mani Pedi has follow-up appointment at the Spa

Trainer Jim Bond will be in search of his first Grade 1 Woodward win when he saddles William L. Clifton, Jr’s Prioritize in Saturday’s $500,000 10-furlong test on the Saratoga main track.

After making his first nine starts on turf, Bond moved the 5-year-old Tizway gelding to the main track in December at Aqueduct and the bay responded with a 1 1/2-length win in a $35,000 claiming mile.

Following a pair of runner-up efforts on the main track in February at the Big A and in June at Belmont, Prioritize earned a career-best 99 Beyer when capturing a nine-furlong optional-claiming route on July 25 at the Spa.

Bond said he moved the bay to dirt in search of a wake-up call after four off-the-board efforts.

“He just lost a bit of interest for me on the turf and I couldn’t find any rhyme or reason, so I decided to take a shot and try him on dirt,” said Bond. “His works on dirt in the morning were okay, nothing over the top, but boy, he sure has improved.”

The last-out win saw Prioritize rally from seventh to best Kentucky Derby contender Money Moves by a neck.

“Thank God, Tiz the Law’s not in there,” said Bond with a laugh, though Prioritize will have to deal with a probable field that includes Global Campaign, Moretti, Spinoff and Tacitus.

Bond noted that a horse finding success on dirt after racing on turf isn’t without precedent, recalling with a laugh that in 1995, he sent out L’Carriere to finish second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic behind a well-regarded charge for Mott.

“There was a horse I was second to in the Breeders’ Cup Classic named Cigar that made his first few starts on the grass and then switched to dirt and the rest is history,” quipped Bond. “I didn’t ask Billy for any words of wisdom, but maybe I should have a little bit earlier.

“Saying that, I think he’ll get the distance and it’s a handicap so we’ll see what the weights are,” added Bond. “He’s doing good and he’s won on the surface here. Sometimes you throw the ball and hopefully he can catch it.”

Eric Cancel will retain the mount on Prioritize.

Bond will saddle Thomas Coleman’s Mani Pedi in Thursday’s $100,000 NYSSS Park Avenue, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies.

The Zivo bay, out of Lookin At Lucky mare Phoenix Park, started her career with trainer Chad Brown and finished fourth in her June debut at Belmont Park. She made her first start for Bond a winning one with a stalking effort in a $25,000 maiden-claiming sprint for New York-breds on July 22 at the Spa.

“She’s a light-bodied filly and she seems to like our program,” said Bond. “She ran a great race last time, against lesser company, but I see improvement in her body wise and she’s happy as can be.”

Bond is currently eighth in the Spa trainer standings with 10 wins and said he is happy to take a chance on picking up the barn’s first stakes win of the meet.

“Sometimes you take a shot,” said Bond. “We actually have the mare at the farm for the owner, so if she’s 1-2-3 it’s a positive for the owner and when you’re in the breeding game you like to see the offspring do well because it gives you some recognition for the following foals and keeps your bank account a little bit heavier.”

Bond said he had considered Friday’s nine-furlong $150,000 Fleet Indian for Mani Pedi.

“I looked at it but I thought this was a better spot,” said Bond. “It’s one turn and when you’re going into stakes you don’t want to change too much. This race is a little shorter but it shows a lot of speed in this race. I think the pace will be pretty quick and she looks to be a pretty good stalker. If she improves a little bit, I think she’ll be close.”

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 returns $15,572; handles $109K

Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5, featuring action from Saratoga Race Course, Monmouth Park and Woodbine Racetrack, returned $15,572.50 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The sequence’s total pool was $109,924.

The wager, which featured three total graded stakes, commenced in Race 6 at the Spa when Founder captured a maiden special weight for trainer Chad Brown in the six-furlong main track sprint. Off at 6-1, Founder ran down three competitors in the stretch, besting Highly Motivated by a neck under jockey Jose Ortiz. Founder returned $14.80 on a $2 win wager.

Acton shifted to Monmouth in Race 9, when Terry’s Charm won the allowance optional claimer. Originally slated for 1 1/2 miles on turf, the race was moved to the main track, with 4-1 Terry’s Charm, under jockey Christopher DeCarlo, finishing in 2:39.59, paying $10.20. The Ronald Abrams trainee won by three-quarters of a length.

Woodbine started the stakes action in the third leg, with Chart edging Avie’s Samurai by a head in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen for 3-year-old fillies in Race 7. Ridden by Justin Stein, Chart completed the one-mile turf test in 1:35.24, returning $11.20. Chart is trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse.

Saratoga hosted the sequence’s concluding two legs with a pair of Grade 1 contests, starting when Win Win Win lives up to his moniker with a thrilling stretch drive to capture the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego presented by America’s Best Racing in Race 8. Win Win Win appeared to be out of it early for the seven-furlong sprint over a muddy and sealed track that was pelted by rain, but the Trombetta trainee rallied from last-of-11 a quarter-mile in to make a sweeping move in the stretch, overtaking five rivals from the far outside to hit the wire in 1:21.71 under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano. Off at 7-1, Win Win Win, a veteran of last year’s Triple Crown trail, paid $16.20.

Channel Maker closed the Cross Country Pick 5 with a 5 3/4-length score in the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in Race 9. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and ridden by Manny Franco, Channel Maker, off at 8-1, returned $18 for his gate-to-wire effort, drawing away from Cross Border to complete the course in 2:34.86.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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Kentucky Derby draw along with racing from Churchill and Finger Lakes headline special Tuesday edition of America’s Day at the Races

Headlining a special two-part Tuesday edition of America’s Day at the Races will be the draw for the 146th running of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, as well as afternoon racing from Churchill Downs and Finger Lakes.

Greg Wolf and Frank Mirahmadi will be your on-set hosts from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for the draw from Churchill Downs, where next Saturday, New York-bred Tiz the Law is expected to be the heavy favorite to win the “Run for the Roses.” Coverage of the draw will air on FS2.

Then, from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Wolf, Mirahmadi and two other members of the America’s Best Racing broadcast team, Laffit Pincay III and Jonathon Kinchen, will offer their expert commentary and analysis of racing from Churchill Downs and Finger Lakes. Afternoon coverage will air on FS2 and MSG+.

The regular edition of Saratoga Live returns at 1 p.m. Wednesday for full coverage of the final week of racing from Saratoga Race Course. For the complete broadcast schedule and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.