Book’em Danno back to the Spa for G1 Forego

By Keith McCalmont —-

Book’em Danno gallops on the track at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ. on Sunday morning July 12, 2026 with exercise rider Danny Marroqin as he prepares to compete at his home track in the Mr. Prospector Stakes on Friday July 17th. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Book’em Danno, the reigning Champion Male Sprinter, has won 5-of-6 starts at Saratoga Race Course and will look to add to his tally when he returns to defend his title in Saturday’s Grade 1 $500,000 Forego. The seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in October at Keeneland.

Trained by Derek Ryan for Atlantic Six Racing, the 5-year-old son of New York stallion Bucchero was a one-length winner of this event last year to complete a hat trick of local wins that included stalking scores in the Grade 3 True North and Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt.

Book’em Danno’s Spa exploits also include a win in the 2024 Grade 1 Woody Stephens, a third in the 2024 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and a successful title defense in the Grade 3 True North in June here.

“He’s an unbelievable horse. Hopefully, he can keep going,” Ryan said.

The talented dark bay New Jersey-bred has made three starts this year, missing by neck to Point Dume in the Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in April and a prominent 1 1/4-length score over Quint’s Brew in the Mr. Prospector last out on July 17 at his Monmouth Park base.

Ryan said the three-time New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year has worked well over the Monmouth dirt, including a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.60 August 14 and a three-eighths blowout from the gate in 37 flat August 22.

“We blew him out of the gate. Super work and came out of it great,” Ryan said. “His work [August 14] was phenomenal, probably one of the best works he’s ever had. He galloped out the mile in 35 and 4. He’s good to go.”

Ryan said Paco Lopez, who is 6-for-8 aboard Book’em Danno, is the perfect partner for the tenacious gelding. Lopez retains the mount from post 5.

“He gets along with him and knows him well. He knows exactly what to do with him,” Ryan said. “If he gets into a dogfight down the lane, he’s tough as nails.”

Ryan will have a keen eye on the Travers Day undercard as trainer Cherie DeVaux sends out well-regarded 3-year-old sprinter Englishman in the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial. The speedy combatants could potentially square off in the six-furlong Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in October.

“Englishman is a serious horse. If you asked me who the best sprinter in the country is – besides us – he’s got to be the next one,” Ryan said. “Cherie DeVaux is in a nice position. She has the best 3-year-old sprinter and the best 3-year-old router with Golden Tempo.”

The 10-time stakes winning Book’em Danno is out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Adorabella, who also produced dual stakes-winner Girl Trouble. He is named after the catchphrase from the television show Hawaii Five-O.

Bred in New Jersey by Gregory J. Kilka and Bright View Farm, Book’em Danno has banked in excess of $2.2 million via a 19-12-4-1 record.

Qatar Racing’s Senior Officer [post 6, Luis Saez] will look to run his win streak to four as he makes his stakes debut for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding won on debut in September 2024 at Churchill Downs ahead of a runner-up effort one month later in an allowance sprint there – both races versus elders. He then shipped to California to prepare for the Grade 1 Malibu and had a setback that required him to scratch.

Senior Officer did not return to action until March at Oaklawn Park, landing second to next-out winner Zero Sugar in a key race that the third-place finisher, Faust, and fourth-place finisher Hymn, also exited to win at next asking.

Senior Officer followed with a trio of sprint wins, beginning with an allowance score at Keeneland in April where he bested next-out Grade 3 Maryland Sprint winner Bring the Smoke by 2 1/4-lengths. He had his last two outings in optional-claiming sprints here, winning by a nose over Contrary Thinking on June 6 and following with a stalking neck score on July 26 over Grade 3-winner and reopposing Tip Top Thomas in which Bring the Smoke was a troubled fourth.

The Maryland-bred Senior Officer is out of the dual Grade 3-winning Speightstown mare Southern Ring.

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher will send out Tip Top Thomas [post 1, Flavien Prat] as he looks to avenge his last out defeat to the aforementioned Senior Officer.

Tip Top Thomas pressed the pace of Stars and Strides early and looked to be in a winning position at the top of the lane last out in his seasonal debut, opening up a 2 1/2-length advantage at the stretch call, but could not stave off the onrushing Senior Officer.

“I thought it was good comeback. He ran too good to lose, but I think a little extra distance with the seven furlongs will suit him,” Pletcher said.

The 4-year-old Volatile colt won his only previous start here with a first-out graduation in August 2024. He followed that effort with a runner-up effort to Chancer McPatrick in the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont at the Big A to complete an abbreviated juvenile campaign.

Tip Top Thomas won 3-of-5 starts last year, taking an optional-claiming mile around one turn last May at Belmont at the Big A before a half-length score over Coal Battle in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis last July. He followed with a gritty head score in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Smarty Jones last August at Parx Racing and completed the campaign with a distant third in the Listed Dwyer in November at Aqueduct.

Tip Top Thomas, out of the winning Consolidator mare Attempt to Name, is a half-brother to multiple stakes-winner Gray Attempt. His third dam, the Grade 2-placed Rare Opportunity, produced Grade 2-winner Street Sounds and the popular dual Grade 2-winner Tower of Texas [32-7-9-6, $936,312].

Awestrike Racing, Berry Family Racing, Legion Racing, GLAM Racing and Clarke Ohrstrom’s Bring the Smoke [post 8, Jose Ortiz] will look to turn the tables on his familiar foes.

Trained by Whit Beckman, the 4-year-old Preservationist gelding was purchased privately from an 18 1/4-length second-out maiden score versus elders in February at Laurel Park. He finished second to Senior Officer in the aforementioned Keeneland allowance in April in his first start for current connections and followed with stalking neck score in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint on May 16 at Laurel.

There, Bring the Smoke bobbled at the break under Tyler Gaffalione but quickly recovered to settle in fifth position through a half-mile in 45.09 seconds. Gaffalione tipped Bring the Smoke out for the stretch run and wore down pace battling duo of Haileysfirstnotion and Faust to win by a neck over the latter in a final time of 1:10.73. The victory earned a 90 Beyer as well as $30,000 towards entry fees for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint via the Dirt Dozen Series.

Bring the Smoke followed with a rallying score in a seven-furlong optional-claimer contested over sloppy and sealed footing on June 27 at Churchill ahead of his troubled effort last out here in the aforementioned July 26 optional-claimer that saw him stumble at the start before closing to finish a 1 1/4-length fourth to Senior Officer.

“That was a serious ‘3X’ last time. I don’t know why we didn’t enter the Vanderbilt and take a look at both – that might have been the easier spot,” said Beckman, with a laugh regarding the Grade 2 sprint held one day prior here. “He ran really well. He stumbled at the start and got in a little bit of trouble going into the turn. Once he gets clear, he always runs well. I’ve always liked this horse.”

Beckman voiced his appreciation for the hard-trying Bring the Smoke, initially purchased for a modest $37,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, who has banked $231,092 through a 6-3-1-1 record. He is out of the Grade 3-winning Stevie Wonderboy mare Covey Trace.

“This horse is honest and always shows up. We think we’ve got a shot,” Beckman said. “We bought him privately and he’s definitely outproduced his purchase price on our side, too.”

Donna Wright and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Crazy Mason [post 4, Manny Franco] scratched out of the Vanderbilt with trainer Gregg Sacco reportedly not happy with his final breeze leading into that event.

The 5-year-old Coal Front gray kickstarted his career here by winning at second asking in a restricted maiden sprint in July 2023. The hard-knocking horse has compiled a 21-5-4-6 record for purse earnings of $751,795 topped by a win in the Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets last year at the Big A.

Crazy Mason boasts six other graded placings, including third-place finishes at the Grade 1 level in last year’s Forego and the Churchill Downs at its namesake track in May. He cuts back in distance from a sixth-place effort last out in the one-mile Grade 3 Hanshin on June 28 at Churchill.

Crazy Mason, out of the graded stakes-placed Maria’s Mon mare Izshelegal, is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed Delightful Claire. His third dam is dual graded stakes-winner Katz Me If You Can, who captured the 2001 Grade 2 Genuine Risk Handicap at Belmont Park.

A talented field includes multiple graded stakes-winning multimillionaire Banishing [post 7, Tyler Gaffalione] who is cross-entered for a title defense in Friday’s Grade 2 Charles Town Classic for trainer David Jacobson; Hymn [post 2, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], who enters from a runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Vanderbilt for trainer Ron Moquett; and stakes-winner T Kraft [post 3, Junior Alvarado] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The Forego is slated as Race 11 on Saturday’s blockbuster 14-race program headlined by the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers in Race 13. In addition to the 157th renewal of the Travers, the program will include the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign [Race 9], the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial [Race 8], the Grade 1, $500,000 Resorts World Casino Ballerina [Race 12], and the Grade 2, $400,000 Lake Placid [Race 10].



The Personal Ensign [Distaff], and Resorts World Casino Ballerina [Filly and Mare Sprint] provide “Win and You’re In” berths to the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be held October 30-31 at Keeneland.

Saratoga Live presents daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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