G1 Kentucky Derby-winner Sovereignty returns to work tab at Saratoga
- G1 Kentucky Derby-winner Sovereignty returns to work tab at Saratoga
- White Abarrio works at Saratoga for G1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap
- Baytown Dreamer possible for Listed $150K Tremont
Godolphin’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winning homebred Sovereignty returned to the work tab Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, breezing a solo half-mile over the Oklahoma dirt training track for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Guided through the work by Eclipse Award-winner Neil Poznansky, Sovereignty stretched his legs with a gallop around most of the oval first before assuming position on the backside to break off into his work and post splits of 12.88 seconds, 25.02 and the half-mile in 49.76. He galloped out in 1:04.29 and 1:20.10, according to NYRA clockers.
“He went well – nice,” Mott said. “He had good energy and was willing to do more.”
Sovereignty skipped today’s Grade 1 Preakness at Pimlico Race Course in favor of a more patient approach to the final jewel of racing’s Triple Crown in the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 7 at Saratoga. His 1 1/2-length Kentucky Derby coup with Junior Alvarado in the irons was his third graded stakes win, adding to scores in the Grade 3 Street Sense at Churchill Downs as a juvenile and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth earlier this year at Gulfstream Park.
Also on the tab for Mott on Saturday was last year’s Grade 1 Whitney-winner Arthur’s Ride, who worked in company with stakes-winner Poca Mucha later in the morning. NYRA clockers caught the pair through splits of 13 1/5, 25 4/5, and the half-mile in 50 3/5 before galloping out in 1:04 1/5 and 1:19 2/5.
Arthur’s Ride posted his first work in New York this year after a pair of breezes at Payson Park Training Center this spring to end a nearly five-month respite.
Additionally, last year’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino-winner Resilience worked a half-mile in 49 and 1/5, while dual graded stakes-winner Scylla worked the same distance in 49 flat.
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White Abarrio works at Saratoga for G1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap
C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable’s multiple Grade 1-winner White Abarrio reacquainted himself with the Saratoga Race Course main track Friday, posting a half-mile breeze in 49.27 seconds in company with New York-bred Bustin Bullet for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.
“He went a half from the three-eighths and he galloped out five-eighths, which was a little more than he should have, but we just wanted him to stretch his legs over the surface,” Joseph, Jr. said. “So far, so good.”
The 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic champion arrived in Saratoga last Saturday from Gulfstream Park, where he drilled a five-furlong bullet in 59.20 on May 7. The 6-year-old son of Race Day is undefeated this year, boasting scores in Gulfstream’s Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup in January and the Grade 3 Ghostzapper last out on March 29 with a 5 1/4-length tour de force.
White Abarrio, who captured the 2023 Grade 1 Whitney at the Spa, is searching for an elusive win in the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 7 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Del Mar. White Abarrio finished third in the 2023 Met Mile and fifth in last year’s running, both while in the barn of Rick Dutrow, Jr.
Joseph, Jr. said White Abarrio will continue to do his training over the Saratoga main track in the coming weeks.
“He’ll have two more breezes, and next week he’ll have a pretty serious breeze between Thursday and Saturday,” Joseph, Jr. said.
Joseph, Jr. has a handful of other prospects for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, including recent Grade 3 Vagrancy runner-up R Disaster, who was a neck back of stablemate Haulin Ice in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares on May 4 at Belmont at the Big A. Campaigned by Averill Racing, Two Eight Racing and Anthony Mattera, the daughter of Awesome Slew could target the Grade 2, $300,000 Bed o' Roses on June 6.
“She’s pointed there, and there is a possibility she could go somewhere else, but right now that’s the race we’re targeting,” Joseph, Jr. said.
C2 Racing, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch’s Indy Bay, who also worked a half-mile in 50.05 Friday over the Spa main track, is pointing to the $150,000 Jersey Girl, a six-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, on June 8. The consistent daughter of Take Charge Indy has never been off the board in four starts, including back-to-back wins at Gulfstream in her first two starts for Joseph, Jr. with a tidy third-out graduation in March and a gritty three-quarter-length optional claiming win on April 25.
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Baytown Dreamer possible for Listed $150K Tremont
Baytown Partnership’s Baytown Dreamer will look to parlay a Friday maiden tilt at Churchill Downs into a trip to Saratoga Race Course for the Listed $150,000 Tremont, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds on June 5during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
Trained by Paul McEntee, the Mendelssohn chestnut closed stoutly to finish third on debut in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden sprint on April 10 at Keeneland won by Double Talker, who exited that effort to finish third in the Kentucky Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
Baytown Dreamer has worked back twice over the Turfway Park synthetic, including a half-mile in 48.60 Wednesday and is entered in a five-furlong maiden on Friday at Churchill with Jospeh Bealmear named to ride from post 7-of-8.
"He was a good third at Keeneland first time out,” McEntee said. “If it was five furlongs, he would have won it. He missed the break and was closing really strongly at the end. He's in on Friday at Churchill. It would be a two-week turnaround [for the Tremont] and with 2-year-olds only going a short distance, I'm fine with that. He breezed on Wednesday at Turfway and went very easily. I like him"
Baytown Dreamer is out of the stakes-winning Munnings mare Colerful Bride, who is a half-sister to dual Grade 2-winner Appealing Tale. His third dam, Regally Appealing, won the 1999 Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga.
McEntee noted that Baytown Partnerships and Alyssa Trawitzki’s Brereton’s Baytown exited his eighth-place effort in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Peter Pan here in good order.
The Upstart gelding was slated to be ridden by Marshall Mendez, who was unable to ride in New York due to licensing issues as Katie Davis picked up the mount. Mendez had piloted Brereton’s Baytown in four of his last six starts, notching a maiden win in December at Charles Town and a claiming score in February at Laurel Park.
Brereton's Baytown entered the Peter Pan from a pair of outings at Oaklawn Park when eighth in the Grade 2 Rebel in February and fifth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in March. In the Peter Pan, Brereton’s Baytown exited the outermost post 9 and was in range from fourth position through three-quarters in 1:11.57 before fading – with a head and a half-length separating Uncaged and Happily Delusional from sixth through eighth.
“He's a horse you have to know, and the other jockey had ridden him four times, including his two wins, and knew the horse well. I think that makes a difference,” McEntee said. “He was fourth turning for home and he's a horse you really have to get stuck into and he wasn't beaten that far. There was half a length between sixth, seventh and eighth, but he came out of the race like he hadn't done anything. He's a horse that stays all day.”
The $17,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase has banked $141,273 via a 12-2-0-0 record. He was a troubled fifth on debut in last year’s Listed Tremont at Saratoga and McEntee said he could return to the Spa for an allowance tilt during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
“He had his first start as a 2-year-old there and he had a really rough trip and should have been third if not better,” McEntee said. “I’ve always had high hopes for this horse.”
Brereton’s Baytown is out of the Birdstone mare Kika, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Chewing Gum.