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Andthewinneris looks to answer the phone in the $135K John’s Call

by Nick D'Amore

Susan Moulton’s Grade 2 winner Andthewinneris looks to return to the winner’s circle for the first time in over one year in Wednesday’s Restricted $135,000 John’s Call, a 13-furlong Mellon turf test for 4-year-olds and up who have not won a Grade 1 or 2 sweepstake on the turf in 2024, at Saratoga Race Course.

The 4-year-old gelded son of Oscar Performance, a Kentucky homebred, recently joined the barn of four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown after completing his juvenile and sophomore seasons under the tutelage of Wayne Catalano.

“This is a cool horse that was transferred to us and came off a long layoff over an injury. Everyone involved in the horse did a good job with the rehab,” Brown said.

In his first start for Brown, he ran a new career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure in an off the board effort on July 20 here going 1 1/8-miles on the grass. The John’s Call will mark the first time he has gone past nine-furlongs.

Brown, who is a four-time winner of this race, seemed unworried about the distance question.

“I want to try him at this distance that he’s never been before,” Brown said. “I’ve had luck in that race before and he looks like a horse that fits the race well.”

Andthewinneris broke his maiden at first asking during the 2022 Keeneland spring meet going 5 1/2-furlongs over the lawn. There, he broke slow and trailed the field before making a strong move at the top of the lane to cruise to a two-length score. Stretching out in his third start, he went off as the betting favorite in the 8 1/2-furlong Grade 3 With Anticipation at the Spa running third to Boppy O beaten 1 3/4-lengths.

He returned to Keeneland in his next start and took down the Grade 2 Bourbon going 1 1/16-miles by 2 3/4-lengths before an off the board finish in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf also at the Lexington oval.

His single win as a sophomore was in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston where he prevailed by a head over Private Creed. His next three starts were off the board finishes in stakes company before being put on the shelf last May.

“He’s a gentleman-like horse and I can see him – if he stays sound – having a nice second half of his career with us,” Brown added.

Andthewinneris, assigned 122 pounds, carries a record of 11-3-0-2 with $374,843 in earnings. Flavien Prat will have the call from post 2.

Tony Weintraub, West Point Thoroughbreds, and R R Partners’ Winning Spirit [post 5 Dylan Davis, 122 pounds] will add blinkers in attempt to find his European form in the John’s Call after a troubled beginning to his American chapter. The 4-year-old Soldier Hollow colt made his first start for trainer Christophe Clement on June 15 at Churchill Downs in the Chorleywood a 1 3/8-mile turf test, where he was soundly beaten.

Since that effort he has worked three times over the Oklahoma turf. His most recent work was in company with the multiple Grade 1 placed Soldier Rising. They completed the five-furlong move in 1:02.55.

“He had a nice maintenance move with Solider Rising last time. He had Dylan [Davis] on him for the work, they looked good,” Clement said.

Last year, in his final start in Germany for trainer Peter Schiergen he won at Baden-Baden over 1 1/2-miles. Winning Spirit is Group 2-placed in Italy in the Italian Derby where he fell 1 1/2-lengths shy of victory having to settle for second and prior to that start annexed the Premio Emanuele Filiberto at San Siro by a widening four lengths.

“We aren’t sure what happened last time,” Clement said. “The horse has great form over in Europe and we just need him to find that here. Hopefully this race he is able to put it together and return to the ability we know he has.”

Patricia L. Moseley’s Kentucky home-bred Curbstone [post 4, Florent Geroux, 118 pounds], a 5-year-old gelded son of Street Sense, is attempting marathon distances for the first time in nearly two years.

Most recently, the gelding was off the board in a June 23 allowance traveling 1 1/16-miles on the turf at Belmont at the Big A.

Trainer Tom Morley was keen to say that Curbstone’s last effort was better than what it looked like on paper.

“He was simply outpaced early. He is a horse who likes to be prominent, and I think the marathon distance on the grass will really suit him. He will be aggressively ridden,” Morley said.

Out of the stakes placed Arch mare Archstone, Curbstone is a half-brother to the Grade 2 winning mare Proctor’s Ledge. Proctor’s Ledge won the Grade 2 Lake Placid and Grade 3 Lake George here during her racing days and is now the dam of recent allowance winner and Saturday’s Grade 2 Lake Placid entrant Proctor Street.

“Obviously, being a [half] brother to Proctor’s Ledge there is enough turf in the pedigree to say that he should handle it just fine. If it rained and poured and came off and it was sloppy I would be the happiest man on Earth,” Morley said.

Double O Racing’s Foreign Relations [post 3, Tyler Gaffalione, 124 pounds] will be coming off the bench for trainer Conor Murphy in the John’s Call. The chestnut gelded son of Karakontie made a single start this year when he was second in an April 14 Keeneland allowance traveling 1 1/2-miles on the firm turf. There, he pressed the winner, multiple graded stakes placed Ohana Honor, all the way around the track having to settle for second best beaten by 5 3/4-lengths.

Last May Foreign Relations was able to make himself a Grade 3 winner when taking down the Louisville at Churchill Downs over Limited Liability and English Conqueror.

He carries a record of 12-2-3-1 with $263,864 in earnings.

Rounding out the field are stakes-placed Six Minus [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 118 pounds] for Hall of Fame conditioner Todd Pletcher; and Grade 1-placed Cathkin Peak [post 6, Jose Ortiz, 118 pounds] for trainer Mike Maker.

Kuchar, Costa Terra, and Dai Vernon are entered for main track only.

The John’s Call will go as Race 3 on Wednesday’s nine-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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