Crudo and Uncaged work towards possible start in Listed $135,000 Curlin presented by Casamigos

• Crudo and Uncaged work towards possible start in Listed $135,000 Curlin presented by Casamigos
• Dry Powder ready to fire in G1 CCA Oaks
• Carmelina takes another swing at graded black type in G2 Honorable Miss

 
The Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher-trained pair of Crudo and Uncaged worked a half-mile in 48.88 seconds on Thursday over the Saratoga Race Course main track towards a possible start in next Thursday’s Listed $135,000 Curlin presented by Casamigos.

The Curlin is contested at nine furlongs for sophomores who have not won a graded stake at one mile or over in 2025.

“They went very well and are both under consideration for the Curlin,” said Pletcher. “Crudo was inside. They were pretty much head and head. They went a half-mile in 48 and three and I thought both of them did it well.”

Both colts last ran in the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 7 here. Crudo, who entered from a pacesetting 7 1/2-length win in the restricted Sir Barton on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, was prompted wide and just a head behind Rodriguez through the half-mile, but faded to last-of-8 for owners Bobby Flay and James Ventura.

WinStar Farm and Repole Stable’s Uncaged, a Curlin bay, chased midpack in the Belmont and advanced up the rail heading into the far turn, but tired to land seventh in the event won by Sovereignty.

“Their performances weren’t as good as we hoped, but we knew we were taking a shot,” said Pletcher.

Pletcher updated on Leslie’s Rose, who is cross-entered in the local Grade 2 Shuvee on Friday and the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher on Saturday at Monmouth Park. The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay, owned by Whisper Hill Farm, has banked $633,800 via a 9-3-1-2 record, including a win in the Grade 1 Ashland last April at Keeneland.

“She is going to run here tomorrow if it doesn’t rain,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher has won three races through Wednesday at the Saratoga summer meet, notably sending out St. Elias Stables’ Kentucky homebred Classicist to a third-out graduation. The sophomore Curlin chestnut defeated elders going nine furlongs on July 13, setting the pace and holding off Chillax by 1 3/4 lengths.

The performance earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure, improving off a more than nine-month layoff dating to a third traveling a one-turn mile in September at Belmont at the Big A, which earned an 82. There, he was defeated by next-out winners Praetor and Sovereignty, the latter being the future Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Belmont-victor.

“He is a promising colt. We have always thought a lot of him,” said Pletcher. “Good to see him come back with a win. Hopefully, he continues to move forward. We were disappointed after that maiden race, and now you look back, and maybe it makes more sense now.”

Classicist, out of the Street Cry mare Playtime, is a half-brother to Grade 2-winner Jouster. His second dam is 2002 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Storm Flag Flying, while his third dam is My Flag and fourth dam is Hall of Famer Personal Ensign, the 13-for-13 great for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey who was a subsequent Reine-De-Course broodmare.

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Dry Powder ready to fire in G1 CCA Oaks

Gold Square’s Dry Powder will stretch out to nine furlongs for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Chad Summers, the Gun Runner dark bay has hit the board in all three career starts, beginning with a frontrunning neck score sprinting six furlongs in March at Gulfstream Park. She made her next two outings with close runner-up efforts traveling a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A, including an optional-claimer on May 1 won by 1 1/4-lengths by Grade 2-placed Cassiar and a narrow head defeat last out on June 22 in the restricted Wilton to returning rival Sweet Seraphine.

Dry Powder, under returning rider Jose Lezcano, pressed Mazayaat through swift splits in the Wilton of 22.69 seconds, 44.95 and 1:09.65 as part of a three-pronged duel that included Pink Ruby before taking over with three-sixteenths to run only to be nailed at the wire in a final time of 1:35.94.

Summers said Dry Powder, who worked five-eighths under Lezcano in 1:00 flat July 11 over the Spa main track, should relish a stretch out in distance.

“If you look at the physical scope of her, you would think it would be within her limits,” Summers said. “Obviously, the last race didn't go as we planned. We wanted to sit back off the pace and make a run rather than being tired to the line. Hopefully, they're not going 44 and 4 for a half-mile in this race.

“She's done nothing wrong,” Summers added. “She's 1-for-3 with two seconds and anybody that watched the races might think she was the best horse in all three races. It's just the way it played out.”

Dry Powder will exit post 5-of-6 under Lezcano with the speedy dual Grade 1-winner La Cara directly to their outside.

“It's not an easy task but we feel like in her three races, she still has upside to get to,” Summers said. “I don't think we've seen the best of her yet and I think she'll continue to grow and get better with experience.”

Summers credited owner Al Gold for allowing the team to take a the patient approach in getting the sizable filly to the races.

“She was up here training last year at Saratoga, and you saw the framework, but she just wasn't ready. No physical ailments, she just wasn't ready,” Summers said. “We sent her back to Ocala for 60 days along with Just Add Water, who won the other day. They went down there together and grew up. After 60 days we sent them to Chad Stewart at Hunter Farm in Ocala and when I went down there and watched them galloping, it was the vision of what we thought they could be if given the right time.”

The $525,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the winning Broken Vow mare Tell All, who is a half-sister to dual graded stakes-winning turf router Overheard.

“She's an intimidating filly. She's just a smidge under 17 hands,” Summers said. “She's built like a middle linebacker for the New York Giants. She was obviously a very pretty filly when we bought her for what we bought her for.”

Gold Square’s Grade 1-placed Filoso returned to the work tab July 12 here covering three-eighths in 37.68 on the main track.

The City of Light sophomore colt graduated at second asking here in August ahead of a rallying third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity in October at Keeneland. He completed his juvenile campaign with a distant sixth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club in November at Churchill Downs.

The $210,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, out of the stakes-winning Bodemeister mare Kenda, returned to action in March at Tampa Bay Downs when off-the-board in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby.

“We gave him 30 days after the Jockey Club at Churchill and when I went to the farm to see him, he hadn't gone the same way Dry Powder had gone,” Summers said. “In a perfect world, you give him a little more time. It was maybe a mistake on my part wanting to chase the Derby because he had the 10 points from the Futurity at Keeneland, so we brought him back and gave it our best go in the Tampa Bay Derby, but once he did the same thing he did in the Jockey Club, we thought the best thing to do was to give him some time off and let him grow up.

“We'll try and go to an 'a other than' at the end of the meet here at Saratoga where we know he likes the track,” added Summers.

Summers will send out Gold Square’s aforementioned Just Add Water in Race 10 on Sunday here, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-year-old and up.

The 3-year-old Mendelssohn dark bay graduated at second asking here on June 4 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, stalking and pouncing to a half-length score in a final time of 1:02.82 over firm footing. The winning effort registered a 71 Beyer.

The $220,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale purchase, out of the stakes-placed Simon Pure mare Dorothy’s Aurora, will exit post 3-of-9 under Lezcano.

Gold Square’s Tartabull returned to the work tab Thursday for the first time since his distant third to well-regarded Ewing in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden sprint on July 5 here. Tartabull broke awkwardly but improved down the lane to land third, missing second by three-quarters of a length to the Gregg Sacco-trained Empires King.

Summers said the Tapit colt added blinkers for Thursday’s in-company work, covering a half-mile in 48.08 over the main track.

“He was obviously going to need that first race. He's more of a distance horse,” Summers said. “We put a pair of blinkers on him [for the work]. I thought he was a little green first time out, leaning on Sacco's horse a little bit probably cost us second. Just teaching him and looking to stretch him out next time.”

The $310,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the graded stakes-placed Great Notion mare Anna’s Bandit, a West Virginia-bred who banked $806,655 via a 39-17-5-8 record that included 11 stakes wins.

Gold Square had an impressive first-out winner on Sunday at Woodbine when Two Out Hero, a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by War Front, romped to a 12-length score under Rafael Hernandez for trainer Kevin Attard.

The $240,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, out of the multiple stakes-placed Liam’s Map mare Song River, earned a 74 Beyer in the six-furlong off-the-turf Tapeta sprint.

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Carmelina takes another swing at graded black type in G2 Honorable Miss

Cash is King and LC Racing’s multiple stakes-winner Carmelina will look to secure her first graded stakes win in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the 4-year-old Maximus Mischief bay arrives from back-to-back wins at Parx Racing, taking a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer on May 12 and following with her fifth career stakes win in the state-bred Unique Bella on June 15. Both wins came by a margin of 2 1/2 lengths and with Paco Lopez in the irons.

Carmelina has since settled in at Saratoga, where she worked a half-mile in 47.66 seconds over the main track on Sunday under the watchful eye of Reid, Jr.’s wife and assistant, Virginia.

“She’s doing very well. She’s been up there for two weeks or so and is acclimated to the track. She had a nice little blowout over the track and she’s galloping forwardly,” Reid, Jr. said. “We gave her a nice, long break this winter and she seems to have moved to a new level since she’s come back, so we decided to take a shot with her here.”

Carmelina makes her fifth graded stakes attempt, her two best results coming over the Spa main track with fifth-place finishes in the Grade 3 Schuylerville as a juvenile and the Grade 3 Prioress last year. In addition to her Unique Bella win, Carmelina notched stakes victories against open company in the Penny Chenery in August at Colonial Downs and Gin Talking at Laurel Park, as well as in restricted company in the Keswick at Colonial and Shamrock Rose at Penn National.

Reid, Jr. said the nearly six-month respite from November to May has rejuvenated Carmelina.

“The only thing missing on her resume is a graded stakes win, so we’d like to add that,” Reid, Jr. said. “She’s filled out really well and looks like a better horse this year. Last year, we shipped her all over the East Coast and she never failed to give a good performance. This year, we’re being much more gentle with her and giving her more time between races and I think it’s paying off for her. She certainly had nothing to be embarrassed about last year, and this year she’s real happy. We think she’ll give a big effort.”

Carmelina holds a respectable 17-7-2-0 record with $463,660 in total purse earnings. Luis Saez will be aboard from post 5 on Sunday.

On Saturday, Reid, Jr. will send out promising juvenile Handsome Linc in a six-furlong maiden special weight in Race 7 at the Spa for the same connections.

The son of Candy Ride was a debut second by a nose in a five-furlong maiden on June 19 at Delaware Park where he endured a bumpy start and rallied willingly from fourth to just miss at the wire.

“We think he’s going to be a little better distance horse and the races down here [in Pennsylvania] aren’t nearly long enough for him, so we’re starting out in a really tough six-furlong race, but we think his future is long on the grass." Reid, Jr. said. "We’re taking it one step at a time and we think he’s a real interesting prospect.”

Reid, Jr. is more than familiar with the bottom half of Handsome Linc’s pedigree. He trained the colt’s Grade 3-placed dam Mainstay, as well as her half-sister Vequist, the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly of 2020 who won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland and Grade 1 Spinaway here at the Spa. Both mares are out of the Mineshaft mare Vero Amore, who finished second in the 2014 Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan for Reid, Jr.

“Vequist won Grade 1s and had great success at Saratoga, so hopefully this one can do as well,” Reid, Jr. said. “That family has been real good to us.”

Paco Lopez has the call from the inside post [8-1ML] on Saturday.

Future Spa runners for Reid, Jr. could also include LC Racing, Cash is King and Wellesley Stable’s dual stakes-winner Maximus Meridius, who returned to winning ways on July 7 with a 2 1/4-length score in a six-furlong allowance for Pennsylvania-breds at Parx.

The 4-year-old Maximus Mischief gelding was away from the races since a pace-pressing sixth in the Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in April at Aqueduct Racetrack, the same oval he notched back-to-back Listed stakes wins over this winter when taking the six-furlong Gravesend in December and seven-furlong Toboggan in February.

Reid, Jr. said Maximus Meridius is likely to return to stakes company soon, with an eye on the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 Forego on August 23. The Forego is a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“He came out of his race really well and we’re happy with him,” Reid, Jr. said. “We haven’t ruled out the Forego yet, but we’ll see how those sprinters do up there this weekend [in the G2 Vanderbilt] and make our decision from there. He had a long, hard winter shipping up to Aqueduct all winter and certainly held his own, so he deserved the time off and it paid off with a nice effort the other day.”