Dr. Agne to try turf in G3 With Anticipation

Madaket Stables, Twin Brook Stables and Belladonna Racing’s Dr. Agne is prepared to make his second start in Thursday’s Grade 3, $175,000 With Anticipation, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course. 

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, the Into Mischief bay closed to win his off-the-turf seven-furlong debut on July 11 here. The victory was emotional for the connections as the horse’s name honors the late Dr. Robert Agne, who was an instrumental veterinarian in the laminitis recovery of the colt’s dam Lady Eli en route to her eventual 2017 Champion Turf Female-honors. 

On debut, Dr. Agne [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] traveled double-digit lengths back through the half-mile in 46.19 seconds under Jose Ortiz, improving up the rail and moving out at the three-sixteenths pole en route to a closing one-length victory over the favored Epic Desire. 

“Step one was winning, and he did that. He did that impressively,” said DeVaux. “We just hope to continue on now. He is maturing well. He is a horse that is big and sturdy. He holds his condition well and he’s doing really well.” 

The final time of 1:25.97 earned a modest 47 Beyer Speed Figure, but Dr. Agne has continued to train forwardly at the Spa with an eye towards turf - a surface Lady Eli posted a 14-10-3-0 record over, banking just shy of $3 million.  

“If we won on debut, this was where we were going to run him,” DeVaux said. “He’s been training well, so we’ll see. This will be good to get him on the turf and around two turns.”

Madaket Stables will also be represented by Caroline St. Beat [post 4, Manny Franco], a New York-bred co-owned with Steven Bouchey. Trained by Miguel Clement, the Tiz the Law chestnut stalked and pounced to defeat fellow state-breds by 2 1/4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles over good turf on August 15 here. 

“He was an impressive New York-bred winner. He won well. He idled a bit in the stretch, but he was a class above,” said Clement. “He struck the front a bit early, but no one was able to get him there - he inherited the lead much earlier than anticipated and it's normal for a 2-year-old to idle a bit in the stretch, but he won with several lengths to spare.”

Bred by Lawrence Goichman, Caroline St. Beat, a $100,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale, is out of the multiple stakes-winning Scat Daddy mare Myhartblongstodady, a half-sister to dual Grade 2-placed Runaway Rumour, stakes-winner Scuttlebuzz and graded-placed Lachaise. 

Godolphin’s Kentucky homebred Gloves Off [post 7, Junior Alvarado] closed from 9 1/2 lengths back in 7th-of-10 early to win his lone start going one mile over good turf in July at Ellis Park. Trained by Eoin Harty, the Nyquist chestnut is out of the Bernardini mare Fjord and his second dam is dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Round Pond, who produced last year’s local Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup-winner Highland Falls and Group 1-victor Long River. 

“We were very pleased with his first run,” said Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA’s Director of Bloodstock. “He had shown some talent, but you never really know until you get them to the track and let them loose. He was quite impressive with his maiden win and this stakes race looks like a logical next spot.” 

Klaravich Stables’ Capital Partner [post 3, Flavien Prat] brings a nice debut win going 1 1/16 miles on August 2 here. Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Kingman bay lunged at the start and was rank traveling 8th-of-10 early before launching a strong late kick to run down and defeat the prominent British Invasion by a half-length. 

The final time of 1:44.55 earned a 63 Beyer despite Capital Partner enduring bumping at multiple points of the race and having to steady before the first turn. Brown has found success in this race three times, last year with Zulu Kingdom sporting the Madaket-colors, as well as Balance the Books [2012] and Startup Nation [2014]. 

The British-bred Capital Partner, a $484,088 purchase at the 2024 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, is a half-brother to Group 3-placed Euphoric out of the winning Pivotal mare Blue Waltz. His second dam, Blue Symphony, produced multiple group-winner Fantasia and Group 3-winner Pink Symphony, dam of 2022 Grade 1 Man o’ War-winner Highland Chief. 

Repole Stable’s Final Score [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche] was second sprinting in his local off-the-turf July 13 debut behind his Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher-trained stablemate Malus, before a successful surface switch to graduate at second asking. The Not This Time dark bay set the pace in a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden on August 10 here with enough left to keep returning rival Heeere’s Johnny 1 3/4 lengths back in a final time of 1:45.48. 

Final Score, a $600,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Bernardini mare Precious Dixie, a full-sister to Grade 1-placed Lady Kate and a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Prince of Arabia and Princess Theorem - out of Grade 1-placed Princess Haya. 

Pletcher has won this race a record six times, most recently with Opry in 2018, after past scores with Bittel Road [2008], Interactif [2009], Bashart [2013], Azar [2015] and Made You Look [2016]. 

Rounding out the field are impressive dirt maiden-winners Strategic Risk [post 8, Dylan Davis] for dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse and One More Freud [post 6, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] off the $35,000 claim for trainer Mike Maker, both trying turf for the first time in the afternoon; as well as maiden Heeere’s Johnny [post 2, Javier Castellano] for conditioner Ray Handal. 

The With Anticipation is slated as Race 7 on Thursday’s 11-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit NYRA.com/TV.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at NYRABets.com.