G1 Whitney win for Sovereignty a relief for Hall of Fame trainer Mott

• G1 Whitney win for Sovereignty a relief for Hall of Fame trainer Mott
• Nitrogen, second in Whitney, to make next start against fillies and mares in G1 Spinster
• Joseph, Jr. mulls racing future for White Abarrio following G1 Whitney
• Deterministic likely targeting G1 Woodbine Mile after winning G1 Fourstardave
• Explora earns career-best 97 BSF in G1 Test presented by Ticketmaster romp
• Maiden winner Gaudreau likely for G1 Champagne; Sea Strike, Emerging Market on target for G1 DraftKings Travers
• West End Kid to be turned out following runner-up effort in G1 Saratoga Derby; Rhetorical, fourth in G1 Fourstardave, pointed toward repeat bid in G1 Coolmore Turf Mile
• Hendriks sends out Famous Figure and Lynches Knock in Michael G. Walsh Novice; Passing Game stretches out in Listed $200K Birdstone
   

There are always high expectations placed on the reigning Horse of the Year to perform well in their next season, and even more so when that season starts winless in two outings with one of them a subpar effort as a heavy favorite. On Saturday, there was a sense of relief for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott when Sovereignty dominated the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney by 4 3/4 lengths at Saratoga Race Course. 

“I think we’re all kind of like – ‘whoosh,’" Mott said, making a relaxed, sinking motion. “He’s doing good today and getting lots of attention.”

Sovereignty, the 2025 Horse of the Year for his campaign that featured Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets and DraftKings Travers, began this year with a good starting point performance in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, where he set a pressured pace and was second to White Abarrio by two lengths. His next effort left questions to be answered, landing a non-threatening third as the favorite in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster over sloppy and sealed footing in June at Churchill Downs.

The nine-furlong Whitney was Sovereignty’s day for redemption, sitting well off the pace and briefly in last behind a pair of advancing rivals as regular pilot Junior Alvarado rode the son of Into Mischief with confidence and waited for the perfect moment to strike. Sovereignty ranged up in the turn with a wide move and came with a strong, sustained run to sweep past the pacesetting Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Nitrogen and storm home to victory in front of a raucous crowd of 40,422. The winning effort earned a 112 Beyer Speed Figure.

Mott said he had full faith in Alvarado when Sovereignty was far behind down the backstretch.

“I didn’t know if he was backing up, and as it turned out, the others were moving forward and he was staying where he was,” Mott said. “At the three-eighths pole, it was a different story.”

Sovereignty provided both Mott and Alvarado with their first career Travers win last year, and their second collaborative Whitney on Saturday after scoring in 2024 with Arthur’s Ride. Sovereignty has delivered plenty of special memories at Saratoga for the entire team, including in the Whitney when fans cheered for his special homecoming to the Spa’s winner’s circle.

“Well it made me feel good,” Mott said, with a laugh. “Not only him winning, but the applause and cheers and excitement he created. That’s a big thrill for me.”

A Kentucky homebred for Godolphin, Sovereignty now holds a 12-7-3-1 record with more than $6.8 million in earnings. His next target will be the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 18 as racing returns to the new Belmont Park.

“Hopefully we’re in good shape for that and it’s an ideal race for him,” Mott said.

C R K Stable and Grandview Equine’s Baeza finished a slow-starting fourth with a belated run in the Whitney for Mott, his third consecutive start with a poor break. In his other two starts this year, Baeza still came with a tremendous run to hit the board with a competitive effort, but he did not show the same late foot in the Whitney as he was defeated six lengths by his stablemate.

The effort was again puzzling as Mott said the colt is still a bit of a head-scratcher.

“Without a doubt,” said Mott, who added the son of McKinzie emerged from the effort in good shape. “Even though he got left, he didn’t run as good a race as he did the time before.”

Mott also provided an update on Michael and Katherine Ball’s Chief Wallabee, who finished a distant second to Sea Strike as the favorite in the nine-furlong restricted Listed Curlin presented by Casamigos on August 2 here.

Mott said the son of Constitution, who was fourth going 10 furlongs in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes earlier this year, will likely benefit from another cutback in distance.

“He’s back on the track training and is fine,” Mott said. “We’ll probably take another step back in distance and see what’s in store. We’re getting through all the 3-year-old races and he’s probably a horse that should have been running in the Woody Stephens and Allen Jerkens. If we could do it over, maybe we’d have been looking at that, but who knows? Maybe that wouldn’t have worked either.”

***
Nitrogen, second in Whitney, to make next start against fillies and mares in G1 Spinster

D. J. Stable’s Nitrogen exited her valiant runner-up effort in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney in good shape and will make her next start against fillies and mares in the Grade 1 Spinster on October 4 at Keeneland, dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said Sunday morning.

In the Whitney, Nitrogen stumbled at the start but recovered to set the pace while being pressed by Antiquarian. She led to the final furlong before she was overtaken by Sovereignty, eventually finishing 4 3/4 lengths behind the winner and a neck ahead of third-place finisher Antiquarian. The 2025 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly was attempting to become the first filly or mare to win the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up since Personal Ensign in 1988.

“I don’t know if [during the race] I ever thought she was going to win it,” said Casse. “I can tell you that when we broke that she made the lead and I saw the first fraction [23.43], I was like, ‘OK, that’s good.’ And then [46.27 for the half-mile], and I was like, ‘eeuuuh.’ And then 1:09[.65 for three-quarters]. She’s been running in mid [1:]10s for three-quarters [in her prior races]. So, that was putting her a little over. That was a little faster than she’s ever run. And I don’t think the track yesterday was as kind to the speed. They were coming from out of it a little bit. But look, Sovereignty was much the best. We are not going to take anything away from him, I think but given the conditions yesterday and the way things played, it goes to show you how great [Nitrogen] is.”

Nitrogen grabbed her right-front ankle at the start of the Whitney, but Casse on Sunday expressed no concern over the injury.

The Spinster will be Nitrogen’s second start on the Keeneland main track, after finishing second to Gin Gin in that event last year. She won the Grade 2 Appalachian on turf at that venue as a juvenile. This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held at Keeneland, with Breeders’ Cup Saturday coming 27 days after the Spinster.

“Right now, obviously, we want to win the Breeders’ Cup, so that’s out there,” said Casse. “I would love for her to be Champion again.”

When asked to be more specific on his post-Spinster plans, Casse smiled and said, “We’re going to the Spinster, and we’ll go from there.”

Casse on Saturday also sent out Gary Barber’s New York-bred Mi Bago to a game second-place finish in the Grade 1 Fourstardave, a one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up. Mi Bago entered the Fourstardave off a pair of stakes wins at Saratoga, having defeated state-breds in the Kingston on June 3 and dead-heated with Zulu Kingdom in the Grade 3 Kelso on July 5. Casse said the 4-year-old gelding likely will make his next start against New York-breds.

Grade 1 Just a Game presented by Resolute Racing heroine Classic Q, who was scratched out of the Fourstardave, has been rerouted to the Grade 1 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint on August 29, said Casse, who trains the 4-year-old filly for Gary Barber, Blue Crevalle Racing, and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Counting Stars, the emphatic winner of the Grade 1 DraftKings Acorn in June and the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 25 at Saratoga, remains on track for the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales for 3-year-old fillies locally August 22, but the trainer has not yet picked a day for her first breeze since her most recent outing.

The trainer is hopeful that John Oxley’s Silent Tactic, third, beaten 2 1/2-lengths in Saratoga’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun on August 1, will take a step forward in the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKing Travers for 3-year-olds August 29. The Jim Dandy was Silent Tactic’s first race since he was second in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in late March at Oaklawn Park.

“Silent Tactic is coming out of the Jim Dandy good,” said Casse. “I think he is going to be a force [in the DraftKing Travers].

“He’s not like Counting Stars and he’s not like Nitrogen,” Casse added. “He doesn’t put a lot into his training, so it’s very difficult to get him fit. I felt like going [into the Jim Dandy] we were like 90 percent [fit]. It wouldn’t have shocked me if they beat him 10 lengths, and for him to hang in there and fight, he was game as well.”

***
Joseph, Jr. mulls racing future for White Abarrio following G1 Whitney

C Two Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable’s White Abarrio faded from fourth to last-of-7 in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney, for 3-year-olds and up traveling nine furlongs, at Saratoga Race Course.

It was a disappointing performance for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., who believed the multimillionaire 7-year-old Race Day horse was very much a win contender in the Whitney, which the gray won in 2023 ahead of capturing that year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic for then trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.

“He bounced out good, looked good this morning, checked out well,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Obviously, not the effort we wanted. Never want your horse to run like that. Don’t really have a reason, when horses run like that, there is always a reason. Obviously, there’s physical, it could be illness, it could be respiratory, we know it’s not physical because he checked out fine physically. He did cough a lot after the race, which is abnormal for him, he coughed maybe 15 times, scoped fine, trace mucus, but I can’t tell you why he ran poorly.”

The track took on some rain around two races earlier and White Abarrio’s regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. took off his mounts midway through the card with a foot injury, replaced by Micah Husbands in the Whitney.

“The track did have moisture,” Joseph, Jr. said. “We went on the track, it felt wet. It rained, but it looked fine to the eye, so it is so hard to say with horses, that’s what makes the game so challenging, right?”

Joseph, Jr. said that nothing is finalized, but after the Whitney misfire and a previous fourth in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs, White Abarrio is under consideration for retirement. He is 28-11-3-3 with over $8.5 million in earnings. 

“He came out safe and healthy, that’s the most important thing. He doesn’t owe us anything. We’re going to give it a few days to see what the future is, but it’s not a performance that we wanted, maybe that would be the closing of a stellar career,” Joseph, Jr. said. “I think he’ll go on in the future to hopefully pass on his genes to become a very good stallion. There’s no sense in rushing to a decision. Give it a few days, let everyone talk, put their heads together, let the horse tell us, show us and then decide.”

Before his recent defeats, White Abarrio captured the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in April over Whitney-winner Sovereignty.

“It was a hard time [yesterday] to watch him not run well. On the drive back from the front side to the barn to check on him, it goes through your head, ‘maybe this is it.’ It very well could be, but everybody has to get together, put their heads together, and decide what to do,” Joseph, Jr. said.

C Two Racing Stable, Mathis Stable and TCC Stables’ Forged Steel scratched from the Whitney and will target the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on August 22 at Del Mar. The 4-year-old Vekoma gray worked a solo half-mile in 47.50 on Sunday over the Spa main track.

“He’s going to go to the Pacific Classic,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Very good work, solo by himself, 48 and change, out in a minute and change, so a very good work. He’s on target for the Pacific Classic."  

***
Deterministic likely targeting G1 Woodbine Mile after winning G1 Fourstardave

St. Elias Stable, Vicarage Stable, Ken Langone and C. Steven Duncker’s Deterministic tracked the pace set by Mi Bago and kicked clear to defeat that rival by 1 1/2 lengths in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Fourstardave, an inner turf mile for 3-year-olds and up, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Miguel Clement, the 5-year-old Liam’s Map horse earned a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure for his final time of 1:35.07 over the firm turf that was rained on immediately before and during the running of the race.

Deterministic won the Fourstardave last year, and entered this year’s edition from successful title defenses in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Fort Marcy in May at Belmont at the Big A and the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan on June 6 here.

“He came out of the race great,” said Clement. “It is just a blessing to have him taking us all on this tremendous ride. He means a lot to many of us, the world to some of us. He’s without a doubt the leader of the division, time and time again, he keeps beating star-studded fields, beating them rather comfortably, no matter ground or distance, he finds a way to cross the finish line first.”

Added Duncker, “Miguel is too humble to say it, but he’s just done an unbelievable job. He’s done a great job spacing his works, giving him all the care and he is always fit. He is fit to go a mile and three-sixteenths, fit to go a mile. He’s got tactical speed, and Miguel is the one who taught him that.”

The Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on September 12 is a likely next target, which is a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which Deterministic already secured in winning the Fourstardave.

“Under heavy, heavy, heavy, strong consideration, but I need to speak with connections before I say ‘Yes,’” Clement said. “I think we should definitely do it.”

Elements Racing’s debuting juvenile colt Oscar prevailed by a nose over Bold Leadership in Race 8 on Saturday, a 1 1/16-mile Mellon turf maiden for juveniles. The Oscar Performance bay rallied up the inside through a narrow opening between the pacesetting Time in Motion and the hedge.

“He is a homebred for Mesingw Farm and a great addition to our stable. He was unbelievably professional, he broke out of the gate like a dream, took a stalking position, waited, and was probably the most professional 2-year-old I’ve run in a long time,” said Clement. “Not many horses would split through that gap he went for. That wasn’t much of a gap.”

Possible options for Oscar include Woodbine Racetrack’s Grade 1 Summer on September 12, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and the Kentucky Downs’ Juvenile Mile on September 9.

“Maybe Kentucky Downs or the Summer Stakes,” Clement said. “The stable has been successful in the Summer Stakes with [late father Christophe Clement-trained] Carson’s Run and Decorated Invader, so I wouldn’t mind going for a three-peat there, but we’ll see.”

***
Explora earns career-best 97 BSF in G1 Test presented by Ticketmaster romp

Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Explora secured her first top-flight win with a five-length romp in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, the daughter of Blame stretched her speed previously to win a pair of 1 1/16-mile graded tilts in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf in October at Santa Anita Park and the Grade 3 Honeybee in March at Oaklawn Park en route to a pacesetting fourth in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs.

Baffert cut Explora back in distance to win the Listed Leslie’s Lady traveling seven-furlongs in June at Churchill and the talented dark bay, runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in October at Del Mar, again relished a sprint in her Spa debut.

With Flavien Prat up from post 7-of-8, Explora showed good speed from the gate before settling into third position as Movie Night showed the way through splits of 22.51 seconds and 45.08 over the fast track while pressured by Goodall. Explora advanced willingly through the run and was in command at the three-sixteenths, powering away under left-handed urging to score comfortably in a final time of 1:22.42. The winning effort earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, a six-point improvement on her previous best earned in the Leslie’s Lady.

“She's loved the cut back in distance,” Baffert said.

Baffert credited a head’s up ride by Prat to extract Explora from a potential pace battle.

“We had a great post where you could do that. We weren't stuck inside,” Baffert said. “She had a beautiful trip with great options, and he rode her with a lot of confidence. It worked out. She showed up.”

Baffert said that Explora, “looked good this morning,” but he hasn’t decided on any next steps yet as part of a campaign he indicated Saturday could lead to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in October at Keeneland.
The same connections sent out Grade 1-winning New York-bred Usha to a third-place finish with Prat aboard as the mutuel favorite in the state-bred Johnstone on Wednesday here.

The 4-year-old Tiz the Law chestnut captured the Grade 1 La Brea in December at Santa Anita and added the Grade 3 Winning Colors to her ledger in May at Churchill Downs.

“She just did not run the other day. She was very flat,” Baffert said. “She looks good now. She's woken up. Maybe it was the ship up here, but she did not run her race at all. She looked fresh and happy today.

“I'll leave them both here for about a week and decide what to do,” concluded Baffert.

***
Maiden winner Gaudreau likely for G1 Champagne; Sea Strike, Emerging Market on target for G1 DraftKings Travers

Gaudreau, named for the late seven-time NHL all-star Johnny Gaudreau, posted an impressive half-length debut victory under Flavien Prat in Saturday’s opening race on a stacked Whitney Day card at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown for Tanglewood Thoroughbreds, Thirty Year Racing, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Rodeo Creek Racing, Laura Leigh Stable, and Swift Thoroughbreds, the Louisiana-bred Nyquist colt pressed the pace from second position in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds through a half-mile in 45.23 seconds and took command turning for home with plenty in the tank to stave off the onrushing Coach Pope, who was a neck better than U. S. S. Valor.

The final time of 1:16.41 was markedly faster than the 1:17.24 recorded by Admiralty one race later over the same conditions for trainer Kenny McPeek.

“He had trained like one of our better colts,” Brown said. “We have a nice group of 2-year-olds of all genders and surfaces. He was in the top group of the colts so far. I was happy to see him show a lot of heart and ability. Not only to attend a hot pace but to have enough to kick on and keep going through the wire. Nice performance.

“They ran a little faster than the other division,” Brown added. “He's a promising horse. He came out of it well so far.”

While the next local spot for 2-year-olds is the seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful on September 6, Brown said Gaudreau will wait for the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, a one-turn mile on October 3 at Belmont Park which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in October at Keeneland.

Brown has won the Champagne five times, including with Practical Joke [2016], Complexity [2018], Jack Christopher [2021], Blazing Sevens [2022] and Chancer McPatrick [2024].

“I'm unlikely to run him back in the Hopeful, it just comes up too fast. He sure looks like one of those Champagne horses we've had in the past,” Brown said. “I know there's a little bit of gap there, but I'm more inclined to do that. I've always thought the longer the better with him.”

Gaudreau, out of the stakes-placed Congrats mare Free Cover, was purchased for $220,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

Brown has a pair of contenders in Sea Strike and Emerging Market as he looks for his first win in the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers on August 29 at the Spa.

Flanagan Racing’s Sea Strike, by Midshipman, made his first two starts in sprint races, scoring on debut in April at Aqueduct Racetrack and following with a rallying fifth in a key allowance sprint versus elders on June 6 here won by New York-bred Buttah, who exited that event to win Thursday’s state-bred John Morrissey here. The third-place finisher, Local Knowledge, came back to win the Grade 2 Amsterdam on July 31 here; and fourth-place finisher Yo Banana Boy won the Leon Reed Memorial at Finger Lakes.

Sea Strike also exited to win, stretching out to nine furlongs and romping to an 8 1/4-length score in the Spa's restricted Listed Curlin presented by Casamigos on August 2. The Curlin effort earned a 102 Beyer.

“Very pleased with this horse. He's back galloping and moving well. Definitely headed to Travers with that horse as long as he's healthy,” Brown said.
Brown said he had a feeling Sea Strike would appreciate the added ground last out.

“He's been powering away in his gallop outs. He likes to be taking the rider somewhere,” Brown said. “In his second start, he found himself against good horses and scrambling a little bit with the pace and catching some dirt. He was being asked at different parts of the race early and he really doesn’t want to be rushed that horse. He wants to get in a rhythm and take a rider around there. Going long, he definitely achieves that.”

Klaravich Stables’ Emerging Market, by Candy Ride, captured the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds ahead of an off-the-board try in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby when 10th-of-18. He landed fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets here in June and was last seen finishing a wide-rallying second in a nine-furlong optional-claimer versus elders here on July 25 won by Grade 2-winning New York-bred Wynstock [25-7-1-0, $493,587]. Emerging Market earned a 91 Beyer in defeat.

“It was not a good trip. He was off a slow pace and three-wide,” Brown said. “It was just the worst place to be off a slow pace, and it just didn't work out for him. He got beat by a cagey older horse with a lot of career wins. The number came back fast.”

Emerging Market returned to the work tab here Saturday, breezing a half-mile in 48 flat over the Oklahoma dirt training track.

“He had a terrific breeze,” Brown said. “He's always a good work horse. I'm inclined to head to the Travers and give him one more try, see if we can work out a different trip where he can save some ground and come with one run.”

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss and Michael Caruso’s multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Zulu Kingdom landed third in Saturday’s Grade 1 Fourstardave.

With Prat aboard, the 4-year-old Ten Sovereigns ridgling saved ground in third position and was in need of racing room in the final sixteenth, trapped behind the pacesetting Mi Bago and to the inside of Lagynos. When the opportunity to tip out came, it was too late and Zulu Kingdom closed to complete the trifecta a head in front of Rhetorical.

Brown tipped his cap to the victorious Deterministic, who successfully defended his Fourstardave title.

“The winner was very impressive and clearly the leader of the division,” Brown said. “I thought my horse could have been closer if he hadn't been stymied in the lane. I don't know if he would have been close enough to win, but he certainly would have been right there. He's a tough customer and came out of the race in good shape. He lays it all on the line that horse and I'm very proud of him.”

Zulu Kingdom will now target the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile on October 3 at Keeneland.

Brown sent out a trio of competitors in Friday’s Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks at 1 3/16-miles for sophomore fillies in third-place Fitz Right, sixth-place Consensus View and seventh-place Just Aloof.

Michael Dubb, William Lawrence, The Elkstone Group, and Michael Kisber’s Fitz Right made the grade in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Wonder Again here in June. The Charlatan chestnut followed with a third-place try in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks ahead of her Spa Oaks effort.

Brown noted he had considered shorter distances for Fitz Right, including the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Lake George presented by Surfside won by Amberglen here on August 1 and the Grade 2 Lake Placid at one-mile on August 29.

“The race was coming up not the toughest edition of this race, so I thought I would take a chance and not wait for the Lake Placid, skip the Lake George and give it a shot,” Brown said. “She got a great trip. She's another one that was never able to get out in the clear. When she won the Wonder Again, she was able to get out to the center of the track. I don't think she was winning at that distance.”

Fitz Right exited post 2-of-8 under Prat and saved ground before making a strong inside rush down the lane.

“She was posted well, and he gave her a great pocket trip,” Brown said. “You can't have it all. I'd rather have the trip I got and have her run well than be in the clear for too much of the race with a horse that's probably a mile and a sixteenth horse and not run as well. We'll cut her back but probably not at this meet.”

Brown said he had no excuses for his other Saratoga Oaks competitors.

“Just Aloof got a nice trip and wasn't good enough. I think we need to retreat to something easier with her,” Brown said. “With Consensus View, I think that was a lot to ask for her. She tried to follow a good horse and just couldn't pick it up half way through the race. I'll regroup with her. I think her best days are ahead of her going longer with some give in the ground. Ultimately, I think next year she's a mile and three-eighths, mile and a half horse.”

***
West End Kid to be turned out following runner-up effort in G1 Saratoga Derby; Rhetorical, fourth in G1 Fourstardave, pointed toward repeat bid in G1 Coolmore Turf Mile

Mo Speed Racing’s West End Kid, second in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby presented by Qatar Racing on Saturday, will now be turned out after making five starts in less than four months, trainer Will Walden said on Sunday.

The 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby for 3-year-olds on turf was the third consecutive start in a Saratoga stakes for West End Kid, who won the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge by 1 1/4 lengths in June and missed by a nose when second in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby on July 4. On Saturday, West End Kid raced in third behind the clear leader Glacius through the early stages and chased home the pacesetter to finish second once again, this time by 1 1/4 lengths. The Saratoga Derby was West End Kid’s first start ever with jockey Flavien Prat aboard and his first without blinkers since his debut fourth in February at Gulfstream Park.

“Maybe he was a little less aggressive in the early stages [without blinkers],” said Walden. “That being said, Flavien had a lot of horse going down the backside. He just didn’t expect the speed to continue.”

Rhetorical, fourth in the Grade 1 Fourstardave at one mile on the grass, likely will make his next start on October 3 in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile, a race he won last year. The New York-bred 5-year-old Not This Time gelding entered the Fourstardave off a win in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic in May at Churchill Downs and a fourth in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan in June at Saratoga. He races for Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable, and Wachtel Stable.

Prior to the Fourstardave, Rhetorical was fractious in the paddock, post parade, and in the starting gate. Like in the Manhattan, he competed in an aluminum pad.

“Very tough yesterday, just kind of went from bad to worse,” said Walden of Rhetorical’s pre-race behavior. “Those things happen. We are going to try to do what we can between this start and the next one to try to prevent what happened yesterday from happening again.”

Walden offered no excuse for Movie Night’s performance in the Grade 1 Test presented by Ticketmaster, in which the WinStar Farm homebred finished sixth, beaten 17 1/4-lengths by Explora.

“The only thing I can come up with is I don’t think the rail was favorable to speed yesterday, but I’m reaching,” said Walden. “She scoped clean, jogged well on the road this morning, sound, happy, ate her dinner last time. It was a one-off.”

Walden said he entered OXO Equine’s Minaret Station in this Saturday’s Grade 1 Christophe Clement Turf, a 1 1/2-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that serves as a “Win and You’re In” race for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 4-year-old Minaret Station, a graded stakes winner at 2, enters the Clement Turf off a third in the 1 3/8-mile Bowling Green presented by Emerald Ecovations on July 11 at Saratoga.

“He’s a super easy horse to train,” said Walden. “Very straightforward, very easy to be around. He does everything the way it’s supposed to be done. We’re excited to be running him at a mile and a half. I thought he ran great [in the Bowling Green]. It was his first time going that far, a little new going three turns, but I thought he ran great.”

***
Hendriks sends out Famous Figure and Lynches Knock in Michael G. Walsh Novice; Passing Game stretches out in Listed $200K Birdstone

Trainer Ricky Hendriks has a busy week ahead at Saratoga Race Course with Famous Figure and Lynches Knock entered in Wednesday’s Michael G. Walsh Novice steeplechase and Passing Game stretching back out in Thursday’s Listed $200,000 Birdstone on the main track.

Hendriks, a two-time Champion steeplechase jockey [1986-87], is a three-time Grade 1-winning trainer over hurdles at Saratoga, taking the New York Turf Writers Handicap [now the Jonathan Sheppard Memorial] in 2004 with Tres Touche and again in 2018 with Optimus Prime. He also enjoyed top-flight success here with Swansea Mile in the 2017 A.P. Smithwick Memorial.

On Wednesday, he will look to secure his third win in the Michael G. Walsh Novice, at 2 3/8-miles over hurdles, when he sends out Lynches Knock [Conor Tierney, 146 pounds, 12-1] and Famous Figure [Graham Watters, 152 pounds, 5-1] , the respective third and seventh-place finishers from last month’s Jonathan Kiser Memorial Novice.

Del Rio Racing’s Lynches Knock scratched out of the Grade 1 A. P. Smithwick Memorial on July 5 here in favor of the Kiser, closing from last-of-8 and 25 lengths off the pace to land an eight-length third under returning pilot Conor Tierney.

The 4-year-old Kessaar chestnut boats a 7-2-1-3 ledger over jumps with the first five of those starts coming for his former conditioner Gordon Elliott. Lynches Knock was a pacesetting fifth on debut for Hendriks in May at Great Meadow in the Speedy Smithwick Memorial.

“The first time we ran him, he was too close to the pace. He was too rank, and I knew we had to change things up,” Hendriks said. “I said to Conor, 'let's just take him back and finish up.' Conor did a great job with him and the horse jumped very well last time. He finished very strong, and we were very pleased with him.”

Leamington Racing’s Famous Figure [8-2-1-0] struggled over fences seven and nine in the Kiser, stumbling over the latter to finish well back of his less fancied stablemate on debut for Hendriks. The 5-year-old Famous Name gelding is also an Irish-bred graduate of the Elliott barn, taking the Louis Brown McMillan Memorial in May at Percy Warner in May in his stateside debut.

“Jack Kennedy came over from Ireland to ride him and he got off the horse and said, ‘I should have had the horse farther back.’” Hendriks said of the Kiser effort. “He tried to get him to settle and then at the last fence he had a bad jump and that kind of knocked the stuffing out of him.

“He's a lovely horse,” Hendriks continued. “We've got a lot of nice horses off of Gordon through the years and hopefully he falls in that category.”

Hendriks said he is hoping for a more settled trip from Famous Figure on Wednesday with Graham Watters taking the reins.

“A do-over race. Graham Watters schooled him last week and liked the horse. We'll try and drop him back a little farther and get him to relax,” Hendriks said.

Hendriks noted that the accomplished Grade 1-winner Fil Dor, a three-quarter-length second last out in the Grade 1 A. P. Smithwick Memorial on August 5 here, is on the bubble for a return in the local Grade 1, $150,000 Jonathan Sheppard Memorial on September 2.

“We're a little up in the air with that. We’re not 100 percent sure yet. We have a couple others we're looking to bring back – Coutach and Little Trilby,” said Hendriks, noting the possible return of the third and fourth-place finishers of the Grade 1 Beverly R. Steinman Handicap here on June 3.

Fil Dor, who was off the board after a more prominent trip in the Grade 1 Leo O’Brien here on July 5, was more than 20 lengths off the pace in the early running of the Smithwick and rallied stoutly down the lane under Tierney to finish a close second to Smart Uncle.

“I said to Conor before he even got off of him, 'this is going to eat you up!' And he said, 'you know it is,” recalled Hendriks, with a laugh. “At least it was two strides [to make up], if it had been one stride it would have been worse. At least he got second. We were very pleased with him. We were over the moon with the horse, he ran really well.”

Hendriks said he carefully considers which horses he brings to run over the jumps at Saratoga.

“Some horses suit it. We ran Fil Dor there the other day and he's kind of a bigger type horse, while the two novice horses next week are more of a racier type,” Hendriks said. “We take them down to Fair Hill and breeze them on the Tapeta there and that sharpens them up a little bit and gets them off the farm. We worked ‘Famous’ there this morning and he worked very well. We’re real pleased with him.”

Passing Game [post 4, Tyler Gaffalione], owned by Virginia Lazenby’s Del Rio Racing, will look to provide Hendriks with a win on the main track Thursday in the Birdstone, a 1 3/4-mile stamina test for 3-year-olds and up.

The 5-year-old Medaglia d’Oro gelding, out of the Grade 1-placed Uncle Mo mare Enaya Alrabb, was claimed for $50,000 from a winning effort last August here by trainer Orlando Noda for PlayingTheField Racing and subsequently purchased privately.

Passing Game was bred by Lazenby’s Wild Aire Partners and initially sold for $500,000 from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“Our owner, Virginia Lazenby - her and her partner bred the horse and sold him as a yearling for a lot of money,” explained Hendriks. “They followed his career the whole time and he ran up here for $50,000 and won and got claimed. Virginia said to me, ‘why don't you see if you can go buy that horse?”

The sale went through, and Passing Game returned to action for Hendriks in October to finish second in the John Forbes Memorial at two-miles over good turf at Far Hills.

Passing Game closed out his campaign with a pacesetting third when cut back to 12-furlongs over the Woodbine synthetic in the Grade 3 Valedictory in December.

“He ran a really big race at Far Hills for us and the racing manager said, ‘why don't you take him up to Canada,’” Hendriks said. “We didn't have any other plans for him, so we did, and he ran super at Woodbine. He was in front and passed and then came back again. He ran unbelievable.”

Passing Game has made a pair of starts this campaign – both in optional-claimers over turf – finishing second in June at Penn National and a distant ninth last out on July 17 here.

“He's been a little unlucky this year,” Hendriks said. “We ran him at Penn National just to get a race into him and he got shut off and just got beat. He ran up here [at Saratoga] the other day and things didn't go his way, but he still ran a credible race.”

Hendriks was jovial when asked how he plans to leg up Passing Game for his upcoming dirt marathon.

“Good question! I sent him to Mark Shuman at Fair Hill, and he's been training on the dirt for this race to give him the best chance we can. He's been there for 10 days. We’re excited about the race,” Hendriks said.