Janet Garaguso Photo

G1 Whitney win meaningful for all involved in Arthur’s Ride

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• G1 Whitney win meaningful for all involved in Arthur’s Ride
• Ways and Means makes the grade in G1 Test presented by Ticketmaster
• Crupi earns career-best 106 BSF for runner-up effort in G1 Whitney
• Neat earns third graded victory in G2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame
• Ferocious registers 96 BSF in scintillating maiden score
• Rice-trained duo Film Star, Pioneering Spirit lead off-the-turf Fasig-Tipton Lure exacta

Glassman Racing’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney-victor Arthur’s Ride showed little regression in figures when garnering a 110 Beyer for his 2 1/4-length triumph in Saturday’s nine-furlong route for older horses at Saratoga Race Course.

For his victory, the 4-year-old Tapit gray, named for Karl Glassman’s late father, earned an automatic berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar as part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who secured his first Whitney win, Arthur’s Ride nearly equaled the 111 figure he received for a trouncing of a 10-furlong optional claiming tilt by 12 3/4 lengths on June 7 here under Junior Alvarado. The veteran rider returned to the irons in the Whitney, and Arthur’s Ride once again led every step of the way over muddy and sealed footing to draw clear from late pursuers Crupi and Post Time to win in a final time of 1:48.54.

Bred in Florida by Helen Barbazon, Joseph Barbazon and Tapit Syndicate, Arthur’s Ride was a $250,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the 2009 Canadian Champion Grass Mare Points of Grace.

Joe Barbazon, along with his wife, Helen, owns and operates Pleasant Acres Stallions in Morriston, Florida. The 225-acre farm is home to nine of the Sunshine State’s top stallions, and a plethora of broodmares, weanlings and yearlings – a business that Joe Barbazon said will only be boosted by Arthur’s Ride’s performance yesterday.

“Oh, we’re just tickled to death,” said Barbazon. “We’ve got two of his half-sisters and of course this helps their value. We still have his mama here and it’s a huge plus for us. It was very exciting, and there was a lot of yelling. Me and the wife were very happy.”

Barbazon recalled when Arthur’s Ride was a foal and said the charismatic nearly-white steed needed time to grow into the horse he is today.

“He was just a kind baby,” said Barbazon. “As he got older, he got a little sillier, but he was a good baby to be around. He was well-balanced, but he wasn’t a great-big horse. He’s grown a lot since then. The right people got him and took their time with him. He was chestnut when he was born, but you could see he was going to be a white horse.”

The talented Arthur’s Ride adds to his win here in June, as well as an impressive return from a more than one-year layoff in March when annexing a one-mile optional claimer by 7 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park.

While Arthur’s Ride has never raced on turf, Barbazon touted the family’s adaptability to both turf and dirt, noting the colt’s half-sister Alittleloveandluck, an Arrogate mare that won the 2022 one-mile Ginger Brew on turf at Gulfstream Park.

“His mother was a grass Champion, and one of his sisters was Arrogate’s first stakes winner, and it was on the grass,” said Barbazon. “It’s been a very exciting family for us.”

With Arthur’s Ride tying Grade 1 form to his family’s ledger, Barbazon said it is exciting and rewarding to see the gray on the path to this year’s Breeders’ Cup. The Barbazons were well-represented as breeders at the 2009 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park where Presious Passion finished second in the Grade 1 Turf.

“It’s just great. It was a thrill when Presious Passion went to the Breeders’ Cup, and I think now we’re getting another thrill,” said Barbazon. “For small people like us, it’s just an honor. I’m so happy for Mr. Glassman.”

Arthur’s Ride now boasts a lifetime record of 7-4-2-0 with $764,955 in total purse earnings.

***

Ways and Means makes the grade in G1 Test presented by Ticketmaster

Ways and Means made the grade in style, stalking and pouncing to a 2 1/2-length score in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown for owner-breeder Klaravich Stables, the Practical Joke bay loomed large throughout under Flavien Prat after breaking alertly and showing the way for an eighth of a mile before allowing Emery to be the target through splits of 22.43 seconds and 44.54 over the muddy and sealed main track.

Prat asked Ways and Means to engage through the turn and the filly responded with good energy, taking command approaching the quarter-pole en route to a sharp score. The winning effort registered a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She broke good, and he put in her a good spot and then it was her race to lose from there,” Brown said. “Luckily, she gave a great performance, and everything worked out good. She looks good this morning.”

Ways and Means has won 3-of-4 starts at the Spa, including a 12 3/4-length debut maiden win traveling six furlongs last August and a sparkling allowance score in June from the Wilson Chute that garnered a career-best 104 Beyer.

Brown said Ways and Means, who finished fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs, has benefited from a return to shorter races and will be on a path towards the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“We've spaced her races out and she's doing better with less,” Brown said. “We'd like to get her to the Filly and Mare Sprint, and we'll probably run her one more time between now and then, but I’m not sure where or when.”

The next local option for Ways and Means would be the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom next month at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

A Kentucky homebred, Ways and Means is out of the Ontario-bred stakes winner Strong Incentive, who also produced the Brown-trained Klaravich homebreds Surge Capacity, winner of the Grade 1 Matriarch in December at Del Mar, as well as Grade 3-winner Highly Motivated.

Brown has enjoyed a strong Spa summer meet, topping the trainer standings with 18 wins heading into Sunday’s card.

On Friday, the New York-bred sophomore filly Evaluation earned an 82 Beyer for her one-length debut score over Geopolitics in a six-furlong state-bred maiden special weight.

With Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, the Flatter dark bay, a $260,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase, broke alertly before tracking the speed of Geopolitics form third position through a half-mile in 45.99 over the fast main track. Ortiz, Jr. gave Evaluation her cue at the quarter-pole, and she dueled strongly to secure a one-length score over the more experienced Geopolitics, who completed the exacta for the fifth straight time.

“Nice debut there for her. She looks to be a very promising horse in the New York-bred ranks,” Brown said. “It was only a maiden win, but she did it the right way. We'll give her some time to develop the right way.”

Evaluation, a half-sister to stakes-winner Makin My Move, is out of the multiple stakes-winning More Than Ready mare Hard to Stay Notgo, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winners Haul Anchor and Mark My Way. She was bred in the Empire State by Chester and Mary Broman.

***

Crupi earns career-high 106 BSF for runner-up effort in G1 Whitney

St. Elias Stables and Repole Stable’s graded stakes-winner Crupi was awarded a lifetime best 106 Beyer Speed Figure for his deep-closing second to Arthur’s Ride in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney going nine furlongs at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who also sent out Bright Future [eighth] and Charge It [10th] in the Whitney, Crupi earned his second Grade 1 placing with a flying last-to-second finish under Irad Ortiz, Jr., swinging wide in the stretch to make up substantial ground in the final eighth of a mile and finish 2 1/4 lengths behind Arthur’s Ride.

Pletcher said he was proud of the effort from the 4-year-old Curlin chestnut, who now boasts millionaire status.

“He came back good, and I thought he ran super,” said Pletcher. “I thought for a second he was going to still have a shot, but we’re very pleased with the effort. It put him over the million-dollar mark yesterday, so it’s pretty cool to see him achieve that.”

Crupi raced on a slight cutback from his last outing when finishing a willing second to Next in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 2 Brooklyn on July 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack. He broke through at the graded level two starts back in the local Grade 2 Suburban going 10 furlongs, a distance Pletcher said he may contest again in the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 1 here.

“I don’t know yet, but I suppose the Jockey Club is in play,” said Pletcher. “He’s had a pretty consistent schedule here, so we’ll just see how he bounces out of it.”

All was not lost on Saturday for Pletcher, who sent out WinStar Farm and Repole Stable’s impressive debut maiden winner Uncaged in Race 5, a six-furlong maiden special weight for juveniles. The Curlin bay stalked the early pace in fourth under Ortiz, Jr. and closed well in the turn with a six-wide bid before drawing off in the lane to post the 1 3/4-length victory. His stablemate Classicist, the shorter price of the two, finished third after a troubled off-the-pace trip for owner St. Elias Stable.

“He’s excellent. He has been training well and we always liked him,” Pletcher said of Uncaged. “Being a Curlin and bred for two turns, for him to do that sprinting was very encouraging.

“I thought the other guy ran well, too,” Pletcher said of Classicist. “He just hopped at the start and then he had a few holes close, so I think both horses are quality colts that should get better going longer.”

The next graded spot on the calendar for juveniles at Saratoga is the Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful on the September 2 Closing Day card at a slightly longer distance of seven furlongs. After the race, Uncaged’s co-owner Mike Repole indicated the Hopeful as a possibility for the colt’s next outing, but said the one-mile Grade 1 Champagne this fall at Belmont at the Big A is also in play.

***

Neat earns third graded victory in G2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame

Red White and Blue Racing’s Neat captured his third graded stakes of the year when winning by a neck in Friday’s Grade 2, $500,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Rob Atras, the Constitution chestnut rallied from 4 1/2 lengths back in sixth position under Junior Alvarado to collar Lagynos in the final sixteenth in a final time of 1:36.38.

“I’m very impressed. He was maybe just a touch rank on the backside, but I thought Junior did a great job to get him relaxed. It was a top-class ride and he sat a little further back, it’s a good thing he can be on the pace or off,” said Atras. “He just wins. He is a very handy horse that can do a bit of everything with the pace scenario.”

The performance earned a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure, one point higher than an 86 in winning the one-mile Grade 3 Manila in June at Belmont at the Big A which was also a tick higher than a previous-best 85 for the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Transylvania in April at Keeneland.

“The numbers are solid. They are not really flashy, but he’s just one of those horses that finds the wire first,” Atras said of the now 6-for-9 horse with $765,630 in earnings. “That’s the type you love to have: very consistent and just keeps winning. He’s got a really good turn of foot and can close fast.”

Atras confirmed Neat exited the race in good order and has returned to his Belmont Park base.

“He came out of the race really good. We gave him a day and then sent him back down to Belmont where he got ready for that last race,” said Atras. “We’ll give him a couple of days and then get him back to the track. So far, so good.”

Atras said a potential next start for Neat could be in the one-mile $1 million Gun Runner on September 8 at Kentucky Downs.

“Nothing for sure yet. With him being Kentucky-bred, we will definitely take a look at the Kentucky Downs race on the eighth of September, but that’s not for sure yet,” Atras said.

Bred by Hidden Brook Farm and Spruce Lane Farm, Neat was a $200,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is out of the unraced More Than Ready mare Orabella, who also produced dual graded stakes-placed Louder Than Bombs.

***

Ferocious registers 96 BSF in scintillating maiden score

Each year, the Whitney Day card at Saratoga Race Course is full of flashy juvenile maiden races and this year was no exception as Ferocious turned heads with a stylish debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight contested over a muddy and sealed main track.

JR Rach, Ramiro Restrepo, High Step Racing, and OGMA Investments’ $1.3 million son of Flatter came home a romping 7 3/4-length winner for trainer Gustavo Delgado, announcing himself as horse to watch in the future. He earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure for the win which is the highest figure assigned to a 2-year-old this year.

Delgado’s son and assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado, Jr. said the horse came out of his win in good order.

“He bounced out of the race really well,” Delgado, Jr. said.

Purchased at the OBS March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Ferocious, out of a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Obligatory, worked 9.4 seconds for one furlong over the Tapeta to earn his lofty price-tag.

“He caught everybody’s attention at the sales, not just ours. That is what made us have to spend that much on him,” Delgado, Jr. said.

Delgado is based out of South Florida at Gulfstream Park. A native of Venezuela, he has been steadily making his presence felt in America. Last year he won the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with Mage, who was owned by a few of the same owners as Ferocious.

Delgado, Jr. said the team was hoping to have a successful unveiling at the Spa.

“You want to win with everyone watching,” Delgado, Jr. said. “We were planning to bring him to Saratoga once we figured out he was at that level of being competitive in a Saratoga maiden. Once he started breezing for us, we knew he was the right kind of horse.”

Delgado, Jr. said the exciting colt could next be seen in the Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful, a seven-furlong test for juveniles on September 2 at Saratoga.

“We will give him a couple more days and come up with a plan, but the Hopeful is on our radar,” Delgado, Jr. said.

***

Rice-trained duo Film Star, Pioneering Spirit lead off-the-turf Fasig-Tipton Lure exacta

Trainer Linda Rice had the top two finishers in yesterday’s off-the-turf Fasig-Tipton Lure, a restricted stake for horses who have not won a graded sweepstake in 2024, at Saratoga Race Course.

Originally scheduled to be a 1 1/16-mile turf event, heavy rains moved the race off-the-turf to be contested at one-mile out of the Wilson Chute.

Ronald P. Stewart’s Film Star was entered for the main-track only and drew into the race with the services of meet leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. Film Star broke alertly and tracked the pace setting Swiftsure before overtaking that rival on the turn and drawing off to a geared down four-length win.

After his stellar performance, Rice said the 5-year-old son of Flatter would look to try graded stakes company again in the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 1 1/4-mile test for 3-year-olds and up on September 1 here offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

“We are going to take a look at the Jockey Club Gold Cup. I opted out of the Whitney with him,” Rice said. “I felt like he was coming off a layoff. He had one race earlier in the meet and I felt like he wasn’t up to that yet. Instead, I opted to be an MTO in the Lure and that worked out pretty well for us, but we are going to take a strong look at the Gold Cup.”

With his win in the Lure, Film Star boosted his record to 20-5-6-2 with $508,101 in earnings as well as earning his first career stakes win. The horse has shown an affinity for the Spa oval, never finishing off the board in five starts here.

Film Star’s stablemate Pioneering Spirit took place honors for A. Bianco Holding Limited. The 5-year-old American Pharoah gelding does most of his best running on the lawn but does have dirt back class.

Under Jose Ortiz, Pioneering Spirit came running from last to score a clear second over Swiftsure. While it was a productive run, his conditioner said that his future has turf in it, specifically the Listed $150,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap on September 1 here for older horses going 1 1/16-miles on the grass.

“Back to the grass with him. I think his best distance is 1 1/8-miles. He won the Bernard Baruch here last year, so we are going to go try and defend that,” Rice said.

Pioneering Spirit brought his record to 27-6-5-3 with $606,680 in earnings as well as earning a career best wet track figure of 82.