Tom Morley-trained Haveyougoneaway / NYRA Photo

Juveniles stretch out in Grade 2 With Anticipation

by Dave Litfin

The up-and-coming trainers Arnaud Delacour and Tom Morley saddled veteran sprinters A.P. Indian and Haveyougoneaway to Grade 1 "Win And You're In" glory in the Priority One Jets Forego and the Ballerina on Travers Day, and will try their touch with juveniles going long on the lawn in Wednesday's Grade 2 With Anticipation at Saratoga Race Course. 

Scheduled for the inner turf, the 12th running of the $200,000 With Anticipation attracted a eight of six 2-year-olds. The race has an air of international intrigue as Delacour sends out My Bo Chop, acquired by Team Valor International after three starts in France, capped by a late rally for fourth in his initial stakes try at Vichy.

According to Team Valor's Twitter feed, My Bo Chop, who arrived Thursday, races with blinkers on after racing a bit greenly.

"He was just released from quarantine [Sunday] morning," said Delacour, a native of France. "I don't know him very well but he has run three times, which is a good bit of experience."

The international traveler is out of the dam Hoosick Falls, a nearby town located less than an hour's drive from Saratoga Springs.

The son of Myboycharlie breaks from post 3 with Joe Bravo aboard.

Morley enters the final week of the meet with six wins, topped by Haveyougoneaway's double of the Ballerina and the Grade 2 Honorable Miss, the first graded stakes winners of his nascent career. He shoots for another black-type triumph with Ardmore Bay, who followed a front-running debut win at Belmont Park with an off-the-pace score in the 5 ½-furlong Tyro at Monmouth Park.

"Really nice little horse - he's done nothing wrong," said Morley. "He's a New York-bred, there's nothing for New York-breds on the grass at this time of year, and I was surprised he could win like that at Monmouth on a very, very speedy grass course. I was actually kind of using the race to set up this, because I've always wanted to go two turns with him. So for him to kick and win like that going five and a half really encouraged me. He's a smart horse and he'll be even better next year." 

Ardmore Bay drew post 4 and gets a switch to Manny Franco. 

Todd Pletcher has already won the With Anticipation four times including last year's renewal with Azar, and will likely be favored to add a fifth Made You Look, a $360,000 son of More Than Ready who posted a good-figure maiden win as the odds-on choice at Belmont Park second time out. The filly he ran second to in his debut, Red Lodge, recently won the Colleen Stakes.

Made You Look will begin from post 2 beneath Javier Castellano.

Delacour's former boss, Graham Motion, took the 2011 With Anticipation with Team Valor's State of Play. This year, he sends out Tell the Truth, who was unplaced on Presque Isle Downs' synthetic surface before posting a second-out maiden win on grass at Delaware Park going 7 ½ furlongs.

Jose Ortiz has the call on Tell the Truth from the outside post. 

The Cal Lynch-trained Monsoon K S A exits a second-out maiden win at 7 ½ furlongs on Delaware turf as well. He ships in from Laurel Park, and picks up Angel Arroyo from post 5.

Breaking toward the outside are Keep Quiet, an impressive maiden graduate in the Whitney Day opener for Mark Casse, who drew post 7 with Florent Geroux; and Bird's Eye View, who begins from post 8 with Irad Ortiz Jr., after a maiden win at Monmouth Park for Mike Dini.

Completing the lineup on the rail is Gemologister, a maiden making his fourth start at the meet for Jaime Mejia after three turf sprints. Eric Cancel rides.