Locked leads G2 Suburban presented by Subourbon

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm’s Locked looks to return to top form in Friday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban presented by Subourbon, a 1 1/4-mile test for older horses, during the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. 

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old Gun Runner chestnut enters from a last-out fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Alysheba on May 2 at Churchill Downs in which stablemate Fierceness set a track record and Locked launched a belated wide rally. 

Locked entered that spot from a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure two starts back when capturing the 10-furlong Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap by 8 1/2 lengths on March 1 at its namesake oval. 

“He’s doing well,” said Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “We are looking forward to running him. That was a little bit of a distorted race last time in the Alysheba, so I’m not entirely sure what to make of that, but we are looking forward to getting him back to one mile and a quarter, which we know he thrives at. 

“The Suburban is a good opportunity to get him back to that distance,” Wellman continued. “It won’t be an easy race by any means, it will be a strong field, but we are going in with confidence.”

Locked added blinkers for the Santa Anita Handicap after a slow-starting runner-up finish in Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational on January 25 at Gulfstream Park. 

“We tinkered with the idea of adding blinkers for a long time,” Wellman said. “His form was always so strong that we didn’t want to make any equipment changes. The time was right before the Santa Anita Handicap after he was sluggish out of the gate when second in the Pegasus, and obviously they did the trick.” 

Locked [post 4, Jose Ortiz] boasts a 9-5-1-2 record with in excess of $1.6 million in earnings, with other notable victories in the 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by TwinSpires in December at Aqueduct Racetrack. He was also third in the 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park ahead of an extended layoff. He made his first two career efforts at the Spa, graduating second-out going one mile in September 2023. 

“Since the Alysheba, we have had this race in mind,” said Wellman. “Todd took a minute to refresh and rejuvenate him after the trip to Kentucky, and he’s been at Saratoga since, where he has run well previously going short on debut and at one-mile to graduate second out, which earned [Thoroughbred Daily News] Rising Star status. We’d like to think there is a little bit of home court advantage.” 

Locked, a $425,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Luna Rosa. His second dam, Gabriellina Giof, produced dual Grade 1-winner Gabby's Golden Gal and multiple graded stakes-winner Always a Princess.

Pletcher also sends out Centennial Farms’ Antiquarian [post 7, John Velazquez] off a 1 1/4-length second to Mystik Dan in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Blame on May 31 at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old son of the Centennial Farms-campaigned Preservationist was making his second start of the year after a 2 1/2-length victory sprinting seven furlongs in April at Gulfstream Park.

Antiquarian captured last year’s Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont at the Big A en route to a fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. He was a $250,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of the winning Istan mare Lifetime Memory and his second dam is Grade 3-winner Silver Reunion, who produced Grade 2-winner Speaktomeofsummer.

Pletcher has won the past three editions of this race with Dynamic One, Charge It and Crupi [2022-24], in addition to a past score with Keen Ice [2017]. 

Turman Racing Stable and AJ Suited Racing Stable’s Awesome Aaron [post 8, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] has been awesome of late and streaks into Friday’s contest for trainer Norm Casse.

The 6-year-old Practical Joke gelding was haltered for $40,000 out of a win in September at Churchill Downs and has shown marked improvement for his new connections, culminating with a last-out three-quarter-length score over returning rival Phileas Fogg in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special, going 1 3/16 miles on fast and sealed dirt, on May 16 at its namesake oval. 

“I’m excited for this spot and he seems to be getting better every start for us,” said Casse. “We picked out this race right after the Pimlico Special and we feel that we are doing everything in our power to give him the best chance to win. I got up to Saratoga earlier than usual and we gave him four breezes over the main track to let him get acclimated and he seems to love it up there. All very encouraging signs.” 

In the Pimlico Special, Awesome Aaron traveled about three lengths off the pace under Hall of Famer John Velazquez during the early and middle stages, before making a wide-bid in the stretch to collar his pace-pressing returning foe Phileas Fogg and make the grade in his 34th start. 

Awesome Aaron’s 7-1 odds may have been an overlay seeing that the bay entered from a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer when removing blinkers in April at Oaklawn Park.

“With blinkers on, he has a really high cruising speed but he was a little bit too aggressive to finish the races the way he needed to,” said Casse. “The last piece of the puzzle was to take the blinkers off, he’s still aggressive, but he gives himself more of a breather now, which has made a big difference.”

Casse said Awesome Aaron is versatile enough to make his own luck. 

“He’s handy. We can put him where we want to be,” said Casse. “You obviously have to bring your ‘A game’ anytime they put up big money and you’re in a graded stakes, but we are excited about how Awesome Aaron is doing.” 

Jupiter Stable’s Phileas Fogg [post 1, Kendrick Carmouche] will look to avenge his last-out defeat in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special, where he pressed the pace set by Encino. For trainer Gustavo Rodriguez, the 5-year-old Astern gelding has won 4-of-6 efforts and was second in the other two.

“It is going to be another tough race,” said Rodriguez. “He ran good last time, but I didn’t like that they sealed the track before the race. Right from the start, he was not comfortable, he was switching leads back and forth. There was a big thunderstorm coming, so they sealed the track, but everything else was good.” 

Phileas Fogg, a $62,500 claim last July at Saratoga, has since captured the Listed Excelsior and Listed Queens County at Aqueduct Racetrack. He has been in first or second position at every first call for current connections, and figures to be a likely pace presence once again. 

Ribble Farms and K E M Racing Stable’s Honor Marie [post 6, Ben Curtis] won the 1 1/2-mile Listed Isaac Murphy Marathon last out on April 30 at Churchill Downs. Trained by Whit Beckman, the 4-year-old Honor Code bay secured his first win since the 2023 Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club in November 2023 there. 

Honor Marie should be a familiar name to most handicappers, as he ran eighth in last year’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes ahead of an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers– the latter two contested at Saratoga. 

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Kentucky homebred Disarm [post 2, Joel Rosario] has also done a fair bit of running at the Spa, graduating second-out in August 2022 and notably securing Grade 1 placings in the 2023 Travers and 2024 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the 5-year-old Gun Runner chestnut was fourth last out in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap at its namesake oval after a winning seasonal debut in March there. 

Rounding out the field is multiple graded/group-placed Bendoog [post 5, Jose Lezcano] for Hall of Famer Bill Mott and Grade 3-placed San Siro [post 3, Luis Saez] for trainer Brendan Walsh. 

The Suburban is slated as Race 10 on Friday’s 11-race card, which also features the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational [Race 9], the Grade 3, $200,000 Manila [Race 8], and the Listed $150,000 Schuylerville [Race 2] and Harvey Pack [Race 11]. Statistics for the 37-day Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet will include the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the July 4th Racing Festival. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.