Mo Plex works at Saratoga with an eye towards G2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun
- Mo Plex works at Saratoga with an eye towards G2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun
- DeVaux considers G2 Ballston Spa for Deep Satin after De La Rose score
- Ozara earns career-best 90 BSF, G2 Ballston Spa an option
- Ewing leans towards G2 Saratoga Special, La Cara breezes for G1 CCA Oaks
- Giddings and Elliott team up with Hit the Post in New York Derby
- Dorth Vader targets G3 Molly Pitcher
- Thoroughbred Aftercare Day set for July 17 at Saratoga Race Course
R and H Stable’s dual graded stakes-winning New York-bred Mo Plex worked Friday over the main track at Saratoga Race Course as he eyes the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun on July 26 here.
The sophomore son of Complexity worked a solo half-mile in 49.25 seconds under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., who rode the colt to victories in his first three races last year that included the Grade 3 Sanford and state-bred Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital here.
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart said he was pleased with the breeze, and that the colt is likely to be rerouted from the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell on July 22 at Monmouth Park to the Jim Dandy in his own backyard.
“Irad was very happy and it seemed like the work went really well,” Englehart said. “His goal this week was to kind of slow him down and gradually ask him to keep going, and he did really well. He galloped out in 14 and two and he was tough to pull up, so everything seems like it’s still going well. It looks like we’re leaning towards the Jim Dandy now.”
Both the Jim Dandy and the Haskell are slated to feature this division’s top two contenders, as Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets-winner Sovereignty is targeting the former and Grade 1 Preakness-winner Journalism is likely for the latter. With no easy task in either race, Englehart said it made sense to stay home for the battle rather than ship to New Jersey.
“When you have to run against Sovereignty, even if we ran the race in Mo Plex’s stall I don’t think we’d have the advantage,” Englehart said, with a laugh. “The owners are local and this is where they originally wanted to run – you pick your poison. Do you run against Journalism in the Haskell with a heavier pace, or do you stay here and run against Sovereignty with a race that is probably going to have fewer horses and you don’t have to travel?
“For me, I live in Schuylerville and I absolutely love this meet, so I would much rather run here than anywhere else,” Englehart added.
Mo Plex is currently in career-best form after taking the Grade 3 Ohio Derby by two lengths last out on June 21 in his first foray around two turns, stalking the pace in second early under Joseph Ramos and pouncing to the lead in the stretch to drive home strongly over the fast Thistledown dirt. He completed the nine furlongs in 1:50.72 and earned a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.
A model of consistency, Mo Plex has hit the board in each of his eight outings, including an additional stakes win in the seven-furlong Listed Bay Shore two starts back at Aqueduct Racetrack and a Grade 1 placing when third to Chancer McPatrick in the Champagne in October there.
“I still think his best races are in front of him, so hopefully he continues to prove me right,” Englehart said. “He just keeps going and going – Irad said today that he couldn’t pull him up until the three-eighths pole. He was going out the gap before he could pull him up. It’s always been him. He absolutely loves to train and loves to race, and I just try to stay out of his way. I pick a spot and work from there, and we try to keep him happy.”
Bred by Everything’s Cricket Racing, Mo Plex is out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Mo Joy and was a $45,000 purchase at last year’s OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
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DeVaux considers G2 Ballston Spa for Deep Satin after De La Rose score
Trainer Cherie DeVaux is considering the Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course for Deep Satin after a neck victory in the first of two divisions of Thursday’s Listed $135,000 De La Rose, a one-mile inner turf route for older fillies and mares who have not won a graded stake in 2024-25, at the Spa.
“So far, so good,” DeVaux said of how Deep Satin looked on Friday morning at her Saratoga barn. “She was already a winner of an overnight stake, but it’s good to have her come back into form. The Ballston Spa [could be next] if she trains really well and forwardly. Any placing in a race like that would be what the next big thing would be. There’s a lot of good opportunities elsewhere, so we’ll see how she trains and if she trains forwardly, that’s definitely what we’d point for.”
Owned by John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services, the 4-year-old daughter of American Pharoah bounced back from a fifth in the Grade 3 Mint Julep on June 1 at Churchill Downs as the post-time favorite, and added to a previous stakes score when dead-heating with Style Points in the Listed Virginia Oaks last year at Colonial Downs.
Bred in Kentucky by Eurowest Bloodstock Services, Deep Satin is out of the Grade 3-winning Chester House mare Take the Ribbon, who also produced stakes-placed Take These Chains.
DeVaux has more to look forward to tomorrow at the Spa as multiple graded stakes-winner She Feels Pretty is the even-money favorite for the Grade 1, $500,000 Dunkin’ Diana, where she will emerge from the inside post under regular Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.
The daughter of Karakontie enters from a determined half-length win in the Grade 1 New York presented by Rivers Casino on June 6 here, and is in search of her fifth Grade 1 conquest.
DeVaux said She Feels Pretty is cool and collected heading into tomorrow’s race.
“She’s doing great,” DeVaux said. “It’s fun, and it all stresses me out a little, but she’s got it under control and so does Johnny, and that’s all that matters.”
On Wednesday at Saratoga, the late trainer Chuck Simon will be honored in Race 3, which has been named “The Inaugural Chuck Simon Memorial Race.” Simon, a dual graded stakes-winning trainer and a beloved fixture in the racing community, died at age 57 in September after being diagnosed with cancer last May.
DeVaux considered Simon to be “like a big brother,” and worked for him in the early days of her career. Beyond her six years working for his stable, DeVaux remained close with Simon until his death, and shared her remembrances of her mentor as his friends and family prepare to celebrate his life next week in Saratoga.
“We’ve having a memorial on Tuesday and it’s good to celebrate someone’s life in a more meaningful manner after,” DeVaux said. “Funerals are hard, and he was sick for quite a while. I got to spend a lot of time with him last summer and in those visits, there were a lot of people stopping by; a lot of joyous moments spent with shenanigans and laughter; tears, tears of laughter… I think it was a real blessing that those moments got spent with people who meant so much to Chuck, and Chuck meant so much to them. It’s hard when somebody passes, so now we get to celebrate his life and everyone is in good spirits and a better place. I think it’s wonderful his family is giving that to us, and it will be a fun couple of days.”
Along with his training accomplishments, Simon is also remembered for his social media presence, recording more than 300 episodes of his Going in Circles podcast and maintaining a popular blog. Regarded by many as kind-hearted and outspoken, Simon’s impact on those closest to him will be evident as they gather in the winner’s circle on Wednesday to celebrate his life and legacy.
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Ozara earns career-best 90 BSF, G2 Ballston Spa an option
Cheyenne Stable’s Ozara captured the second of two divisions of Thursday’s Listed $135,000 De La Rose, a one-mile inner turf route restricted to older fillies and mares who have not won a graded stake in 2024-25, on Opening Day at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Miguel Clement, the 4-year-old Lope de Vega bay saved ground in a stalking third position under Dylan Davis, rallying in the stretch to edge the game pacesetter Spinning Colors by a half-length in a final time of 1:34.25.
The performance earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure, improving from consecutive 88s for a 1 1/2-length coup of Gulfstream Park’s Monroe in April and a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Eatontown on June 14 at Monmouth Park.
“She came back in very good order,” said Clement. “Dylan rode a brilliant race. He saved every inch of ground and closed at the right time in the stretch. That was game and gutsy. The track was still very speed favoring. The first three early all finished in the top three. Nevertheless, I thought the filly did everything right.”
Ozara’s return to graded company could come in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa on August 8 here.
“We have a few possibilities. Let’s reassess and speak to Mr. Dobson of Cheyenne Stables. However, I’m delighted with the performance. She’s gutsy, she tried very hard, and ran a great race,” Clement said. “That [G2 Ballston Spa] is one of the targets. We are looking at it, correct.”
Clement also commented on how he thought 6-5 morning line favorite Far Bridge could handle possible cut in the ground in Saturday’s local Grade 2, $200,000 Bowling Green, an 11-furlong inner turf test for older horses.
“Far Bridge can handle any ground,” said Clement. “He won the [Grade 1] Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on bottomless turf from last. He won the [Grade 1] Sword Dancer on the lead on very firm turf. He handles any ground. He is top-class. Don’t worry about the ground with him because he handles anything.”
The versatile 5-year-old English Channel bay is campaigned by LSU Stables and has earned in excess of $2.2 million via a 17-8-3-3 record.
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Ewing leans towards G2 Saratoga Special, La Cara breezes for G1 CCA Oaks
D. J. Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and Kenneth Freirich’s Ewing earned an impressive 88 Beyer Speed Figure for his 12-length debut romp sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on Saturday during the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said the Knicks Go gray may point to a next start in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special on August 2 here, rather than wait for the local seven-furlong Grade 1, $300,000 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful on September 1.
“I originally thought maybe I’d wait for the Hopeful, but that is a couple months away and I like my horses to get an education by running. I have big hopes for him, maybe the Breeders’ Cup, so I think it is important to get that education, and I’d say right now I will probably run him in the Saratoga Special,” said Casse.
Ewing, a half-brother to stakes-placed Tuscan Queen out of the Indian Charlie mare Sassy Ali Joy, was a $585,000 purchase from the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
“You’ll see me bring some New York-bred two-year-olds here and occasionally a few maidens, but usually I try to get them started outside of Saratoga, but I brought Ewing here thinking he would be very hard to beat,” Casse explained. “I don’t know how much he beat, but he did win with authority.”
Tracy Farmer’s dual Grade 1-winning Kentucky homebred La Cara breezed a solo half-mile in 49 seconds flat over the Saratoga main track on Friday. The last-out local Grade 1 DK Horse Acorn-winner is readying for a start in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, a nine-furlong invitational for sophomore fillies here.
The Street Sense bay covered the same distance in a bullet 46 seconds flat on July 5.
“I thought she went perfectly. Last week she went a little quicker than we drew up, but today went perfect. Nice and easy, and she did it the right way,” Casse said. “The instructions were to go slow [laughs].”
Casse also updated that Grade 1-winner Sandman will likely work on Wednesday, which is 10 days out from a targeted start in the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun on July 26 here.
“I usually work him 10 days out from a race,” said Casse. “That [Wednesday] is what I landed on. When I said this weekend, I hadn’t calculated that, but I had it in my chart.”
The popular Tapit gray is campaigned by D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables. He last ran third in the Grade 1 Preakness on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course.
The dual Hall of Famer Casse fast approaches 4,000 career wins in North America, sitting with 3,992 on Friday morning.
“Less than 10 away, it would be nice to do it at Saratoga, but we have a lot of action going on,” Casse said. “If there was an oddsmaker, the favorite [for win 4,000] might be Woodbine, but here would be nice. This is where I first started dreaming of being a trainer and little did I know 50 years ago that I could be closing in on 4,000.”
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Giddings and Elliott team up with Hit the Post in New York Derby
Graded stakes-winning trainer Melanie Giddings will team up with apprentice rider Chris Elliott when Hit the Post makes his stakes debut in Monday’s $150,000 New York Derby, a 1 1/16-mile route for New York-bred sophomores at Finger Lakes.
The Old Tavern Farm homebred, by Kantharos out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Memento d’Oro, romped to an open-lengths win in a seven-furlong state-bred maiden sprint versus elders on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course.
The gate-to-wire score over a sloppy and sealed main track saw Hit the Post graduate at fourth asking with Elliott in the irons for the first time. It was also Hit the Post’s first outing as a gelding.
Giddings said she is hopeful Hit the Post will improve again when stretching out in distance from the runaway maiden score, which registered a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He actually came out of the race really well and he is doing really, really good. We are excited about running him on Monday,” Giddings said.
Hit the Post made a trio of state-bred starts as a 2-year-old, beginning with a fourth on debut in September here traveling seven furlongs. He followed with a pair of starts at Belmont at the Big A, landing a distant third traveling six furlongs in September before a seventh in a one-turn mile in October.
“I didn’t want to run him too early until the races got a little longer because he is a big, leggy horse and we always thought distance would be best for him,” Giddings said.
Giddings said she wouldn’t be upset with the potential of another wet track outing at the Farmington, New York oval.
“I wouldn’t cry about it,” Giddings said, with a laugh. “There’s a lot of factors whether that had anything to do with how good he ran or not. I think he is just finally in a good place as a 3-year-old and being castrated and all of the things kind of came together.”
Giddings exuded her confidence in Elliott.
“I really like Chris. I watched him from when he first started, and he is a rider that constantly improves, and I think he has shown that he can ride here with the best of them,” Giddings said.
Hit the Post will exit post 4-of-5 on Monday in a field that includes the Rob Atras-trained Train the Trainer [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], Calling Card [post 2, Manny Franco] for trainer Mike Maker, King’s Leap [post 3, Luis Perez] for trainer Anthony Ferraro, and Buttah [post 5, Lane Luzzi] for trainer Gary Sciacca.
The New York Derby is slated as Race 7 on Monday’s nine-race card which also features the $75,000 New York Oaks in Race 3. First post is 1 p.m.
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Dorth Vader targets G3 Molly Pitcher
John Ropes’ Florida-homebred Dorth Vader will make her next start in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3, $500,000 Molly Pitcher on the NYRA Bets Haskell Day Card on July 19 at Monmouth Park.
Trained by George Weaver, the 5-year-old Girvin mare was last seen posting a 4 3/4-length score in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford on June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga.
Dorth Vader, who has raced without blinkers in each of her three starts this year, exited post 1-of-6 at odds of 8-1 in the Ogden Phipps under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez. She tracked the early foot of Dazzling Move through three-quarters in 1:10.14 over the sloppy and sealed main track before Velazquez gave Dorth Vader her cue. Dorth Vader quickly rallied into contention, taking command at the quarter-pole and powering away to win in a final time of 1:49.10 and secure a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in November at Del Mar.
The winning effort earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure – one point shy of her career-best earned in the 2023 Grade 1 Acorn when defeated a head by that year’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks-winner Pretty Mischievous.
Although nominated to the Grade 2, $200,000 Shuvee on July 18 here, Weaver said he will use the Molly Pitcher as a likely bridge to the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares on August 23 at the Spa. The Personal Ensign offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
“It was her first Grade 1 win,” Weaver said of the Phipps effort. “She's a very talented filly. We'd been hoping to get that feather in her cap and we did it and now we'll look to do it again, but before we do that we're going to try and win a $500,000 race at Monmouth.”
Dorth Vader made her first nine starts in the care of trainer Michael Yates, making the grade in the 2023 Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park and culminating with a prominent fifth in the Kentucky Oaks. She was second in the aforementioned Acorn in her first outing for Weaver and was fourth in a trio of Grade 1 tilts – the La Troienne in 2024-25 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Test here in August – before breaking through in the Phipps.
Dorth Vader is out of the stakes-placed Yonaguska mare Hardcore Candy, a half-sister to dual stakes-winner Chestnut Lady.
Weaver won two races on Thursday’s Opening Day card at the Spa, beginning in Race 2 with Devil in Disguise, who rallied to take an optional claiming turf sprint under Flavien Prat. The 4-year-old Bolt d’Oro gelding was haltered for $50,000 by Rudy Rodriguez.
Swinbank Stables’ Cy Fair followed in Race 6 with a prominent 3 1/4-length debut score under Hall of Famer John Velazquez in a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for juvenile fillies. There, the Not This Time bay marked the half-mile in 44.18 seconds over the firm footing, opening up a substantial lead and holding clear to score in a final time of 1:01.49 in a race that saw 2-1 post time favorite Cooperation scratched after flipping behind the gate.
“I thought she ran well. You can't ask for any better than that,” Weaver said. “Saratoga is always tough with these 2-year-old maiden races, so when you win one you feel like you might have something. We're looking forward to seeing what she can do.
“She didn't break that quick, but she responded well when Johnny asked her to get into the race,” Weaver added. “They're babies so you don't know what’s going to happen - the four was the favorite and had a little incident and scratched at the gate - you just never know. I've been in that situation, too. We all have.”
Cy Fair’s winning effort garnered an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.
The $185,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase will likely be nominated to the Listed $150,000 Bolton Landing on August 17 here, but there are also lucrative options at Kentucky Downs, including the $1 million Untapable [$500,000 KTDF] on September 7.
“I'm sure it [the Bolton Landing] would be on the radar but we'll also think about Kentucky Downs,” Weaver said.
Weaver has three horses entered in the body of Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Quick Call presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, including Governor Sam, Insubordination and Ortley Avenue – the latter two Irish-breds sired by Bungle Inthejungle.
The more accomplished Governor Sam [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] is the 6/5 morning line favorite, but Weaver said Insubordination [post , 6, Javier Castellano, 8-1ML] and Ortley Avenue [post 7, Eric Cancel, 10-1ML] are worthy opponents in the 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomores.
“They both deserve a chance in this race,” Weaver said. “I was pointing them for the My Frenchman at Monmouth, but they didn't use it, so in light of that they'll run here. They're both legitimate horses.”
Insubordination exits a closing third in the six-furlong Listed Paradise Creek on May 24 at Belmont at the Big A, while the well-bred Ortley Avenue enters from a runner-up effort in the five-furlong Roar on May 17 at Gulfstream Park. Out of the Titus Livius mare Titian Saga, Ortley Avenue is a full-brother to 2021 Group 1 Nunthorpe-winner Winter Power.
Weaver could also have an interesting entrant in Grade 3, $175,000 Caress, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on July 19 here in allowance optional-claiming winner Caress.
The Caress is named after the multiple-graded stakes winning mare trained by Hall of Famer H. Allen Jerkens. The daughter of Storm Cat retired in 1996 with a record of 13-4-2 from 29 career starts, including victories in the 1995 Grade 3 Poker at Belmont Park as well as the Beaugay and Athenia, both Grade 3 events in 1995 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Weaver-trained Caress, a 4-year-old daughter of Connect, was last seen taking a six-furlong optional-claimer over the main track on April 25 at Aqueduct. She was off-the-board in both her previous turf efforts.
“She's more of a dirt horse, so if I put her in it would be main-track only but you never know up here with the weather,” Weaver said. “She's been doing good. She'll need to step her game up to be competitive in a stakes, but we've been looking for a race for her for a while.”
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Thoroughbred Aftercare Day set for July 17 at Saratoga Race Course
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Inc. (NYTHA), and New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) will host the fifth annual New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day on Thursday, July 17, at Saratoga Race Course.
New York Aftercare Day brings retired racehorses back to Saratoga for on-track demonstrations of the skills they’ve learned in their second careers. This year’s presentations, before the first and second races, will feature western riding, jumping, and a polo match. Fans can also meet a retired racehorse in the Horse Sense Stall behind the grandstand.
The $125,000 Rick Violette, named for the late trainer and NYTHA President who spearheaded the creation of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Retirement Program, will anchor the racing card.
Representatives of aftercare organizations including ACTT Naturally, Lucky Orphans, New Vocations, Old Friends at Cabin Creek, ReRun, Second Chance Thoroughbreds, TAKE2 and TAKE THE LEAD, Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, and Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation will be on hand in the Community Booth behind the jockeys’ quarters to talk about their efforts on behalf of New York’s retired racehorses.
Highlighting the festivities will be the presentation of the second annual Down Broadway Award, given to New York’s retired Racehorse of the Year and decided by a vote of fans. The four nominees for this year’s award are stakes winner Broadway Producer, from New Vocations; Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Cut of Music, a veteran of 89 starts; 21-year-old New York-bred Flag Is Flying, from Second Chance Thoroughbreds; and the popular gray filly Mel’s Baby Sister, from ReRun. The winner will be honored in a ceremony before the first race.
“The New York Thoroughbred industry sets the standard for its dedication to aftercare, and this event is the perfect opportunity to showcase our commitment to ensuring a healthy and happy retirement for the horses who mean so much to us,” said TAKE2 and TAKE THE LEAD Executive Director Andy Belfiore.