Tax | G2 Jim Dandy
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Jul 21, 2019
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Francesca LeDonne Photo

'Phenomenal' Tax heads to G2 Jim Dandy off sharp half-mile breeze

by NYRA Press Office



  • Coal Front and King for a Day exit Monmouth stakes in good order; Vino Rosso on target for G1 Whitney
  • Serengeti Empress fires bullet in penultimate work for G1 Longines Test
  • Diamond Oops hopeful for G1 Vanderbilt; Kelsey's Cross eyes Saratoga Oaks Invitational landing spot
  • Owendale targeting G1 Runhappy Travers
  • Undefeated Shancelot likely for G2 Amsterdam
  • The Rookie Report: Ward to debut full sibling to World of Trouble
  • Dalton duo Belisarius and Help From Heaven are Saratoga bound
  • Boss Man hoping to dictate terms in Jonathan Kiser
  • Invitations announced for the $1 million Saratoga Derby and $750,000 Saratoga Oaks presented by Encore Boston Harbor

R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch and Corms Racing Stable's graded-stakes winner Tax remains on target to make his return in Saturday's Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy presented by NYRA Bets, exiting a sharp final work in good shape.

Working in company, Tax blazed four furlongs over the main track in 47.09 seconds Saturday, the fastest of 70 horses at the distance. It was his second work at Saratoga, following a half in 49.95 on July 13, and third since his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets June 8.

Trainer Danny Gargan said Sunday morning that the gelded 3-year-old son of Arch is doing better than ever heading into the 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy, Saratoga's traditional prep for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers, to be run for the 150th time Saturday, August 24.

"He looks great. He's doing phenomenal. I couldn't be happier. He's training great," Gargan said. "It was a big-time breeze. We worked him easy last week, so I planned on working him in company. When he works in company, he tends to have fast works.

"I was really pleased with him. We put a workmate three or four lengths in front of him and he just went right on by. That was the planned way to do it, just in case," he added. "He showed he can sit second and pass horses; he's done it. Obviously, we want to be forwardly placed. If there's no speed, we'll be on the lead. If someone wants to be stupid, we'll sit second, but I'm not taking far back."

The Jim Dandy will be the eighth career start and sixth straight in graded company, all since being claimed for $50,000 out of a maiden triumph last fall at Keeneland. He has a win, a second and a third at the Jim Dandy distance, taking the Grade 3 Withers by a head despite stumbling at the start February 2 at Aqueduct in his sophomore debut.

In the 1 ½-mile Belmont, Tax pressed a moderate pace set by Joevia and made a bid at the quarter pole before falling back to fourth behind Sir Winston, 1 ¾ lengths behind runner-up Tacitus, with Grade 1 Preakness winner War of Will checking in ninth.

War of Will and Tacitus are also being pointed to the Jim Dandy, along with Grade 3 Peter Pan winner Global Campaign, Oaklawn Park Invitational winner and Preakness fifth-place finisher Laughing Fox, and maiden winner Highest Honors.

"He's doing really well. His hair coat looks better than it's ever looked. He's eating better. Ever since we glued his front shoes, he's really come around a lot. I definitely think he's better now than he's ever been. I expect him to move forward three or four lengths," Gargan said. "He came out of the Belmont better than he went in it. Ever since that, we've kind of been pointing to this race. He's never gone backwards at all."

Gargan said he was impressed with the energy Tax showed following his most recent work, a sign that the trainer feels has him sitting on a big race.

"After we gave him a bath and he cooled out we had to put a lip shank on him to walk him. He was squealing and rearing," Gargan said. "Obviously, [Tacitus] is a special horse. [War of Will] can run big races, too, and [Global Campaign] is a really good horse. It's going to be a horse race. If I could win it, it'd be great. I just want to run big in it. If he keeps going forward, he's a gelding, he's got a big future. And, we still have the turf that we've played around with trying but it's hard to put him on it right now because he's doing so well on the dirt. He's definitely getting better with age."

Gargan said he is looking at putting six-time stakes winner Divine Miss Grey back on the turf in the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose for fillies and mares 4 and up going one mile Saturday, August 3 at Saratoga, part of the three-day Fasig-Tipton Racing Festival August 2-4.

Winner of the Grade 2 Chilukki last fall at Churchill Downs, the 5-year-old Divine Park mare was eighth last out in the Grade 1 La Troienne May 3, exiting the race with a slight illness. She remains with Gargan's string at Belmont Park.

"She stays at Belmont. It's too hectic up here for her, but she's doing good down there. She'll get one more breeze if everything goes as planned. She'll come here a couple days before the race," Gargan said. "I ran her on the grass once, but it was a yielding turf and she was second. But I really think she'll like this turf course going a mile. She can slingshot that turn and they'd have a hard time catching her."

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Coal Front and King for a Day exit Monmouth stakes in good order; Vino Rosso on target for G1 Whitney

Conditioner Todd Pletcher made the journey to Oceanside, New Jersey on Saturday to saddle multiple graded stakes winner Coal Front and multiple graded stakes placed Bal Harbour in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup, Sun Studio in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher and stakes winner King for a Day in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational.

Sent off as the 1-9 favorite in the Monmouth Cup with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons, owners Robert LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners' Coal Front attended the pace before weakening to finish third behind runner-up Bal Harbour.

Pletcher said both entrants exited the race in good order, but Coal Front may not have appreciated the track conditions.

"He never really seemed like he was traveling with the confidence that he normally does," said Pletcher. "I thought the fractions were very reasonable, especially for a horse of his quality. Johnny seemed to think he was compromised by the conditions a bit. He just never really felt like himself, so we'll draw a line through it and he seems to have come back okay and we'll try again."

Red Oak Stable's King for a Day entered the Haskell after besting disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security in the Pegasus on June 16, but found himself on the losing end of their rematch on Saturday, having to check tightly at the quarter-pole and finishing fifth to Maximum Security, who won by 1 ¼ lengths.

"He definitely got checked but it seemed to me like he was starting to back up a little at that time, so we're not really going to use that as an excuse," said Pletcher. "We didn't get the exact trip we were hoping for and I think the one-hole compromised him a bit in the end. He ended up going a little quicker than we wanted to, but it just wasn't meant to be yesterday."

Looking ahead, Pletcher said multiple graded stakes winner Vino Rosso, for owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, remained on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Handicap on August 3, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.14 on Friday.

"I thought he worked exceptionally well and has come out of it in good order," said Pletcher. "Everything is currently on schedule."

Pletcher also reported multiple graded-stakes placed 3-year-old Social Paranoia would ship to Saratoga tomorrow after breezing four furlongs in 49.24 seconds on Saturday at Belmont. Social Paranoia will target the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational on Sunday, August 4, the second leg of the inaugural Turf Trinity Series following a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational on June 6.

Calumet Farm's 4-year-old multiple graded-stakes placed Channel Cat will also ship to Saratoga tomorrow after breezing four furlongs in 49.80 seconds on Saturday at Monmouth, targeting a start in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green on Saturday, July 27.

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Serengeti Empress fires bullet in penultimate work for G1 Longines Test

Grade 1 Kentucky Oak-winner Serengeti Empress drilled through a half-mile in 47.60 seconds on the Saratoga main in preparation for the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Test on August 2.

The Joel Politi-owned dark bay Alternation sophomore's penultimate work for the seven-furlong Test was the fastest of 102 recorded works at the distance.

"Serengeti Empress shows her hand in her workouts in the morning and since we've been up here, she has done very, very well," said trainer Tom Amoss. "This workout was another in a serious of good and enthusiastic workouts by her signaling to me that she's ready."

Amoss said the speedy Serengeti Empress always exerts plenty of energy in her breezes.

"With her, she puts a great deal into her workouts whenever she works out. She likes her job and she's quick, she's athletic," Amoss said. "This workout is not harder or easier than any of the others that we use going into the Test, that's just how she works. You won't see her in company with another horse, there's no need for that. She is plenty fit. The workout pattern will be very similar to what you've seen since we got up here."

Serengeti Empress raced at Saratoga in her second career start, finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Schuylerville. She has since won three graded stakes with a flashy victory in the Grade 2 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs, which she won by 19 ½ lengths, as well as a 4 ½-length win in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds, two starts before her win in the Kentucky Oaks.

"She gets over the track well, not all of them do," said Amoss. "Some of them need time to adapt to it, but she's never been a victim of that. Since day one, she's got over the track in good fashion."

Amoss will look for his first Grade 1 win at the Spa since Heritage of Gold won the Go for Wand in 2000.

"It's tough to win a Grade 1 anywhere but obviously Saratoga, if you're going to win a Grade 1 here, you better bring your lunch pail with you," said Amoss. "She's going to bring her lunch pail so hopefully it works out."

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Diamond Oops hopeful for G1 Vanderbilt; Kelsey's Cross eyes Saratoga Oaks Invitational landing spot

Fresh off his first graded-stakes victory, Diamond Oops could next be targeting his first Grade 1 win in the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on July 27 at the Spa, with trainer Patrick Biancone saying a decision would be forthcoming by late Sunday.

Owned by Diamond 100 Racing Club, Amy E. Dunne and Biancone, the 4-year-old Lookin At Lucky gelding is coming off a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure for his strong-closing three-quarter length victory in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on June 29 at Gulfstream Park.

After winning at the Vanderbilt's six-furlong distance last month, Diamond Oops has been stabled at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida, where he breezed five furlongs in 1:05.00 over the turf track Sunday.

"He'll either go the Vanderbilt or go out to California, but either way, I'll decide today," Biancone said. "The horse breezed this morning and we're going to see what's the best spot for him now. I'm not sure yet. He's going to go six furlongs."

A winner of three of his four starts as a juvenile in 2017, Diamond Oops started his career with two straight wins, including a 3 ¼-length score in the Kiss a Native second out before running sixth in the 2017 Grade 2 Saratoga Special in his only previous appearance at the Spa.

After running sixth in his only 3-year-old start in July 2018 at Gulfstream Park, Diamond Oops did not run again for 10 months, returning from an injury to finish third in his turf debut in the Crystal River in his 4-year-old bow on May 27 at Gulfstream. Biancone kept him on the grass in the Grade 1 Jaipur on Belmont Stakes Day, June 8 before going back to the main track in the Smile Sprint.

"The thing is, he had an injury before and I just wanted to do like we do in Europe and bring him to condition and run him on the turf because it's a kinder surface," Biancone said. "I used the two races on the turf to get [him] in shape and then he showed who he really was [last out] on the dirt."

Kelsey's Cross could also be making her way to Saratoga, remaining a strong possibility for the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 2, Biancone said.

The second leg of NYRA's Turf Tiara for 3-year-old fillies, the 1 3/16-mile turf route will continue the first-year Turf Triple series, with Kelsey's Cross looking to earn her first stakes win coming off consecutive third-place finishes, first in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 6 at Belmont and the one-mile Martha Washington on July 6 at Gulfstream.

Kelsey's Cross, who also is training at Palm Meadows, did not run until April, when she ran second in her debut on April 21 at Gulfstream before breaking her maiden at second asking on May 19 over the same track.

"She's going to breeze next Friday and if she breezes really well, we'll take her to New York," Biancone said. "She shows up and she's improving. We gave her plenty of time before we started to run her. Now, she has great form. She's breezing Friday and we hope to go on from there."

Biancone has already won his first graded stakes in eight years with Diamond Oops and A Bit Special's victory in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream. He is now looking for his first graded stakes win at Saratoga since Irish Smoke won the 2007 Grade 1 Spinaway.

"What is special for me is to have good horses and then it's special when they run," Biancone said. "When they run at Belmont or Saratoga, it's special. I have to go where the races are. I like Saratoga, like every other trainer, and if I have a horse good enough to compete there, it's [exciting.]"

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Owendale targeting G1 Runhappy Travers

Rupp Racing's multiple Grade 3-winner Owendale will look to make his next in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers, trainer Brad Cox said.

The Into Mischief bay, who captured the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland in April ahead of a rallying third in the Grade 1 Preakness, captured the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby on June 22 at Thistledown. The Ohio Derby score garnered a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

Cox said Owendale is training forwardly at Churchill Downs where he has breezed three times since his Ohio Derby score, including a four furlong effort in 48.80 Sunday morning.

"He's definitely possible for the Travers," said Cox. "We're keeping him at Churchill for the time being and we'll see how things unfold leading up to that. But, that's our goal right now."

Purchased for $200,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Cox said the talented bay is improving with each start.

"With his physical makeup, I always thought he would be a horse that would improve as he got older," said Cox. "He's improved with every race and his works since the Ohio Derby have been good. He's had some nice moves in the morning and is continuing to move in the right direction."

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Undefeated Shancelot likely for G2 Amsterdam

Trainer Jorge Navarro said he likes what he has seen so far out of Shancelot, who is unbeaten in two starts, and plans on sending the horse to Saratoga for the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam on Sunday, July 28.

Owned by Gelfenstein Farm, Albert Crawford and Michelle Crawford, the son of Shanghai Bobby broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park on February 16 over Grade 1 placed Bodexpress and next out winner Fort Worth. Following that effort, he did not race again until June 23, where he bested a field of winners over the main track at Monmouth Park by 6 ¼ lengths, recording a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

"He's obviously a sprinter. We just figured we'd do the right thing and save him for the other half of the year," Navarro said.

Navarro compared Shancelot to former trainee Private Zone, who won three graded stakes for Navarro, including the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga in 2015.

"He reminds me of Private Zone," Navarro said. "He just a fast horse. I haven't got to the bottom of him yet, but everything he does, he does comfortably."

Bred in Kentucky by Charles Muth and Patrick Murphy, Shancelot is out of the stakes winning Is It True broodmare True Kiss and was a $245,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last April.

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The Rookie Report: Ward to debut full sibling to World of Trouble

Trainer Wesley Ward will saddle a full-brother to multiple Grade 1-winner World of Trouble in Alfie Solomons, who makes his career debut over the Mellon turf course in Wednesday afternoon's sixth race.

The Florida-bred chestnut is by Kantharos out of the Valid Expectations broodmare Meets Expectations and was purchased for $285,000 from last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is owned by Andrew Farm and For the People Racing.

"He's a beautiful horse, but mentally he's like a young football player that's eager to go," Ward said. "He mentally hasn't come around yet, but his last work on grass was his best, so we decided to let him roll. I think he likes the grass better. The whole thing with him is to get his mind settled to where he doesn't go too fast the first part."

Named after a fictional character from the show Peaky Blinders, Alfie Solomons worked a half-mile over the Saratoga turf on July 19, completing four furlongs in 48.60 seconds.

Alfie Solomons will break from post 7 under two-time defending Saratoga leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Trainer Graham Motion will send out a pair of homebred debuters in the event, including Irish Mias for owner Isabelle de Tomaso.

The New Jersey-bred chestnut colt is by Sky Mesa out of the Even the Score broodmare Irish Score, who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winning millionaire Irish War Cry. Other prominent members of the family include graded stakes winner on turf Irish Strait and Regally Irish, who is a half-brother to Irish Mias.

He will emerge from post 3 under Rajiv Maragh.

Motion also will be represented by Close Shave for owner Alex Campbell, Jr. The gray or roan son of Uncle Mo is out of the Unbridled's Song broodmare Awesome Ashley, who was a three-time stakes winner over the main track at Aqueduct. His granddam was two-time Grade 1 winner Queens Court Queen who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winning millionaire Mr. Purple.

Close Shave will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez from post 6.

Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas will saddle first time starter Shackleford's Joy for owner Les Wagner. The son of multiple Grade 1 winner Shackleford is out of the Kitten's Joy broodmare Kittenkittenkitten, who is a full-sister to graded stakes winner on turf Charming Kitten as well as graded stakes placed and multiple stakes winner Queen'splatekitten. Luis Reyes will guide the chestnut colt from post 9.

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Dalton duo Belisarius and Help From Heaven are Saratoga bound

Trainer Kate Dalton is Saratoga bound with steeplechasers Belisarius, entered in Thursday's Grade 1, $150,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial at Saratoga Race Course, and Help From Heaven, who is set for Wednesday's $75,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice.

Gary Barber's Belisarius, a veteran of 40 starts with a record of 6-10-7, was a flats winner here at the Spa in August 2015 for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, nosing out Good Response in a four-horse photo to win a 1 3/8-mile allowance optional-claiming event on the inner turf.

Dalton said Barber provided her a head's up that the stout Montjeu 8-year-old would be coming her way.

"I'd had another horse for Gary Barber named African Oil and Bill Mott was running Belisarius at that point. Gary and I were talking on the phone one day and he told me to keep an eye on Belisarius saying, 'He's going to be your next champion,'" said Dalton.

Dalton added Belisarius to her virtual stable and kept tabs on the long-running bay as he continued his flat career in California, awaiting the call from Barber that the gelding was ready to transition to his next career.

The call came after Belisarius ran a good third in a claiming event at Golden Gate in December 2017 and by March the following year, he was entered in his first jump race. After finishing third in his first two trips over the hurdles, Belisarius finished second, by a neck in a Percy Warner maiden, before winning a flat allowance at Suffolk Downs ahead of breaking his hurdle maiden at Monmouth in August.

"He came back to me on the East Coast and he adjusted to the jumping right away. It took a couple of races for him to get confident and the first couple of races he was looking at the hurdles," said Dalton. "But, by his third run, that second place, he got it. From then on, he was away."

In October at Far Hills, Belisarius proved his ability over hurdles with a romping 6 1/4-length score in the Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. He came back to finish second in the Group 3 Temple Gwathmey Hurdle at Glenwood Park at Middleburg in his seasonal debut.

Dalton said she is hoping Belisarius, off the board in his last two outings, will return to his best form in Thursday's Grade 1 event.

"It was a very good run in October at Far Hills. He beat a solid group that day and he beat them relatively easily. That was when I thought we had a serious horse," said Dalton. "We started him right off the bat this year in a Grade 3 and he was a very game second. His last two runs have been a little disappointing, but hopefully he'll regain his form. He has the talent to do it, he just has to put everything together."

Dalton will also saddle Help From Heaven in Wednesday's Jonanthan Kiser for Virginia Lazenby Racing Stable. The 7-year-old Divine Park chestnut was an allowance winner in August 2016 at Saratoga for then trainer Douglas Fout, but required time off following an injury and did not return until April in a handicap at Charlotte where he finished third.

Last out, Help From Heaven was a strong second in the Marcellus Frost Champion Hurdle at Percy Warner. Dalton said Help From Heaven has been worth the wait.

"Doug did a great job with him and the horse has plenty of talent," said Dalton. "He justified the time off in bringing him back and he hasn't lost any of his enthusiasm. Fingers crossed, we're hopeful for Wednesday."

Purchased for $57,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Help From Heaven boasts a record of 4-5-1 from 17 starts with purse earnings of $155,360. Dalton said the gelding, who boasts a record of 2-3-1 from seven jump starts, is well suited to hurdle racing.

"He's a very good jumper and has a pretty nice turn of foot," said Dalton. "There's two types of steeplechase horses - the type that's one-paced and just keeps galloping and then there's the type that can quicken. Help From Heaven can quicken at the end of the race. He can gallop for two miles and then still sprint for the last three-eighths home. That's an asset, particularly at the flat tracks."

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Boss Man hoping to dictate terms in Jonathan Kiser

Trainer Archibald Kingsley, Jr., who sends out defending champion Show Court in Thursday's Grade 1, $150,000 A.P. Smithwick, will also saddle Boss Man in Wednesday's $75,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice at Saratoga.

Kingsley, Jr. has long had his eye on the talented 9-year-old son of English Channel, who has already won three races over the jumps. A veteran of 42 career starts, Boss Man began his career in the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

"He's a polished stone," said Kingsley Jr., of Boss Man. "He's a tough son of a gun. He's a big, raw English Channel. I saw him in the paddock when Bill had him as a 3-year-old at Saratoga. I kept him in my virtual stable over the years and followed him. I could tell he was sound and had a lot of heart. He consistently put in an honest, genuine effort."

Eventually racing under the tutelage of trainer Jason Servis, Kingsley, Jr. reached out to the conditioner in January 2018 and brought Boss Man into the fold. The chestnut took to his new vocation in quick order, graduating in his second start over the jumps.

Kingsley, Jr. said that Boss Man and Show Court are best friends in the barn.

"Last year they traveled and won as a pair," said Kingsley, Jr. "They're the tightest of buds and back home they live out in the paddock together. They're like brothers."

Off the board in both starts this year, Kingsley, Jr. said Boss Man, who won the William Entenmann Memorial Hurdle Stakes in September at Belmont, was a deceptively good seventh in his seasonal debut in Nashville at Percy Warner.

"We missed a little with him this spring and he came back at Nashville on a race course that wouldn't favor a frontrunner and he ran and jumped valiantly on the lead," said Kingsley, Jr. "It's one of the toughest race courses on the hunt meet circuit and he was very brave on the lead. I was thrilled with how he ran."

Kingsley, Jr. said a return to Saratoga, where he won an allowance in August, will suit Boss Man.

"He'll be back on Wednesday on a course where he can be effective. He'll be a huge price, but I think he runs well too," said Kingsley, Jr.

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Invitations announced for the $1 million Saratoga Derby and $750,000 Saratoga Oaks presented by Encore Boston Harbor

The invitation lists for the second legs of the Turf Triple series were made public on Sunday morning.

The middle jewel of the Turf Tiara, the series restricted to 3-year-old fillies, will kick off Whitney weekend on Friday, August 2 with the inaugural $750,000 Saratoga Oaks.

The middle leg of the Turf Trinity for 3-year-old males, which is designed to emulate the American dirt classics, will bookend Whitney weekend with the inaugural $1 million Saratoga Derby on Sunday, August 4.

Concrete Rose, a daughter of Twirling Candy owned by Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing, captured the first leg of the Turf Tiara - the Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational for trainer Rusty Arnold on July 6.

Bloom Racing Stable's Henley's Joy, trained by Mike Maker, reigned victorious in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational, first leg of the Turf Trinity.

The full list of invitees for each race is listed below:

Saratoga Oaks Invitational: Alasaayil [Shadwell Stable, Kiaran P. McLaughlin], Cambier Parc [OXO Equine LLC, Chad C. Brown], Concrete Rose [Ashbrook Farm, George R. Arnold, II], Coral Beach (IRE) [Michael B. Tabor, Aidan P. O'Brien], Dyna Passer [Woodslane Farm, Thomas Albertrani], Happen [Mrs. John Magnier, Aidan P. O'Brien], Her Royal Highness [Albert Frassetto, H. Graham Motion], Hotsy Totsy (IRE) [Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Christophe Clement], Kelsey's Cross [Bacon Barn, Patrick L. Biancone], Olendon (FR) [Wonder Stables, Chad C. Brown], Valiance [Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Todd A. Pletcher].

Saratoga Derby Invitational: A Thread of Blue [Leonard C. Green, Kiaran P. McLaughlin], Cape of Good Hope (IRE) [Mrs. John Magnier, Aidan P. O'Brien], Digital Age (IRE) [Klaravich Stables, Chad C. Brown], Eons [Mark B. Grier, Arnaud Delacour], Flying Scotsman [Calumet Farm, Jack Sisterson], Henley's Joy [Bloom Racing Stable LLC, Michael J. Maker], Mohawk (IRE) [Derrick Smith, Aidan P. O'Brien], Rockemperor (IRE) [Madaket Stables LLC, Chad C. Brown], Seismic Wave [Juddmonte Farms, William I. Mott], Skardu (GB) [Sheikh Abdulla bin Isa al-Khalifa, William J. Haggas], Social Paranoia [The Elkstone Group, Todd A. Pletcher], Value Proposition (GB) [Klaravich Stables, Chad C. Brown], Van Beethoven [Derrick Smith, Aidan P. O'Brien], Win Win Win [Live Oak Plantation, Michael J. Trombetta].


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NYRA Press Ofiice

In 2011, owner Mike Repole teamed up with eventual Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher at Saratoga Race Course to land the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and Grade 1 Travers double with Stay Thirsty. 13 years later, the dynamic duo again accomplished the feat with Fierceness, a Repole homebred grandson of Stay Thirsty, who notched a tenacious score in Saturday’s $1.25 million DraftKings Travers.