Chelsea Durand Photo

Randomized thwarts favorite Idiomatic’s late bid with thrilling head-bob finish to win G1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford

by Brian Bohl

A matchup featuring the top dirt filly and mare division contenders did not disappoint on Saturday, as Klaravich Stables’ Randomized went to the lead and did not relinquish the advantage despite heavy pressure from 3-5 favorite Idiomatic’s outside charge, holding on for a victory by a head in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford.

The 56th running of the Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up offered a “Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff in November at Del Mar. The nine-furlong route over Saratoga Race Course’s main track was one of six Grade 1 races and nine graded stakes overall on a loaded Belmont Stakes Day card headlined by the 156th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Randomized capped her 3-year-old year with a second-place effort by a half-length to eventual Champion Older Dirt Female Idiomatic in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November at Santa Anita. She ran second in her 2024 bow in the Grade 2 Ruffian in May at Belmont at the Big A, but extracted revenge on Idiomatic after jockey Joel Rosario sent her to the lead from the inside post.

The Nyquist filly led the accomplished six-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.34 seconds and the half in 48.99 on the fast track. Out of the final turn, jockey Florent Geroux asked Idiomatic for more while racing five-wide, setting up a thrilling stretch drive in which Randomized responded to Rosario’s encouragement and dug in, completing the course in a final time of 1:49.58 to win her third consecutive Saratoga start.

Godolphin’s Pretty Mischievous, the reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and winner of last year’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, got up for third, with Raging Sea, Soul of an Angel and Tizzy in the Sky completing the order of finish.

Randomized, off at 6-1, returned $14 on a $2 win wager. The Chad Brown trainee continued to show an affinity for the Spa, following wins in both starts during last year’s summer meet that started in the one-mile restricted Wilton before a four-length victory in the Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales. That preceded a win in the Grade 2 Beldame in October at Aqueduct before the Breeders’ Cup performance, one Randomized will look to replicate with another California trip potentially on the horizon.

“She's quick out of the gate. She maintained the speed, so that was good,” Rosario said. “I was begging for the wire because that horse [Idiomatic] was coming. So I was sweating a little bit, but she got the job done."

Randomized improved to 5-2-1 in nine career starts, achieving millionaire status with career earnings now at $1,258,350. It also marked Brown’s first Ogden Phipps win.

“She looked like she was the horse she wanted to be, on the lead and at Saratoga where she had her biggest win [the Alabama],” Brown said. “These two were going at it in the Breeders' Cup last year and we came out on the wrong side of that one. Idiomatic is a deserving Champion. She's an outstanding horse. I think we were very fortunate to save more ground than her. She was pitched three-deep the whole way and still almost won the race. I'm taking nothing away from her. She ran an equally good race. We were able to just get our nose down. I've said, the photos go both ways, so I keep that in mind when I lose them."

Juddmonte’s Idiomatic, who followed her Breeders’ Cup Distaff win with a 3 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 La Troienne in May at Churchill Downs to start her 5-year-old year, finished 4 1/2 lengths clear of Pretty Mischievous. The daughter of Hall of Famer Curlin once again put in a valiant effort against top flight competition for trainer Brad Cox.

“She ran well and was the best horse,” Cox said. “She lost a tremendous amount of ground around the first turn and second turn. The winner didn’t really have any pace pressure. Excited about the rematch. Can’t wait.”

Pretty Mischievous, trained by Brendan Walsh and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, continued an impressive run of never finishing out of the money, moving to 7-2-3 in 12 starts and registering a second consecutive third-place finish to start 2024 following the La Troienne.

“I think she ran well enough,” Walsh said. “Tyler said she could have benefitted maybe from a little more pace. It looked like they weren’t going very fast and I don’t think that really helped. She was down inside for a long time. But, listen, we can’t make excuses. Hopefully, she comes out of it OK. We’ll adjust a few things and we’ll come back to fight another day. She’s running in the best of company, and she is the best of company. We got a placing, which is good, and we’ll go on to the next one.”

Live racing resumes Sunday with the 12-race Closing Day program of the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, featuring the Grade 1, $150,000 Beverly R. Steinman steeplechase in Race 1, and six New York-bred stakes to celebrate the best of racing in the Empire State for New York Showcase Day. The $125,000 Mike Lee is carded as Race 3, with the $200,000 Commentator in Race 6; the $200,000 Critical Eye in Race 8; and three consecutive stakes to close the day with the $125,000 Mount Vernon in Race 10; the $125,000 Bouwerie in Race 11 and the $125,000 Kingston in the finale. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and the best way to bet every race of the four-day meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.