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Saratoga Race Course Notes 7.24.17

by NYRA Press Office

• Abel Tasman, Elate no worse for wear after 1-2 finish in G1 CCAO
• Santana hoping to stay in New York state of mind following Spa meet
• Awesome Banner to return to G1 stakes in Vanderbilt
• Seeking the Soul exits AOC win well; Forever Unbridled on tap for G1 Personal Ensign
• New York Derby winner Twisted Tom will target Albany
• 'Nice claim' Eye Luv Lulu shortens up for John Morrissey
• Whitney Day nominations now available
• Top prize on inaugural day of Saratoga Showdown goes to TMocere7

Abel Tasman, fresh off her head victory in the Grade 1, $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course, was set to fly out of Newburgh Airport early Monday afternoon to return to Bob Baffert's barn at Del Mar in California. All looked well Monday morning for the Quality Road filly, according to trainer John Terranova, who housed the winning filly at his barn on the main track backside.

"Seems like everything's good," Terranova said. "Bucking and playing around the shed row this morning. She's pretty cool, pretty laid back about everything. She's good to go. She'll go hang out at the beach for a while now."

Following the race, Baffert said he is unsure about where to send the winner of three straight Grade 1 races, but will consider the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama at Saratoga for her next start. Abel Tasman is perfect through three starts on the East Coast, and would sweep the Triple Tiara with a win in the Alabama. The Triple Tiara begins with the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park, the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks and the Grade 1 Alabama, both at Saratoga. No filly has swept the series since its reconfiguration in 2010.

Oaks runner-up Elate exited the race in good order, according to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who noted that the Medaglia d'Oro filly suffered a few bumps following the break, but nothing likely to deter her training leading up to the Alabama on August 19.

"She looks pretty good," Mott said. "She had a little grab, she stumbled a little bit leaving the gate and touched the outside of her foot a little bit. It doesn't look like anything serious."

Held in tight by Abel Tasman and jockey Mike Smith during the stretch run, the stewards' decision let the results stand following an objection by Elate's jockey Jose Ortiz.

"It's a 50-50 call, tough call. If I was a steward it would be a tough call," said Mott. "If I was on their end, I would say it shouldn't come down. They've let the same situation slide here a few times, I think the fact they let it slide here a few times I guess they had to let it slide yesterday. Definitely was herding a little bit, and flashed his whip in front of our horse's head a few times. 

"I suppose if it was my horse that won I would say he probably rode it very well. She ran a bang-up race. We'll plan to come back in the Alabama."

Although game in a tough defeat, Mott tipped his cap to the winner.

"She's an accomplished filly that's done very well," he said. "She's won three Grade 1s now? Three in a row, so can't take anything away from her. All we can do is try to beat her if she comes back. Come on back, we'll try again."

Juddmonte Farm's Lockdown, third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks followed up by a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Mother Goose, has been training well at Belmont Park and is scheduled to join her stablemate at Saratoga, said Mott, likely giving the Hall of Famer a one-two punch in the Alabama.

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Ricardo Santana, Jr. surged up the early Saratoga jockey leaderboard with three straight wins on Sunday. The Panama native aggressively piloted Tainted Angel ($13.20), Somerset Sandy ($43.80) and Ginger N Rye ($24) to victory in Races 7-9. His five wins were tied for second with Jose Ortiz for the summer meet that entered its fourth day on Monday.

"I feel blessed to have the opportunity here at one of the big tracks. It's been my dream to ride here [against] all the best ones," Santana said. "There are so many good riders here and I'm a young kid coming to the big time. I learn a lot riding with the best colonies and I hope one of these days I'll be at the top."

Santana rode 14 winners in the 2016 Saratoga meet and has one graded stakes win to his credit at the Spa when he led Holy Boss to the winner's circle in the 2015 Grade 2 Amsterdam for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

"A day like yesterday makes me keep working hard and keep working for my dream," he said. "I don't have a [specific] goal. I love my job. I'm here to learn and try my best. There's so many guys who always help me with everything. They're very supportive."

Santana moved to the United States to ride in 2009 as a 16-year-old, starting at Delaware Park. He was the leading rider at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas at their meet from January to April.

Santana earned his first career Grade 1 win aboard eventual Belmont Stakes winner Creator in the 2016 Arkansas Derby and is closing in on 900 career wins, carrying 877 into Monday's card.

After racing frequently at Belmont in the spring/summer meet, he said he plans to return to Elmont in the fall.

"My dream is to stay in New York and when Saratoga closes, I'll go back and run in Belmont and I hope in the winter I can stay at Aqueduct. That's my goal," he said.

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Awesome Banner came out of his final breeze before shipping to Saratoga for the Grade 1, $350,000 Vanderbilt Handicap this coming Saturday in good order, trainer Kenneth Decker said.

The 4-year-old son of Awesome of Course breezed a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Laurel Park's main track on Saturday. Decker said he will likely ship up from Maryland on Friday.

"He came out of the work really good and cooled out well," Decker said. "He looked good yesterday morning and today, so we're on target."

The Vanderbilt, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, will be Awesome Banner's first race on the NYRA circuit since finishing ninth in the Grade 1 Carter on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Since then, the Jacks or Better Farm's bay colt rebounded to finish third in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint and second last out in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint on July 1 at Gulfstream Park.

"In the Carter, we tried an equipment change and he didn't take to that," Decker said. "We took the blinkers back off of him and he seemed to bounce back. He's had two nice races and has been running against some real nice horses. He's doing well right now."

Awesome Banner has been ridden in the past by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Julien Leparoux among others, though Decker said he does not have a committed jockey for the Vanderbilt just yet.

"We had one but we're kind of on the fence right now, we'll probably make that decision on entry day," he said.

Decker said Fellowship is ready to make his first start since a sixth-place effort in the Grade 2 Belmont Sprint Championship on July 8 at Belmont Park as he targets one of the graded stakes on August 5 at Mountaineer Racetrack, with the West Virginia Governor's a possibility.

"We're looking to stretch him back out," Decker said. "He shows a little speed in his works but I think a mile or a little more is more his forte. He's doing well."

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Trainer Dallas Stewart reported Monday morning that graded stakes-placed Seeking the Soul exited his wide, late-running win in an allowance optional claiming race on Sunday at Saratoga in fine shape. 

A 4-year-old by Perfect Soul, Seeking the Soul was an impressive maiden winner when he made an unsuccessful jump up in class in the 2016 Belmont Stakes, finishing 12th of 13. He went on to finish third in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones and the Jefferson Cup later that season. 

Stewart was pleased with how the Charles Fipke homebred handled the stretch out to 1 1/8 miles around two turns on Sunday following a pair of sprint races this spring.

"He came in here ready to roll," said Stewart. "He ran at Belmont in a shorter race and just ran out of distance. It looks like he can handle the mile and an eighth here. We might try something with him later on, we'll see how he does."

Stewart said that multiple graded stakes winner Forever Unbridled is likely to make a return appearance at the Spa in the Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign on Travers Day, August 26. The 5-year-old daughter of Unbridled's Song has remained at Churchill Downs following her 1 ¾-length victory in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap on June 17 and will ship to Saratoga in the coming weeks.

Forever Unbridled was third to Cavorting in last year's Personal Ensign and bounced back with a 2 ¼-length win in the Grade 1 Beldame that fall at Belmont Park. She got a freshening after finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Distaff and returned to action more than seven months later in the Fleur de Lis.

"She's been very good since her win at Churchill, we're looking forward to making the race," Stewart said.

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Twisted Tom will stick with New York-breds for the time being after his half-length victory in the New York Derby at Finger Lakes Racetrack on Saturday, said trainer Chad Brown Monday morning. 

Brown said that the 3-year-old Creative Cause gelding will be pointed to the $250,000 Albany for state-bred 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on Saratoga's New York Showcase Day on August 25.

"He came out of his race at Finger Lakes in good shape and he'll point to the Albany," he said.

The New York Derby was the first start for Twisted Tom since finishing sixth in the Belmont Stakes on June 10 for his ownership group Cobra Farm, R R Partners and Head of Plains Partners. Prior to the Belmont, he rattled off three straight victories, including a pair of stakes at Laurel Park in the March 18 Private Terms and the April 22 Federico Tesio.

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Eye Luv Lulu will get back to sprinting in a field of 12 in Thursday's $100,000 John Morrissey for New York-breds at 6 ½ furlongs.

A 6-year-old gelding by Pollard's Vision, Eye Luv Lulu was claimed for $40,000 in February at Aqueduct Racetrack by trainer Rudy Rodriguez and owner Michael Dubb. He posted a pair of runner-up efforts in April, finishing second in the Caixa Eletronica and Affirmed Success at seven and six furlongs, respectively. 

Eye Luv Lulu tried out a one-turn mile for his new connections in the May 29 Commentator over a sloppy and sealed track at Belmont Park in his last start, finishing a dull seventh.

"He was a nice claim for us," said Rodriguez. "It's going to be a very, very salty race but he's doing very good. I think we screwed up with the distance [in the Commentator]. I thought maybe he'd be ok; he won at a mile but with a different kind of horses. Now I think the race is going to be tough but I think he can compete with those horses."

Eye Luv Lulu will have the services of Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 9, where he will face a formidable cast of characters. From the rail out: Weekend Hideaway; Bustin It; Ostrolenka; Brimstone; Gypsum Johnny; Fish Trappe Road; Breakin the Fever; Candid Desire; Eye Luv Lulu; Papa Shot; T Loves a Fight; Celtic Chaos.

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Nominations for Week 3 stakes at Saratoga Race Course have been released, anchored by the co-feature event of the season, the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney on Saturday, August 5.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimney Farm's multiple Grade 1 winner Gun Runner leads 11 nominations for the 1 1/8-mile Whitney, a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifier for the $6 million Classic on November 4 at Del Mar.

Gun Runner, a 4-year-old colt by Candy Ride, is exiting a seven-length victory in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on June 17 at Churchill Downs, his first race back since finishing second to Arrogate in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in March. Conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Gun Runner picked up his first Grade 1 win in the Clark Handicap last fall, following a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He kicked off his year with a front running 5 ¾-length score in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn in February.

Also nominated to the Whitney are a trio of Loooch Racing color bearers in Jeremiah Englehart trainee Alex the Terror, Cautious Giant for trainer Anthony Quartarolo, and Grade 2 Brooklyn winner War Story from the barn of Jorge Navarro; multiple Grade 3 winner Awesome Slew, second to Mind Your Biscuits in the Grade 2 Belmont Sprint for trainer Mark Casse and Live Oak Plantation; the Reade Baker-trained Breaking Lucky, third in the Stephen Foster for Gunpowder Farms and West Point Thoroughbreds, et al; Speedway Stable's Collected, a 14-length winner of the Grade 3 Precisionist from the Hall of Fame barn of Bob Baffert; stakes-placed Discreet Lover for Uriah St. Lewis; multiple graded stakes winner Keen Ice, exiting a three-length score in the Grade 2 Suburban for trainer Todd Pletcher and Donegal Racing and Calumet Farm; Winning Move Stable's Chilean-bred stakes winner Tu Brutus for the Gary Contessa barn; and Grade 3 Ben Ali winner Watershed for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and Godolphin Racing. 

The Whitney is one of five stakes on tap for August 5, including the Grade 1, $500,000 Test for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs, which attracted 20 nominations, along with the Grade 3, $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya, the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure, and the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose.

For a full list of stakes nominations, please visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/horsemen.

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With a final bankroll of $340.50 in mythical cash, TMocere7 took home the top prize of 50,000 NYRA Bets points in the inaugural day of the Saratoga Showdown contest, a free online game that gives fans a chance to compete for prizes. Winning contestants are also awarded a sweepstakes entry into a grand prize drawing for a VIP package to the 2018 Belmont Stakes valued at $2,000. 

The contest runs every live racing day at Saratoga during the airing of NYRA's flagship TV show "Saratoga Live" and has three alternating formats. On Sunday, there was a win-place-show contest during races 7 through 10, where players picked one horse in each race and a mythical $5 win-place-show bet was placed.

On Monday, the Saratoga Showdown will feature an exacta box contest encompassing Races 7-9 and starts at approximately 4:24 p.m. Participants choose three horses in each race for a mythical $1 exacta box. The player with the highest bankroll after each race gets a sweepstakes entry, and the player with the largest bankroll at the end of the day earns 50,000 NYRA Bets points, as well as the sweepstakes entry.