Samraat / Chelsea Durand Photo

Saratoga Race Course Notes - 8/29/16

by NYRA Press Office

Samraat 'all systems go' for G1 Woodward
Bradester looks to ride win streak into G1 Woodward, G3 Sanford winner Bitumen has bullet work for G1 Hopeful
Everybodyluvsrudy possible for G1 Hopeful
Coasted to face six turf fillies in P. G. Johnson
Tepin puts in bullet breeze over Oklahoma Training Track turf
Effinex targets G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup; Jerkens looks for improvement from Jay Gatsby in G2 Bernard Baruch
King Kreesa's West Point victory brings back memories for Donk

Grade 2 Suburban Handicap runner-up Samraat remains on track for the Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward Saturday, having emerged from his five-furlong breeze this weekend in good order, said trainer Rick Violette Monday morning.

For Samraat, whose last victory came by a hard-fought neck in the 2014 Gotham, the road back to the winner's circle has been an extensive one at best.

Bred in New York by My Meadowview Farm, the son of Noble Causeway started his career with a five-race win streak, including Grade 3 victories in the Withers and Gotham as a 3-year-old in 2014, before being handed his first defeat by Wicked Strong in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial. 

Samraat had earned his shot on the Triple Crown, however, finishing a troubled fifth in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in the Belmont that spring. Samraat was on target to make a comeback in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy that summer when he suffered a stress fracture in a shin that ultimately kept him away from the races for 13 months.

After a lengthy rehabilitation, he returned for one start as a 4-year-old, finishing a distant fifth in an optional claiming race in July 2015 at Belmont Park and aggravating his old injury.

"He didn't come out of it OK," Violette said of the race. "He basically redid it. Obviously, it didn't work with therapy so we had to give him more time."

Samraat underwent an operation to ensure a more corrective resolution and received another lengthy break, this time taking nine months between starts.

"It works, but you also have patient owners because it takes a long time to get them back," said Violette. "There's a long period of jogging and just toughening up that bone."

Samraat got back to business this spring, making his 5-year-old debut at Aqueduct in April, where finished third in an optional claiming race behind fellow stakes contenders Matterhorn and Stormin Monarcho. The New York-bred millionaire reemerged among the stakes ranks, posting a runner-up finish to Anchor Down in the Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont in May and a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Brooklyn on Belmont Stakes Day. In the Suburban, Samraat led throughout but lost the bob to a hard-charging Effinex.

"He ran really well in the Westchester, it's a flat mile so it was kind of short for him," said Violette. "We had a really tough trip in the Brooklyn. We got stuffed down inside with a slow pace. It was a deceptively good race, if he had gotten clear, he would've been first or second. Then he ran his eyeballs out in the Suburban and got beat a lip by a very nice horse."

Samraat has breezed weekly at Violette's summer Saratoga base, including a mile breeze in 1:41.44 on August 20. He turned in his final major move ahead of the Woodward on Saturday to cover five furlongs in 1:01.76.

"He relishes it, he loves working," said Violette. "It'll be eight weeks going from the Suburban to the Woodward so he needed to do something [longer], but he's fit. He's came out of his breezes well, so we're all systems go." 

*         *         *

Joseph Sutton's Bradester will look to ride his three-race win streak all the way into Saratoga's closing weekend in the Grade 1 Woodward.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, the 6-year-old son of Lion Heart has been perfect in all three of his starts this year, winning the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup, the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs and the Majestic Light at Monmouth. All resulted triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. In 2015, Bradester notched victories in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile and the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup before ending his season with a ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

"He had plenty of racing last year, so after the Breeders' Cup we thought we would give him a little extra time over the winter and focus on a summer-fall campaign with him this year," said Kenneally. "So far it's working good. He's a fresh horse, a lightly raced horse this year. He's grown up again and he's even more mature now than he ever was."

Last Saturday, Bradester breezed a half-mile in 48.71 seconds on the main track, his third local work since winning the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup on a sloppy and sealed track by 2 ½ lengths on July 31.

"[It was] real good," said Kenneally of the move. "Just maintenance. Nothing too fancy, nothing too fast. Just keeping him fit, keeping him sound, keeping him ticking. It was just what we wanted, really. He's a fast horse but he did that well within himself."

Ridden in each of his victories by "Jersey Joe" Bravo this year, Bradester has proved to be the prevailing speed, although Kenneally notes, it is not a set-in-stone strategy for the Woodward.

"We'll play it by ear," said Kenneally. "Depending on the post positions, the break, see how the race unfolds. He's shown some speed in his races but there's other horses in there that have speed as well.  So we'll just play it by ear and see how the race unfolds and leave it up to Joe Bravo, who rides him with a lot of confidence. We try to not change too much."

Grade 3 Sanford winner Bitumen earned the bullet for his final work Monday morning ahead of his closing weekend assignment, the Grade 1, $350,000 Hopeful on September 5. The 2-year-old Mineshaft colt covered four furlongs in 48.65 seconds on the main track, the fastest of 46 at the distance.

"He worked super," Kenneally reported. "He likes the track. He's had a while since the Sanford and he's done well training here this summer. He's trained along nicely here all summer and hasn't missed a beat since the Sanford. He's still has an advantage over some of the other horses, he's ran twice. Some of them have only run once. So the timing is ideal, really."

*         *         *

Everybodyluvsrudy is under serious consideration for the Grade 1, $350,000 Hopeful on Closing Day, Monday, September 5, trainer Rudy Rodriguez said on Monday morning. The 2-year-old Union Rags chestnut colt was second in his debut on July 1 at Belmont Park, finishing just three-quarters of a length behind Jewel Heist, who returned to finish fourth on August 6 in the Florida Sire Dr. Fager Stakes at Gulfstream Park. 

"I think he's a good fit for that race," Rodriguez said. "He's a baby but he's done everything we've asked him. He's training very good, so we just hope that he brings his 'A' game and shows up the right way." 

Everybodyluvsrudy was scheduled to make his Spa debut on August 13 in a maiden special weight but was scratched. Rodriguez said that could leave him well-rested for his graded stakes debut.

"We were disappointed we had to scratch him, but he had a little reaction," Rodriguez said. "We want to get him back out there."

Rodriguez has 11 wins during the Saratoga meet, putting him in fourth place, one behind Kiaran McLaughlin, entering Monday's card.

"We'll just try to finish Saratoga and when we go back home, we'll regroup and put the fresher horses up," he said. "Right now, we're just concentrating on Saratoga."

*         *         *

Seven up-and-coming juvenile fillies will go postward on Thursday for the 12th running of the $100,000 P.G. Johnson at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf.

Heading the field is Treadway Racing Stable's Coasted, an eye-catching six-length winner when switched to the turf at the P.G. Johnson distance on August 7. Trained by Leah Gyarmati, the Tizway filly had finished an even fifth in her debut going 5 ½ furlongs at Belmont Park behind winner Libby's Way, beaten favorite in the Grade 2 Adirondack next out. 

Jose Lezcano rides from post position 4. 

Majestic Bonnie, also a maiden winner at 1 1/16 miles at the Spa for trainer George Weaver, drew the outside post position 7 and will be ridden by Manny Franco.

Making her North American and stakes debut for trainer Graham Motion is Naifah, who enters off three consecutive second-place finishes in England. The Irish-bred daughter of Kodiak most recently was beaten just a half-length going seven furlongs at Doncaster over good going.

She will be ridden from post position 1 by Jose Ortiz.

Rounding out the field are Lady Joan and Mo Promise, who finished 1-2 in a 5 ½-furlong maiden turf event on July 25; the Todd Pletcher-trained Bahama Halo, a 5 ¾-length maiden winner on June 22 at Belmont Park, and Noble Ready from trainer Christophe Clement, making her first start since breaking her maiden on July 16 at Delaware Park. 

*         *         *

Unraced since her victory in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, Eclipse Champion Turf Mare Tepin visited the Oklahoma training track this morning, breezing five furlongs in a bullet 58.44 seconds, in company, with jockey Florent Geroux aboard. 

"We realized this is going to be one of her pretty big spaces in between races and decided we wanted to let her train a touch more aggressive today," said trainer Mark Casse. "She looked good today and we're happy with the work. That just shows you how great she is."

Tepin is undefeated in her last seven starts dating back to October 2015 when she won the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland, following a narrow loss in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga. The 5-year-old daughter of Bernstein's next likely assignment is the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on October 17 leading up to the Breeders' Cup Mile.

"Our next target is Woodbine but then we'll see," added Casse. "We have a couple of options. We could go to Keeneland and maybe run in the Grade 1 Shadwell Mile [October 8] or just bypass and go straight to the Breeders Cup. I feel like this was another positive move forward so knock on wood." 

*         *         *

Opting to pass on the Grade 1 Woodward, trainer Jimmy Jerkens reported multiple graded stakes winner Effinex has been in fine fettle following his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 6. The 5-year-old son of Mineshaft is next slated to target the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on October 8. 

"Right now, it looks like he won't run again until the Gold Cup, so we're not really getting after him too much at the moment," said Jerkens. "He's just been getting the occasional strong gallop and hasn't had a scheduled work since he ran. We'll start getting back serious with him when we return to Belmont."

Jerkens is expected to enter Jay Gatsby in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap on closing day. 

The 4-year-old Giant's Causeway colt is coming off a hard-fought second-place finish in the August 6 Lure, in which he rallied from next-to-last to miss by a nose. On Sunday, he breezed five furlongs over the Oklahoma turf course in 1:04.46.

"He's doing good and had a nice work yesterday," said Jerkens. "That was a hard loss in the Lure. He actually was ahead of that horse [Shining Copper] late in the lane and just lost the bob. It was good to see the horse [Offering Plan] that was behind them come back run a good third in the West Point the other day [August 28]. I think he's a legitimate contender and has to improve but it looks like he's been getting there and moving forward little by little."

*         *         *

When trainer David Donk stepped into the winner's circle following King Kreesa's victory this past Friday in the $150,000 West Point on New York Showcase Day, thoughts of his old boss Woody Stephens filled his head.

Donk, 56, ran his fleet turf star in the West Point to a nose victory just six days after the 7-year-old son of King Cugat had run a gritty fourth in the Grade 1 Fourstardave at the Spa.

Donk worked for Stephens as an assistant from 1984 to 1991 and knew well the story of how the trainer had won the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap with Conquistador Cielo on May 31, 1982 and five days later sent the colt back out to take the1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes, the first of an untouchable five straight wins for Stephens in the "Test of the Champion." 

Conquistador Cielo wound up champion 3-year-old and Horse of the Year, and Stephens landed in racing's Hall of Fame. So when asked about the quick turnaround for King Kreesa, Donk summoned the ghost of his old boss, who died at 84 in 1998.

"I'm going to be honest: When [jockey] Irad [Ortiz] jumped off him after the Fourstardave, he was adamant that I should run him back, and he really got me thinking about it," Donk said. "On my way back to the barn, I ran into some old friends from when I worked for Woody. One person I ran into was Vonnie, the girl that galloped Conquistador Cielo, and she told me all they did with him in between those races was walk him.

"I said, 'This is karma,' and it really had me thinking. [King Kreesa] was good on Sunday and good on Monday when we entered. I told the clients, 'We have 45 minutes to post time to scratch him if we want to.'"

They ran in West Point off the short rest and King Kreesa was sent right to the front by jockey Jose Ortiz and held off his old rival Kharafa to improve his lifetime record to 11 wins from 34 starts with earnings of $1,371,704. 

"Listen," Donk said, "I'll use another Woody quote, 'A good horse overcomes all rider and trainer mistakes.'"