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Seize the Grey logs final work for G2 Jim Dandy pres. by Mohegan Sun

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• Seize the Grey logs final work for G2 Jim Dandy pres. by Mohegan Sun
• Tumbarumba points to G1 Whitney
• G1-winner Brightwork likely to return in G1 Test presented by Ticketmaster
• Angkor pointed to G1 Forego; Xigera to G1 Personal Ensign
• Italian Soiree points to G3 Adirondack

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas sat in his Saratoga Race Course office Wednesday morning, reviewing his spreadsheets and mapping out plans for his string of trainees on the Oklahoma portion of Saratoga’s expansive backstretch.

Over five decades of training, Lukas has seen much change about the sport of horse racing, and has taken it all in stride as he continues to win top-level races at the age of 88 [and soon to be 89] years-young. What he did not foresee happening in the sport was the ability of a group of more than 2,000 owners to campaign a single horse, or for said horse to find its way into his stable.

That notion became a reality a few short years ago when the microshare partnership MyRacehorse approached the legendary conditioner about taking on the training duties of a handful of young horses.

“When they approached me, I told them that I thought it was a great concept, but I didn’t think it fit me at this point in my career,” Lukas recalled. “I asked if there was a buffer between me and the 2,700 people, and they said, ‘yes,’ and that I would deal with one or two people. So, I said OK.”

That decision proved historic for Lukas, who would receive a promising son of Arrogate from the group last year that was later named Seize the Grey. The handsome colt graduated at Saratoga last summer to the delight of around 2,700 members of the partnership, and would provide even bigger thrills as a sophomore when capturing the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Preakness two weeks later at Pimlico Race Course. The Preakness triumph made Lukas the eldest trainer to have ever won a Triple Crown event.

Though Lukas has likely seen nearly everything in horse racing, he had never seen a reaction quite like the one at the Preakness.

“When they won the Preakness, the way the mob reacted, I thought I was at a football pep rally,” Lukas quipped. “They were chanting and throwing their fists in the air and crying. I’ve won some nice races before, but I never saw a crowd act like that.”

The ownership’s happiness has reminded Lukas of what makes horse racing so special, and is a prime example of all that he has hoped and attempted to achieve for each of his clients in his illustrious career.

“I’ve always tried as a trainer to bring people into this, and I always take kids into the winner’s circle. I even did that day with the mob,” Lukas said, with a laugh. “A couple people will come by the barn and ask to take a picture of the horse, but I open the door and tell them no problem.”

This weekend, Seize the Grey has a chance to provide his owners with more milestones as he cuts back to nine furlongs for Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun in his first outing since an even off-the-board finish to Dornoch in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets here on June 8.

Seize the Grey shipped to Churchill Downs after the Belmont and returned earlier this month to the Spa, where he has breezed at distances ranging from a half-mile to six furlongs over both the main and Oklahoma training tracks. He posted his final work in prep for the Jim Dandy on Tuesday over the training track rated “wet-fast”, covering a half-mile in 47.99 seconds.

“He was very strong and I’m very pleased with him,” said Lukas. “I told the rider to go 47 and a fifth, and she went 47 and four. Trainers are always going to tell you, ‘He did it all within himself.’ But I really was pleased. It sharpened him up I think and put him on his toes.”

Seize the Grey is one of four horses entered this week at Saratoga for Lukas, who is still in search of his first win of the 2024 Saratoga meet. However, the veteran knows better than most how difficult the Spa can be.

“I’m not having the best meet so far, but I stopped working on my resume a long time ago,” said Lukas. “Seize the Grey can turn things around for me. Up here, you’ve got to win 10 races and two Grade 1s to break even.”

Seize the Grey will emerge from post 2 in rein to regular pilot Jaime Torres.

***

Tumbarumba points to G1 Whitney

Wathnan Racing’s Tumbarumba, a nose winner of the one-mile Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper in January at Gulfstream Park, will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 3, at Saratoga Race Course. The Whitney offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

Trained by Brian Lynch, the 4-year-old Oscar Performance gelding followed his graded coup with two narrow losses in graded company at Gulfstream, missing by a nose to Steal Sunshine under Luis Saez in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 2 before Jose Ortiz guided the hard-knocking bay to a neck loss to likely returning rival Il Miracolo in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Ghostzapper.

“But the thing is, both riders stepped off him and said, 'if I had a chance to ride him again boss, I wouldn't get beat.' It's one of them things, you just have to take it on the chin,” said Lynch, whose past graded winners at the Spa include Five Iron [2013 G3 Saranac], Grand Arch [2015 G2 Fourstardave] and Heart to Heart [2017 G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap].

Last out, Tumbarumba returned from a three-month respite to finish a close second to possible Whitney contender Cagliostro in the one-mile Hanshin on June 30 at Churchill Downs. There, he exited the inside post under Saez and saved ground in fourth position before tipping out for the stretch run and taking dead aim at the more prominent Cagliostro, who scored by one length.

"He had a few starts during the winter, but we gave him a freshen-up for a good summer campaign and that was his first run back,” Lynch said. “We feel like he's in very good order and we'll take a chance at the Whitney."

Lynch said despite the recent narrow defeats, the resilient Tumbarumba may get knocked down, but he gets up again.

“It's a good quality,” said Lynch. “He's got a lot of try in him, that's for sure.”

Saez will retain the mount in the Whitney aboard Tumbarumba, who has hit the board in both previous nine-furlong stakes attempts, landing third, defeated a head, in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby in September at Remington Park and second in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic in December at Fair Grounds.

Bred in Louisiana by Coteau Grove Farms, Tumbarumba won a pair of sprints in Kentucky last year before taking the Ellis Park Derby in August at one mile out of a similar chute configuration to that of the Wilson Chute at Saratoga.

Tumbarumba is out of the winning Street Sense mare Naïve Enough, who is a full-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Light the City. Selected by Lynch for $30,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, Tumbarumba has banked $538,190 through a 15-5-5-2 ledger.

Lynch also noted that Boardshorts Stables’ impressive debut maiden winner Owen Almighty will point to the seven-furlong Ellis Park Juvenile on August 11.

The 2-year-old Speightstown colt earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure for his professional 3 1/2-length score traveling 5 1/2-furlongs on June 20 at Churchill. The $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase has breezed back three times at Churchill, including a five-eighths effort in 1:01.60 on July 20.

"It was a good debut,” Lynch said. “He's trained on well and we're hoping that he can progress in the fashion we would like him to. You always have hopes and dreams you could have a little Breeders' Cup horse.”

Lynch indicated a good result at Ellis Park would propel Owen Almighty to the one-mile Grade 3 Iroquois at the Churchill fall meet.

Owen Almighty is out of the graded stakes-placed Bayern mare Tempers Rising, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Mac the Man.

***

G1-winner Brightwork likely to return in G1 Test presented by Ticketmaster

WSS Racing’s Grade 1-winner Brightwork is probable to return from an over eight month layoff in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by John Ortiz, the Outwork bay began her juvenile campaign 4-for-4, highlighted by a pair of local graded stakes sprints including the Grade 1 Spinaway in September and the Grade 3 Adirondack one month prior. She exited to off-the-board finishes going 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades in October at Keeneland and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Santa Anita Park.

Ortiz said Brightwork, his first Grade 1-winner, will likely make her return and seasonal debut at the top-level in the Test.

“That’s the plan for now. So far, all systems are go,” said Ortiz. “Listen, we are in Saratoga, you go big or go home. She’s proven herself before and I know I’m asking a lot of her, but at the same time there is nowhere else that we can go with her. I’m confident in her.”

Brightwork worked five-furlongs from the gate in 1:00 flat on Sunday over the Saratoga main track, ranking second-of-23 workers at the distance. Hall of Famer John Velazquez was up for the solo breeze.

“She had the gate work 14 days out, just a little reminder [of the gate]. We wanted to do a little more than just a maintenance work, but at the same time, not too much,” said Ortiz. “She did that very well. I was very pleased. Johnny Velazquez was on her and he is very content with their effort.”

Ortiz added that Brightwork will have one more maintenance work and if all goes well, she will enter the Test.

Brightwork, a $95,000 weanling purchase from the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November Sale is out of the unraced Malibu Moon mare Clarendon Fancy, who also produced stakes-placed Quiet Company. She has banked $501,376 through a 6-4-0-0 record.

Poindexter Thoroughbreds’ Spankerboom may also appear this summer at the Spa. The 2-year-old Mendelssohn filly won a 4 1/2-furlong sprint in June at Churchill Downs on debut ahead of a third last-out as the beaten favorite in the 5 1/2-furlong Prairie Gold Lassie on July 5 at Prairie Meadows.

Ortiz said Spankerboom will point towards the 5 1/2-furlong turf Bolton Landing on August 18 here.

“She’s a Mendelssohn and I want to be looking into trying her on the turf,” said Ortiz. “The Bolton Landing, we’re going to kind of point her to that one.”

Bred in Kentucky by H. Allen Poindexter, Spankerboom is out of the stakes-placed Cape Blanco mare Spanker. She was a $32,000 RNA at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

***

Angkor pointed to G1 Forego; Xigera to G1 Personal Ensign

Trainer Phil Bauer will have much to look forward to with owner Rigney Racing during Travers Week at Saratoga Race Course as two of his top trainees eye Grade 1 events during the lucrative week of racing. Dual graded stakes-winner Xigera soars into the nine-furlong $500,000 Personal Ensign on August 23, while the stakes-placed Angkor fixes his sights on the seven-furlong $500,000 Forego on the August 24 Travers Day card.

Xigera, a 4-year-old Nyquist dark bay, was last seen finishing fifth under Julien Leparoux in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on June 29 at Churchill Downs, where a tight stretch battle saw her bumped and steadied hard in a scuffle with the victorious Scylla and fourth-place Occult. Leparoux lodged an objection against the riders of Scylla and Occult, which resulted in no change to the order of finish.

Bauer said he dusted off the frustrating result and returned Xigera to the work tab on Saturday at Saratoga, where she covered a half-mile in 51 seconds over the main track.

“The Fleur de Lis was a football game down the stretch,” Bauer said. “We just let her stretch her legs and get back on the work tab. We weren’t looking for a time, just something similar to what she did.”

The talented Xigera landed two graded stakes victories last year when posting open-lengths romps in the Grade 2 Mother Goose at Belmont at the Big A and Grade 3 Falls City at Churchill, which were preceded by a 6 1/4-length trouncing of the Seneca Overnight at the Louisville oval. This year, she has hit the board in 1-of-3 starts when a pacesetting second to Scylla in the Grade 3 Shawnee at Churchill.

Bauer acknowledged the Personal Ensign will be a tough task as the field will likely include the formidable Champion Older Dirt Female Idiomatic.

“She likes it up here and it’s going to be a lot to ask of her, but she’ll be game for it. If we’re not good enough, there’s plenty of options for her,” said a pragmatic Bauer. “We had high expectations for her this year, so we’ll keep swinging.”

Bauer added that Xigera has been a horse of a lifetime as she boasts a 13-6-2-1 record and nears millionaire status with $914,921 in total purse earnings.

“She’s one of the most talented horses I’ve been around and last fall was such a great ride she took us on,” said Bauer. “We’ll see what August brings, and I hope for her sake she can get back to the winner’s circle.”

Bauer hopes to roll the dice again in a Grade 1 one day later with Angkor, who he elected to skip Saturday’s six-furlong Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt here in favor of waiting for the Forego.

“We nominated [to the Vanderbilt] just to see how it would come up, but I didn’t want to run him in both heats up here,” said Bauer “We’ll space him a bit and hopefully run him until the end of the year.”

Angkor, a 6-year-old Anchor Down gelding, was most recently second in the Listed Kelly’s Landing on the same Churchill card as Xigera. There, he was wide throughout under Jose Ortiz and also faced some traffic issues in the final eighth, but kept on well to land place honors over dual Grade 2-winner Hoist the Gold. The effort yielded a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure, and was his eighth on-the-board finish in his last nine outings.

Bauer said he was pleased with the result after an uncharacteristic seventh in the Listed Aristides on June 1.

“He’s doing good; he’s a cool older horse and we’ll just make sure we’re back to 100 percent and fire back in the Forego,” said Bauer. “He’s been a pleasure to train. We struggled with his feet early on in his career, and once we got those right he started being more consistent. Maturity has helped, too, even though he was a first-out winner. This is a lofty goal, but Mr. Rigney wants to take a swing at it and maybe if we’re good enough, it propels us to other big things at the end of the year.”

Later in the meet, Bauer indicated he could have two prospects for the Grade 3, $200,000 Prioress on August 31 in Grade 3-placed Halina’s Forte and impressive last-out allowance winner Princess Madison.

Halina’s Forte garnered graded black type last out with a third-place effort behind Emery and Mystic Lake in the Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 4 at Belmont at the Big A. The Mitole bay won her first stakes earlier this year in the Ruthless at the Big A after a pair of runner-up efforts in stakes this winter.

“She has run her race every time and we’re going to give her a little breather and point to the Prioress,” said Bauer. “The effort at Aqueduct was legitimate and those two horses that beat her may just be better. There’s nothing wrong with trying to find her an easier spot and avoid those two, but she’s certainly a nice filly in her own right.”

Princess Madison earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure for a three-quarter-length local allowance score last out on July 19, adding to a 7 1/4-length graduation at third asking on June 8 at Churchill.

"They gave her a huge number, so – knock wood – she’s on her way hopefully to some black type 3-year-old races,” said Bauer. “She’s really talented and tipped her hand early on before she even ran that she was loaded with talent, so I’m glad to see her put things together, especially on this stage here. It was a lot of fun.”

Bauer indicated the Prioress, Grade 2 Charles Town Oaks on August 23 at its namesake course, and Grade 3 Dogwood in September at Churchill are all under consideration for the filly’s next outing.

***

Italian Soiree points to G3 Adirondack

Impressive debut winner Italian Soiree has bounced out of her maiden score in fine order and looks to set her sights on the Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack, a 6 1/2-furlong test for juvenile fillies on August 4, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by John Terranova for owners Hit the Bid Racing Stable, Morplay Racing, and Randall Hartley, Italian Soiree graduated on July 4 at Belmont at the Big A. The daughter of Uncle Mo and the Smart Strike mare Social Call was a $600,000 purchase at the Ocala Breeders March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale where she worked 10 flat over the Tapeta to earn that hefty price tag.

She now looks to take her owners dancing into the Saratoga winner’s circle.

“She will have a workout this weekend. As long as everything is good, we are looking at the Adirondack. She is doing really well.” Terranova said.

The Terranova barn looks to give two of their turf stakes horses a little bit of a breather dropping down into allowance company in the coming week here at the Spa. The 5-year-old turf sprinting Kantharos gelding Our Shot has battled stakes company in his last seven starts dating to September 2023.

Last seen finishing a closing fourth in the Get Serious on June 16 at Monmouth Park, Our Shot looks to get some class relief in an allowance race here Sunday if all goes to plan. Although nominated to the Grade 2 $300,000 Troy for older horses on August 3 going 5 1/2-furlongs over the Mellon course, Our Shot’s conditioner wanted to take advantage of the conditions the gelding still had.

“He is doing very well right now. I entered him today for Sunday in a nice allowance race that they got here, so we are going to look at that first,” Terranova said. “I don’t think we are going to go in the Troy if that [allowance race] goes and everything is good through the weekend.”

Our Shot has compiled a 5-2-1 record in 16 lifetime starts and ran his career best 98 Beyer Speed Figure going the 5 1/2-furlong distance. Racing for Gatsas Stable, Steven Schoenfeld and Terranova, the Pennsylvania-bred has earned $346,355.

Working in company last Sunday on the Oklahoma Turf with Our Shot was Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill stable and Steven Schoenfeld’s Freedom Trail. From the first crop of Collected and out of the War Front mare Freedom, Freedom Trail looks to return to the races for the first time since November where he was last seen finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Hill Prince at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The pair covered four furlongs in 47.66 seconds with Freedom Trail to the outside of Our Shot.

“Our Shot is obviously a fast horse and he’s just a little sharper. I wanted a little bit of a sharper work out of both of them going into their next starts. Overall, very happy with the work and how both came out of it,” Terranova said.

Freedom Trail has been outside of stakes company twice in his nine lifetime starts. He was a debut winner at Belmont at the Big A in September 2022, and followed with a win in the Listed Awad over the same turf course.

Wearing blinkers in all but his last two starts, Freedom Trail has been working in a set for his last few works and could see them put back on for his next outing.

“I am going to play it by ear,” Terranova said. “He is a pretty smart horse and he will do whatever we need.”

The 4-year-old son of Collected is nominated to the $135,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure on August 3 here, a restricted stake going 1 1/16 miles on the turf for older horses who have not won a graded sweepstake in 2024. However, Terranova said that the Lure might be too much of an ask coming off the bench for Freedom Trail.

“The Lure is a possibility but there is also an allowance race that weekend too that we are looking at,” Terranova said. “He is coming off a bit of a layoff so we might not jump back into stakes company for his first start. More than likely, he will be in the allowance.”

Terranova has an interesting entry in Thrill of It in Race 8 on Friday here, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint over the Mellon course. A New York-bred gelding by Bal a Bali out of the winning The Factor mare Gulf Front, Thrill of It is owned by his trainer and will try the grass for the first time in his 21-start career good for a record of 4-1-5 and purse earnings of $260,863 thus far.

“He started out on the dirt, and he just continued and did really well,” Terranova said. “We did work him on the turf as a 2-year-old, but he just wasn’t quite there yet, so we didn’t really think twice about it. Once we started running on the dirt, he did so well we never thought about going back to the turf.”

One of the many unique offerings at Saratoga is the access to turf works on the Oklahoma turf course on Fridays and Sundays. Terranova and team took advantage of that with Thrill of It working twice over the surface.

“We decided to breeze him on the turf while we were up here and sure enough, he looked pretty darn good,” Terranova said. “We did it twice back-to-back with Our Shot, a quality horse. We liked what we saw, so we thought it was worth putting him in and taking a look and maybe giving him a try.

“He looks great coming into this,” added Terranova. “I don’t know if 5 1/2 [furlongs] is good for him or if he will want to stretch back out to a mile. He has won going a mile on the dirt and has done well going six [furlongs], so this might be a touch short but maybe it is something for the future. We are going to find out and, obviously, if it comes off we are in a good spot.”

Breaking from post 7, Thrill of It will have Luis Rivera, Jr. in the irons [ML 15-1].