Sovereignty seeks Godolphin’s third G1 DraftKings Travers

Saratoga Race Course Notes

• Sovereignty seeks Godolphin’s third G1 DraftKings Travers

• Iron Dome earns 93 BSF for $200K Albany presented by Albany Distilling Company

• Vehemente may try turf next after $200K Fleet Indian score

• Hold My Bourbon steps up for G1 Forego; White Abarrio works for G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup

While Sovereignty looks to provide Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott with his first Travers victory on Saturday, he will also be after his owner and breeder Godolphin’s third triumph in the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers, a 1 1/4-mile test for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Travers [Race 13, approx. 6:14 p.m. Eastern] is one of five Grade 1s scheduled for Saturday’s lucrative 14-race program, including the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in Race 10 and three top-level Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifiers with the Forego [Dirt Mile] in Race 12, Resorts World Casino Ballerina [Filly and Mare Sprint] in Race 11 and the Personal Ensign [Distaff] in Race 9. The card is supported by the Grade 2, $400,000 Lake Placid in Race 7.

First post on Saturday’s card is 11:10 a.m. Eastern with gates opening to the public at 9:00 a.m. A special DraftKings Travers Day edition of Saratoga Live will air on FS2 beginning at noon. FOX Saratoga Saturday will present live coverage and analysis of the DraftKings Travers Day stakes action beginning at 3 p.m. 

Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock for Godolphin USA, checked on the dual Classic-winner on Friday morning at the Spa. 

“I was over there this morning and was extremely happy with the way he looks,” said Banahan. “He had a beautiful gallop this morning and really couldn't look any better. So, all systems go.” 

Sovereignty enters from three consecutive victories, taking the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May at Churchill Downs ahead of the local Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in June and the Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun last out on July 26 here.

“He's looking as well as ever before and I said to Bill, ‘you know, maybe he's gotten bigger and stronger,’” Banahan said. “He paddock-schooled fantastic [on Thursday] and looks to be in great shape. This is still going to take a little bit of winning for sure, we can’t take this for granted. There’s nice new horses in there, and hopefully he gets a little bit of pace to run at and if he can run as well as he did the last couple of races, I think we'd be pleased.” 

Banahan said Godolphin, who has won this event with Alpha [2012, dead-heat with Golden Ticket] and Essential Quality [2021], would be honored to secure Mott his elusive Travers. The trainer has had 13 starters in 12 Travers dating to 1995, finishing second with Vision and Verse [1999], Hold Me Back [2009] and Tacitus [2019].

“Just look at his track record and the resume he’s already built - a lot of super horses through the years, Cigar, Royal Delta, and he obviously did a fantastic job for us with Cody’s Wish,” Banahan said. “He’s done the same with Sovereignty. I think if he gets his hands on a good horse, he is very methodical with how he likes to let them develop. Once he gets them to a certain level, he can maintain that standard for quite a while. 

“He is just a naturally gifted horseman, and we are lucky to have horses in training with him. He’s done a super job with Sovereignty and hopefully we’ll have a big finish to the year with him,” Banahan added. 

Sovereignty, with his first Travers win-seeking regular rider Junior Alvarado up, is tabbed at 2-5 on the morning line from post 4 in the field of five. 

Banahan added that Highland Falls, last year’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, is likely to attempt a title defense on August 31 here off a one-length second to Sierra Leone in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 2 here. 

The race offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar and has attracted an all-star list of nominations, including last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic-winner Sierra Leone, Grade 1 Stephen Foster-winner Mindframe and multiple Grade 1-winner White Abarrio. 

“He’s based here at Saratoga, so all going well, it looks like we’ll show up in the Jockey Club Gold Cup,” Banahan said. “That is going to be another top race. It will keep the fans engaged, that’s for sure.” 

Highlighted by the 107th running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup, a special edition of Saratoga Live presented by Caesars Sportsbook will air on FOX from 1-2 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, August 31.

Iron Dome earns 93 BSF for $200K Albany presented by Albany Distilling Company

L and N Racing and breeder Chester Broman, Sr.’s Iron Dome notched his third consecutive dominant win over course and distance at the meet in Thursday’s $200,000 Albany presented by Albany Distilling Company, a nine-furlong test for New York-bred sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen also sent out the winner of the prior race with Perfect Shot capturing a one-mile optional claimer in Race 8, and the barn is heating up during a week that includes Magnitude in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers, a 1 1/4-mile test for sophomores.

Iron Dome graduated fifth-out by 10 1/2 lengths versus state-bred maidens 3-years-old and up on July 16 ahead of a last-out 11-length allowance victory versus state-bred elders on August 7 here. The Into Mischief bay continued his upward progression with a stalking 6 3/4-length score on Thursday in a final time of 1:51.78, earning a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure. 

“I’m obviously very happy with him,” Asmussen said. “There was a very key scratch [favored Train the Trainer] yesterday morning. That made it a very winnable race for him.” 

The $250,000 Empire Classic, a nine-furlong test for state-breds 3-years-old and up, on October 25 at Belmont at the Big A, is a possible next race. 

“We’ll see how he trains off of this,” said Asmussen. “He’s run four times up here at Saratoga counting Belmont Week, and then twice in two weeks, but he seems really good this morning. That seems like a strong possibility.” 

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Magnitude [post 1, Ben Curtis], an open-lengths winner of the Grade 2 Risen Star in February at Fair Grounds and the Listed Iowa Derby last out on July 5 at Prairie Meadows, is tabbed as the 2-1 second choice behind odds-on Sovereignty in the Travers. 

“I think that he is training really well,” Asmussen said. “We have nothing but respect for Sovereignty. We are 2-1 in a five-horse field in the Travers, so we are obviously excited about that.” 

Asmussen added that he plans on running Romeo and Soldier N Diplomat in the Grade 1 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful, a seven-furlong test for juveniles, on Closing Day September 1 here.

Vehemente may try turf next after $200K Fleet Indian score

International Equine’s Vehemente aced her farthest test to date when posting a 1 1/4-length victory in Thursday’s nine-furlong $200,000 Fleet Indian for New York-bred sophomore fillies at Saratoga Race Course. 

Trained by Joe Sharp, the daughter of Vekoma led at each point of call under regular rider Kendrick Carmouche and dug in gamely in the stretch to repel the challenge of the favored Kay Cup and cross the wire first in a final time of 1:51.75. The effort was awarded a 72 Beyer Speed Figure, and was her fourth win from her last five starts. 

“Came back super,” Sharp said in a text Sunday morning. “Very sound with plenty of energy.” 

Vehemente made her first nine outings at sprint distances and was stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the New York Oaks on July 14 at Finger Lakes where she endured a troubled trip and finished third. 

After her success at a route of ground on Thursday, Sharp said the Virginia-certified chestnut may take advantage of her conditions and try turf next in Colonial Downs’ Nellie Mae Cox Handicap at 1 1/16-miles for registered Virginia-bred or certified fillies and mares on September 13. 

Bred by Hibiscus Stables, Vehemente is out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Resoundingly – a five-time winner on turf – and is a half-sister to two winners over synthetic surfaces. Resoundingly is a half-sister to the Touch Gold mare Dream Affair, who produced dual synthetic graded stakes-winner Flipcup. 

Hold My Bourbon steps up for G1 Forego; White Abarrio works for G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup

Angela Lewis’ Hold My Bourbon will step into stakes company for the second time in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Forego, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course. 

The Forego awards the winner a “Win and You’re In” berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on November 1 at Del Mar. 

Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 4-year-old Anchor Down gray was last seen posting a sharp neck victory in a second-level optional claimer on August 2 over course and distance. Piloted by Jose Ortiz, Hold My Bourbon skipped away to a 1 1/2-length lead early and led through splits of 22.72 seconds and 45.46 over the fast footing before being met with a challenge from Echo Again heading into the stretch. The two slugged it out through the final furlong and Hold My Bourbon prevailed in a final time of 1:22.46, awarding him a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure. 

Joseph, Jr. said he was impressed with the way Hold My Bourbon handled the cutback from a runner-up effort in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer on June 14 at Churchill Downs, where he made his first outing for his current conditioner.

“I wasn’t sure about the cutback last time, but when he showed that kind of speed, I was very confident he’d run well,” Joseph, Jr. said. “I think if he can keep showing that kind of speed to get position at seven-eighths, he’d be a good horse to reckon with.”

Hold My Bourbon began his career with five sprint starts for trainer Eric Reed before moving to the Doug Cowans barn, where another five outings yielded a three-length optional claiming score going one-mile on the synthetic in March at Turfway Park. He then finished a distant last-of-12 in an April allowance over the Keeneland turf before moving to his current barn. 

The ridgling came to Joseph, Jr. with a 4-for-5 in-the-money record on dirt, and the conditioner said his aforementioned runner-up effort in June had an excuse. 

“He had run well on the dirt previously, and he trained so good,” Joseph, Jr. said. “I tried two turns first time on the dirt, he had never done that – he had done it on Tapeta. I thought he ran well [at Churchill], he stumbled, he kind of hopped in the gate, grabbed himself pretty good in that race and he still made a run and stopped for the second.”

Out of the winning Tiz Wonderful mare Tiz May West, Hold My Bourbon was a $9,500 RNA at the 2022 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. He has banked $271,080 through a 12-3-3-1 record. 

Multiple Grade 1-winner White Abarrio breezed a half-mile in 48.22 seconds Thursday over the Spa main track to the outside of Champagne Brunch in a work that Joseph, Jr. described as “perfect.” NYRA clockers caught the 6-year-old son of Race Day through splits of 24 3/5 and 48 1/5 before galloping out in 1:01 flat and 1:14 flat. 

Although initially pointed to the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on August 30 at Del Mar, the 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic champion will now stay put for the 10-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on August 31, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 1 at Del Mar. 

The Jockey Club Gold Cup is likely to feature a rematch of the top-four finishers from the Grade 1 Whitney on August 2, where White Abarrio completed hte superfecta behind the victorious Sierra Leone, runner-up Highland Falls and third-place Disarm.