Spirit of New York brings nice local debut to $150K Skidmore

The New York-bred Spirit of New York showcased his ability over the local grass on debut and steps into open company for Saturday’s $150,000 Skidmore, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Adam Rice, the Honest Mischief gelding defeated fellow New York-breds by 3 1/4 lengths over course and distance on July 16 here. In a professional first start, Spirit of New York broke alertly from post 9-of-10, stalked and launched a victorious six-wide bid in a final time of 1:02.66, registering a field-best 73 Beyer Speed Figure. 

“I don’t think there’s too much to complain about,” Rice said. “He just kind of laid up there and sat, waited for his turn and came about when he needed to. I expected him to show up. As far as debuts go, I never expect anything out of hand, they run to what they are prepared for and it all depends, some of these horses just take to the turf.”

Spirit of New York [post 8, Jose Ortiz], bred in the Empire State by Magic Oaks Farm, is out of the Candy Ride mare Unbroken Spirit. His fourth dam is Reine-de-Course mare Weekend Surprise, who produced the pair of multiple graded stakes-winning influential stallions A.P. Indy - a Hall of Famer - and Summer Squall. 

“Physically, he is a nice, compact, well-made horse,” said Rice. “Not too big, not too small, but he’s really well-balanced. He’s developed in all the right manners and seemed to fit the bill in his first race.” 

Rice campaigned the bay for his first outing before the current ownership of Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Winners Win and Mark Parkinson bought in. Dubb, in partnership, has enjoyed success with the similarly-named New York-bred Spirit of St Louis, a Grade 1-winning millionaire for five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown. 

“They decided to keep him with me and let me continue to train him, so hopefully we can have some success for them. I’d really like to do that,” Rice said. 

Trainer George Weaver has entered two top contenders in Sandal’s Song [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Tough Critic [post 4, Manny Franco], both exiting overseas efforts at Royal Ascot. 

Wathnan Racing’s Sandal’s Song was a last-out three-length third to the victorious Charles Darwin in the five-furlong Group 2 Norfolk on June 19. There, the Mendelssohn chestnut sat just off the winning Aidan O’Brien trainee deep into the straight, but was edged out of place honors by next-out Listed stakes-winner Wise Approach. 

Sandal’s Song graduated on debut in the five-furlong Royal Palm Juvenile in May at Gulfstream Park. He was a $75,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale out of the Munnings mare Sandal, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-placed Qurbaan and Group 3-winner Qareeb. His second dam is Grade 1-placed Flip Flop.

Thomas Brockley, Daryn Brockley, Dew Sweepers and R. A. Hill Stables’ New York-bred Tough Critic was 11th in the five-furlong Listed Windsor Castle on June 18 at Ascot. The Caravaggio dark bay led a group on one side of the straight before weakening one furlong out and finishing 5 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Havana Hurricane. 

Tough Critic graduated on debut when rallying from 9th-of-10 in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden in April at Keeneland. There, he defeated next-out winner Longshoreman by 1 1/4 lengths after breaking a step slow and launching a wide bid. 

A $350,000 purchase at the 2025 Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale, Tough Critic is out of the Invincible Spirit mare Thatchit, a half-sister to dual Group 1-placed Radiohead. 

Impressive over the local main track was Steve Berg and Eclipse Award-winning trainer Dale Romans’ Bobrovsky [post 7, Junior Alvarado], who tries turf off a dominant second-out graduation sprinting six furlongs on July 24. There, the Daredevil bay set the pace and drew off to a 10 1/2-length victory versus maiden auction company on the fast dirt. 

Bobrovsky, a $37,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, has substantial turf pedigree. He is out of the Cairo Prince mare Hay Flo, a winner on grass as well as a half-sister to Grade 3-winning turfer Hay Dakota and multiple turf graded stakes-winner Significant Form, who produced Grade 1-placed Opulent Restraint– recently third in the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks on August 9 here. 

“That was a good, strong effort last out,” said Romans. “It seems like there are a lot of good dirt horses out there right now. He does have a lot of grass in his pedigree. I was planning on running him on the grass, but that race came up with a short field so I put him in and he ran well.” 

Bobrovsky was nailed to lose by a nose to Shake and Rattle in a maiden auction on debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on June 22 over the Churchill Downs dirt.

Arindel’s Monster [post 3, Luis Saez] enters from a monstrous third-out graduation when trying the lawn for the first time. Trained by Jose D’Angelo, the Leinster bay set the pace in a five-furlong maiden on May 23 at Gulfstream Park and drew off to a nine-length victory in a final time of 55.14.

Monster made his first two starts on dirt, defeated by Pinky Finger when fourth on debut in a 12-horse 4 1/2-furlong maiden in April at Keeneland and also when sixth in the five-furlong Kentucky Juvenile in May at Churchill Downs.

Rounding out the field are last-out off-the-turf maiden winner Malus [post 6, Joel Rosario] for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher; as well as a pair of Wesley Ward-trained maidens, which are allowed four pounds [118], including Schwarzenegger [post 1, John Velazquez] and Gypsy Art [post 5, Frankie Dettori] – both are unraced and cross-entered in a 5 1/2-furlong turf maiden special weight on August 14 here. 

The Skidmore is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 12-race card that features the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales in Race 10. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern. 

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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