Tommy Jo, Goodall give Spendthrift Farm a strong chance in G3 Victory Ride

Racing and breeding powerhouse Spendthrift Farm will be represented by two top contenders in dual Grade 1-winner Tommy Jo and dual stakes-winner Goodall in Friday’s Grade 3, $225,000 Victory Ride, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course. 

 

The accomplished Tommy Jo emerges from a nine-month respite and returns to the scene of her two best efforts, which came in a dominant debut graduation sprinting six furlongs last July, and a 6 1/2-length trouncing of the Grade 1 Spinaway in August. Both efforts garnered a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure. 

 

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the homebred daughter of Spendthrift’s stalwart stallion Into Mischief followed with a win in Keeneland’s 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Alcibiades where she crossed the wire second but was elevated to victory after interference from Percy’s Bar in the stretch. She completed her campaign with an even fifth-place finish for her first career defeat in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in October at Del Mar. 

 

Ned Toffey, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Spendthrift Farm, said Tommy Jo has progressed nicely into her sophomore debut, including a half-mile breeze in 48.61 seconds over the Spa main track on July 3. 

 

“She’s doing well and training well, and we’ve been very happy with her so far,” Toffey said. “She seems to be coming into things the right way, and it looks like it will be a tough enough spot for her to start back, but hopefully she does well.” 

 

Tommy Jo cuts back to a sprint distance for the first time since the Spinaway, and Toffey said he expects this to be a good starting point for the talented bay. 

 

“I think Todd was still not 100 percent convinced she’s not a two-turn filly, but I think she has to learn to relax a little bit more,” Toffey said. “She’s a high-energy filly and that seems to work well for her [in sprints]. She’s grown up and developed into a bigger and stronger filly than she was last year and we’re pleased with what we’re seeing from her. We’re looking forward to it.”

 

Tommy Jo is out of the multiple graded stakes-placed Pioneerof the Nile mare Mother Mother, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed and 2014 Kentucky Derby runner-up Commanding Curve. 

 

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride from post 5. 

 

While Tommy Jo makes her long-awaited return, Goodall brings solid recent form to the field on the heels of a professional 2 3/4-length local victory in the six-furlong Jersey Girl on June 4 for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. 

 

Bred by Spendthrift’s stallion sales manager Mark Toothaker with William Heiligbrodt and Corrine Heiligbrodt, Goodall was a $525,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and boasts deep Spendthrift bloodlines being by their promising young stallion Yaupon and out of Moon Over Mag Bay, a daughter of their foundation stallion Malibu Moon. 

 

“We bought her at the 2-year-olds in training sale off of Tom McCrocklin, who bought her as a yearling,” Toffey said. “She got off to a little bit slower start than we thought, and it sort of took her a couple of races to start to figure it out and put it all together, but she seems to have done that now and has gotten very professional. We thought she was very fast and very talented when we bought her.”

 

Goodall debuted with a second in January at Fair Grounds Race Course and graduated second out there in February. She then aced her stakes debut, taking Oaklawn Park’s six-furlong Purple Martin by 4 1/2 lengths that garnered a career-best and co-field-high 94 Beyer ahead of an uncharacteristic fifth in the Grade 2 Eight Belles in May at Churchill Downs. 

 

Last out, Goodall rebounded with aplomb in the Jersey Girl, tracking in second through the first half-mile before challenging for the lead at the stretch call. Jockey Flavien Prat lost his whip heading into the stretch, but Goodall responded well to a strong hand ride and drew clear to win by 2 3/4 lengths, earning a 90 Beyer for the effort. 

 

“Goodall has been running, and certainly you would think would have a fitness edge in there,” Toffey said. “She’s a classy filly, and she’s not quite a homebred, but it feels like that when she’s by our own sire. She’s very professional, and we’re looking forward to good things from her.”

 

Prat rides from post 10. 

 

Asmussen also sends out KatieRich Stables’ Grade 1-winner Iron Orchard [post 2, Joel Rosario], who makes her barn debut off an eight-month respite dating to an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on October 31 at Del Mar. 

 

Previously trained by Danny Gargan, the New York-bred daughter of Authentic went 3-for-3 to start her career, graduating on debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs last July here, and following with an open-lengths romp in the state-bred Seeking the Ante in August. Her campaign was highlighted by a gritty nose score in the Grade 1 Frizette going a one-turn mile on October 4 at Belmont at the Big A. 

 

Bred by Pine Ridge Stable, Iron Orchard was purchased for $2.5 million at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Mid-October Digital Sale and is out of the dual stakes-placed Brethren mare Onebrethatatime, a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Wonderlandbynight. 

 

The top three from the Jersey Girl will rematch on Friday, including the Whit Beckman-trained runner-up Carmel Coast [post 3, Tyler Gaffalione], who is a perfect 2-for-2 at Friday’s distance, including a local 5 1/2-length debut graduation in August. 

 

Campaigned by Legion Racing, MHM Stables, Ed Stefanski and William Conlin, the Omaha Beach dark bay cut back last out for her 2 3/4-length defeat to Goodall. She broke awkwardly and bumped the gate before being hurried to take the lead and ran on gamely, but could not fend off her foe and held onto second by a head over the reopposing Mythical. 

 

“She’s doing great and came out of the Jersey Girl in good shape,” Beckman said. “She’s trained up here and she’s ready for the next one. She came out of the gate a little wonky last time and the race was probably a little short for her, but with the way it all shook out, I think she ran a very creditable race. We’re hoping with the added distance and a better break that we’re right there.” 

 

Beckman said the reliable filly, who won an allowance over this distance at Churchill Downs two start back, always brings her best effort. 

 

“She’s always been a really ultra-consistent filly from her 2-year-old year to now,” Beckman said. “I wouldn’t say she’s grown much, but she’s filled out and always trained forwardly. Consistency is all we have noticed, and her form is great, so we’ll take that.”

 

The $120,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale is out of the Arch mare Carmel Beauty, a full-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Arravale, Canada’s Horse of the Year and Champion Grass Mare in 2006. 

 

The Estate of Brereton C. Jones’ Kentucky homebred Peach Tie [post 6, Manny Franco] looks to double up on graded scores following a 1 1/2-length win from off the pace in the six-furlong Grade 3 Miss Preakness on May 15 at Laurel Park, where she has made each of her last five starts. 

 

Trained by Brittany Russell, the Preservationist chestnut has won 6-of-8 starts, including open-lengths wins in the Gin Talking in December and the Wide Country in February, both at seven furlongs. She stretched out to one mile for the Beyond the Wire in March and was defeated a head before cutting back next out in the Miss Preakness. 

 

The adaptable filly has won with various running styles, earning her first two stakes wins with pace-pressing trips and settling seven lengths off the pace to make a sustained run in the Miss Preakness. 

 

Arindel’s Grade 3-winning Florida homebred Mythical [post 7, Edgard Zayas] looks to rebound from her third in the Jersey Girl for conditioner Jorge Delgado. 

 

A winner of 7-of-10 starts, the daughter of St Patrick’s Day was third throughout the Jersey Girl and landed 2 3/4 lengths back of Goodall. She entered that effort on the back of consecutive stakes wins at her Gulfstream Park base in the Any Limit and state-bred Sophomore Fillies Sprint in March and April, respectively. 

 

As a juvenile, Mythical won her first three starts, graduating by 8 1/2 lengths on debut at Gulfstream and heading to the Spa to defeat males in the Listed Tremont and earn a graded score in the Grade 3 Adirondack. She boasts a 10-7-0-1 overall record with $705,615 in total purse earnings. 

 

Completing the accomplished field are the Ian Wilkes-trained pair of Grade 2 Beaumont-winner A Fine Chardonnay [post 9, Brian Hernandez, Jr.] and two-time winner Sippin Pretty [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.]; multiple graded stakes-placed Sneaky Good [post 4, Jose Ortiz] for dual Eclipse Award-winning conditioner Brad Cox; and Grade 3-placed Tessellate [post 8, Dylan Davis] for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.  

 

The Victory Ride is slated as Race 9 on Friday’s 10-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

 

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

 

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.