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Saratoga Special attracts nine juveniles Nine promising two-year-olds will line up in Thursday's $150,000 Saratoga Special S. (G2) at Saratoga, and all of the top barns are represented in the 6 1/2-furlong affair. Aside from the usual handicapping conundrum posed by lightly-raced runners stepping up in class, there is the added wrinkle of a surface question: four of the logical contenders will be racing on dirt for the first time.
Zip Quik made his career debut for Patrick Biancone in the Willard L. Proctor Memorial S., finishing a rallying third, and duly broke his maiden in his subsequent outing at Hollywood Park. A $320,000 OBS March two-year-old in training purchase, Zip Quik ran for the third time during the meet in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. (G3), where he charged from last for runner-up honors. The bay colt, who has since fired a pair of bullets at Santa Anita, figures to relish the added ground, as well as the prospect of a frenetic pace at the Spa. The late-running Zip Quik will get the services of Julien Leparoux. The Bob Baffert-trained Tiny Woods flashed serious speed in his debut at Del Mar, sprinting clear early and hanging on by a head at the wire. The first winner to emerge for the Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable, Tiny Woods is out of a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning juvenile Toccet (Awesome Again). "He seems like a nice one," said Tonja Terranova, who oversees Baffert's horses on the East Coast. "Bob liked what he saw (Sunday) morning, and we are all excited about running him." Mike Smith, who rode the colt at Del Mar, will be in town to renew the partnership from post 8. Rounding out the synthetic-to-dirt quartet is smashing debut winner CHINA (Tale of the Cat) from the Todd Pletcher barn. Owned by Michael Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier, the bay wired the field by 6 3/4 lengths in a 4 1/2-furlong dash at Keeneland in April. John Velazquez will be back aboard. (China is cross-entered to Friday's 3RD race at the Spa, a six-furlong allowance/optional claimer.) Two with strong dirt form at Churchill Downs -- FLATTER THAN ME (Flatter) and THISKYHASNOLIMIT (Sky Mesa) -- have finished second to the undefeated Backtalk (Smarty Jones), who most recently captured the Sanford S. (G2) at Saratoga. Flatter Than Me surged to a daylight lead in midstretch in the Bashford Manor S. (G3), only to be gunned down late by Backtalk. Flatter Than Me has been working sharply at the Spa for Merrill Scherer, most recently blasting a :58 2/5 bullet for five furlongs on August 14. Robby Albarado will once again ride the speedy dark bay. Steve Asmussen will send out Thiskyhasnolimit, who was swamped by Backtalk in their mutual debut. Second time out, Thiskyhasnolimit dictated on the front end and drew off by seven lengths in the slop. Regular rider Shaun Bridgmohan will break from the rail aboard the dark bay, who is out of a half-sister to champion Bernardini (A.P. Indy). ACTIVITY REPORT (Bernstein) is the only Sanford alumnus to contest the Saratoga Special. Making his first start for Wayne Lukas in the Sanford, the bay was embroiled in a wicked speed duel and ultimately retreated to seventh, beaten 7 1/2 lengths by Backtalk. "I wasn't pleased with the way he ran," Lukas said. "I'm trying to find out more about him, and I'm going back into this one with a little different strategy, hoping he'll make that one run. "He's a nice horse, but I don't know how good he is," he added. "Hopefully, we'll find out." Prior to joining Lukas, Activity Report rolled to an eight-length victory in a $50,000 maiden claimer at Churchill. D' FUNNYBONE (D'wildcat) is a graduate of the ever-tough Calder juvenile scene. A 7 1/4-length winner at first asking, the chestnut was just collared late in the Frank Gomez Memorial S. by Jackson Bend (Hear No Evil), who came right back to take the Dr. Fager S. D' Funnybone has since been purchased by Paul Pompa Jr., and he will make his first start for Richard Dutrow here. One thing remains constant, however: his jockey from the Frank Gomez, Edgar Prado, will climb back into the saddle. INSIGHTFUL (E Dubai) showed little when checking in last of seven in his bow at Belmont, but the Barclay Tagg pupil regrouped to score in an off-the-turf maiden going seven furlongs at the same track. He is therefore the only Saratoga Special entrant with experience at, or beyond, the distance. Javier Castellano has the return call. Earlier on Thursday, AFFIRMATIF (Unbridled's Song) will cut back sharply to 5 1/2 grassy furlongs in the $70,000 Solomon Northup S. The Pletcher trainee garnered the Woodlawn S. and finished second in the off-the-turf Hill Prince S. (G3), both at one mile, but faded badly to seventh in the 1 1/4-mile Virginia Derby (G2). Among his seven rivals are PERFECT OFFICER (Officer), a close fourth versus older sprinters in the Quick Call S. at this course and distance; the multiple stakes-placed WALL STREET WONDER (City Place); and ASK JOE (Najran) and HAMAZING DESTINY (Salt Lake), who would both be trying turf for the first time. The Solomon Northup honors the author of the landmark autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave. A free African-American resident of Saratoga Springs, Northup was kidnapped, sold into slavery, toiled in Louisiana for a dozen years, and was finally liberated in 1853. Kicking off Thursday's stakes action is the $70,000 Michael G. Walsh Novice S., a 2 3/8-mile contest over National fences. Top contenders in the 12-horse field include YOU THE MAN (Lear Fan) and LEFT UNSAID (Dynaformer), first and second, respectively, in the Jonathan Kiser Novice Hurdle S. at the Spa, and DIAMOND FEVER (Seeking the Gold), a stakes winner on the flat who is seeking his first win as a hurdler.
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