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Here Comes Ben in time in Forego Brandon and Marianne Chase's homebred HERE COMES BEN (Street Cry [Ire]) had never tried graded company before Saturday's $250,000 Forego S. (G1) at Saratoga, but his affinity for the seven-furlong distance, and his razor-sharp current form, more than made up for that. Surging past Big Drama (Montbrook) in deep stretch, the nearly 10-1 shot upstaged a field of graded stakes veterans to remain perfect from four starts this season. "(The Forego) is one of the reasons I came here," winning rider Alex Solis said, "because I've ridden this horse at Churchill Downs. The first time I rode him I thought that he could be a Breeders' Cup horse." "I was a little intimidated coming up here because I've never run in a Grade 1 before," trainer Charles Lopresti admitted, "but I knew he had the numbers and Alex (Solis) has been telling me all along he's a really good horse. We brought him up here two weeks ago and he trained really well and did everything right. We had to see if he was this kind of horse, and he proved it today." Here Comes Ben, who earned his first career stakes victory in the June 25 Kelly's Landing S. last time out at Churchill, was making his first start in the East. Under a patient Solis, the four-year-old was allowed to settle in seventh, well off the early pace set by Checklist (Gone West) through fractions of :22 2/5 and :45 1/5. Big Drama stalked in second, hemming in the rail-skimming Vineyard Haven (Lido Palace [Chi]). Girolamo (A.P. Indy), who together with Vineyard Haven comprised the even-money Godolphin entry, bided his time in fourth. Turning for home, Big Drama launched his bid and powered to the lead, reeling off six furlongs in 1:09 2/5. The Smile Sprint H. (G2) winner appeared well on his way to Grade 1 glory, as a one-paced Vineyard Haven was unable to make any headway just behind him. The picture changed, however, when Here Comes Ben commenced his rally. Emerging as the only serious threat to Big Drama, Here Comes Ben uncorked a relentless late run to collar his rival by three-quarters of a length, stopping the teletimer in 1:22 2/5. "I had a great break," Solis recapped. "He broke very relaxed. I had hoped I'd be laying fourth, fifth or sixth, but he was more relaxed than I thought he would be. When we got to the half-mile pole, I asked him and we started marching, and at the quarter-pole when I really got after him, we started coming and he did his thing." Here Comes Ben rewarded his loyalists with payouts of $21.80, $8.50 and $3.70 while keying the $114.50 exacta and $382 trifecta (4-3-1). Big Drama was garnering runner-up honors for the second straight time, having chased another graded debutante in Majesticperfection (Harlan's Holiday) in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1) at the Spa. Sent off as the 5-1 third choice in the Forego, Big Drama gave back $6.70 and $3.30. "Eibar (Coa) did a great job keeping the favorite (Vineyard Haven) down on the rail," said David Fawkes, Big Drama's trainer, "so he had to use our horse a little to do that. But overall I am very, very happy with our horse. We'll take him home (to Calder) for a little while, see how he is, and then point him towards the Breeders' Cup." Vineyard Haven reported home another 1 1/2 lengths back in third and returned $2.20. "I was stuck on the inside," rider Alan Garcia said of Vineyard Haven, "and I didn't have a chance to go out and make a run. When I got the chance, I didn't have the horse." "(Vineyard Haven) was traveling well and in a good position all the way," Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor said. "It was a pretty easy race for him today, but he got beaten. I was disappointed with him. Girolamo (who wound up fifth) -- I know the horse, he needed the race. He hasn't run since last year, but he will improve tons from this race. We'll take (Vineyard Haven) home, check (him out) and then look for another Grade 1 for him." Warrior's Reward (Medaglia d'Oro) closed from last for fourth, just failing to catch Vineyard Haven by a neck. Girolamo, Bribon (Fr) (Mark of Esteem [Ire]), Omniscient (Pulpit), You and I Forever (A.P. Indy) and a tailed-off Checklist completed the order of finish. Charitable Man (Lemon Drop Kid) and Starforaday (Five Star Day) were scratched. Here Comes Ben boosted his bankroll to $354,872 from his 12-6-1-3 record. The dark bay couldn't make his presence felt in his stakes attempts as a three-year-old, finishing fourth in the Oliver S. on the Indiana Downs turf and fifth in the Prairie Bayou S. over Turfway's Polytrack. He's much improved this campaign, concentrating solely on seven-furlong events so far. Here Comes Ben dominated a Keeneland allowance by six lengths, and a Churchill allowance/optional claimer by 5 1/4 lengths, prior to getting up in time by a neck in the aforementioned Kelly's Landing. Now four-for-five lifetime going seven furlongs, Here Comes Ben faces the challenge of branching out from his pet distance. "He broke his maiden in a one-turn mile at Churchill (last summer), so he can get a little more distance," Lopresti said. "There won't be many seven-furlong races for him, so we're going to have to make decision." The Kentucky-bred is out of the winning Dayjur mare Chasetheragingwind, whose latest offspring are an unnamed juvenile filly by Indian Charlie, an unnamed yearling colt by Songandaprayer and a 2010 colt by Henrythenavigator. Chasetheragingwind is a half-sister to French Group 1-winning highweight King Charlemagne (Nureyev); English Group 3 victor Meshaheer (Nureyev); and the winning Chasethewildwind (Forty Niner), the dam of Grade 1-winning millionaire Albertus Maximus (Albert the Great). Here Comes Ben's second dam is Grade 1 queen Race the Wild Wind (Sunny's Halo). This is the renowned family of French and American champion Trillion (Hail to Reason), herself the dam of multiple European champion Triptych (Riverman); Irish Horse of the Year and multiple highweight Generous (Caerleon), hero of the 1991 Derby (Eng-G1) and Irish Derby (Ire-G1); and English highweight filly Imagine (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), queen of the 2001 Oaks (Eng-G1) and Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1), and herself the dam of ill-fated Group 1 star Horatio Nelson (Danehill) and current multiple Group 1-placed sophomore Viscount Nelson (Giant's Causeway). Here Comes Ben's sixth dam, Marguery (*Sir Gallahad III), is a full sister to 1930 Triple Crown legend, Gallant Fox.
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