Saratoga Daily Notebook

SARATOGA DAILY NOTEBOOK

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2005

by Dick Powell

Bill Mott has had a good meet this year but it's also been one of his most

frustrating. He has 11 wins and is tied for fourth place in the trainer

standings, but what Mott will remember about Saratoga 2005 will be the nine

second-place finishes in stakes races. Today's Saranac S. (G3) was no exception.

Run at 1 3/16 miles on the Mellon Turf Course for three-year-olds, this

year's renewal came up pretty strong. Mott's Silver Whistle (Alphabet Soup) was

heavily bet at 8-5 after just missing in the National Museum Racing Hall of Fame

S. (G2) last out. Jerry Bailey picked up the mount, drew the rail and looked

tough today.

Canadian shipper JAMBALAYA (Langfuhr) was the second choice in the wagering

at 44-10. He won his first three turf starts, including the Breeders S., at

Woodbine last out going 12 furlongs and he shipped in with his regular rider

Jono Jones. Chestertown Slew (Seattle Slew), also sent off at 44-10, was the

early pacesetter when Richard Migliore put him on the lead and was allowed to

back the pace down.

Chestertown Slew covered the first six furlongs in 1:13.16 but Jones never

appeared worried and bided his time. He was in a good stalking position and had

first run turning for home. Bailey had Silver Whistle in a drive on the outside

turning for home and looked like he would get by but Jones and Jambalaya would

not give in.

The Canadian gelding dug in, drifted out through the lane and carried Bailey

and Silver Whistle farther out on the turf. It looked like Silver Whistle had a

nose in front nearing the wire but Jambalaya would not be denied and won the

narrowest of photos by a nose. There was no claim of foul or inquiry and Mott

was second in his ninth stakes race here.

"I guess it was fitting we ran second again," Mott said about Jambalaya.

"Other than that, (Silver Whistle) gave it his best."

Owner/trainer Catherine Day-Phillips was ecstatic and generous after the

race. Earlier on the day she appeared on Mary Ryan's "Paddock Club" on the NYRA

simulcast feed and pledged 10 percent of Jambalaya's earnings to the aid of the

children of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. Jambalaya earned $67,140

for the win.

"We got lucky, and he's a super horse," Phillips said. "It looked like he had

it down the lane, and then he didn't. The see-saw back and forth was something

else. As it was, it turned out in our favor. He has been really good on the

turf. There aren't any turf races in Canada for three-year-olds, so we sought

this race out and really wanted to come to Saratoga. It seemed now was the time.

We'll go back to Woodbine to re-organize and see where we will go next."

The main track played exceedingly slow today with running times even slower

than what has become par this year. Turf courses were upgraded to "Firm".

Nobody picked six today and there will be a healthy $98,556 waiting for you

tomorrow. Under the rules of New York racing, the Pick 6 has to be paid off on

Monday since it is the end of the meet so there should be a large pool

available.

One of the advantages of the mandatory nature of Monday's Pick 6 is the

possibility of a big overlay if nobody picks six again. Picking five winners

will win it and, when that happens there are no consolation payoffs, so picking

five on a mandatory-payoff day when nobody picks six is always big.

Edgar Prado and Johnny Velazquez each had a win today and Prado leads by six

going into the final day on Monday. Prado will be at Del Mar to ride High Limit

(Maria's Mon) in the Del Mar Derby (G2) for Bobby Frankel on Monday and

Velazquez will ride all 10 races here.

Linda Rice won two races today while leader Todd Pletcher won one and Steve

Asmussen hit the winner's circle as well. Pletcher now leads Asmussen 21 to 14

with one day to go.

Pletcher sent out an impressive winner in the 3RD race when the undefeated

INDIAN VALE (A.P. Indy) galloped to an easy 10 3/4-length victory beating

second-level allowance foes going two turns on the main track. Owned and bred by

Eugene Melnyk, she is a daughter of Marley Vale (Forty Niner), who won the Test

Stakes (G1) here in 1999.

Sent to the front by Velazquez against only four rivals, she cruised along on

the lead and widened her advantage in the lane despite no urging from the rider.

Her final time of 1:51.29 was very good considering how slow the main track was

playing today and she should be stakes bound since no more allowance races are

going to fill with her entered.

Vinnie Blengs has been racing at Saratoga for a long time and his horses are

always dangerous on the turf. In today's 7TH race, a first-level allowance event

going nine furlongs on the inner turf course for New York-bred fillies and

mares, Blengs sent out LOVE MY GAL (Manlove), who broke her maiden here last out

by three easy lengths. However, Bobby Frankel sent out a half-sister to Grade 2

stakes winner Private Emblem (Our Emblem) named Elisa's Energy (Chester House)

who went off as the 4-5 favorite based on two strong recent turf efforts.

Prado had been riding Love My Gal recently but took off for the favorite so

Blengs added Rafael Bejarano, who rode her two starts back. In her last two turf

starts, she showed little gate speed but when the latches were sprung here,

Bejarano had her on an easy lead. When nobody else wanted it, he committed to

the front and was able to get away with an easy half-mile in 48.11.

Everyone was content to gallop along expecting her to weaken but Bejarano

maintained his lead to the top of the stretch where the running got serious.

Prado had Elisa's Energy in a drive but was not able to make up any ground and

Love My Gal held on by three parts of a length to pay $23.40 for the win.

Love My Gal is a full sister to two stakes winners, including a Grade 3

winner on the turf, and Manlove (Mr. Prospector) is a good turf sire noted for

the tough Proud Man (Manlove), who won numerous stakes races on the turf.

Combined with Blengs' nurturing, Love My Gal was a pretty good overlay.

My main man Tom Bush won the 6TH race in an exciting finish. CURTANA (Lion

Hearted) was sent off as the 8-5 favorite against a field of New York-bred

maiden fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track. Unlike her other two

starts, she didn't get away from the gate all that well and wound up fourth

early down on the inside chasing three speed horses up front.

Prado moved up next to her in the run down the backstretch aboard Lovely

Dream (Freud) and he had Eibar Coa boxed in aboard Curtana. Coa sat chilly and

found his opening midway around the turn when Regally (Regal Classic) tired

suddenly. Curtana went up between horses and had the lead turning for home.

Prado had to rally five wide on the turn but still looked like a winner in

the deep stretch as he began to wear down his rivals. Just when it looked like

Lovely Dream would go by to a win, Curtana fought back and pulled away to a

half-length victory. The final time was a painful 1:21.35 but the main track was

very slow today.

Curtana is a long filly that should be able to stretch out well. Her dam is

by Sky Classic (Nijinsky II) and adds a lot of stamina to the pedigree.

Horses to Watch

5TH - THE END IS CLEAR (Precise End) disputed a very fast pace going nine

furlongs on the turf and still hung on grimly to be second. She should be tough

back at Belmont going one turn on the Widener Turf Course.

6TH - LOVELY DREAM (Freud) went down to defeat after looking like a winner

with a furlong to go but this juvenile filly could be headed for the turf next

out for John Ward Jr. The winner got through on the inside and she was forced to

rally wide after having some traffic down the backside.

Monday Preview

5TH - SAY REVAIN (Tiznow) makes his career debut for Stanley Hough who has

had a strong meet here. He's by a hot young sire and out of Dancin Renee

(Distinctive Pro), who won the Honorable Miss S. (G3) here in 1997.

6TH - BIG FEATHERS (Charismatic) should be ready to go two turns off a solid

third here going seven furlongs last out. He's bred for distance and broke his

maiden going a mile last year.