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.