Five Iron drives to third straight win in Saranac

Fred M. Allor's homebred Five Iron continued the domination of front runners

on the Saratoga turf in Sunday's Grade 3, $150,000

Saranac

Stakes. A Woodbine invader coming off victories in the Victoria Park and

Toronto Cup, the Brian Lynch trainee notched his third straight victory while

snapping the winning streak of 2-1 favorite Notacatbutallama.

Five Iron broke from the rail and scrambled right to the lead. Under new

rider Luis Saez, the 5-1 fifth choice rattled off honest fractions of :22 4/5,

:46 3/5 and 1:10 4/5 on a Mellon course listed as good. Joha, Frac Daddy and

Front formed a posse in pursuit, but Notacatbutallama was content to settle

farther back in fifth.

Rounding the far turn, Notacatbutallama commenced his trademark rally and

emerged as the only threat to the free-wheeling Five Iron. Although the favorite

tried to reel in the pacesetter, Notacatbutallama changed leads a couple of

times in the stretch, as if not entirely in love with the going.

Five Iron, who zipped a mile in 1:35 2/5, still had plenty in reserve in the

final furlong. Pulling 2 1/2 lengths clear of Notacatbutallama, he negotiated 1

1/8 miles in 1:48 1/5 and rewarded his supporters with a $12.80 win mutuel.

"He worked so well coming into the race," Lynch noted. "I knew if he could

get the lead and get left alone, he'd be very dangerous. He's a very determined

horse.

"I've never had a horse prick his ears when he makes the lead like that and

run into the bridle like he does," the trainer added. "He's a fun horse, and as

he's gotten older, he's found his niche and become effective at it."

"The trainer told me the horse has a lot of speed and to try to take the

lead," Saez said. "The lead came easy to my horse so I let him run. Coming for

home, I still had a lot of horse. When I saw Notacatbutallama coming, I knew we

could hold him off. He gave me everything he had to win this race."

Trainer Todd Pletcher commented that Notacatbutallama ran his typical race.

"I thought he ran well, like he always does," Pletcher said. "He tried hard.

The winner set solid fractions on a turf course that's not that firm and just

kept going. I think we were second best today."

Notacatbutallama had 2 1/2 lengths to spare over Joha. The mildly closing

Tattenham got up for fourth, another 5 1/2 lengths back, followed by Front,

Favor Factor and a tailed-off Frac Daddy, who gave way badly on the short

turnaround from his August 24 allowance win. The three main-track-only entrants

-- Micromanage, Battier and Saint Vigeur -- did not get to run.

Five Iron advanced his scorecard to 11-4-2-1, $381,060. The Sharp Humor colt

opened his career with a four-length wire job on Woodbine's Polytrack last

summer. Runner-up in the Swynford and fourth in the Grey, Five Iron next tried

the dirt at Churchill Downs, but was sixth in the Iroquois and fourth in the

allowance won impressively by Gulfport.

After a sixth to War Dancer in an April 10 Keeneland allowance in his turf

and sophomore debut, Five Iron returned to Woodbine's Polytrack. He missed by a

half-length to Dan the Tin Man in the April 21 Woodstock, but was beaten five

lengths by Up with the Birds when third in the May 26 Marine. Five Iron regained

the winning thread with a front-running coup in the June 16 Victoria Park, and

repeated the feat when switched to turf in the July 27 Toronto Cup.

The Kentucky-bred was offered as a yearling at Keeneland January, where Allor

was listed as the purchaser for $17,000. The aptly-named chestnut is out of the

Thunder Gulch mare Tee Off, making him a half-brother to Grade 2-placed Back

Spin and non-black-type stakes scorer Lake Sawyer.

Tee Off is herself a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 victress Tactile. They

were both produced by Grade 1 winner Only Queens and hail from the family of

Grade 2 heroine Last Song, Grade 3 queen Brushing Gloom and Grade 2-placed

multiple stakes scorer Clash By Night.

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