Hopeful

Circular Quay emerged an easy victor in the Hopeful on Monday  (Deborah Kral/Horsephotos.com)

Trainer Todd Pletcher looked to have a stranglehold on Monday's $245,000

Hopeful S.

(G1) at Saratoga, with his powerful entry of unbeaten graded stakes winners,

and so it proved when CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch) scored a commanding 4

1/4-length victory over his stablemate Scat Daddy (Johannesburg). In what is

rapidly becoming his trademark style, the chestnut juvenile broke slowly and

rallied from far back with a blistering stretch run to maintain his perfect

record from three starts. Moreover, he provided his Eclipse Award-winning

trainer with his first Hopeful victory.

While Circular Quay was in no hurry leaving the gate and dropped back to

last, Pegasus Wind (Fusaichi Pegasus) and Irish Ace (Grand Slam) shot out of the

stalls and engaged in a strenuous pace battle, with Scat Daddy and Unbridled

Express (Unbridled's Song) tracking. Pressed every step of the way by Irish Ace,

Pegasus Wind maintained a narrow lead through taxing splits of :22 1/5 and :44

4/5. The stalking pair of Scat Daddy and Unbridled Express made their moves

leaving the far turn, and as they ranged up to join the duelists, the quartet

was nearly in a line abreast. The exhausted pacesetters soon began to fade, and

Unbridled Express thrust his head in front of Scat Daddy through six furlongs in

1:10.

By this time, Garrett Gomez had gotten Circular Quay into high gear. After

closing ground along the inside on the turn, he swung out wide for clear sailing

in the stretch and took dead aim, sweeping past the field and quickly opening up

a daylight advantage. The chestnut completed the historic seven-furlong test in

1:23 on the fast track.

"I didn't want to be that far back," Gomez said, "but they were all in a

drive at the five-eighths pole, so I just sat on him. I just kept waiting on

him, and finally at the three-eighths pole I said, 'I'm tired of waiting; it's

time to go.' At the quarter-pole, he got me up there and then he just took off."

"The race obviously set up well for (Circular Quay)," Pletcher said. "He was

way out the back, but it worked out well for him. That's kind of been his

natural running style. Sometimes when you're the lone closer, it's as good as

being the lone speed."

Scat Daddy bravely repelled Unbridled Express to earn runner-up honors by a

length, with Pegasus Wind and Irish Ace trailing.

Pletcher also praised Scat Daddy's effort, noting that both of his colts "ran

extremely well."