Harper’s Corner wires Schuylerville; Wild Applause makes for eventful opening day

Brought down in a four-horse spill in the Wild Applause S., the first stakes on Friday’s opening day at Saratoga, jockey Paco Lopez bounced right back to steer Harper’s Corner to victory in the $200,000 Schuylerville S. 

Wild Applause S.

The frightening incident in the Wild Applause could have had a far different outcome, but fears of the worst were soon alleviated. According to initial reports from NYRA publicity, the horses involved apparently escaped serious injury, and three of the four jockeys walked off.

Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano was taken by ambulance to first aid at the track before transportation to Saratoga Hospital for X-rays. But he was described as “awake and alert with movement in all extremities.”

A further update from NYRA’s Keith McCalmont was encouraging, reporting that Castellano was released from the hospital. Hopes are that he could return as soon as next week, but his status depends upon a Monday consultation with a specialist.

The chain reaction occurred just as the three-year-old fillies were turning for home on the inner turf course. Lopez, aboard I Love Giraffes, was flanking Pillar of Beauty as they prepared to challenge front-running longshot Candy Moonshine. I Love Giraffes clipped Pillar of Beauty’s heels and came down.

Lovely Grey, with Dylan Davis up, and Castellano’s mount, Paris Carver, were rallying in the slipstream of I Love Giraffes, and they had no chance of avoiding her as she fell directly in front of them. Smexy, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, was also tangled up in the melee just behind Lovely Grey. 

Meanwhile, Pillar of Beauty continued her bid and steadily wore down Candy Moonshine, but finishing best of all was 2.75-1 favorite To a Flame. Under a ground-saving ride by Jose Ortiz, the Rusty Arnold filly was safely away from the spill unfolding on the outside. She tipped out later and rumbled to a 1 1/4-length decision.

Pillar of Beauty was 2 1/2 lengths clear of Code, who nipped Candy Moonshine for third. Scratch It and Alone Time suffered troubled trips at earlier points, most notably on an eventful clubhouse turn, and finished a distant fifth and sixth. Faye’s Gold was scratched.

The four fallers sprang back to their feet, and the outriders apprehended them. Three walked off the course, with Lovely Grey the only one getting a ride back to her barn. Her connections, owner Dave Portnoy and trainer Kelsey Danner, both reported on social media that she was in good order.

Saturday update: I Love Giraffes has been diagnosed with a fractured hip. Trainer Chad Summers told Thoroughbred Daily News and Daily Racing Form that she will need at least four months off to heal. Surgery is not indicated, and she will be able to convalesce in the barn. 

“I was laying second,” recapped Pillar of Beauty’s rider, Junior Alvarado. “I knew when we passed the half-mile pole, I felt some bumping and clipping heels right behind me. I tried to stay in my lane. I could feel that things were very tight back there. 

“So I tried to keep my lane, and when I asked my filly to go, she went on. She just got caught at the end. I don't know what happened back there, but my filly, she ran a phenomenal race. She gave me a good kick turning for home. We were just second best today." 

Campaigned by Bregman Family Racing, To a Flame covered the firm-turf mile in 1:35.29 to earn her first stakes victory in this $150,000 event. The daughter of Justify improved her record to 6-3-0-1, $292,519, including a near-miss third in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies. To a Flame was unplaced in her subsequent stakes appearances in this spring’s Appalachian (G2) and Edgewood (G2), but she was back on song at the Spa.

The well-named To a Flame is out of Moth, a Galileo mare who was third in the 1000 Guineas (G1) and fourth in the Oaks (G1) at Epsom in her brief career for Aidan O’Brien. To a Flame was bred by the Coolmore-affiliated Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt and sold for $375,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.

Schuylerville S. 

The first winner for freshman sire Speaker’s Corner, Harper’s Corner became the Street Sense stallion’s first stakes performer when rolling in the Schuylerville.

The Cathal Lynch pupil was overlooked in the Spa’s traditional opening-day feature, despite her June 12 debut romp at Laurel Park. Bettors were likely put off by her relatively lackluster time, but she wasn’t fully tuned up that day. Harper’s Corner took a leap forward when it counted here, rewarding her loyalists with a $26 win payout.

“That filly, she’s special,” said Lopez, who also rode her on debut. “I know she beat nobody at Laurel. I said, ‘let’s go to Saratoga.’ He (Lynch) thought about it, and he listened to me. He knows she’s a special filly, and he agreed and she came to Saratoga.”

Harper’s Corner sped to the lead through fractions of :22.02 and :45.18. Luminous Beauty, the 1.08-1 favorite, tried to chase, but she was beaten on the far turn. Voyager advanced from off the pace without making a dent on the leader.

Widening her advantage down the stretch, Harper’s Corner crossed the wire 5 1/4 lengths clear. The dark bay clocked six furlongs in 1:09.96.

Voyager was best of the rest in the strung-out field. Prime Aurora was alone in third, followed by Pot’s Right, who virtually lost all chance with a stumble out of the gate, and the eased pair of Luminous Beauty and Madeleine Swann. Costa Linda and Washton were withdrawn.

Purchased by Charles L. Biggs for $70,000 at OBS April, Harper’s Corner has earned $138,200.

“Delighted, not shocked,” Lynch summed up. “I'm delighted. I think she's a real filly. She showed everything at home that she was doing very, very good. We try not to get in their way.

“Paco seems to think she'll go longer. She worked at Fair Hill there last week on the turf track. Then we gave her a breeze up a hill, and it seemed to get her a little tighter. Her first race, I told him that she probably wasn't as tight as she needed to be, but I think she's a little tighter now.”

Bred by Bishop Racing in Kentucky, Harper’s Corner was a pinhook for Grassroots Training and Sales, which sourced her for $30,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. She is out of the Speightstown mare Toscana, from the further family of multiple Grade 1 stars Diamondrella and Life Is Good. 

Saranac S.

While Lopez and Gaffalione were able to ride the remainder of the card, Davis took off his mounts as a precaution. Unfortunately, the spill and its aftermath cost him a stakes victory with the 15-1 maiden Heeere’s Johnny in the $150,000 Saranac S. 

Jaime Rodriguez landed the pick-up mount and masterminded a last-to-first rally, lifting the colt to an overdue win. Trainer Ray Handal explained the rationale for running in the Saranac rather than trying another maiden with the Magic Carpet Racing, Catherine W. Coyle, and Blue Bison Stable runner.

“I'm looking at the condition book and I'm saying that we've got to run against three-and-up, talked with the owners, they said, ‘let's just run in the stake, it's restricted to three-year-olds, non-winners of stakes.’ What's the difference between that and the three-and-up maiden special at Saratoga? If you have to go out and run an 85 Beyer, why don't we run in a stakes race instead of running in a maiden special?”

Indeed, Heeere’s Johnny had run well in turf stakes last season, placing second in the With Anticipation (G3) here, missing by a head to Bottas in the Pilgrim (G2), and checking in fifth to Gstaad in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). 

In his sophomore bow in a Keeneland maiden, Heeere’s Johnny ran into another good one in West End Kid, now the morning-line favorite in Saturday’s Belmont Derby (G1). Blinkers went on for his latest attempt in a 1 3/8-mile maiden at Aqueduct, where he ran evenly in fifth. Handal views that as a toss-out because he disliked the course, and he felt more at home back at Saratoga.

Patiently handled by Rodriguez, Heeere’s Johnny was anchored at the tail of the 11-horse field as Siyouincanada carved out a solid pace. He was still last straightening for home, when a cavalry charge broke out. The 25-1 Blinging It Back appeared to make the decisive move from midpack, with slight 2.55-1 favorite Glavine also maneuvering into contention on the inside. 

But Heeere’s Johnny erupted on the far outside to pass them all. Collaring Blinging It Back late, the Oscar Performance colt completed 1 1/16 miles on the firm Mellon course in 1:40.45.

Glavine was another half-length astern in third. Arizona Territory, the 2.61-1 second choice, made mild headway for fourth. Next came Print, Siyouincanada, Tiz Trouble, Go Grey, Teddy’s Rocket, Zeppelin, and My Favorite Bird. A Little At First and the main-track-only Gulfy were scratched.

Heeere’s Johnny returned $32.20 while increasing his earnings to $235,800 from an 8-1-4-0 line. The $100,000 Keeneland September yearling was bred by Dr. John Chandler in the Bluegrass State.

A full brother to last year’s Saratoga Derby (G1) hero World Beater, Heeere’s Johnny has that possible option on Aug. 8. They were produced by the Blame mare Dabinett, herself a half-sister to several stakes performers led by Group 2-winning highweight Pomology.