By Mike Kane
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey expected a solid performance from Concord Green (War Front) in his career debut at Saratoga Race Course Saturday and the bay colt delivered.
After breaking awkwardly from the gate that left him 11 1/2 lengths off the pace after a half-mile in :48.74, Concord Green and Dylan Davis moved into contention on the second turn and finished with authority to win by three-quarters of a length over Davy Crockett (Constitution). Concord Green completed the 1 1/16 miles $100,000 maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds in 1:46.22. Sent off at 13-1, he returned $28.40.
Stuart Janney bred and owns Concord Green, who is out of the Arch mare Mata Mua.
“He's a horse that I've liked all along,” McGaughey said. “I like his pedigree. I like his mother. I like Arch mares and I love War Front. The War Fronts are really nice to train. This horse was a horse I liked all along. When I saw him in Ocala in the winter, he was sort of my pick of Stuart Janney's 2-year-olds. I'm not surprised he ran the way he did, not that he won, maybe, but the way he finished.”
Dylan Davis and Shug McGaughey | Sarah Andrew
With the early troubles behind him, Davis worked to put Concord Green into competitive position in the run through the backstretch. Sam's Rocket (American Pharoah) was the pacesetter with the first quarter in :23.61, six furlongs in 1:14.93 and still was in front when the field reached the stretch. Sam's Rocket and the others on the lead early paid the price in the stretch when the closers arrived to take charge. Though he was running erratically, Davy Crockett made a strong bid in the stretch and did make it to the front and looked to be in a position to continue on and win. Once Davy Crockett got past him and out of the way, Concord Green turned in a strong rally more toward the center of the course, passed Davy Crockett inside the sixteenth pole and prevailed.
“Dylan rode a good race,” McGaughey said. “He saved the ground. He said he was a little spotty kind of down in there. He got him to the outside, he found his stride and he finished up well.”
Through the years, McGaughey trained the dam and the granddam, Impressionism (Broad Brush) and their families for Janney. Concord Green is a half to graded stakes winner Scarlett Sky (Sky Mesa).
McGaughey said Concord Green has flourished during his time in Saratoga this summer.
“I've been happy with the way he's trained up here,” McGaughey said. “I think he's matured a lot since we've been here, which I like. I think that the older he gets, the better, body-wise and stuff he's going to get. I think his future could be in front of him.”
McGaughey said Concord Green may go on to the GII Pilgrim Stakes on Sept. 28 at Aqueduct Racetrack or possibly to a 2-year-old stake at Keeneland.
“If everything's okay,” McGaughey said, “I'll try to pick out the right spot for him.”
2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-17, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:46.22, fm, 3/4 length.
CONCORD GREEN (c, 2, War Front–Mata Mua, by Arch), a 13-1 first-timer, bumped rivals at the start and spotted the field a step before getting his feet under him with only two rivals beaten up the backstretch through an opening half in :48.74. Under a motionless Dylan Davis, the homebred began to pick off the field around the far turn and wove his way through traffic inside the furlong marker to drive past Davy Crockett (Consitution) and edge away for the three-quarter length win. The half to Scarlett Sky (Sky Mesa), GSW, $224,130, Concord Green has a weanling half-brother by Not This Time while Mata Mua visited Life Is Good for next season. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O/B-Stuart S. Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.
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