Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) backed up his big-figure Ellis Park maiden win with a dominating performance in Saturday's GII Saratoga Special S.
After bumping into 'TDN Rising Star' Edified (Tapit) at the start, the even-money favorite sat in the garden spot in an outside joint third through an opening quarter in :22.18. He loomed up with authority while three wide approaching the quarter pole and blew the race apart from there, running up the score in the stretch to win by 9 1/2 lengths. Longshot Market Street (Street Boss) was second. It was another 3/4 of a length back to second- choice Haul (Army Mule) in third.
A well-beaten sixth on debut behind subsequent Bashford Manor S. runner-up Wilson Q (Constitution) and troubled GIII Sanford S. runner-up Gold Sweep (Speightstown) in a very live maiden special weight at Churchill Downs May 18, Rhyme Schemes looked like a different horse with first-time blinkers, airing by 9 1/2 lengths second out going 5 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park June 15. He earned a gaudy 94 Beyer Speed Figure that day, the highest of any 2-year-old in the country this season.
“There's always pressure,” winning trainer Norm Casse said. “The problem with Saratoga is I'm never 100% confident. I knew the horse was very talented from the onset. Right when we got him, I could tell that he had multiple gears underneath him. That number [94 Beyer Speed Figure last out] was so big it was hard to believe. I needed some more affirmation and I think we got it today.”
Rhyme Schemes will return in Saratoga's seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. on closing weekend Sept. 4.
“We skipped the Sanford with the intention of running him twice,” Casse said. “Here today and coming back in the Hopeful. I think going forward, he's going to be a better two-turn horse, but that remains to be seen.”
Winning owner Deuce Greathouse of Pura Vida Investments added, “The time he ran at Ellis was the first time we gave him his head and let him out, and today was the second time and you see what he does. It's kind of jaw dropping when he does it and sprints away like that.”
Pedigree Notes:
Rhyme Schemes, a $210,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, becomes the 97th stakes winner/51st graded winner worldwide for Ghostzapper. The Ghostzapper/Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for GISWs Guarana and Molly Morgan. The winning dam Katherine, a $575,000 OBS April breezer, produced a colt by Honor A. P. in 2022 and a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) in 2023. She was bred back to Honor A. P. This is the extended female family of GISWs Malathaat (Curlin), Dream Rush (Wild Rush), Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), et al.
Saturday, Saratoga
HERB MOELIS MEMORIAL SARATOGA SPECIAL S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-12, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.12, ft.
1–RHYME SCHEMES, 120, c, 2, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Katherine, by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Eileen's Dream, by Bernardini
3rd Dam: Turbo Dream, by Unbridled
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($210,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Pura Vida Investments LLC; B-Parks
Investment Group, LLC (KY); T-Norm W Casse; J-Ricardo
Santana Jr. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $180,950.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Market Street, 120, c, 2, Street Sense–Quality Way, by
Quality Road. 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($275,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Les Wagner; B-Robert & Lawana
Low (KY); T-D Wayne Lukas. $40,000.
3–Haul, 120, c, 2, Army Mule–Western Kitty, by Western Fame.
1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($260,000 2yo '23
OBSAPR). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & St Elias Stable;
B-KMN Racing LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 9HF, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 1.05, 12.90, 2.30.
Also Ran: Lasso, Edified, Woodcourt. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
RHYME SCHEMES wins the Herb Moelis Memorial Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) impressively with @RSantana_Jr up for @NormCasse! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/9q8ISdQ4uK
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 12, 2023
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