Coinage (c, 2, Tapit–Bar of Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro) switched to grass in style with a wire-to-wire upset victory at 6-1 in Wednesday's GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga. The chestnut, drawn widest of all in post six, was sent to the front by Junior Alvarado. The New York-bred showed the way through fractions of :25.66 and :50.65, and had plenty left for the stretch to win going away by two lengths. Saratoga debut winner Portfolio Company (Kitten's Joy), a handful for Irad Ortiz, Jr. throughout the 1 1/16-miles journey, ran well to finish second after making a bold bid at the top of the stretch. Favored Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy) was third.
Coinage, a runaway second out maiden winner against state-breds going 5 1/2 furlongs downstate June 17, entered off a disappointing third-place finish as the favorite in the six-furlong Rick Violette S. at the Spa July 21.
“I told my wife Tina this morning, 'We'll see if they can catch him,'” winning trainer Mark Casse said. “I seldom say this, but I told Junior [Alvarado] to take no prisoners and go. He's a good horse. He has a high-cruising speed. We breezed him over the turf a couple of times as we like to do. Training horses is like putting a puzzle together. You have to keep trying the pieces until figuring out where they fit. We figured it out today.
He continued, “I thought he was an underachiever. I told Mr. [Chester] Broman and the Greens that this horse was something, and I said that four or five months ago. We got up here and he won, but never showed the same as what I thought I had seen before. I'll probably keep him around two turns. There's a lot of options. I have four or five pretty good horses for the Greens that are possible other turf horses. We'll see. I may send him to California, but we'll see what the owners want to do, too.”
Pedigree Notes:
Coinage becomes the 149th stakes winner/92nd graded winner for leading sire Tapit. This is the 41st stakes winner/15th graded winner for broodmare sire Medaglia d'Oro. Millionaire Broman homebred Bar of Gold famously upset the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at 66-1. She is also responsible for a Justify colt of 2020, who brought $825,000 from David Hudson (Travis Durr, agent) at this summer's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, and a Tapit colt of 2021. She was bred back to Quality Road.
Wednesday, Saratoga
WITH ANTICIPATION S.-GIII, $150,000, Saratoga, 9-1, 2yo,
1 1/16mT, 1:43.69, fm.
1–COINAGE, 120, c, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Bar of Gold (GISW, $1,551,000), by Medaglia d'Oro
2nd Dam: Khancord Kid, by Lemon Drop Kid
3rd Dam: Confidently, by Storm Cat
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($450,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-D. J. Stable LLC and Chester & Mary
Broman; B-Chester & Mary Broman (NY); T-Mark E. Casse;
J-Junior Alvarado. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-2,
$144,750. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Portfolio Company, 122, c, 2, Kitten's Joy–Iteration, by Wild
Again. ($125,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.;
B-Kenneth & Sarah Ramsey (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $30,000.
3–Limited Liability, 122, c, 2, Kitten's Joy–Hold Harmless, by
Blame. O/B-Stuart S. Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude McGaughey.
$18,000.
Margins: 2, 3HF, 4. Odds: 6.90, 2.10, 0.85.
Also Ran: Gooch Go Bragh, Kavod, Silipo. Scratched: Ready to March. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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