By Alan Carasso
It's a Grade I bonanza Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course, as the track plays host to a trio of elite-level races–short and long, turf and dirt.
The richest of the three events is the $1-million Whitney Stakes, offering the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on the first Saturday of November. National Treasure (Quality Road) is the 9-5 favorite on David Aragona's morning line and can further tighten his grip on the handicap division with a victory. The $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling is perfect in his two starts in this country this season, having held off Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Stakes in January ahead of a battling fourth to that foe in the G1 Saudi Cup half a world away a month later. Sent cross-country for the GI Met Mile H. on Belmont Day here June 8, he cut out a strong pace and skipped home to finish some 6 1/4 lengths ahead of Post Time (Frosted). “He's matured and he's an older horse now,” said trainer Bob Baffert, who won back-to-back Whitneys in 2019-20 with 'TDN Rising Stars' McKinzie (Street Sense) and Improbable (City Zip). “I think he's just getting better and I'm pretty happy with him right now.”
Fellow 'Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) was dominant in winning this year's GIII Essex Handicap by five lengths and the GII Alysheba Stakes by four lengths, both from just off the speed, but he found himself atypically on the lead when odds-on in the GI Stephen Foster Handicap and weakened to fourth to Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), three-parts of a length behind the third-placed Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator). Still, trainer Brad Cox is refusing to use that as an excuse.
“That is why we find ourselves running back here in the Whitney,” said the conditioner, who sent out Knicks Go (Paynter) to win this in 2021. “He's trained well enough for us to give him another opportunity at the Grade 1-level, we'll see how it goes.”
Frosted (Tapit) gave Godolphin its only Whitney to date in 2016.
National Treasure is not the only Whitney starter with a previous top-level tally at the Spa. Bright Future (Curlin) really came to life last summer, winning a nine-furlong allowance before defeating future GI Breeders' Cup Classic third Proxy (Tapit) in the Jockey Club Gold Cup over 10 furlongs. A sneaky-good sixth at Santa Anita, the chestnut exits a fast-finishing score in the GIII Salvator Mile June 15 and will relish the added eighth of a mile here. The same connections are represented by Crupi (Curlin), winner of the GII Suburban Stakes over the mile and a quarter on June 8 and a distant second to Next (Majestic Warrior) in the 11-furlong GII Brooklyn Stakes July 5.
Cugino Scratch Leaves Seven For Saratoga Derby
As reported by TDN's on-site correspondent Tim Wilkin in Friday's edition, Audubon Stakes winner Cugino (Twirling Candy) will miss Saturday's GI Saratoga Derby, leaving Irish raider and 'TDN Rising Star' Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) as an even stronger post-time selection.
A Group 2 winner at Leopardstown last season, the 2.4-million gns ($2.89 million) second-priciest horse at Tattersalls October in 2022 was sent across to France for his first two runs this term, finishing a close fourth in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (2000 Guineas) May 12 ahead of an eighth in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) the next month after leading with as little as 300 meters to race. The bay dropped away abruptly to finish 10th as the 2-1 favorite in the 12-furlong G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot June 21, but he most recently gave six rivals a seven-length beating in the G3 Meld Stakes back at Leopardstown July 18.
Diego Velazquez blew out over the Saratoga main track Friday morning to the satisfaction of T J Comerford, the traveling assistant to trainer Aidan O'Brien.
“He's just gone a little bit quicker today,” Comerford said. “He went easy for four [furlongs] and then a little bit quicker the last four over a mile. He's done very good. He's a great traveler.”
Ryan Moore retains the ride.
White Palomino (Kitten's Joy) all but wired the GI Belmont Derby July 6 and Flavien Prat is likely to hit the gas from gate seven here as well. He could have this field over a barrel from a pace standpoint and will try to hold off the likes of Legend of Time (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who could do no better than third off the sedate tempo last time at Aqueduct.
Diego Velazquez | Sarah Andrew
Ways and Means Rates Slight Favorite in Test
A competitive field of six sophomore fillies is set to face the starter for Saturday's GI Test Stakes over a seven-furlong trip that is widely regarded as a 'specialist' distance.
Four of the entrants already own at least one victory going seven-eighths of a mile, but one of the fillies that does not figures to go off favored in the Test. Klaravich Stables' homebred 'TDN Rising Star' Ways and Means (Practical Joke) has a single try at the distance, resulting in a near-miss second to Brightwork (Outwork) in last year's GI Spinaway Stakes. Tried over two turns in her first couple of outings this season, the half-sister to GISW Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}) and GSW Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) was second in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and fourth in the GI Kentucky Oaks, but walloped her rivals in a one-mile allowance here June 6, good for a 104 Beyer that would win the Test.
“She's doing well. We've spaced her races out purposefully for this race,” said trainer Chad Brown. “She's in a good rhythm working. Some speed in there would help her.”
Which of the six fillies will lead in the race is an open question. Emery (More Than Ready), winner of the seven-furlong Leslie's Lady Stakes two back, was handy enough to a strong pace in the July 6 GIII Victory Ride Stakes last time before edging front-running Mystic Lake (Mo Town), and she may be ridden positively from the rail by Tyler Gaffalione. Her stablemate Denim and Pearls (Into Mischief) romped by better than nine lengths in Keeneland's GII Beaumont Stakes over an extended seven-eighths of a mile, but was well beaten by My Mane Squeeze (Audible) in the GII Eight Belles Stakes in the Churchill slop May 3.
Brightwork failed to build on her Spinaway success, finishing fifth in the GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes and sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She's got the layoff to overcome if she is to remain unbeaten at sprint distances.
Saturday's program also features the GII Troy Stakes, in which the record-setting Cogburn (Not This Time) figures a hot favorite in a race that includes the in-form Grooms All Bizness (Fed Biz) and Godolphin's consistent Mischief Magic (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}).
Distaff Berth On The Line In Clement L. Hirsch
An exceptionally deep field of eight heads to the post for Saturday's GI Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff going another sixteenth of a mile in early November.
Michael Lund Petersen's Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) is the defending Hirsch champion, having bested soon-to-be-millionaire Desert Dawn (Cupid) by a length in last year's renewal. Seventh in the Distaff, she was second in the GI Beholder Mile on seasonal debut in March, but has since downed Flying Connection (Connect) in the GI Apple Blossom Handicap Apr. 13 and Coffee in Bed (Curlin) in the GII Santa Margarita Stakes May. 26.
In 2021, trainer Brad Cox sent out the previous year's GI Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) to take the Hirsch, and Brendan Walsh will look to repeat the dose with 2023 Oaks victress and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief). Also victorious in the GI Acorn Stakes and GI Test Stakes, the homebred is winless in her last three, including a third to Randomized (Nyquist) in the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes at Saratoga June 8.
Hall of Famers Mike Smith and Bill Mott teamed to win a Breeders' Cup Distaff in 1997 with Allen Paulson's Ajina and another with Royal Delta in 2012 and the pair reunite with Juddmonte's 'TDN Rising Star' Scylla (Tapit) this weekend. The full-sister to Tacitus and Batten Down rides a three-race winning streak into her first Grade I assignment, including a neck score in the GII Fleur De Lis Stakes at Churchill June 29.
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