** For video of Kid Cruz's breeze, please visit: http://youtu.be/5xgrj3WbCy4 **
Monday, August 18, 2014
Contact: NYRA Communications
(718) 659-2351
Saratoga Race Course Notes
- Kid Cruz posts Monday breeze, will give Rice giant opportunity in G1 Travers
- Hot Stones tunes up for G1 Ballerina
- Main Sequence gives Motion important victory in the G1 Sword Dancer; possible for G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
- Pure Sensation tries to stretch speed vs. six in Better Talk Now
- It's all good for McLaughlin in Alydar
- Fields beginning to take shape for Saratoga Showcase Day
- Quay to return in Smart N Fancy
- Contest for VIP experience with Tom Durkin closes Wednesday
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Grade 3 Dwyer winner Kid Cruz hit Saratoga Race Course's main track at approximately at 7:15 a.m. on Monday before turning in his final breeze for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, traveling four furlongs in 49.19 seconds while working in company with A Marked Man.
Kid Cruz, a four-time stakes winner who was third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on July 26 at Saratoga, began the work on the inside a neck in front of A Marked Man. He entered the stretch on even terms with his stablemate before finishing approximately a half-length in front. A Marked Man, a maiden, needed urging to keep up with Kid Cruz during the gallop out.
"He went perfect. I was very happy," said Linda Rice, who trains Kid Cruz for Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds and Black Swan Stable. "I told my [exercise rider] I was looking for :49 [for a half-mile] and [a five-eighths gallop-out in] 1:02, and he hit it right on the money. I was happy with it."
Rice said Kid Cruz usually needs a workmate to exert himself when he trains.
"I've always breezed him in company," said Rice. "It just puts him on the bridle a little better. He's a little lazy. I certainly didn't want to change that today coming into the race."
Kid Cruz, claimed for $50,000 out of a maiden win last November at Aqueduct Racetrack, will be the first Travers starter for Rice, who won the 2009 Saratoga training title.
"For me, I've been training here at Saratoga for 20 years and have had a lot of great [memories]," said Rice. "My first Grade 1 win was at Saratoga with Things Change as a 2-year-old. The long term goal, I've always aspired to compete in and win the Travers. Going into it, I'm real excited about that. Anytime you have a 3-year-old that wins four stakes races as a 3-year-old, you're happy about it no matter where you got them."
* * *
Grade 3 winner Hot Stones breezed a half-mile on the main track Monday morning in advance of her next start in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina for female sprinters at seven furlongs.
Trained by Bruce Levine for owners Roddy Valente and Charles Casale, the 4-year-old New York-bred daughter of Bustin Stones was clocked in 48.72 seconds, ranking 14th of 65 horses at the distance.
It was the second work for Hot Stones since finishing third behind Antipathy and Stanwyck in the Grade 3 Shuvee Handicap on July 27. On August 11, she went four furlongs in 51.24 seconds, also on the main track.
"She went nice. We just wanted a 48 and change, just to open her up," Levine said. "We worked her last week an easy half. She ran a mile and an eighth in the Shuvee, so she's cutting back. One thing we know, she's fit."
Run at 1 1/8 miles over a muddy, sealed track, the Shuvee was Hot Stones' first start beyond a mile. The top two finishers are both targeting Friday's Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign, also at the Shuvee distance.
Hot Stones captured the Grade 2 Bed o' Roses Handicap on June 21 at Belmont Park in her only try at seven furlongs. A maiden winner at Saratoga last July, she has a victory and two thirds in three career Spa starts.
Levine heads into the Ballerina with the barn in good form, having posted six wins, one second and one third from its last 15 starters. Four of those wins have come on grass: milers Distorted Beauty, Al's Gal and Invading Humor, and sprinter Ziptronic.
Overall, Levine is 7-4-4 from 29 starters at Saratoga with purse earnings of $339,357.
"We've had a tremendous meet. My help's doing a super job," Levine said. "We just got a little lucky here and there, which is great."
* * *
Main Sequence's victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course was special for the horse's trainer, H. Graham Motion, for a few reasons.
Motion was still gushing Monday morning about the way his trainee won, with a devastating turn of foot. The son of Aldebaran was left at the back of the pack after a poor start, but uncoiled a perfectly timed rally to nip Imagining on the wire, despite the pace staying intact.
"Credit to [jockey] Rajiv [Maragh]," said Motion. "The way he rode him made all the difference yesterday. To ride a cool race when you get left like that is not easy to do. He rode a great race, he really did, and he has a lot of confidence in the horse."
The Sword Dancer also holds special meaning for Motion because when he won it in 2004 with Breeders' Cup Turf winner Better Talk Now, he viewed it as his most important win. Now, he considers it the launching pad for his career.
Since then, Motion has claimed even bigger prizes - most prominently the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup with Animal Kingdom - and as fate would have it, Animal Kingdom is the reason Main Sequence is in Motion's barn.
"When I was with Animal Kingdom in England last year, I was in a yard with [Main Sequence's former trainer] David [Lanigan], so I saw this horse train every day," said Motion. "It was David's idea to bring him over here. David was the one that had the foresight to suggest bringing him over here because he thought he would really do well in American racing."
Since both Lanigan and Motion train for Flaxman Holdings, which owns and bred Main Sequence, the transfer went off without a hitch.
"[David] thought he needed a change of scenery," said Motion. "To me, what's made a big difference with this horse is getting an honest pace in these races. You get a much more honest pace here than you do [in Europe]."
Whether it be the pace, the ground or the competition, Main Sequence has proven himself to be among America's elite turf marathoners and will be pointed to the Breeders' Cup Turf with a possible start at Belmont Park in between, according to Motion.
"No question we're thinking Breeders' Cup," said the trainer. "Once you win a 'Win and You're In' race it's on your radar, but we wanted to see him do it again and prove that he was that good. I think he did.
"I'd imagine we'd run him at Belmont [in the Grade 1, $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational on September 27], either that or not at all. I wouldn't be opposed to running in the Breeders' Cup off of works, but I'll probably run him at Belmont. We'll see how it goes."
* * *
Patricia Generazio's homebred Pure Sensation will attempt to stretch his speed to one mile on the turf Wednesday in the $100,000 Better Talk Now Stakes for 3-year-olds. With Jose Lezcano in the irons, the Zensational colt was tabbed the 5-2 second choice on the morning line behind Storming Inti (8-5).
After seven dirt starts and one victory, Pure Sensation was switched to turf by trainer Christophe Clement on July 24 in the Quick Call Stakes, a 5 ½-furlong sprint. He got caught in traffic racing on the inside, was taken back near the top of the stretch and then burst past the leaders to win by a nose in a time of 1:01.82.
"He's not a fast horse; he's a really fast horse," Clement said. "I think he's a top-class sprinter at six, seven furlongs. I'm not sure if he's a one-turn, six- or seven-furlong [colt] or if he wants to go two turns and a mile. It's a big difference, and the only way to find out is to try. The quality and class he's got, for sure. I'm just not sure if he has the same quality and class going a mile."
After Pure Sensation broke his maiden last October at Belmont Park, he finished second by a neck in a stakes race at Laurel Park and third in the Don Rickles at Aqueduct. He returned to the races May 4, finishing second in the Gold Fever at Belmont and then fifth in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens presented by RTN behind eventual Grade 1 Haskell Invitational winner Bayern.
With that, Clement went to the turf, and now that he knows Pure Sensation likes it, the trainer will try to maximize his talent.
"The idea is to try to stretch him out going two turns at a mile, which might be too ambitious, but he had a very nice work several days ago on the grass," Clement said. "And he rated well in the morning, so let's try and see what happens in the afternoon. There are no sprints for straight 3-year-olds on the grass, and if there's any way for him to get a mile, we'll have a lot more options."
Also entered were Los Borrachos (6-1), Heart to Heart (10-1), Here's Johnny (15-1), Mark My Way (12-1) and Craftsman (4-1).
* * *
The long-awaited comeback of Alpha turned out to be a reminder that Farhaan is also a pretty good horse in the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin.
The two raced uncoupled Sunday in the $100,000 Alydar Stakes at 1 1/8 miles, and Shadwell Stable's Farhaan, a 5-year-old son of 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil, came from sixth and last to win going away by 3 ¼ lengths at odds of nearly 8-1.
Alpha, owned by Godolphin Racing and dead-heat winner of the Grade 1 Travers in 2012 and last year's Grade 1 Woodward, had a tough trip in the race after six months off. Under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Alpha broke sharply from the inside post, was forced to squeeze through a tight spot on the rail on the first turn and then set demanding fractions before tiring to third, 8 ¼ lengths behind the winner.
Farhaan won two stakes this past winter, including the Stymie on the inner dirt course at Aqueduct, and hadn't raced since a fifth-place finish in April in the Grade 3 Ben Ali over the Polytrack surface at Keeneland.
"He ran last time on synthetic and was back on the dirt, and the situation worked out perfectly for him with Alpha running out and going too fast," McLaughlin said. "It set up for a closer and, luckily, it was our horse that closed and ran that well. So, it was a great win for Shadwell and for us. The brothers [Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum of Shadwell and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum of Godolphin] competed against each other, but they do that all the time.
"Obviously, Alpha's a barn favorite, and we would have loved to see him win, but when it didn't work out, I'm glad we had a good backup plan with Farhaan," he said.
Alpha, who had won four of five career starts at Saratoga with earnings of $1.245 million, has had it tough this summer.
After he finished fifth in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida in February at Gulfstream Park, the lone turf start of his career, Alpha was freshened by McLaughlin and pointed toward the Spa.
"He loves this track," the trainer said. "We gave him a little time to freshen up and be ready for up here, and it just didn't work out. The first weekend, the 27th, we had an allowance race and it didn't go. We would have run back in the Woodward [on August 30]. Now, we had to try and get him started here because he loves the track. He ran, finished third, and now we don't know what we're going to do."
McLaughlin said Alpha will race one or two more times this year and then go off to a stud career.
* * *
Stakes winners Empire Dreams and Captain Serious head the probable candidates for the $250,000 Albany for 3-year-olds, one of six stakes races for New York-breds scheduled for the inaugural Saratoga Showcase Day on Sunday.
Empire Dreams, a son of Patriot Act owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by Tom Albertrani, is 3-4-1 in nine starts and enters the 1 1/8-mile Albany off a 2 ½-length win the New York Derby on July 12 at Finger Lakes. Prior to that, he was second to Captain Serious in the Mike Lee on May 31 at Belmont.
Captain Serious, trained by Mike Hushion for Barry Schwartz, has been no worse than third in five career starts, including a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Dwyer and a third in the Grade 2 Amsterdam on July 16 at Saratoga.
Rounding out the probables for the Albany are Effinex, Eye Luv Lulu, Free Mugatu, Little Daddy, and possibly Iced Over, according to NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes.
Listed as probable for the $200,000 Fleet Indian for 3-year-old fillies, also at 1 1/8 miles, are multiple stakes winner Flipcup, most recently second in the Eternal Search at Woodbine; Canal Six, fifth in the mud facing her elders on July 27; and Alwaysinstilettos, Storied Lady and Jcs American Dream, second, third and fourth, respectively, behind winner Flipcup in the New York Oaks on July 12 at Finger Lakes. Saythreehailmary's and Star Grazing are possible.
The $150,000 West Point at 1 1/16 miles on the turf is expected to attract last year's winner, Hangover Kid, winner of the Grade 2 Bowling Green Handicap last time out; Lubash, winner of the 2012 edition of the West Point; recent allowance winner Notacatbutallama; Abilio, making his first start since being claimed by David Jacobson for Drawing Away Stable; Awesome Vision, fourth in the Evan Shipman last time out; Barrel of Love, most recently second in an allowance on August 3; multiple stakes winner King Kreesa, making his first start of 2014; and Street Game, who took a claiming race at on July 12 Monmouth Park.
The $150,000 Yaddo for fillies and mares on the turf will be headed by a pair of Grade 1 winners - last year's heroine, Dayatthespa, who was second in the De La Rose last time out, and Discreet Marq, most recently third in the Grade 1 Diana. Also expected are Effie Trinket, seeking her first win in 2014; Invading Humor, making her stakes debut; Palace Dreams, who took an optional claimer at the Yaddo distance of 1 1/16 miles on July 26, and Unbelievable Dream.
* * *
Trainer Bobby Ribaudo has confirmed his sharp turf sprinter Quay would run in the $100,000 Smart N Fancy, a 5 ½-furlong turf race for fillies and mares on August 25.
This is the final season for the 4-year-old daughter of Tapit as she will enter the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. She comes off a powerful optional claiming victory August 6, when she ran from last of eight in the lane to win by three-quarters of a length, getting the 5 ½ furlongs in 1:02.48.
It was Quay's second victory in three career starts at Saratoga.
"So, we're going to run here," Ribaudo said. "This is home for her. She does well here, and she runs good on the grass here. We've got to face Free as a Bird, Madame Giry - it's not an easy spot. They're all hard-knockers. But, she's doing good, so why not run here?"
Quay broke her maiden at Saratoga at a mile last summer and also scored this past winter at 7 ½ furlongs at Gulfstream Park. Ribaudo has found that her kick is more potent, however, at shorter distances.
"She's not a great, big filly, but she's got a nice way about her, and she's all heart," he said. "Some of those qualities are what people look for in a broodmare. People look for size, conformation - those things are important. Pedigree and heart are just as important. Those are the things you can't go out and find. You need to have it."
* * *
Throughout the spring, followers of @TheNYRA were encouraged to share their favorite racecalls by legendary announcer Tom Durkin using the hashtag #FavoriteDurkinCalls.
Each nominated call was compiled into a single YouTube Playlist, and now it's time to determine the ultimate call. Fans of The NYRA's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/thenyra, can vote for their favorite call from among the top 10 nominees.
A randomly selected entrant will win a VIP experience for Sunday, August 31, at Saratoga Race Course - Tom Durkin's last official day as track announcer. Twenty additional fans will be randomly selected to receive surprise prizes. Entries can be made through August 20 on Facebook or directly at: http://woobox.com/s7exgq.
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