Goldmark Farm’s unbeaten BACKTALK (Smarty Jones) prevailed in a blanket
finish to Thursday’s $150,000
Sanford
S. (G2) at Saratoga, but not after a few anxious moments for backers of the
3-2 favorite. Under a drive by Miguel Mena, the Tom Amoss pupil made steady
rather than spectacular headway from midpack to reach contention in the stretch,
and his effort briefly appeared to stall. Backtalk never backed off, however. In
the final yards, the powerful chestnut managed to wear down the battling pair of
Enumerate (Proud Accolade) and Louisvilleluminary (Pulpit) to score by a neck.
Backtalk completed six furlongs on the fast track in 1:10 to remain perfect
from three starts. The popular winner returned $5, $3 and $2.70 while
starting the $22 exacta and $99.50 trifecta (4-2-3).
“I’m very excited,” Amoss said. “These don’t come around in my barn often,
and I’m certainly grateful to Goldmark Farm for the opportunity. I think the
ability to come from that far off the pace on a day like today when it looked,
to me, as the day went on that speed was a good commodity (and) the wide trip he
had — I think those things were very exciting. And, I would say, a will to win.
The race was not decided until very late.”
“I was a little nervous because this is my first meet at Saratoga, but I got
a great horse with a bright future,” Mena said. “He’s learning race by race. You
can see him in the post parade being so calm. He felt good and had a good trip.
A couple of horses got a little tough in the end. He never quit. He fought
through the end.
“I studied the race all day,” Mena continued. “I knew there was a lot of
speed in the race. I knew the pace was going to be fast and they had to come
back. Turning for home, my biggest concern was making my horse switch leads.
Sometimes, he’s a little bit funny about that. Thank God, he didn’t give me any
problems and switched leads.”
Enumerate, who had to bide his time behind horses before angling out for
room, rallied strongly to confront Louisvilleluminary inside the final furlong.
Those two Steve Asmussen pupils continued to slug it out to the wire, with
Enumerate just proving the stronger. The 7-2 Enumerate paid $4 and $3.40 for his
commendable runner-up effort. Louisvilleluminary, another neck away in third,
yielded $4 at 9-1.
Nacho Friend (Friends Lake) threatened along the rail and crossed the wire a
close fourth, missing third by a half-length. Another neck back came Bulls and
Bears (Holy Bull), who missed the break but flew home. It was another six
lengths back to Bricklayer (El Corredor) in sixth.
As can be inferred from the fact that closers dominated the finish, a fast
pace took its toll on the early leaders. Soundman (Songandaprayer) carved out an
opening quarter in :21 4/5 while under pressure from his entrymate Activity
Report (Bernstein) and Interactif (Broken Vow). Activity Report secured a narrow
lead while clocking :44 4/5 for the half-mile, but the trio were swamped in the
stretch. Activity Report, Interactif and Soundman rounded out the order of
finish.
Backtalk was an impressive debut winner at Churchill Downs on June 11,
uncorking a circling move en route to a 2 3/4-length victory. Next time out in
the Bashford Manor S. (G3), he overcame a stumbling start to win going away by a
length. His Sanford coup doubled his earnings to $180,095. Bred in Florida by
Clover Leaf Farms II, he was purchased by his current connections for $250,000
as a Keeneland September yearling.
Backtalk is a half-brother to six-time stakes star and multiple Grade
1-placed Bsharpsonata (Pulpit), who scored her biggest victories in the 2008
Forward Gal S. (G2) and Davona Dale S. (G2). He also has an unnamed yearling
half-brother by First Samurai. They are all out of Apasionata Sonata (Affirmed),
the winner of the 2003 Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf S. Backtalk’s second dam is
Express Star (Baldski), a seven-time Calder stakes queen. This is also the
family of O.B.S. Filly Championship S. heroine Fitz Just Right (Seattle Fitz [Arg]),
last seen finishing second in the March 21 Bourbonette Oaks (G3).