Nine promising two-year-olds will line up in Thursday’s $150,000
Saratoga Special S. (G2) at Saratoga, and all of the top barns are
represented in the 6 1/2-furlong affair. Aside from the usual handicapping
conundrum posed by lightly-raced runners stepping up in class, there is the
added wrinkle of a surface question: four of the logical contenders will be
racing on dirt for the first time.
FEARLESS COWBOY (El Corredor), the 122-pound highweight, has distinguished
“He’s first time dirt, but he’s training well, and he’s a nice colt, so we
Fearless Cowboy will break widest of all from post 9 with new rider Alan
Two other contenders have experience racing over synthetic surfaces in
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Zip Quik made his career debut for Patrick Biancone in the Willard L. Proctor
Memorial S., finishing a rallying third, and duly broke his maiden in his
subsequent outing at Hollywood Park. A $320,000 OBS March two-year-old in
training purchase, Zip Quik ran for the third time during the meet in the
Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. (G3), where he charged from last for
runner-up honors. The bay colt, who has since fired a pair of bullets at Santa
Anita, figures to relish the added ground, as well as the prospect of a frenetic
pace at the Spa. The late-running Zip Quik will get the services of Julien
Leparoux.
The Bob Baffert-trained Tiny Woods flashed serious speed in his debut at Del
Mar, sprinting clear early and hanging on by a head at the wire. The first
winner to emerge for the Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable, Tiny Woods is out
of a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning juvenile Toccet (Awesome Again).
“He seems like a nice one,” said Tonja Terranova, who oversees Baffert’s
horses on the East Coast. “Bob liked what he saw (Sunday) morning, and we are
all excited about running him.”
Mike Smith, who rode the colt at Del Mar, will be in town to renew the
partnership from post 8.
Rounding out the synthetic-to-dirt quartet is smashing debut winner CHINA
(Tale of the Cat) from the Todd Pletcher barn. Owned by Michael Tabor and Mrs.
John Magnier, the bay wired the field by 6 3/4 lengths in a 4 1/2-furlong dash at
Keeneland in April. John Velazquez will be back aboard. (China is cross-entered
to Friday’s 3RD race at the Spa, a six-furlong allowance/optional claimer.)
Two with strong dirt form at Churchill Downs — FLATTER THAN ME (Flatter) and
THISKYHASNOLIMIT (Sky Mesa) — have finished second to the undefeated Backtalk
(Smarty Jones), who most recently captured the Sanford S. (G2) at Saratoga.
Flatter Than Me surged to a daylight lead in midstretch in the Bashford Manor
S. (G3), only to be gunned down late by Backtalk. Flatter Than Me has been
working sharply at the Spa for Merrill Scherer, most recently blasting a :58 2/5
bullet for five furlongs on August 14. Robby Albarado will once again ride the
speedy dark bay.
Steve Asmussen will send out Thiskyhasnolimit, who was swamped by Backtalk in
their mutual debut. Second time out, Thiskyhasnolimit dictated on the front end
and drew off by seven lengths in the slop. Regular rider Shaun Bridgmohan will
break from the rail aboard the dark bay, who is out of a half-sister to champion
Bernardini (A.P. Indy).
ACTIVITY REPORT (Bernstein) is the only Sanford alumnus to contest the
Saratoga Special. Making his first start for Wayne Lukas in the Sanford, the bay
was embroiled in a wicked speed duel and ultimately retreated to seventh, beaten
7 1/2 lengths by Backtalk.
“I wasn’t pleased with the way he ran,” Lukas said. “I’m trying to find out
more about him, and I’m going back into this one with a little different
strategy, hoping he’ll make that one run.
“He’s a nice horse, but I don’t know how good he is,” he added. “Hopefully,
we’ll find out.”
Prior to joining Lukas, Activity Report rolled to an eight-length victory in
a $50,000 maiden claimer at Churchill.
D’ FUNNYBONE (D’wildcat) is a graduate of the ever-tough Calder juvenile
scene. A 7 1/4-length winner at first asking, the chestnut was just collared
late in the Frank Gomez Memorial S. by Jackson Bend (Hear No Evil), who came
right back to take the Dr. Fager S. D’ Funnybone has since been purchased by
Paul Pompa Jr., and he will make his first start for Richard Dutrow here. One
thing remains constant, however: his jockey from the Frank Gomez, Edgar Prado,
will climb back into the saddle.
INSIGHTFUL (E Dubai) showed little when checking in last of seven in his bow
at Belmont, but the Barclay Tagg pupil regrouped to score in an off-the-turf
maiden going seven furlongs at the same track. He is therefore the only Saratoga
Special entrant with experience at, or beyond, the distance. Javier Castellano
has the return call.
Earlier on Thursday, AFFIRMATIF (Unbridled’s Song) will cut back sharply to 5
1/2 grassy furlongs in the $70,000
Solomon Northup S. The Pletcher trainee garnered the Woodlawn S. and
finished second in the off-the-turf Hill Prince S. (G3), both at one mile, but
faded badly to seventh in the 1 1/4-mile Virginia Derby (G2). Among his seven
rivals are PERFECT OFFICER (Officer), a close fourth versus older sprinters in
the Quick Call S. at this course and distance; the multiple stakes-placed WALL
STREET WONDER (City Place); and ASK JOE (Najran) and HAMAZING DESTINY (Salt Lake),
who would both be trying turf for the first time.
The Solomon Northup honors the author of the landmark autobiography,
Twelve Years a Slave. A free African-American resident of Saratoga Springs,
Northup was kidnapped, sold into slavery, toiled in Louisiana for a dozen years,
and was finally liberated in 1853.
Kicking off Thursday’s stakes action is the $70,000
Michael G. Walsh Novice S., a 2 3/8-mile contest over National fences. Top
contenders in the 12-horse field include YOU THE MAN (Lear Fan) and LEFT UNSAID
(Dynaformer), first and second, respectively, in the Jonathan Kiser Novice
Hurdle S. at the Spa, and DIAMOND FEVER (Seeking the Gold), a stakes winner on
the flat who is seeking his first win as a hurdler.