Super Saver wires Kentucky Jockey Club

Super Saver saved all the ground in the Ky Jockey Club (Wendy Uzelac/EquiSport Photos) WinStar Farm’s homebred SUPER SAVER (Maria’s Mon) scooted to the lead from his inside post in Saturday’s $191,250 Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) at Churchill Downs, was challenged rounding the final turn, but fought back and drew off to record a five-length victory under jockey Calvin Borel. “It’s very exciting to have a well-bred colt that’s good-looking with all the tools and obviously getting better as the year goes along,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “It’s very, very exciting to have one like that.” Super Saver was in command on the backstretch, leading through splits of :23 1/5 and :46 3/5 while closely tracked by Activity Report (Bernstein) and Worldly (A.P. Indy) just in behind. King Snake (Midas Eyes) and Mr. Saturdaynight (Grand Reward) were well within striking range, and moved up as Activity Report and Worldly began their assault on Super Saver nearing the turn. Super Saver found his two rivals running in tandem to his outside as he entered the lane, and put on a burst of speed to once again be clear. With Borel urging him on, the bay juvenile found another gear and simply drew off through a mile in 1:36 2/5, eventually stopping the clock in a stakes-record 1:42.83 over the fast dirt. The previous stakes record of 1:43.14 was set by Captain Steve in 1999. “He’s an awesome colt,” Borel said of Super Saver, who gave his rider a third victory in the race and his fourth victory on the day. “I talked to Todd (Pletcher) and he told me the main thing was to try and get this one to change leads a little earlier. I made him switch leads in the turn and he really turned it on again. I think is is just a good racehorse.” The Kentucky Jockey Club win, combined with his three other scores on the afternoon, enabled Borel to tie Julien Leparoux for the leading rider on the final day of Churchill’s 2009 fall meet. “I had some really live mounts in today,” Borel said of the accomplishment. “The one (Brown Eyed Baby [Mineshaft]) for my brother (Cecil Borel) looked very live, and I thought I had a chance to pick up a couple here and there. I came in today feeling very good about my chances.”

Sent off the near 5-2 second choice in the nine-horse field, Super Saver paid $6.80, $4.20
and $3.40 while keying the $47.20 exacta, $384 trifecta and $3,550.40 superfecta
(2-4-7-9). William’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), exiting an eighth-placing in the
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), was best of the rest, holding Worldly
to third by a head while returning $6 and $4.40 at 6-1. Show was worth $6 at 10-1, and
Activity Report rounded out the top four as the 50-1 second longest shot on the
board.

Next under the line were Callide Valley (Indian Charlie), Thiskyhasnolimit (Sky Mesa),
Mr. Saturdaynight, Gleam of Hope (City Zip) and King Snake.

The Kentucky-bred Super Saver broke his maiden in his second career try at
Belmont Park, then ran fourth in the Champagne S. (G1) prior to this one.
Saturday’s victory boosted the juvenile’s earnings to $171,232, and his line now reads
4-2-1-0.

“He’ll go to Palm Meadows on Tuesday and we’ll get him settled in there,”
Pletcher said speaking of what’s on the horizon for his winning charge. “I’ll
talk to (racing manager) Elliott (Walden) and come up with a game plan on what
we’ll do. Obviously, we’ll freshen him up and point for something in the
spring.”

Super Saver is out of the winning A.P. Indy mare
Supercharger, who has since produced a yearling colt by Distorted Humor and a
weanling filly by Awesome Again. Supercharger is herself a daughter of Grade 3
winner Get Lucky (Mr. Prospector), making her a full sister to Grade 3-winning
sire Accelerator, Grade 2 queen Daydreaming, and the unraced She’s a Winner, the
dam of Grade 1 hero Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat), Grade 2 victor Lord of the Game
(Saint Ballado) and stakes scorer Sonoma Cat (Storm Cat). Supercharger is also a
full sister to this year’s Jerome H. (G2) winner Girolamo and a half-sister to
Canadian stakes winner Harborage (Monarchos).

Get Lucky is out of Grade 1 heroine Dance Number (Northern Dancer), making
her a full sister to Rhythm, the champion two-year-old male of 1989, as well as
successful sire Not for Love. Others of note in this line include Numbered
Account (Buckpasser), the champion two-year-old filly of 1971, and sires Private
Account (Damascus) and Woodman (Mr. Prospector).