10/20/13
Last updated: 10/19/13 8:14 PM
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Saratoga Snacks went one better than his runner-up effort in last year’s Empire Classic
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Owned by NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, Saratoga Snacks blitzed his
rivals in Saturday’s $250,000
Empire Classic Handicap, the anchor of a seven-stakes extravaganza for New
York-breds at Belmont Park billed as “Empire Showcase Day.” The 3-2 favorite was
improving upon his runner-up effort in last year’s edition.
Trainer Gary Sciacca had been weighing whether to run in this 1 1/8-mile test
off a 2 1/2-month layoff, or try the six-furlong Hudson on the undercard. He
chose the right spot — to the delight of Parcells, who campaigns Saratoga
Snacks in the name of August Dawn Farm.
“I just spoke to (Parcells) on the phone and he’s thrilled,” Sciacca said.
“He’s in Florida, watching on TV. He said, ‘Great job getting him ready.'”
Piloted by Joel Rosario, Saratoga Snacks stalked on the outside as
Warrioroftheroses established splits of :23 3/5, :46 3/5 and 1:10 3/5 on the
fast track. Saratoga Snacks tackled the weakening pacesetter on the far turn and
drove clear in the stretch, clocking the mile in 1:35 3/5.
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Readtheprospectus, the 8-5 second choice who came in with a seven-race
winning streak, was unable to lift his game from off the pace and ultimately
wound up seventh of eight. Instead, 23-1 longshot Bigger Is Bettor emerged as
the only threat to Saratoga Snacks inside the final furlong.
Unlike a year ago, when then-sophomore Saratoga Snacks tried to make all the
running only to be caught by Lunar Victory, this time the year-older ridgling
stayed on resolutely and held Bigger Is Bettor by three-quarters of a length.
Saratoga Snacks finished in 1:48 3/5 and returned $5 to win.
“When they turned for home, I never screamed like I screamed today,” Sciacca
said.
“I kind of worried a little bit before turning for home,” Rosario said, “but
I knew that if somebody were to come at him, he would keep going, and it worked
out perfectly.
“He’s a little bit of a funny horse. You have to really keep him motivated;
keep him busy. You have to keep him focused.”
With this biggest career victory to his credit, Saratoga Snacks sports a mark
of 10-7-2-1, $464,600. After his second in the 2012 Empire Classic in his stakes
debut, the son of Tale of the Cat concluded his season with a score in the Alex
M. Robb at Aqueduct. He had only two starts under his belt in 2013, both in
sprints. Successful in the June 30 Shy Groom here in his belated reappearance
off a six-month layoff, he was a troubled third to ill-fated Saginaw in the
August 1 John Morrissey at Saratoga.
Sciacca described how he got Saratoga Snacks ready for the big day.
“Once I put the glue-on shoes on the horse it made all the difference in the
world,” the trainer said. “He started doing good. Joel (Rosario) came out and
worked him the other morning in 1:12 4/5. He worked good and galloped out
strong. I said, ‘Well, if he wasn’t fit, that’ll get him right there.'”
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Cluster of Stars extended her unbeaten sequence to seven in the Iroquois
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Turtle Bird Stable’s Cluster of Stars opted for the $150,000
Iroquois rather than having to be supplemented for the Breeders’ Cup Filly &
Mare Sprint, and the unbeaten filly duly wired an overmatched field by 3 1/4
lengths. By extending her record to a perfect seven-for-seven, the Steve
Asmussen trainee boosted her earnings to $549,600.
Hammered into 1-10 favoritism after lording it over high-class rivals in the
September 21 Gallant Bloom Handicap last out, Cluster of Stars reeled off
fractions of :22 2/5, :45 2/5 and 1:09 1/5 with Javier Castellano. Willet, the
defending Iroquois champion, tried to mount a challenge, but she couldn’t get
close enough to threaten. Cluster of Stars remained comfortably on top, stopped
the teletimer in a brisk 1:21 4/5 for her first try at seven furlongs, and
returned $2.30 to win.
“Very professional, as usual,” assistant trainer Toby Sheets said. “She likes
to bring it. The seven furlongs didn’t bother me — the fact we would be the
target did bother me a little bit. (Here’s Zealicious) had speed, but she
scratched, so that helped us a little. (Cluster of Stars) is just all that, and
then some.”
“In the beginning there’s always pressure when you’re 1-5 in the race,”
Castellano said, “but she’s very special. When you get on her, you don’t worry
about anything. You just focus and do your own thing. Toby did a great job.
She’s very competitive, very intelligent; I’m just the pilot. I like to enjoy
the ride. She’s very professional and did everything the right way. She’s a
special horse.”
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Cluster of Stars began her career over Aqueduct’s inner dirt last winter,
dominating a maiden and entry-level allowance for state-breds. Since her narrow
decision in the February 2 Correction in her stakes, and open-company, debut,
she has been untouchable. The four-year-old daughter of Greeley’s Galaxy crushed
an open allowance by 9 1/4 lengths on March 14 before convincingly defeating
Grade 2 rivals in the April 13 Distaff Handicap. Returning from a five-month
vacation in the Gallant Bloom, she ran off from the likes of Dance to Bristol
and Dance Card.
“We’re going to enjoy this,” Sheets said of the Iroquois. “One race at a
time. There are a couple of things we can do. We’ll see how she comes out and go
from there.”
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Bryan “wired” them in the Bertram Bongard
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Anstu Stables’ homebred Wired Bryan was dispatched as the 1-5 favorite in the
$150,000
Bertram F. Bongard for juveniles, and the class of the field ran right up to
expectations to garner his third stakes victory. Breaking alertly beneath John
Velazquez, the Michael Dilger pupil dictated terms through splits of :22 4/5 and
:45 3/5 before opening up down the lane.
Wired Bryan reached the six-furlong mark in 1:09 4/5 and completed seven
furlongs in 1:22 4/5 while crossing the wire by three dominant lengths. Empire
Dreams was a clear second by the same margin from So Lonesome.
“It wasn’t a surprise — we have to expect that,” Velazquez said of the heavy
favorite’s performance. “This horse has been running against a lot better
horses. Today we broke from the outside, just kind of let him run out of there,
got to the lead, and tried to save some horse for the end.”
“It’s a horse race, so you never know what can happen,” Dilger commented.
“He’s been holding his form real well. He’s been a consistent horse all year.
Johnny (Velazquez) has ridden the horse, he’s won on him, he’s ridden against
him and beaten him, he’s been beaten by him — he’s seen him from every angle.
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“I told him to do whatever he thought was best. The horse is always going to
break sharp, it was just a matter of whether someone else wanted the lead or
not. He’s a naturally fast horse. I wasn’t concerned about seven furlongs on a
fast track. His recent works have shown he’s progressing and maturing. We’ll see
how he is during the week and go from there.
“We’ll winter in Florida, and who knows, maybe try to stretch him out (on the
Triple Crown trail).”
Wired Bryan, who paid $2.60 to win, has now bankrolled $537,474 from his
6-4-1-0 line. A 5 1/4-length winner of the historic Sanford at Saratoga on July
21, the gray son of Stormy Atlantic was just outdueled by Corfu in the August 11
Saratoga Special. After Wired Bryan faded to fifth in the muddy Hopeful on
September 2, he reverted to state-bred company for the September 28 New York
Breeders’ Futurity and romped by seven lengths.
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It was all about Miss Narcissist in the Joseph Gimma
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
In the companion $150,000
Joseph A. Gimma for juvenile fillies, 5-1 chance Miss Narcissist led
throughout to upset the 3-5 Court Dancer. Co-owned by Acqua Nova Stable,
Winter Park Partners and trainer Linda Rice, the stakes debutante was prompted
by Court Dancer through fractions of :23 and :46 1/5.
But Miss Narcissist pulled away from the odds-on favorite en route to a 5
1/4-length triumph in a final time of 1:23 4/5. The Freud filly rewarded her
backers with $12.20 to win.
“She’s not an easy filly to ride,” jockey Junior Alvarado said, “but Linda
Rice had her perfectly ready for this race. My filly broke good, and (Court
Dancer) broke good too, but I had to go to the lead. She relaxed after that. At
the top of the stretch, I knew how much horse I had. Once she switched to her
right lead, I knew we were in good shape. I don’t think she will have any
problems going long.”
Now sporting a mark of 3-2-0-0, $134,100, Miss Narcissist has been a work in
progress.
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“She was very, very fractious in the paddock and behind the gates the first
time I ran her (when fifth at Saratoga August 8), but she had trained
brilliantly,” Rice said. “The second time she won, but she still ran very
greenly (when breaking her maiden back at the Spa August 28). We took the next
two months to get her to settle in and teach her to switch her leads.
“Junior (Alvarado) breezed her for me last week, and I explained what she
needs to get her to switch leads. She’s learning, and I was very pleased with
her today. She’s been a project, and the gap from her maiden race to this race
was two months, but it gave us enough to really work with her. She has raw
talent, but she’s hard to direct.”
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Palace, a $20,000 claim at this time last year, has now won two straight stakes
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Later, Rice sent out Antonino Miuccio’s Palace to a rallying victory in the
$150,000
Hudson Handicap. The City Zip colt had been overlooked at 12-1 last time in
his successful stakes debut in the August 23 Chowder’s First at the Spa, but
bettors did not make the same mistake again and sent him off as the 2-1 favorite
here.
Under regular rider Cornelio Velasquez, Palace raced within striking distance
in fourth through fractions of :22 2/5 and :45 3/5. He commenced his bid in the
lane and accosted Moonlight Song, who floated out and carried Palace along with
him. But Palace would not be denied by any amount of herding, and he quickened
readily in the final strides to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths. After zipping
six furlongs in 1:08 4/5, he paid $6.
“Jose (Ortiz aboard Moonlight Song) had a lot of horse in the stretch,”
Velasquez noted, “but my horse ran hard the last part of the race. I had the
best horse in the race. He’s a very good horse and I had a lot of confidence.”
Palace, who was claimed by Rice for $20,000 at Belmont last October, has
compiled a resume of 13-7-2-2, $352,050.
“I was very happy when he won off by 11 (lengths) the day I (claimed) him,”
Rice said. “I didn’t think a year later we’d be here on Showcase Day, so it’s a
delight.
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“He trained so well last fall. He really flourished over the winter. I
trained his father, and (City Zip) was a special horse. I thought I could see
the same things in (Palace). He bled through Lasix on me. I turned him out for a
couple of months, and when I brought him back he was just taking a little longer
to get back into shape than I thought (he would). He was a little heavier than
anticipated, but I just knew there was something special under the hood, and he
shows it each time.”
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King Kreesa proved that he could stalk and pounce in the Mohawk
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
Gerald and Susan Kresa’s King Kreesa likewise justified 2-1 favoritism in the
$200,000
Mohawk on turf, but not in the front-running fashion that is his custom.
Rather, when the 64-1 longshot Abilio was intent on hustling to the lead, King
Kreesa stalked in second for Irad Ortiz Jr. Smoothly asserting himself turning
for home, the King Cugat gelding kept on strongly to hold safe the rally of
Lubash by 1 1/4 lengths. The final time was a snappy 1:39 1/5 for 1 1/16 miles
on the firm Widener course.
“He relaxed pretty good today,” Ortiz said. “He ran like he was in front. I
talked with the trainer (Jeremiah Englehart) today and we saw there was speed in
the race. We had in mind that if we had to, we would sit second or third. We had
Plan B, and that worked for us.”
“Once he got the lead coming around (the turn), I figured he’d hold it,”
Gerald Kresa said. “He’s tough.”
King Kreesa gave back $6.20 while improving his scorecard to 17-6-4-2,
$657,370. The winner of last year’s London Company and the Spectacular Bid
division of the New York Stallion Stakes, the dark bay also just missed in the
Cab Calloway division and in the Jamaica. He opened his 2013 campaign with a
pair of thirds in the March 30 Appleton and May 4 Fort Marcy, then struck top
form with wins in both the June 1 Kingston and the July 4 Poker. King Kreesa’s
finest hour was in defeat in the August 10 Fourstardave, where he gallantly had
to settle for second to Horse of the Year Wise Dan. He found the 1 1/2 miles of
the September 28 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational beyond him when a remote
seventh, but rebounded on the cutback in trip versus state-breds here.
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Patsy C. Symons’ Effie Trinket showed plenty of grit and determination to
beat older turf distaffers in the $200,000
Ticonderoga, and gave her sire Freud his second stakes win on the card after
Miss Narcissist. Rated just behind the pacesetter through splits of :24 3/5, :49
1/5 and 1:13 1/5, the Rick Violette sophomore needed to find room, and she
didn’t flinch when Luis Saez sent her through a seam between foes. Effie Trinket
then withstood a sustained bid from Sally’s Dream, battling back bravely to
prevail by a nose. Effie Trinket covered 1 1/16 miles on the firm inner turf in
1:42 2/5 and furnished a $9.40 win mutuel as the 7-2 second choice.
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Effie Trinket (right) was a gutsy winner of the Ticonderoga over Sally’s Dream
(NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) |
“She’s a very, very nice filly,” Saez said. “I was very nervous (in the
stretch). I knew I had horse but I didn’t have room. I had to wait and wait, and
when I saw Rajiv (Maragh) on my outside (aboard Sally’s Dream) I thought he was
going to beat me, but when I changed my whip to the left hand she responded; she
loved it. I knew she won (the photo).”
“How game is she? She can do anything,” Violette enthused. “She has won on
the lead, she has won stalking, she’s made one big run to get it. Here she kind
of stalked and had to wait; everyone was packing her in. She’s a small horse, so
she needed just a small hole to get through. (Maragh aboard Sally’s Dream) did a
good job; he had us kind of hemmed in. She just battled back and put a nose in
front. It was very, very cool.”
Effie Trinket’s effort advanced her record to 10-6-1-1, $432,150, reflecting
four stakes scores. The dark bay captured the Aristie on the Saratoga dirt last
year, along with the July 7 Diamondrella over Belmont’s Widener turf and the
September 15 John Hettinger on this inner turf in her latest. She has won four
of her last five, her only recent loss being a second to Summer of Fun in the
August 10 Auntie Mame at the Spa.
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