When Tom Albertrani sent out Twilight Eclipse to set a Gulfstream course record in the 2013 Pan American (G2), Sadler’s Joy was 15 days old. Now that foal’s all grown up into a progressive four-year-old, who arrived in the nick of time in Saturday’s $200,000 edition of the Pan American, and signaled he may be Albertrani’s next big turf horse.
Woodslane Farm’s homebred nearly captured his stakes debut in the January 28 W.L. McKnight (G3), only to miss by a head to Taghleeb. Sadler’s Joy had the satisfaction of turning the tables here beneath a returning Julien Leparoux
As Reporting Star dictated through fractions of :24.15, :49.77, 1:15.54 and 1:40.42, Sadler’s Joy was switched off near the back of the pack, trailed only by the ever-last Mr Maybe. Designed for War stalked the longtime leader until serving it up to him on the final turn and gradually edging away.
The closers were bearing down all around Designed for War, with Patterson Cross looming on the outside and 3-1 favorite Taghleeb maneuvering for an inside seam. But the 12-1 shot knuckled down and saw them off, until the very last.
Sadler’s Joy erupted inside the final furlong to head Designed for War at the wire, and the 7-2 chance finished 1 1/2 firm-turf miles in 2:26.89. Patterson Cross was another neck away in third, a particularly good effort in light of his wide passage around the clubhouse turn and again on the final turn. Taghleeb wasn’t beaten far in fourth as the 123-pound highweight, conceding six pounds to the winner.
Now victorious in four of his past five, Sadler’s Joy has climbed the ladder through a Saratoga maiden win, and successive allowance conditions at Belmont and Aqueduct, prior to his stakes unveiling at Gulfstream. His mark stands at 8-4-1-0, $302,968.
As his name implies, Sadler’s Joy is by Kitten’s Joy. He’s out of the unraced Dynaformer mare Dynaire, thus giving him a pedigree pattern of 4×3 inbreeding to Roberto. With his second dam, Grade 3 winner Binya, being by the Sadler’s Wells stallion Royal Solo, Sadler’s Joy also features a 3×4 duplication of Sadler’s Wells. His third dam is the *Vaguely Noble mare Beaconaire, best known for producing multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Sabin.
Among the longer distance turf distaffers, the 9-1 Summersault upset the $200,000 Orchid H. (G3) after picking up the pieces from a demanding pace.
Trained by Mark Hennig and ridden by Paco Lopez, the New York-bred relaxed well behind the overeager front runner, Maquette. That Juddmonte Farms homebred was too fresh in her U.S. debut for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, insisting on having her way through splits of :23.47, :46.12, 1:10.54 and 1:35.12.
Olorda, the 4-5 favorite, let Maquette go and sat back in second. On the premises to overtake the weakening Maquette in the homestretch, Olorda was in turn accosted by the late-running Summersault. The longest shot in the field of five stayed on best of all to upend Olorda by three-quarters of a length while completing 1 3/8 miles in 2:12.24.
A William Parsons Jr. and David S. Howe homebred, Summersault paid $20 for earning her first stakes credit and increased her own bankroll to $374,983 from her 22-6-5-2 line. Her only prior stakes attempt came in last May’s Mount Vernon for the New York-breds, but she caught an unsuitably yielding Belmont course and trudged home 11th of 12. The Rock Hard Ten mare has captured her past two on the Gulfstream turf and made it three straight here.
Summersault was produced by the Smart Strike mare Saratoga Summer, who is herself a half-sister to Grade 3-placed stakes scorer Charley Tango. Their dam is Grade 3 winner Ziggy’s Act (also ancestress of Grade 2 victress Tizaqueena), and Summersault’s third dam is Grade 1 heroine Comedy Act, from the further family of Grade 1-winning millionaire The Cliff’s Edge.
