If Sanford S. (G2) and Bashford Manor S. (G3) winner BACKTALK (Smarty Jones)
is going to maintain his undefeated mark through Monday’s $300,000
Hopeful
S. (G1) at Saratoga, the Tom Amoss trainee will have to overcome the effects
of post 13 in the seven-furlong feature, the signature juvenile event of the
Saratoga meet. The 36-day stand, which ends Labor Day, also features the
$100,000
Glens
Falls H. (G3), a turf marathon for fillies and mares.
On the surface, the outside post appears to be less harmful to a horse like
Backtalk, who tends to do his best running late. The chestnut will still have to
avoid a wide trip down the backside and then make a potentially wide rally in
the stretch, as he has been forced to do in two prior starts, including the
Sanford, which did not turn out to be a particularly fast race. Richard
Migliore has inherited the ride on Backtalk from the troubled Miguel Mena.
ENUMERATE (Proud Accolade) did not have a clear path in the upper stretch
during the Sanford, but still closed strongly to miss by a neck to Backtalk. The
Steve Asmussen trainee was a five-length debut winner at Churchill Downs in his
previous start and merits consideration in this return bout. Another colt from
the Asmussen barn, PRINCE ROONEY (Tale of the Cat), won at first asking by three
lengths over the Polytrack at Arlington Park, then zipped home a 15-length
winner of the Mountaineer Juvenile S. last time. The uncoupled Asmussen
triumvirate is rounded out by GRAND SLAM ANDRE (Grand Slam), a veteran of five
starts, including two minor stakes scores at Lone Star Park and Remington Park.
Looking to rebound from a poor effort in the Saratoga Special S. (G2) is
FLATTER THAN ME (Flatter), who was beaten nearly 20 lengths into sixth. The
Merrill Scherer trainee, who has worked a bullet half-mile in the interim, had
opened up a 1 1/2-length lead in the stretch of the Bashford Manor two back
before being reeled in by Backtalk.
The Hopeful field is comprised mostly of last-out maiden winners, some of
whom could easily step up to the plate and win. DUBLIN, a son of 2004 Hopeful
winner Afleet Alex, was fourth to Backtalk in his debut before cruising by more
than three lengths in his Saratoga debut for D. Wayne Lukas, who has won the
Hopeful five times, most recently with Yonaguska in 2000. Others of similar
accomplishment include ASPIRE (Tale of the Cat), LISTON (Storm Cat), WESTOVER
WILDCAT (Forest Wildcat), OVERLAP (Chapel Royal), ONE NOTE SAMBA (Grand Reward),
AIKENITE (Yes It’s True) and NOT MACHO ANY MORE (Macho Uno), who was also
entered in Saturday’s Sapling S. (G3) at Monmouth Park.
A pair of lightly-raced fillies could make their presence felt in the
11-furlong Glen Falls, which will be contested immediately prior to the Hopeful.
BUBBLY JANE (Brz) (Yagli), one of the top three-year-old fillies in her native
Brazil last season, made her U.S. debut in the July 22 Donor S. at Belmont Park
and rallied to win the 1 1/4-mile contest by a nose. She has won five of seven
starts overall. QUEEN OF HEARTS (Thunder Gulch), trained by Jimmy Jerkens, has
won two of five starts, including the restricted Signature Stallions S., formerly
the Waya, going 1 1/2 miles on August 10.
Among the more notable Glen Falls contestants is WINTER VIEW (Thunder Gulch),
who captured the Bewitch S. (G3) and All Along S. (G3) earlier this season
before finishing a dull sixth behind CAPRICE (Ger) (Monsun) in the Robert G.
Dick Memorial H. (G3) at Delaware Park. MUSHKA (Empire Maker), TEJIDA (Rahy) and
ASTROLOGIE (Fr) (Polish Precedent) are all veterans of the graded stakes wars
who tend to settle for smaller slices, while COMMUNIQUE (Smart Strike) has
disappointed in four starts this year after winning a pair of Grade 3s and
placing in the Beverly D. S. (G1) and Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) a year ago.