State of Play goes wire to wire in With Anticipation

After getting away with a slow early pace, Team Valor International's STATE

OF PLAY (War Front) had more than enough left to fend off Optimizer (English

Channel) in Thursday's $151,000

With Anticipation S. (G2) at Saratoga. The Graham Motion trainee remained

perfect from two starts while booking his passage to the November 5 Breeders'

Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).

State of Play, who chased early in his debut score in a turf sprint here on

July 27, easily secured the front-running role this time on the stretch-out.

With Ramon Dominguez back aboard, the 3-1 second choice flashed speed from post

6, outfooted Dullahan (Even the Score) and angled over, tightening that rival up

entering the first turn.

Following an opening quarter in :24 1/5 on the firm turf, State of Play

carved out pedestrian splits of :49 3/5 and 1:14 3/5 without facing any

pressure. Optimizer, always within striking range, gradually improved his

position on the outside. Although he was under a ride on the far turn, Optimizer

kept responding and emerged as the only potential danger at the top of the

stretch.

Optimizer came within a head of the front runner in midstretch, but State of

Play picked up smartly, and Optimizer stubbornly failed to change leads. State

of Play edged away to prevail by a half-length in a final time of 1:43 4/5 for 1

1/16 grassy miles. Besides paying $8, $4.70 and $3.40, he handed sire War Front

his second straight With Anticipation winner, following Soldat.

"He just came back to me so great -- super relaxed," Dominguez said. "Coming

off a 5 1/2-(furlong) race, and as quick as we went last time, I couldn't

imagine in his second race for him to be that settled."

"The only concern coming off a sprint was whether he was going to relax,"

assistant trainer Adrian Rolls noted. "There was no speed in the race, but Ramon

did a really good job. He was really happy (with the horse). He said as soon as

he got out in front he just switched off and slowed it down perfectly."

"We expected to be close today because he was coming out of a sprint race,"

observed fellow Motion assistant John Panagot, who also serves as Herringswell

Stables' handicapper. "I thought he really ran like a pro. Ramon is so good;

he's got an incredible knack to get a horse to relax. He's still a little green

-- he flicked his ears in the stretch a few times. But when the (Wayne) Lukas

horse (Optimizer) came to him, he came again."

Optimizer crossed the wire 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Dullahan, who finished with

interest for third. Knock Rock (Corinthian) checked in fourth, followed by

Splendiferous (Pleasantly Perfect), 5-2 favorite Captain Webb (English Channel),

Fox Rules (Roman Ruler), Sportswriter (Maybry's Boy) and Two Months Rent

(Purim). The main-track-only Clip the Coupons (Congrats) didn't get the

opportunity to run.

State of Play, a bargain $13,000 purchase at last year's Keeneland September

Yearling Sale, has bankrolled $120,000. The dark bay colt rolled to a 2

1/2-length  decision when sprinting 5 1/2 grassy furlongs in his career

bow.

Bred by Stone Farm and Dell Hancock in Kentucky, State of Play is out of the

winning Procida mare Valeta. He is a half-brother to the stakes-placed Knoxville

(Septieme Ciel), who also captured a non-black type event. The colt's third dam

is Alluvial (Buckpasser), famous for producing two-time champion and $3.5

million-earner Slew O' Gold (Seattle Slew) as well as 1979 Belmont S. (G1)

upsetter Coastal (Majestic Prince). Also descending from Alluvial are multiple

Grade 1-winning millionaire Aptitude (A.P. Indy) and Grade 1 queen Sleep Easy

(Seattle Slew).

State of Play hails from the same family as Team Valor's Summer Soiree (War

Front), a fellow Motion trainee who just landed the August 20 Del Mar Oaks (G1).

His fourth dam is Bayou (Hill Prince), the champion three-year-old filly of 1957

and a full sister to Broodmare of the Year Levee, ancestress of Summer Soiree.

Bayou and Levee are also half-sisters to Broodmare of the Year Delta

(*Nasrullah).