Gold and Flight

Real Writing on Racing 💯

This is what the scene at the Spa will be like next week ☹️

🎪 More perfect weather yesterday and similar forecast for today but tomorrow conditions are supposed to deteriorate and closing day might be even worse.

🚨 Early Post at Saratoga today! First race is scheduled to go off at 12:05 eastern. Sorry for the late publishing today but I’m fatigued lol 😴

🏆 The more I looked at the Prioress (Gr II), the more I liked Wicked Halo and the less I liked everyone else. Thankfully the daughter of the smoking hot sire Gun Runner (out of a Tapit mare which seems like an A+++++++++ nick about now) got the job done behind a perfect Tyler Gafflione ride though longshot Sterling Silver rallied to make it interesting late. Gafflione hustled the filly out of the starting gate, she was cutting back from a mile, to ensure that she didn’t drop too far behind the rapid pace (21.97 /44.99) set by Hot Peppers who in turn was hounded by Mischievous Diane and Union Lake. He angled out from behind that trio at the quarter pole to commence a grinding style rally trying to get past a stubborn Union Lake, who was the only survivor of the hot pace, hitting the lead 100 yards from the wire and having enough left to fend of the late run from Sterling Silver. Steve Asmussen trains the winner for Ron Winchell, who has struck gold not only being the owner of Gun Runner but also Tapit, whose daughters have proved to be a generic cheat code when matched up with the white hot young stallion. 10.80 was a square price on Wicked Halo and I was impressed by the tenacity of Union Lake who showed she is a graded stakes quality filly in her stakes debut.

🇮🇹 Italian jockey Antonio Fresu, in town to ride grade III winner Meraas (GB) in todays 7th, picked up the mount on Half is Enough (it wasn’t, she finished 5th though the jock rode fine) in the Prioress (Gr II).

🎪 Union Lake’s trainer John Terranova kicked off yesterdays proceedings but unveiling a 2yo NYB filly by Overanalyze named You’re My Girl who annihilated a group of state bred maidens. Ridden in her debut by Joel Rosario, she was sent off the 2/1 favorite which looked like stealing money in the stretch, as she slipped away from the field under no urging to score by better than 14 lengths. The final time of 1:11.04 was far faster than the other division of this race, the 6th which was won by Security Code in 1:12.68. I’d expect to see You’re My Girl in stakes action soon, perhaps as quick as the Joesph A. Gimma for NYB 2yo fillies going 7f comes up on September 23 at the Belmont at the Big A meet.

🎪 Rosario capped off the early double when riding Hit the Whoa for Chris Clement, who also finished second with Mischievous Dream. Huge favorite Mail Order hit the hit at the start, rushed to the top but faded late to be third, in the fillies NW2x allowance going 5.5 on the grass.

🎪 Perhaps the Kentucky Downs affect in the third as only six faced the starter in the 11 furlong Maiden Special Weight event won in wire to wire fashion by Good Medicine ridden by Prat for Team Pletcher who also ran second with favored Outperform, who didn’t . They only missed the track record by 7 seconds.

🎪 Dennis Lalman got his second win of the meet when Mosienko repeated in the NYB filly NW2x allowance going 7f. This time in for the condition, after winning earlier in the meet for the $45000 optional claiming tag, the Hat Trick (Jpn) mare contested the early pace and drew away in the lane under Luis Saez. That is $130,000 in purse money the Lalman’s have collected this meet as Mosienko also finished second, in this same class, on the second day of the meet.

🎪 Hail To did not let a wide trip throughout stop her when winning the 5th, an NW1x allowance for fillies going 1 3/16ths on the Mellon turf. Jose Lezcano rode for Tom Albertrani who escaped the 🦆 for the meet with this winner. Eylara, who went off post time favorite under Rosario, may still be having nightmares in her stall, as you read this, over her troubled trip as for the most part she played ‘check’ not chess.

🎪 Rosario made amends in the 7th, guiding close second choice, Topic Changer to victory for Clement in the $35,000 NW2 claiming race going 8.5 furlongs on the inner. Four claims in the race including the winner going to Greg DiPrima.

🥇 Thin White Duke threw a scare into Golden Pal in his last, the Grade III Troy, a performance that seemingly showed up out of nowhere. Yet in yesterday’s Lucky Coin, he showed that newly found form wasn’t a fluke, as he rallied under John Velazquez to nail Dancing Buck on the wire. Dave Donk who has had an excellent meet, trains for breeder and recently retired trainer, Phil Gleaves, the legendary turf scribe Steve Crist, Ken deRegt, and Bryan Hilliard.

☕️ In todays 8th at Saratoga we have a big showdown brewing between number 1 Instant Coffee and number 8 Juan Valdez. Personally I’m going to take Number 10 Crupi who closed from Ocala in his debut when literally left at the gate.

🌠 Flightline runs today. I expect him to go wire to wire in the Pacific Classic. I expect breathless declarations about all-time greatness. Hopefully he comes out of the race in good shape and we can witness an epic showdown in the Classic in a few months. Post time on the east coast is 8:50 pm as it goes as the 10th race. Excellent card put together by David Jerkens today at Del Mar, he and his crew have done a great job this entire season.

Day 38 (2 racing days left)

Saranac Gr III $200,000 8.5 furlongs inner turf 3yo

1. Celestial City - add blinkers for Shug after decent effort when third in Hall of Fame Stakes (Gr II). With uncertain pace scenario in the short field, it’s not impossible he ends up on the lead. His best TG 6 came in his last and makes him second fastest turf runner in here behind huge favorite Annapolis.

2. Piqua - gelding put in good run to check in third in entry level allowance a few weeks back. Slow for a stakes of this caliber but commend them for taking a shot. Kentucky Downs really negatively affects this race in particular as they are running a $750k race for straight 3yo tomorrow and another going a mile for $400k on the 14th.

3. Annapolis - Big effort to be second in the Grade I Saratoga Derby against far superior foes. War Front colt has tactical speed, a rested Irad and a pretty solid edge on figs. Not fun taking 1/5 but and he isn’t invincible by any means, there just seems to be an air of inevitability surrounding this race.

4. Ethereal Road - bombed in turf debut but had minor throat procedure following that race to clear up an airway issue. Worth a stab in the runner up spot if you aren’t into accepting $3.80 prices on the 3-1 or 3-5 exacta.

5. Fuerteventura - won the Jersey Derby at Monmouth two back, holding off Celestial City. Not much impact north of the border in Marine (Gr III) on synthetic at Woodbine in the latest yet that’s his best TG fig to date (6.25). Perhaps sets the pace?

Flower Bowl Gr II $600,000 1 3/8 inner Turf older F/M

1. Capital Structure (GB) - finally cleared the allowance 2x class in latest. Seems to prefer firmer ground but to be frank, has never run nearly good enough to beat top fillies. Perhaps she is the pace setter despite her trainers aversion to that style of running as there is just zero speed in the field and don’t see her out-kicking the top 2.

2. Flanigan’s Cove - improving steadily for her entire career but still is a little lacking against top level fillies. Needs to improve again to get on the board and that’s not impossible though mostly due the suspect nature of the makeup of the field outside the top two.

3. Virginia Joy (Ger) - if you told me that she was going to the lead I’d rate her with a fair chance of going wire to wire to upset War Like Goddess. However I have my doubts that it will play out that way despite her showing a win employing that style albeit in a short field over a ludicrously soft course. She was out kicked for the runner up spot last out under a similar scenario so beware the chalk-chalk exacta (🚫 no chalk zone). That said she does have the ability, on her best, to beat the prohibitive favorite if she doesn’t fire her best shot. However you aren’t exactly getting good value to play that scenario.

4. War Like Goddess - won this race last year when it was a grade I before it was inexplicably dropped a grade in the off-season. Obviously the one to beat, she manhandled this same group last out, loves the course and Mott is employing the same schedule, which worked very well, as last year. Always tricky taking come from behind grass horses at short odds due to the potential for traffic, slow pace scenario, it’s just hard to come up with a logical alternative.

5. Coastana - lightly raced Kitten’s Joy mare was hampered in her first race back off of the year layoff by a dawdling pace setup in the same race that Capital Structure won. Can improve off of that effort though gets similar soft pace today and needs lifetime effort to even hit the board.

6. Temple City Terror - ran her race when second in the Glens Falls (Gr II) after a total non-effort on a boggy course at Delaware before that. Six year old mare hasn’t shown the ability to beat a top filly like War Like Goddess in the past but she is a contender for an ‘on the board’ finish though there is likely little value including her on tickets behind the favorite.

7. Marvelous Mauve - NYB filly always fires though this is her initial try against stakes caliber foes. Not impossible for her to be second at a price in this spot if she can save a little ground on two of the three turns.

JC Gold Cup Gr I $1,000,000 10 furlongs 4 and up

1. Tax - returned off the shelf to win minor stakes at Delaware but takes on far tougher group here. Has run this long a couple times though lost ground in the stretch both times. May be the pacesetter but will likely just be a target for Olympiad more than anything.

2. Olympiad - stretches out another 1/8 after dull try in Whitney against Life is Good. Has exemplary record otherwise and figures to use Tax as a target and get back to his pace stalking style. His usual -1 TG would make him the one to beat in here especially considering he shouldn’t lose too much ground. Being by Speightstown you may question his ability to get the 10 furlongs which is valid, though that sire’s Heywood Beach did win the Cougar II (Gr III) at Del Mar last month going 12 furlongs on the dirt.

3. Untreated - first of four Pletcher’s in here. Has just been ok in stakes company since looking more promising going through his conditions. I wouldn’t call him a rabbit and he isn’t really even that fast, but he is the one of the Todd quartet that does his running on the lead.

4. Chess Chief - seems ambitiously placed. For Stewart fans only and we aren’t talking Rod or Dave.

5. Americanrevolution - things haven’t gone smoothly in his four year old campaign. His comeback race, a NYB stakes, didn’t fill causing his to be re-routed to the Blame (listed) at Churchill where he chased and tired late. He returned in the Stephen Foster (Gr II) where he raced much better but settled on the runner up spot behind Olympiad. Scratched from the Whitney, he lands here where he takes on a Life if Good-less field that he can beat on his best. There seems to be suffice to pace to set up his rally and the only question that looms is the distance though it’s interesting that regular rider Saez seems to have opted for First Captain. Rosario picks up the mount and will look to add to his newly set, Saratoga single-season graded stakes record.

6. First Captain - has been highly touted since he brought $1.5 million dollars at the Fasig Tipton Saratoga yearling sale in 2019. This is the type of spot that you hope to be running in three years later, especially after a promising three year old season was cut short after only four races. Has been in good form since stretching back out and adding blinkers after no show in the 7f Carter, with a win in the Pimlico Special (Gr III) and a game second in the Suburban (Gr II). Is he good enough is the question as he hasn’t broke through a TG of 1.25 yet? The distance should not be an issue, it’s can he improve once again which he will need to do in order to beat this group?

7. Keepmeinmind - his return to the races and debut in the overflowing dirt route runner stable of the Pletch was a workmanlike effort. He showed promise last year for Diodoro though was never able to get to the winners circle as a 3yo. Is really a mystery as he ran roughly as fast as First Captain is currently running, a year ago as a three year old but can he jump up off his first try this year? Only three works since July 22 race and none particularly noteworthy. If he wins, he will beat me

8. Dynamic One - has developed into nice second tier type though has also never really run fast enough to beat the top two. Showed gameness in last when winning the Suburban at this same distance but I’m gonna pass at anything close to 7/2

📽 Perhaps Seattle Slew’s greatest race in the 1978 JC Gold Cup…when he lost to Exceller (two videos today)