THE SKIES LET LOOSE overnight, pounding the dirt and turf at Saratoga before Whitney Day, but by early morning, the sun was once again shining down upon the Spa!
After several glorious hours basking in the sunshine, the 40,000+ late arriving fans were easily fooled into thinking that the bright blue sky would remain all day. Ominous storm clouds swiftly rolled in, changing their thinking, and lurked above the track just after 5:00, during the Grade 1 Test for 3-year-old fillies.
What started out as sporadic raindrops, quickly turned into a full-blown torrential downpour, and created a bizarre situation for NYRA, the TV broadcast, fans, but most importantly, for the horses and their connections already in the Paddock for the prestigious, $1.2 million Grade 1 Whitney, the day’s finale.
What was supposed to be a shortened, old school, 9-race card, after the original 10th and 11th, the Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Waya, and the Fasig-Tipton Lure were cancelled earlier because of the soft turf, ended up being just as long of a day with the lengthy delay, as lightning strikes threatened!
Amazingly, the eight horses stranded in their claustrophobic stalls during the 44-minute delay, with full tack on before the Whitney, behaved very well, much less considering the close proximity of their human counterparts trying to take cover in their crowded space!
Trainer Rick Violette did say, however, that his star gelding, Diversify, was getting really antsy, and was trying to kick the stall walls down, so he and his longtime sssistant trainer, Melissa Cohen, and his groom, took him out in the rain, and walked him around his #6 ring to calm him down.
Diversify’s pent up energy served him well, however, as the 5-year-old NY-bred exploded out of the gate, under meet-leading jockey, Irad Ortiz, Jr., and was loose on the lead, wiring the field, while receiving another gaudy 110 Beyer, just as he did in the Suburban! The always aggressive “Juni” was the only jock to come home without a spot of mud on his white pants!
Although Chad Summers’ fellow NY-bred, fan-favorite, Mind Your Biscuits, made it a New York, New York exacta, he never really threatened Diversify, in spite of recording a fine 104 Beyer, as he just couldn’t compete with Diversify’s controlling and dominant speed.
It is to MYB’s credit, however, that he was able to prove some naysayers wrong, as he handled the two turns, in his first try, and gamely fought and held on for 2nd.
The late charging 38-1 longshot, Parx shipper Discreet Lover, tried to run MYB down for his Owner/Trainer, Uriah St. Lewis, but his gutsy attempt came up just short, for 3rd. And what a wonderful story St. Lewis’ is!
The native of Trinidad, who used to run track at a high school near Aqueduct, became enamored with the horses running close by, and would literally run to the Big A after practice. He became hooked as a gambler, but remarkably, turned this initial passion into becoming a trainer!
And what a move Uriah made when he purchased Discreet Lover for the relative pittance of $10K! His 5-year-old has now earned over $900+K, and along with his fellow 5-year olds, Diversify and Mind Your Biscuits, we are reminded of the good old days when our equine heroes stuck around past 3!
On the same day I learned about St. Lewis’ story, I also received the very sad news that a fellow native of Trinidad, NYRA’s Selma Brathwaite, had lost her battle with cancer.
Selma, who became a racing fan when her Dad would take her to the track in Trinidad as a little girl, was with NYRA for over 32 years. I spent a summer working next to Selma in the office of Jerry Davis, the former Director of Admissions, thanks to my old friend and Selma’s old tennis buddy, Sonny Taylor, a Placing/Patrol Judge, who got me the job. Sonny has incredibly been with NYRA for over 50+ years and is showing no signs of slowing down!
I’ll never forget Selma’s big smile and huge personality, or her lilting voice and soothing Trinidadian accent, and I’m so very happy that NYRA, most appropriately, will name a race in her honor this Fall at Belmont.
It was a very proud day for the NY breeding industry, with Diversify and Mind Your Biscuits’ one-two finish, as these two bright stars have shed much deserved light on NY’s very successful breeding program, now placing them in an even more prominent position nationally.
Diversify boosted his earnings to $1,959,425 from 10 wins and 2 seconds out of 15 career starts, and he has certainly been a much-needed elixir for Rick Violette, and for Rick’s longtime good friend and co-owner of Diversify, Ralph Evans.
Rick and Ralph are lung cancer survivors, and both underwent surgery 3 years ago. It seemed fitting that a rainbow magically appeared in the sky while Ralph’s daughter Lauren, the co-owner of Diversify with her Dad, led Diversify into the Winner’s Circle, with Rick and her Dad by her side, while the race’s namesake, 92-year-old Marylou Whitney, was seen holding the Whitney Cup to her lips, as if drinking Champagne!
Mind Your Biscuits, the 2-time winner of the rich Dubai Golden Shaheen, has now earned a whopping $4,159,286, with 7 wins, 10 seconds and 3 thirds in 23 career starts, after being purchased by Chad Summers and his family members for a mere $30K! In perhaps the most exciting finish this year, who could ever forget his amazing, come from behind thriller in the Shaheen, when he seemingly came out of nowhere from last to nip XY Jet at the wire!
Rick Violette has stated that he will now bypass the Woodward, as Diversify will try to become a repeat winner in the Jockey Club Gold Cup next, after winning the JCGC last year, while Chad Summers’ plans for MYB are not yet set in stone.
Chad remarked that Rick taught him a valuable lesson when he waited ‘til the morning of the Whitney Draw to enter Diversify, as Rick let his horse dictate when he was ready to run! After Diversify’s amazing breeze the Sunday before, which Chad also happened to witness, he knew Rick would have to enter him, and Chad now says he will do the same with Biscuits before the Woodward.
If MYB is not ready to go in the Woodward, it appears that he may then go in either the Grade 2 Kelso Mile at Belmont, or perhaps he’ll wait for the Grade 3 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs, contested at 1-1/8 mile, as it could be the perfect prep for Summers’ star before the Breeders’ Cup, over the same track November 3rd.
Before Ma Nature had a chance to rain on their parade, the 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 1 Longines Test were able to strut their stuff in the 8th Race. Sent off as the 2-1 favorite, Chad Brown’s Separationofpowers, with Jose Ortiz aboard, turned back the strong challenge of Steve Asmussen’s Mia Mischief and Ricardo Santana, Jr., during a spirited stretch drive, as the daughter of Candy Ride passed the daughter of Into Mischief late for the victory.
Following her impressive 11-3/4 length maiden victory last Summer at the Spa, Seperationofpowers finished 3rd in the Grade 1 Spinaway closing weekend, before collecting her first Grade 1 victory in the Frizette at Belmont October 8th. After a fourth-place finish at Delmar in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, it was discovered that the filly had an ankle chip that required surgery, and a subsequent 8-month layoff to rehab.
When she returned in the Grade 3 Victory Ride at Belmont July 8th, she finished fourth once again, but certainly proved she was more than ready with her victory in the Test last Saturday. With the Grade 1 Ballerina falling too soon on the schedule on Travers Day, and with the daunting task of facing division leader Monomoy Girl in the Cotillion, it seems likely that Separationofpowers may try the one turn 1-1/8-mile Beldame, and an exciting potential matchup with Bill Mott’s Elate!
One of the most entertaining events of the meet, next to the PDJF Jockeyoke, is the annual Jockey vs. Trainers Basketball Game to benefit the New York Racetrack Chaplaincy, and the wonderful services they provide for the backstretch employees. Led by Chaplain Umberto Chavez and Nick Caras, their dedication is invaluable in meeting the needs of those who are the heart and soul of the industry.
What is usually a very close contest quickly turned into a route, as the superior speed and quickness of the jockeys was on full display! The jockeys were perhaps motivated by the special appearance of Hall of Famer and New York Knicks great, Bernard King, who served as their celebrity bench coach.
From one steal and fast break after another, and an array of long range bombs, the jocks, led from the opening tip by the very athletic Manny Franco, took off to a 24-2 lead, and never looked back in the 58-33 blowout! Manny was eventually named MVP, but he received a lot of help along the way from his close buddies, the Ortiz bros, and Luis Reyes, as the Puerto Rican National Team has nothing but height on this quartet of talented Boricuas!
On a sultry opening night of the select Saratoga Sale that had even the coolest customers sweating, the fillies reigned supreme, as they accounted for seven of the top eight purchases!
Larry Best of OXO Equine has been one of North America’s leading buyers of late, and he let it be known early on that he was all about business! He went to $1.2 million to get Hip 26, a striking chestnut daughter of 2015 Triple Crown champion, American Pharoah, out of the multiple Grade 1 winner, Life At Ten, and later in the evening spent $950K on an Into Mischief filly.
In between these two transactions, Bob Baffert, acting as an agent for M.V. Magnier, spent a cool million on this hot night for a NY-bred son of American Pharoah, out of Mrs. Gerald A. Nielson’s NY-bred mare, Party Silks. Baffert gushed that it was “love at first sight” for the bay colt who is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1-placed graded stakes winner Upstart.
It was a good first night for Fasig-Tipton before my deadline, as they experienced an 18.5% gain in gross sales over last year, and the average price rose 7.1% to $348,976, while the median remained the same at $300K.
On top of the two American Pharoah million-dollar babies, seven yearlings went between $750K-$950K, while sixteen sold for over $500K, and 51 sold for over $250K, making it an evening as robust as the humidity.
Irad Ortiz powered his way to the top of the Jockey Standings with 23 wins after picking up three wins on Friday’s card, two stakes wins on Saturday in the Fasig-Tipton De La Rose aboard Chad Brown’s Uni and in the Grade 1 Whitney, and then closed out the 3rd week on Monday with a 4-win day, including the New York Stallion Series/Cab Calloway Division Stakes aboard Therapist for Christophe Clement.
Juni is sitting in the driver’s seat with 16 days down and 24 to go, while unbelievably, his Eclipse Award-winning younger brother Jose sits in 8th place with 10. However, I’m sure the competition filled with brotherly love will heat up over the next 24 days!
Luis Saez continues his excellent riding, after winning the Gulfstream title this Winter, and sits in 2nd with 17 wins, followed by Javi Castellano with 16 and Ricardo Santana with 13. Johnny V, Manny Franco and Joel Rosario are tied with 12, rounding out the top seven.
In the Trainers Standings, Chad Brown sits alone at the top with 18, followed by Steve Asmussen with 11, Todd Pletcher with 10, and Bill Mott with 9, while “Big ‘Miah” Englehart and Joe Sharp are tied with 5, and Kiaran McLaughlin and Robertino Diodoro are tied with 4.
Probables for Saturday’s Grade 1 $500K Fourstardave for 3-year-old and up at a mile on the turf include Linda Rice’s Voodoo Song, who most definitely proved to be a “horse for a course” after winning 4 races at the Spa last summer, Bill Mott’s Yoshida, Todd Pletcher’s Made You Look, Jimmy Jerkens’ Delta Prince, Brian Lynch’s Heart to Heart and Kelly Rubley’s Divisidero.
With the Arlington Million Festival of Racing always being held on the same day as the Fourstardave, a horse like Divisidero, the son of Kitten’s Joy who most recently won the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap, could opt to run there instead, and we won’t know ‘til after I go to press. Several of our top jocks will be flying to Chicago, too, giving some of the hungry jocks in the room a chance to pick up a few rare mounts, and hopefully a couple wins in their absence!
