Saratoga: Currency Swap stays perfect at Spa with Amsterdam win

Barbara D. Livingston

Currency Swap runs by Doctor Chit on his way to victory in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam at Saratoga.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Terri Pompay wishes Currency Swap could run all his races at Saratoga.

Pompay, a Saratoga native, brought Currency Swap back to the scene of his finest hour, a popular victory in last year’s Grade 1 Hopeful, and was rewarded with a 1 3/4-length triumph over Doctor Chit in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam. The win was the third in as many starts at the Spa for Currency Swap who also captured his career debut here by six lengths last August.

Currency Swap, a 3-year-old son of High Cotton, entered the Amsterdam off a second-place finish behind Trinniberg in Belmont Park’s Grade 2 Woody Stephens. With regular rider Rajiv Maragh aboard, Currency Swap stalked the early pace of Doctor Chit who rattled off swift fractions of 21.44 seconds and 44 for the opening quarter and half-mile. Maragh set Currency Swap down upon entering the stretch, with the pair finally overtaking the tiring leader inside the sixteenth pole before gradually edging clear.

Unbridled’s Note rallied mildly to finish third, a neck behind Doctor Chit and a similar margin in front of the drifting  Laurie’s Rocket. They were followed by Fort Loudon, the unlucky Gun Boat, who stumbled very badly after the start, and Politicallycorrect.

[Complete coverage of racing at Saratoga: News, PPs, and video]

Currency Swap, who is owned by the partnership of Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.33 and paid $5.60.

“He loves it here and he’s been doing really well,” Pompay said. “Of course, you don’t know until you put him up against the competition, but as far as training wise, he’s been doing better and better and better.”

Pompay said she was not concerned, despite the fact Currency Swap was attending an extremely fast pace.

“I looked at him, and he looked like he was just doing it easy,” Pompay said. “I liked where he was. That’s how I like him to run. I was very happy with it. I’d rather have him sitting, stalking than on the lead.”

Pompay said the seven-furlong, Grade 1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga on Aug. 25 would be the next logical step for Currency Swap’s next start.