Crist's Saratoga Journal - Saturday, September 2
By STEVEN CRIST

The first half of Week Six began and ended with weather issues. First, dark-day rain washed away Wednesday's five grass races, and then Ernesto's approach threatened to muddy closing weekend and its four Grade 1's. In between were 27 races that didn't showcase any champions but gave four runners their first stakes victories and seven trainers their first winner of the meeting.

WEDNESDAY, August 30

Race 1: Statebred maiden dash is first of five off-the-turfers and first and slowest of three straight 5 1/2-furlong races, the first time a Saratoga card has begun that way. Favorites Defrizz and Pure Pro hook up from the start, are still head and head at the furlong pole after a slow half in 47.20, then along comes 0-for-13 Ballston ($23.40) to nail them both at the wire. Three-year-old A P Jet gelding, timed in 1:06.74, gives owner-breeder-trainer Joe Aquilino his first win at the meet and Leparoux his 25th.

Race 2: What's the record for winning first-time starters at one Saratoga meet? Nobody seems to know but maybe Nick Zito just set it, sending out his sixth winning firster in Successful Ways ($12.80), $240k 2-year-old by Successful Appeal who earns debut Beyer of 78 lasting by nose over Hough firster Hometown Boy in 1:05.55 under Jara. Eleventh winner at stand overall for Zito, fifth runner-up finish for 0-for-15 Hough.

Race 3: Crayda is 4-5 dropping to $25k off good second for $35k here July 31 and looks ready to go by pacesetter Let Her Be at top of stretch. Then Let Her Be ($19.20) spurts away to win by 5 1/2 in 1:05.30, third winner of meet for Channing Hill and first for trainer Greg Matties.

Race 4: Violette firster Market Psychology ($4.90), fast-working Freud colt purchased in May for $80k, opens 3 1/2-length early lead, holds on by three-quarters over Biancone second-timer Indian Camp to win statebred juvenile race in 1:12.57.

Race 5: Ten-horse field of older maidens scratches down to four when race comes off grass and Tall Story ($3.30), second to Extreme Supreme here July 28, leads most of way to score by 1 3/4 in 1:54.31 over dull track labeled "good." Darley homebred by Quiet American is third winner of the meet for Albertrani, whose first two were Bernardini in Jim Dandy and Travers. Always nice to see Spectacular Bid, Tall Story's broodmare sire, in a winning pedigree.

Race 6: Run Thruthe Sun ($6.20), two-time sprint winner here last year, now 3 for 3 at Saratoga after front-running 1 1/2-length score in off-the-turf dash timed in 1:04.71 for Levine/Desormeaux. Stolen Time, '03 Foolish Pleasure winner, flying late for second in good wake-up effort. Winner's broodmare sire is Flying Paster, runner-up to Spectacular Bid in four straight Santa Anita stakes in 1980.

Race 7: Ferocious Fires ($4.20) stays unbeaten in three starts after slipping through at rail under Prado and drawing off by 4 1/4 to win statebred N2x by 4 1/4 in 1:11.13. Tony Dutrow trainee runs his fastest race yet and shows none of the gate problems he overcame in his first two starts.

Race 8: NYRA may want to reconsider eliminating this P.G. Johnson Stakes for 2-year-old grass fillies and Friday's counterpart for males, the With Anticipation, from the Saratoga stakes schedule. There simply aren't enough grass maiden races by this time to produce legitimate stakes fields and these are nothing but glorified N1x allowance events. Here, with the race washed off the grass, a subpar N1x field of six assembles and the three longest shots run 1-2-3 as Colonial maiden winner Changeisgonnacome ($11.20) scores by three over 11-1 Mountaineer maiden winner Meadow Breeze with 38-1 maiden Easy Start 8 1/2 lengths back in third. Brushed Gold, impressive turf-debut winner, fourth beaten 15 lengths at 6-5 in dirt debut. Changeisgonnacome, a Cherokee Run filly sold for $32k as yearling, goes seven furlongs in 1:26.02 and is first winner of meet for Michael Trombetta, 38th for Prado.

Race 9: Eastern Crown ($5.20), second on grass at 28-1 in last, leads throughout in six-horse $35k older-claimer off-the-turfer, holding off Multiple Choice by half-length in 1:25.27 for Lake/Coa to complete $804 pick six.

THURSDAY, August 31

Race 1: Back on the turf, labeled firm but playing slower than most of meeting. Stag Dancer ($12.40), horse who ruined my meeting breaking maiden in 19th try at expense of Dove Wing last time out, now 2 for 20 after opting for open claimer rather than statebred allowance condition and holding off 3-5 Tagg dropper La Coruna by three-quarters for Toscano/Coa.

Race 2: Who says you don't get big prices on top figs any more? Oden's Tale ($59.00) earned field-high Beyer of 81 four back running third to Rondo, but followed that up with figs of 68-67-66. Here he earns an 84 scoring by 2 1/4 over 9-5 Proveyourlove in older-maiden sprint timed in 1:10.82 under Leparoux. Second winner of the meet for Hertler, whose first (Baxter on 7/31) paid $88.00. Hot new trainer stat for next year: Betting Hertler maidens on the 31st of the month at Saratoga went 100 percent with an ROI of $73.50 this year.

Race 3: First N1x of meet for 2-year-old fillies marred by fatal breakdown of This Just In, even-money Pulpit-Glitter Woman filly trained by Allen Jerkens, pulled up on turn and later put down. Kauai Calls, $2 million Fusaichi Pegasus yearling who won debut here 7/30, duels with Cherokee Sheik through 45.57 half, edges away to win by 1 1/4 in 1:12.01 for Blasi/Gomez.

Race 4: Ochre ($6.30), Red Ransom filly making debut for Pletcher/Velazquez, runs down favored Claiborne second-timer Block by 1 1/4 and its nearly 12 lengths back to the rest in what looks like a big race for the first two finishers. Winner's 1:43.68 on the Mellon course good for a Beyer 84, excellent grass/route debut figure for a 2-year-old filly.

Race 5: Jerkens still too upset from second-race breakdown to come to winner's circle after his prosperous Queen ($17.00) beats Snitch by two in $25k older-filly claimer. Life Savior, last at 6-5, claimed by Domino from Contessa. Winner caps $24,511 early pick-four, nearly five times parlay.
* * * A D V E R T I S E M E N T * * *

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Race 6: Overnight $70k Dynasty Stakes for 3-year-old grass fillies yields two possible contenders for next month's G1 Garden City at Belmont in Meribel($5.60) and Amansara, who finish a nose apart in that order and 4 1/2 clear of the rest. Meribel, Peaks and Valleys filly who won July 30 allowance here impressively over two next-out winners, runs 1 1/16 on Mellon in 1:42.57 under Gomez for Clement. Amansara, War Chant filly making fourth career start and first since beating Aunt Henny at Gulfstream in February, takes brief lead in stretch, loses bob after Coa loses whip.

Race 7: Cooking the Books ($19.60), put up via dq here last summer for lone career win in 12 tries, finishes first on his own in wide-open N1x statebred allowance route, scoring by 1 3/4 over Precision Perfect in 1:52.24. Four-year-old Notebook gelding is first winner at meet for previously 0-for-17 Leah Gyarmati and 0-for-20 Chantel Sutherland.

Race 8: New York Turf Writers Cup Steeplechase Handicap, lone jump race of meet run as other than first race of day, features 10-year-old Hirapour at 3-5 under 164 pounds, 10 to 26 more than his seven opponents. Favorite lingers near back of field early, barely clears fence entering backstretch second time, has nothing thereafter and comes out of race with ankle chip that will probably end his career a few months earlier than planned. Meanwhile, the only other two in the field sent off at under 12-1, Mixed Up ($10.00) and 6-1 Top of the Bill, run 1-2 a length apart, giving trainer (and co-breeder of the 7-year-old Carnivalay gelding) Jonathan Sheppard his 12th NYTW Cup.

Race 9: There's only one live pick-six ticket into the finale and only to Rausehenbach's Halo at 5-1 for $61k. Quick-pick or genius? Rausehenbach's Halo ($12.60) scores by three-quarters over traffic-troubled 11-10 favorite Tomorrow's Nano, now a runner-up in all three of her career starts for Hough. Rausehenbach's Halo, statebred Distinctive Pro-Halo Country filly who covers 5 1/2 on the grass in 1:05.35 for Aquilino/Jara, appears to be misspelled namesake of co-owner Henri Rauschenbach.

FRIDAY, September 1

Race 1: Apprentice Jeffrey Sanchez, up from Florida to ride Nightmare Affair in Saturday's Forego, looks like Saratoga veteran with canny ride aboard Seaside Salute ($6.40). Sanchez, sets slow pace of 1:13.75 while hugging rail, lets entire field come to him at top of stretch but has enough left to win by head over favored Caiman in driving finish. Seaside Salute, 5-year-old Sea Salute gelding dropping from N1x try against Fairbanks to $25k open claimer, first winner of meet for trainer Billy Turner.

Race 2: Acadia Breeze ($7.00), only firster in $100k 2-year-old filly maiden claimer dispatched at less than 18-1, scores by 3 1/2 for Romans/Prado in tepid 1:06.10. Favored Violette dropper A Wonder She Is is the weary runner-up. Winner, Donald Dizney homebred by Royal Academy, hammed late from 4-1 to 5-2 and $35 early double is more than 50 percent over $6.40/$7.00 parlay.

Race 3: Big Prairie($5.80), who rallied from last to win 8/5 N1x turfer at 1 3/16 miles, rallies from sixth to win N2x turfer at same distance, beating Planets Aligned by a neck for Arnold/Leparoux. Big Prairie, 4-year-old Danzig-Dance Colony Dinwiddie homebred, timed in 1:53.79 winning last start, 1:56.83 here.

Race 4: Okay, class, which firster is actually taking serious money in this 2-year-old filly maiden dash: The 7-2 Forestry filly from the 23-win Pletcher stable, the 7-2 Smart Strike filly from firster-crazy Zito, or the 7-2 Carson City filly from the 0-for-13 Ralph Nicks barn? Lilly Carson ($9.00), goes from 5-1 to 4-1 to 7-2 on the last two flashes, rockets to the lead in 22.05 and wins by a comfortable 2 3/4 in a sharp 1:04.95 for Nicks/CVelasquez. Tres Dream, 19-1 Blasi firster, second best and nearly six clear of Pletcher's Perfect Forest.

Race 5: Her Royal Nibs ($3.70), statebred mare who earned Beyer 99 winning opening-week N1x that yielded two subsequent winners, earns a 97 smashing N2x foes by seven here in 1:10.31 for Romans/Gomez. Daughter of Formal Gold made career debut in March as 5-year-old, now seems headed for classier action off two performances that would win most filly-statebred stakes.

Race 6: Seven firsters in field of 10 statebred 2-year-old filly turfers but the three who have raced run 1-2-3. Precious Too ($10.60), third to Icy City in troubled 8/11 debut, scores by four over Nordberg with bizarrely-overbet Quick Humor third at 5-2 off awful debut. Precious Too, Precise End filly sold for $100k at 2-year-old sale, runs 5 1/2 on grass in 1:04.02 for Bailes/Desormeaux.

Race 7: Post time for seventh race is 6:12 p.m. on first-ever Saratoga twilight card, but no one at Nassau County OTB TV appears to be aware of later start and Saratoga simulcast feed on Channel 74 switches to Italian variety-show at stroke of 6 p.m. Bare-shouldered Italian women singing jaunty song in lush vineyard replace $35k turf claimers, so I'm forced to change channels to TVG, where "Speed Zone" show discussing prospective field for Breeders' Cup Sprint Nov. 5 precludes more than occasional glimpses of info from Saratoga. And racing wonders why more people don't bet from home.

Anyway, Jose Santos, 5 for 64 entering this race, hasn't had too many live horses at the meeting but has ridden extremely well of late with flawless stakes performances on Indian Hawke and Fleet Indian. Here he makes the difference on Dr. Bloomer ($30.00), finding a seam at the rail on the tricky inner course to slip inside favored Seeking Answers in deep stretch to score by a head for Sheppard.

Race 8: The With Anticipation for 2-year-old turfers ends like most of the grass juvenile routes at the meeting with a messy, bumpy finish. Fernando Po ($21.20), third in the Aug. 13 Kon Krete Kid maiden race where Giant Chieftain pulled himself up and bolted while en route to victory, wins a three-way photo over Admiral Byrd and 5-2 Giant Chieftain to break his maiden in a stakes race for Hushion/Prado. Fernando Po, named for the Portuguese explorer who discovered the island in equatorial Guinea now known as Bioko, is a Johannesburg colt owned by former NYRA chairman Barry Schwartz.

Race 9: Only two live pick-six tickets, to favorites Bella Attrice and Sarah Sunshine in this statebred maiden turfer, but they run 6th and 7th as Inca Is Calling ($15.00), a tough-trip third in the Stag Dancer/Dove Wing tragedy Aug. 7, gets a clear trip under Cornelio and rallies to score by two over 11-1 Small Potatoes and 52-1 Factual Number. Bete noir Dove Wing up for fourth at 11-1 to complete shockingly low $6,620 superfecta in race where first three choices are out of number. But at least there's a carryover of $71k into Saturday's Forego/Woodward card, only the fifth of the meeting.

As of 12:45 p.m., Saturday's races are still on the grass but the main-track-onlies haven't been scratched and rain is falling at Saratoga. Keep an eye on the late scratches, proceed with caution, and Saratoga Journal will be back Tuesday to wrap up the meet and the outcome of its final attempts to climb out of the ongoing parimutuel hole.