Antiquarian, Phileas Fogg get Suburban rematch
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Phileas Fogg and Antiquarian, separated by a head in last year’s Suburban Stakes, are part of a field of 11 older dirt males that were entered Sunday for Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban at Saratoga.
Phileas Fogg went winless in four starts after the Suburban but showed signs of life when he won a 1 1/8-mile allowance race by 5 3/4 lengths at Aqueduct on May 1. Two of his defeats since the Suburban came in races run around one turn.
“I don’t think he likes one turn,” trainer Gustavo Rodriguez said. “I think he loves two turns. He wants to be on the lead without getting pushed and that’s how he’s been running good. One mile, he gets pressed, he cannot take it and he quits.”
Kendrick Carmouche is starting the Saratoga meet serving a suspension for his ride on Phileas Fogg in last year’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. There is a designated race rule which allows Carmouche to ride Phileas Fogg in the Suburban and he will serve July 11 as an additional day.
Antiquarian came out of the Suburban to win last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup. Antiquarian finished his 4-year-old season with an eighth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. In two starts this year, Antiquarian has won the Grade 3 Westchester and finished fourth in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.
Phileas Fogg will break from post 6 while Antiquarian leaves from post 7.
Forged Steel, who won the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup in May, was scratched from Saturday’s Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs to point to this. Like Phileas Fogg, Forged Steel does his best work on the front end.
Trainer Bill Mott has entered the pair of Parchment Party and Stars and Stripes in the Suburban. Parchment Party is a marathon specialist and is coming off a win in the Issac Murphy going 1 1/2 miles at Churchill Downs. Stars and Stripes has won two straight, including the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland in his last start.
Hit Show, who beat Forever Young in the 2025 Dubai World Cup, is coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Blame after running fifth in this year’s Dubai World Cup.
Classicist, Tiztastic, Yo Daddy, Original Sin, and Obstacle complete the lineup.
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