Bongard a statebred race that looks like a graded stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. – A fascinating matchup among three of the top maiden-winning juvenile males at the Saratoga meet is on tap Sunday in the most unlikeliest of spots – the $150,000 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont Park.
Championofthenile, Sudden Surprise, and Get Jets are three of the five horses entered in the Bongard, a seven-furlong race that goes as race 3 on the 10-race program. Any one of the three would garner serious support in next Saturday’s Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, a one-turn mile at Belmont.
“This year, there seems to be a particularly strong group of New York-breds,” said Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Sudden Surprise. “It’ll be interesting to see how this race unfolds. I guess this will be one of those New York-bred races if somebody wins it, they could move on to the Breeders’ Cup off it.”
Sudden Surprise won a maiden race in the slop by 2 3/4 lengths and then came back to win the Funny Cide Stakes by two lengths over dry ground. His 89 Beyer Speed Figure for his maiden win was the second-highest earned at Saratoga.
Championofthenile, an $840,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in training at Timonium in May, earned a 94 Beyer – the highest of any 2-year-old male this year – in winning a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race Sept. 4.
Get Jets earned only an 83 Beyer but was visually impressive in rallying from off the pace to win his six-furlong debut by 4 1/2 lengths while geared down.
“I thought the horse was very, very good,” said Tony Dutrow, the trainer and part-owner of Get Jets. “He’ll like the seven-eighths more.”
Get Jets was entered in the $150,000 Hall of Fame Stakes at Parx on Saturday but will run here, Dutrow said.
Manipulated, who won the Rockville Centre Stakes here July 18, and Steve’s Image, a winner for maiden-claiming $50,000, complete the field.
In the $150,000 Joseph A. Gimma Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies, which goes as the first race on Sunday, Pletcher sends Super Surprise and Surprise Cameo, both by Giant Surprise, for owner and breeder Mike Repole.
BERTRAM F. BONGARD (race 3)
KEY CONTENDERS
Championofthenile (Beyers: 94-38)
◗ After a sixth-place finish on turf in his debut, Championofthenile bounced back with an electrifying six-length maiden win on dirt, going gate to wire and covering 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.71.
“Usually when things go that poorly, you want to see about three consecutive good works just to make sure you’re where you want to be,” trainer Linda Rice said. “He came back and worked terrific, and I took a risk and said I’m going to put him in off a nice breeze, and he ran great.”
Get Jets (Beyer: 83)
◗ Not only did he look good coming from off the pace to win his debut, but four of the six horses he beat that day came back to win their next start, including Love That Jazz, who won the Aspirant Stakes at Finger Lakes.
◗ As was the case in his debut, he should get a solid pace to close into.
Sudden Surprise (Beyers: 81-89)
◗ Has been on the lead in both of his starts, though Pletcher believes he doesn’t have to be in front to be successful.
“He’s a pretty straightforward horse,” Pletcher said. “He’s got very good gate speed – natural speed. At the same time, he’s not headstrong or rank. I don’t think he has to be on the lead. You can ride the race the way you want to.”
◗ He breaks from post 4 under John Velazquez.
JOSEPH A. GIMMA (race 1)
KEY CONTENDERS
Super Surprise (Beyers: 71-55)
◗ Though the only maiden in the five-horse field, she ran well in both of her starts. In her debut, she broke slowly, rushed up, and fought on to finish third, beaten three-quarters of a length. She came back and fought on to run second to She’s All Ready in the Seeking the Ante Stakes.
“With those two races under her belt and a little better spacing, I would think she’d be ready to take a move forward, hopefully, this time,” Pletcher said.
Frosty Margarita (Beyers: 69-66)
◗ Finished second to next-out stakes winner Wonderment on July 9 here before winning a maiden race by 1 1/2 lengths over next-out stakes winner Gregorian Gold on Aug. 24 at Saratoga.