Scratch of Book’em Danno leaves Forego a wide-open race
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The complexion of Saturday’s Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga changed dramatically with the announcement that reigning sprint champion male and likely heavy favorite Book’em Danno would be scratched after getting cast in his stall.
Book’em Danno, who won the seven-furlong Forego a year ago, will be re-routed instead to the Grade 3 Vosburgh on Sept. 26 at Belmont Park for his final prep for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Book’em Danno was the second horse to scratch from the Forego, with Banishing also out after finishing second in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on Friday evening.
The Forego is a designated Breeders’ Cup Challenge race for the Dirt Mile.
With Book’em Danno out, Tip Top Thomas, Senior Officer, and Hymn should vie for favoritism in the Forego.
Tip Top Thomas, a Grade 3 winner around two turns at 3, was very impressive despite being narrowly beaten by Senior Officer when returning from a near nine-month layoff to make his 2026 debut under allowance conditions here July 26. Tip Top Thomas did all the dirty work on the lead before being overtaken by the winner in late stretch to drop a neck decision in a promising effort for trainer Todd Pletcher.
“I thought his last race was a very good one, he’s been training well since, so we decided to give it a shot in here,” Pletcher said. “He should move forward off that last race. . . . Obviously, we’re not crazy about drawing the one hole, but it looks like he could be the speed of the race, so we’ll let him come out of there and see what happens.”
Senior Officer not only brings a three-race win streak into his stakes debut, he’s proven to be game under fire having won his last two starts by a nose and a neck over the local strip. With his regular jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sidelined by injury, Senior Officer will be ridden in the Forego by Luis Saez.
“First time facing stakes company, but he’s a nice horse and we’re looking forward finding out what caliber of graded horse he is,” said Blake Cox, assistant to his father, trainer Brad Cox. “We think he should sit a good trip. Luis should fit him. They’ll probably run away from him a little bit and hopefully he’ll come get ’em.”
Hymn was second best, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by the favorite Built, in the Vanderbilt. The setback snapped a three-race win streak that included a victory in the De Francis Memorial Dash four weeks earlier at Laurel.
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