Brion goes for stakes sweep in John's Call, Walsh
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Keri Brion will go for a rare stakes double Wednesday at Saratoga when she sends out contenders in both the $135,000 John’s Call Stakes on the flat and the $75,000 Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes over National fences.
In the John’s Call, at 1 5/8 miles over the outer turf course, Brion sends out Sa’ad, who actually comes out of two poor efforts in steeplechase races. Sa’ad raced on the flat in Europe and was bought as a steeplechase prospect, though that did not pan out.
In his first start for Biron, Sa’ad, won a listed flat stakes over 1 1/2 miles at Great Meadow in Virginia with a forwardly placed trip. His other win also came over the flat, going 1 1/4 miles in France.
“He was bought to be a jumper, but he’s too keen to get the two miles,” Brion said. “He ran a really good race over soft, testing ground at [Great Meadow]. I thought rather than continue to try to jump him let’s do what he’s meant to do – go long on the flat.”
Brion was able to get the services of Irad Ortiz Jr., Saratoga’s leading rider with 41 wins through 29 days of racing. Brion noted that all the other horses in this field are coming off Lasix, whereas Sa’ad has never raced on the anti-bleeding medication that is not permitted for use in stakes races in New York.
Tom Morley scratched Tide of the Sea out of a tough allowance/optional-claiming race on Sunday’s card here to run in the John’s Call. He was 8-1 on the morning line for that race, and Morley did have another runner in that field.
“It looked like it was going to come up a lighter race possibly with no speed and this was a salty group of two-other-thans,” Morley said Sunday after his other entrant in that race, Kinenos, ran seventh. “This was probably a better race than the stake.”
Morley is hoping Javier Castellano can get Tide of the Sea to the front early on.
Mike Maker has the uncoupled entry of Girl Dad and Bluegrass Parkway in the John’s Call. Maker claimed Girl Dad for $35,000 out of a one-mile race here in which he finished third.
“We entered him for $50,000, but the race didn’t fill,” Maker said. “They needed some help here, and it looked like a good spot.”
Bluegrass Parkway won the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup last August, but is winless in five starts since. He is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Colonial Cup on July 27, a race in which he was beaten 3 1/4 lengths by the Maker-trained Red Knight.
“He ran an okay race last time against a field that was a lot tougher than what he’s going to face,” Maker said.
Oceans Map comes off a second in a third-level allowance/optional claimer for trainer Gregg Sacco on July 29 at Monmouth. Hieroglyphics, trained by Naipaul Chatterpaul won an $18,000 claimer on Aug. 6 at Monmouth.
◗ In the Walsh, at 2 3/8 miles, Brion sends out Freddy Flintshire, who has won his last two starts including an allowance here July 27 by 4 3/4 lengths, and Theocrat, a winner of a handicap race going 2 1/4 miles on July 18 at Colonial Downs.