Buttah further validates key race with John Morrissey victory
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − In the two months since the New York-bred Buttah won an open-company first-level allowance race here at odds of 29-1, there were signs all around the performance should be taken seriously. The horses that finished third, fourth and fifth behind Buttah that day all came back to win stakes, led by Local Knowledge, who won the Grade 2 Amsterdam on July 31.
On Friday, at Saratoga, Buttah got his chance to prove he was not a one-hit wonder and did so with a gutsy 1 1/2-length victory in the $200,000 John Morrissey Stakes for New York-breds. After pressing the pace of Hit the Post, Buttah took a short lead in midstretch, put away Hit the Post and Acoustic Ave and crossed the wire clear of Doc Sullivan, last year’s Morrissey winner who rallied from last for second. It was another half-length back to Acoustic Ave in third.
The win was the second from three starts since owner Eddie Falzone moved the horse to Ilkay Kantarmaci on the recommendation of his previous trainer Gary Sciacca who retired in the spring.
The Morrissey was the plan from the time Buttah won the allowance and his owner Eddie Fazzone, a Saratoga restauranteur, said he was out every morning watch the horse train to the race.
“I told you guys when he won on Belmont Day I wasn’t running him until here, give him time off and train to this race,” Fazzone said. “Every day he came off the track strong come, his exercise rider would be like ‘He’s tough, I don’t know if we can hold him off 'til the 6th of August.’ “
Buttah raced in third for the first furlong but quickly moved into second, within a half-length of the pace-setting Hit the Post. Those two ran together through a half-mile in 45.24 seconds and to the eighth pole where they were joined by Acoustic Ave. But Buttah responded to jockey Javier Castellano’s urging and edged clear for the victory.
“Turning for home I had plenty of horse, he’s kind of a game horse,” Castellano said. “When he saw the other horses, he kind of hesitated a little bit but when I encouraged him, he took off. The way he finished was very impressive.”
The Morrissey was part of a two-win day for Castellano, his first two victories since returning from a three-week absence after being injured in a spill on the opening-day card. Castellano now has 5,994 career victories.
Buttah, a 4-year-old son of Leofric, covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.80 and returned $13.80 as the third choice.
Doc Sullivan, who was making his first start for trainer Amelia Green, and first since March, was about 10 lengths off the pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. He weaved his way through traffic to ultimately finish second.
“I’ve been working him in the morning, it looks like he wants to get a little more distance, I had that in mind, but I didn’t want to take him out of his stride either,” Ortiz said. “I let him be him and he gave me an amazing run.”
Since going out on his own following the retirement of his brother Mertkan about two years ago, Ilkay Kantarmaci has developed into a solid claiming/allowance trainer on the New York circuit. This was his third career stakes win and first at Saratoga, reminding him of when Evvie Jets won the Grade 2 Ballston Spa in 2023 when he was an assistant to his brother, who has since returned to training.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Kantarmaci said. “I was asking if we can do this again and today, we did. I’m so happy. It’s special.”
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