Championofthenile gives Rice fourth juvenile win
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Linda Rice spent a lot of money in the last year on young horses, and if the initial results are any indication, it has been money well spent.
Rice won her fourth 2-year-old race of the meet and her third with a horse she purchased when Championofthenile, an $840,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in training, scored a front-running six-length victory Friday at Saratoga.
Championofthenile, a New York-bred son of Pioneerof the Nile, the sire of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.71 and earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure, the best by any 2-year-old at the Saratoga meet.
Championofthenile was running back just 17 days after he ran sixth on turf in his debut. Rice said she debuted Championofthenile on turf because she was trying to separate her horses and had one for the dirt maiden race a few days later, a horse she ultimately scratched.
“I was very pleased,” said Rice. “I told Jose I didn’t want him to rush him or anything, but I also told him if he broke on top, just go with it. Jose did a beautiful job. This horse breezed terrific a week ago, and I just felt we needed to throw that first race out. I obviously ran him on a surface he didn’t like. He’s a much better horse than that. Fortunately, he showed that [Friday].”
Other big purchases Rice made who won at this meet were Big Thrill, a $410,000 buy as a 2-year-old in training who won his debut by four lengths Aug. 12 and ran in Saturday’s Florida Stallion Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and Forever in Love, a $210,000 purchase who won a New York-bred maiden turf race by 8 1/4 lengths Aug. 28.
Those three horses are owned by Sheila Rosenblum and her syndicate, which also includes Iris Smith. Both were taking plaudits in the winner’s circle Friday.
“Some of the horses I bought I haven’t brought to New York,” said Rice. “I’m going to bring them to New York when I get back to Belmont. They’re older, more distance, later-developing horses. I’m very pleased we could get three winners at Saratoga with that group, and they all won in nice fashion.”
Rice’s other 2-year-old winner, Backwood Bay, is a New York-bred homebred for Chester and Mary Broman.
Meanwhile, Rice’s two older graded stakes horses put in workouts Saturday at Saratoga. La Verdad, scratched from the Grade 1 Ballerina due to hind-leg inflammation, went five furlongs in 1:00.82, which could put her on track for the Grade 2, $300,000 Gallant Bloom on Sept. 26.
Palace, who was injured when stumbling at the start of the John Morrissey while finishing third, worked five furlongs in 1:01.05. Rice said Palace still is “a little tender” on the foot where he grabbed a quarter and might not make the Grade 1 Vosburgh on Sept. 26.