Englehart enjoying meet of his life
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – For a very long time, trainer Jeremiah Englehart couldn’t win a race at Saratoga. Now, Englehart seems to hardly ever lose here.
When Prospero won Monday’s eighth race, it was Englehart’s ninth win from 34 starters at the meet. He is tied for eighth in the trainers standings, and his 26 percent win rate equals that of Chad Brown and Christophe Clement, first and third in terms of wins at Saratoga this meet.
“When I was younger I went to Saratoga once or twice a year,” Englehart said Tuesday by phone from Finger Lakes, where he is the second-leading trainer, behind only his father, Chris. “It was such a thrill to go there, and now to be able to be stabled there and win a couple of races there, it’s kind of surreal. You pinch yourself – it’s happening.”
Englehart can truly appreciate how hard it is to win at Saratoga. From 2003 to 2013, Englehart started 58 horses at Saratoga without a win. His claim to fame was King Kreesa running second to Wise Dan in the Grade 2 Fourstardave in 2013.
Englehart ended his Saratoga futility on opening day 2014 when Winter Games won the first race of the meet. Englehart went on to have a solid summer, winning 5 races from 23 starters.
This summer, Englehart won races the second and third day of the meet. Since Aug. 13, Englehart is 7 for 20.
One of his winners during that span was Anna Rae, a 2-year-old daughter of Tiz Wonderful who won her debut in a $65,000 maiden-claiming race by 11 1/2 lengths. The filly, named for Englehart’s two daughters, Anna and Rae, will take on the big girls – such as Rachel’s Valentina, Constellation, and Tap to It – in Saturday’s Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga.
“The timing of the race isn’t perfect, but there are really no other options,” Englehart said. “I didn’t find anything I really liked. I know it’s going to be a tough race, but I think when horses are 2-year-olds and if they show a little something, it’s always good to give them a little shot at this age just because you never know.”
Englehart believes he has a chance to win a couple more races before the Saratoga meet ends Monday. In Thursday’s ninth, he sends out Summerdale, who comes off an eighth-place finish in a similar New York-bred second-level allowance turf sprint.
“She got stopped basically to a walk, and the horses that were moving with her kept going,” Englehart said.
He noted that Summerdale won at 29-1 at Saratoga last August.
“She’s training really well,” he said. “She won up there before at a big price. I wouldn’t be surprised if that filly ran really well. I thought she came out of the race nice and is coming into this race pretty nice, too.”