Englehart hoping for another strong meet with his 2-year-olds

Last summer, Jeremiah Englehart won nine races with 2-year-olds at Saratoga, equaling his three previous meets combined in that category. He’s hoping for similar success at the 2020 meet that begins Thursday.

Englehart has several high-priced purchases he hopes to debut at this meet, topped by After the Party (Into Mischief), a $750,000 yearling purchase at last September’s Keeneland auction.

“She’s supposed to be pretty nice,” Englehart said. “I haven’t really tested her out, this next week or two we’re going to ask her to do a little bit more.”

On Monday, After Party worked a half-mile in 48.03 seconds over Saratoga’s main track.

Charleston Strong (Flatter) was a $600,000 purchase Englehart was originally planning to run this weekend. But he wants to give the colt a little more time.

Englehart said Charleston Strong and the New York-bred colt Devil Boy (Daredevil) “have been the two I have the highest hopes for right now.”

Samborella (Outwork) is a New York-bred filly who brought $500,000 at auction while Asking for a Baskin (Distorted Humor) is another $500,000 purchase.

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Capstone Girl (Hard Spun), Becca’s Wish (Mshawish), and River Dog (Twirling Candy) are other 2-year-olds who have impressed Englehart so far.

“It’s a really good crop,” Englehart said. “I’m hoping that this year’s could be as good as last year’s.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher is the perennial leader among 2-year-old winners at Saratoga. Last year, he won 10 juvenile races.

Owing largely to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pletcher has only run in 10 2-year-old races, winning four. Prisoner (Violence) was a sharp debut winner at Belmont and is pointing to the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 7.

Pletcher has an unnamed son by Tapit out of his 2007 Belmont Stakes-winning mare Rags to Riches that he hopes to debut by meet’s end. All of the previous progeny of Rags to Riches have raced on turf overseas.

“It’s nice to have one bred for the dirt,” Pletcher said. “We’ll see. You wouldn’t expect him to be real early.”

Pletcher has the filly Mezcal (Pioneerof the Nile), who is the first foal out of 2016 Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia.

Pletcher has an unnamed Uncle Mo colt out of the mare Succeeding who was purchased for $725,000 and is owned by Mike Repole, Vinnie Viola, and Susan Magnier. That colt is from the family of Rags to Riches. There is an unnamed California Chrome colt out of Diva Style, a half-sister to Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law.

Others to look for this meet are Mo Mischief (Into Mischief); Mutasaabeq (Into Mischief), an unnamed son of Frosted who is a half-brother to Dawn the Destroyer; Prayer Book (Uncle Mo), a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Runhappy; and an unnamed colt by Goldencents who is a half-brother to Freedom Child.

Chad Brown figures to have an arsenal of 2-year-olds, among them Sifting Sands (Dubawi), a half-brother to three-time Group 1-winning mare Legatissimo, who finished second in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Sifting Sands is one of the yearlings Brown bought at the Tattersalls auction last year, a group that includes the colt Public Sector (Kingman) and the filly Split Then Double (Muhaarar).

Miles D (Curlin) is out of an unraced dam who is a half-brother to champion Storm Flag Flying, herself a debut winner at Saratoga. Engrave (Flatter) is a half-brother to three-time Grade 1 winner Beach Patrol. Reinvestment Risk (Upstart) and Tour of Duty (War Front), a half-brother to Imagining, are likely to debut at Saratoga.

Brown’s fillies include Nevisian Sunrise (War Front), School of Thought (Empire Maker), and Crowding Out (Street Boss), a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Flashing.

Steve Asmussen won eight 2-year-old races at Churchill Downs, led by the impressive Cazadero (Street Sense), who won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor by 4 3/4 lengths following an 8 3/4-length maiden score. He is being pointed to the Grade 1 Hopeful, a race Asmussen finished 1-2-3 in last year.

“He’s like running a 3-year-old against 2-year-olds mentally and physically,” Asmussen said.

Asmussen is pointing Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) to the Saratoga Special on Aug. 7 and the filly Thoughtfully (Tapit) to the Grade 3, $150,000 Adirondack on Aug. 12.

The colt Outlier (Not This Time) and the filly Mad Maddy (American Pharoah) should be tough in maiden races.

John Kimmel believes he has a strong group of babies this year, led by Zunith Moon (Malibu Moon), who has been working very well at Belmont and could be entered in Saturday’s first 2-year-old maiden race of the meet.

“He breezed very nicely at the sale, he’s a very well-made colt, he’s trained exceptionally well here,” Kimmel said.

Please the Pharoah (American Pharoah) is a half-brother to juvenile Grade 1 winners Certify and Cry and Catch Me.

Christophe Clement is looking forward to starting Flying With Angels (Ghostzapper), a half-brother to Long Weekend; Space Launch (Bernardini); Venerable (Tiznow); and Wicked Easy (Wicked Strong), a New York-bred half-brother to More Mischief.

Last summer, Tiz the Law won his debut by 4 1/4 lengths at Saratoga. He has since become a three-time Grade 1 winner and is pointing to the Travers on Aug. 8, the one-year anniversary of his maiden score. His trainer, Barclay Tagg, has the filly Dressy (Air Force Blue), who despite having a turf pedigree “moves better on the dirt,” says Robin Smullen, Tagg’s assistant. Bohemian Ruby (Hold Me Back), Constitutionalrage (Constitution), and Bunker Hill (War Front) are others who figure to debut at the Spa.

Shug McGaughey has a new client in Courtlandt Farm, which has several high-priced yearling colt purchases, including $800,000 Absolute Courage (Into Mischief), $675,000 Collision Course (Tapit), and the filly Baby Blythe (American Pharoah), who brought $325,000.

The fillies Deep Water Cay (Pioneerof the Nile) and Island Treasure (Speightstown) are homebreds owned and bred by the Phipps family and Stuart Janney III, respectively, who are likely to run at this meet.

Doug O’Neill is expected to have 18 head at Saratoga this summer and among the 2-year-olds to heed are Leia Marie (Exaggerator) and an unnamed Orb colt out of Elitism.