Give Me the Lute tries to give Mathis his third straight win in the Albany Stakes
Trainer Andy Mathis is used to getting his picture taken after the Albany Stakes, and he’s hoping to pose in the winner’s circle for the third straight year Saturday following the five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up at Golden Gate Fields.
Mathis will be running Give Me the Lute, a 5-year-old gelding coming off a seven-month break. Those worried about the layoff should consider that the Mathis-trained Mikes Tiznow scored a repeat in last year’s Albany while making his first start since his 2019 victory in the race.
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“He’s a fresh horse, and he’s won twice at this distance, but these races aren’t easy to win,” Mathis said of Give Me the Lute. “They’re tough races because you can’t have any mistakes.”
Give Me the Lute, a 5-year-old Boisterous gelding, has won both his starts at the five-furlong distance over the course. He’s also won at 1 1/16 miles here and ran third in the Joseph Grace at 1 1/16 miles on the turf here in his last start.
Although Give Me the Lute is plenty quick, he may have to settle into a stalking role in the $50,000 Albany with Bettor Trip Nick also scheduled to run. A 4-year-old Boat Trip gelding trained by Quinn Howey, Bettor Trip Nick has set the early pace in most of his races.
He ran seventh behind Anyportinastorm and Baja Sur in the Lost in the Fog in his last start after leading for the opening half-mile of the six-furlong Tapeta race.
“He just ran out of gas, and the jockey didn’t abuse him,” Howey said. “He’ll get a little class drop here.”
Bettor Trip Nick will make only his second turf start in the race. He set the pace in the one-mile Alcatraz on the turf at Golden Gate before settling for third last year.
“He’s been training phenomenally, and the five-eighths should suit him very well,” Howey said. “We’ve had this race on our radar for some time.”
Though his record suggests he’ll be on the lead, Howey said: “I still don’t think he needs to be on the lead. He settles behind horses in his works.”
Bettor Trip Nick drew the rail and Give Me the Lute post 2 in the field of eight, which includes Southern California shippers Exhalting, who won a maiden race at the distance over this course as he began a three-race win streak to end 2020, and the versatile Brandothebartender, who comes off back-to-back turf stakes victories at Santa Anita.
Brandothebartender’s trainer, Craig Dollase, said the race is a prep for the $100,000 Bertrando at a mile at Los Alamitos in two weeks.
“He’s pretty remarkable,” Dollase said. “He’s won at 1,000 yards, five furlongs, and a mile.”