High Noon Rider controls Better Talk Now from the start

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - High Noon Rider's victory in Monday’s $98,000 Better Talk Now may have come as a surprise to some, and that he won the race on the lead came as a surprise to most, except trainer George Weaver.

Weaver's pre-race instructions to jockey Luis Saez that he take High Noon Rider to the lead resulted in a 3 1/2-length victory over 6-5 favorite A Lot in the one-mile overnight stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf at Saratoga.

Although High Noon Rider had won his maiden on the lead late in his 2-year-old campaign, the son of Distorted Humor had not been close to the pace in any of his six previous starts at 3. But Weaver wanted to take advantage of an inside post and what he felt was an inner turf course that favored speed.

"We told Luis in the paddock to take him away from the pony, warm him up goo,d and go for the lead,” said Weaver. “We said, ‘If you don’t get it, that’s okay, but make an attempt at it.' He did, and went 25, 50. We knew that would give our horse a big chance to get home, since he’s a horse who kicks home very well, and he did.”

High Noon Rider disposed of Almasty after six furlongs, repulsed a mild run from A Lot into the stretch, and increased his advantage to the wire. A Lot, who raced with blinkers for the first time in the Better Talk Now, held off a late surge from Nucifera to be second by a neck. Almasty and Offering Plan roundeded out the order of the finish.

High Noon Rider, who is owned by R.A. Hill Stable, completed a mile in 1:35.66 over the firm course and paid $25.20.

High Noon Rider was coming off a ninth-place finish in the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame here, his first start in more than two months.

“He was the favorite in the Manila at Belmont," said Weaver. "He was sick, we had to scratch him, and I probably ran him back a little too quick in the Hall of Fame. He probably wasn’t ready for that - a mile and one-sixteenth was a stretch for him - but the fitness he got from that race helped him here.”