High Oak will run in Hopeful after all
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The connections of Grade 2 Saratoga Special winner High Oak were planning to wait until the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 2 at Belmont Park to run their unbeaten 2-year-old again. High Oak obviously had other ideas.
After evaluating how well the horse is doing, trainer Bill Mott and owners Lee Einsidler and Mike Francesa have opted to run High Oak in Monday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes, setting up a showdown with undefeated Sanford Stakes winner Wit in the closing-day feature.
“He tried to come over the fence today after training,” Einsidler said. “He’s just ready to run, so when they tell you they want to run, you better run.”
Said Mott: “He’s a pretty high-energy colt, a good-feeling colt with a tough disposition. He needs to be doing something.”
High Oak, a son of Gormley, won his debut by a neck on June 26 at Belmont. He came back with a strong 4 1/4-length victory at odds of 10-1 in the Saratoga Special, beating Gunite who is among those expected to be entered Friday in the Hopeful.
High Oak will likely be second choice to Wit, who won his debut at Belmont by six lengths on June 5 and came back to win the Grade 3 Sanford here on July 17 by eight lengths. Wit is expected to have a pacesetting stablemate in the field in Power Agenda. Both horses are owned by Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher.
Others expected for the Hopeful are Big Scully, Defend, and Headline Report.