Holding Gold, Commend clash in Quick Call Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As if trainer Mark Casse’s Saratoga contingent isn’t strong enough this summer, he’s already started bringing in some potent reinforcements, including Holding Gold, who will be favored in Thursday’s $100,000 Quick Call Stakes.

Holding Gold is coming off a career-best effort when finishing second against older horses going seven furlongs over the Woodbine turf course June 25. The outing was just the third this year for Holding Gold, who was stakes-placed earlier this season at Presque Isle Downs.

“We thought a lot of him last year, but he came here and got hurt, so we went ahead and gave him the rest of the year off,” said Casse. “He’s come back really well. I thought his last race was big on turf. I hate running against older horses this early in the year, but I thought he’d like the grass, and I didn’t want to ship him anywhere before figuring it out for sure. And the two horses who beat him in his last two starts are both pretty tough.”

Holding Gold was second at Woodbine to the veteran allowance horse Sweet Little Man and at Presque Isle behind the multiple stakes winner and graded-stakes-placed Noholdingbackbear.

Casse’s biggest concern is the weather.

“I just hope they stay on the grass because I’ve really been planning for this race for quite a while,” said Casse.

The lightly raced but steadily improving Commend may be the one to beat while coming off a solid maiden win over a yielding course at Belmont Park for trainer Bill Mott. The outing was just the fourth for the well-bred son of War Front who is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Congrats.

The Rice family will be well represented in the Quick Call. Linda Rice will send out a pair in the 5 1/2-furlong turf dash for 3-year-olds, Tiz Long Gone and Don’t Be So Salty. Her nephew, Kevin Rice, counters with Save the Drama, to be ridden by his sister, Taylor Rice.

Don’t Be So Salty may be the best of the Rices’ trio. She finished a distant third behind Holding Gold in the Tom Ridge Stakes at Presque Isle but became a stakes winner last fall over the synthetic surface at Woodbine, posting a game neck victory in the 1 1/16-mile Display.

Save the Drama is coming off an allowance win over the synthetic surface at Presque Isle and, like Tiz Long Gone, will be trying turf for the first time Thursday.

Bust Another is in top form, having finished second in his turf debut in the New York Stallion Stakes last month at Belmont after winning the Mike Lee Stakes for statebreds over a muddy strip four weeks earlier.

Expected Ruler and main-track-only entrant Sudden Surprise, a multiple New York-bred stakes winner, complete the field.

KEY CONTENDERS

Holding Gold, by Lonthro

Last 3 Beyers: 95-90-82

◗ He was injured after encountering Exaggerator and a strong field and finishing a distant fifth in his local debut last summer in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.

Commend, by War Front

Last 3 Beyers: 87-76-82

◗ Like Holding Gold, he is coming off a career-best Beyer Speed Figure, the 87 he earned for his maiden win over a yielding course at Belmont.