Iron Orchard much the best in Seeking the Ante
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It is likely on to longer and more prestigious races for Iron Orchard after she made short work of Friday’s $150,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga.
Opening up a one-length advantage soon after the start under Joel Rosario, Iron Orchard sped off to a 6 3/4-length victory as the odds-on favorite in the Seeking the Ante. Longshot Oriole Way rallied for second, 2 3/4 lengths clear of Grazie. Shakti, Angel Gift, and Dopamine completed the order of finish.
It was the second straight dominant victory for Iron Orchard, who won her maiden in a restricted race by 5 1/2 lengths here on July 3.
“I think she ran better today,” trainer Danny Gargan said. “But she had more competition today.”
Gargan mentioned that Grazie, one of two fillies in the Seeking the Ante sent out by Todd Pletcher, “chased us, which you’re supposed to do. I wanted to see how she reacted to that. [Grazie] got up on her and [Iron Orchard] was cruising easy I thought the whole way. When we asked her, she finished a little better today. She was a little green the first time kicking away.”
Iron Orchard had her head cocked toward the inside as Rosario was trying to keep her from going too fast early on. Iron Orchard went a quarter-mile in 22.27 seconds and a half in 45.36.
“[I was] trying to hold her because she’s quick and then she wants to go faster,” Rosario said. “Trying to save a little bit toward the end.”
Rosario looked behind him four times from just inside the eighth pole to the wire as he took Iron Orchard in hand. Iron Orchard covered the six furlongs in 1:10.68 and returned $3.50 to win. A daughter of Authentic, Iron Orchard is owned by Edward Childs and Randy Hill, who bought her for $500,000 at the OBS April 2-year-old in-training sale.
The victory likely earned Iron Orchard a shot at the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette Stakes going one mile at Aqueduct on Oct. 4.
“She shows everything in the morning like she’ll stretch,” Gargan said. “I wanted to get one more race in her before we had to take on open company, so there’s a big chance I’ll run her there.”
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