Litfin's preview: Familiar leaders at halfway point
The 40-day Saratoga meet reached the halfway point at the completion of Saturday’s card. After 20 days and 202 races, there are few if any surprises in the races for leading owner, trainer, and jockey.
The closest contest is among the owners, where Michael Dubb has eight wins and leads defending titlists Ken and Sarah Ramsey by one. Just two back are Chester and Mary Broman and Mike Repole, who was the leading owner three straight years before the Ramseys’ record-setting 22 victories in 2013.
Reigning Eclipse Award winners Todd Pletcher and Javier Castellano have opened clear leads in the races for leading trainer and jockey.
Pletcher, bidding for an 11th crown here, saddled three winners Saturday and has a 19-9 lead over Chad Brown, who has finished second in the standings each of the past three years. Graham Motion, Mike Maker, and Bill Mott are tied for third with seven victories each.
Castellano, who captured his first Saratoga meet last year, posted a four-bagger Saturday and has 30 wins at the halfway mark, good for a double-digit lead over Irad Ortiz Jr. and John Velazquez.
Five juvenile races on tap
Five of Sunday’s 11 races are for 2-year-olds, highlighted by the Adirondack and Saratoga Special, a pair of Grade 2, $200,000 sprints at 6 1/2 furlongs.
None of the seven fillies in the Adirondack or the 11 males in the Saratoga Special has run this far as yet.
The Adirondack pace projects to be hotly contested, and the race may boil down to a battle between Angela Renee and Cavorting, daughters of Bernardini who were very impressive winning their debuts at Belmont Park.
Angela Renee, whose full brother, To Honor and Serve, won multiple graded stakes, including the Woodward and Cigar Mile, showed tractability stalking the early pace at five furlongs and stretches out three-sixteenths of a mile for Todd Pletcher.
Cavorting, a $360,000 weanling buy, sped to the front and widened at every call to score by 11 lengths in her bow at six furlongs.
“Her debut was a ‘wow’ race,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “You don’t anticipate one running like that, but we’ve always liked her. She came in from Florida ready to go, and she’s done everything right.”
Cavorting faces a potentially tricky post draw in between the Schuylerville pacesetter Take Charge Brandi and the two-time winner Vivian Da Bling.
The Saratoga Special is a skull-buster of a race where the 11 entrants come off races at nine different racetracks across the nation.
Mr. Z, Cinco Charlie, and Nonna’s Boy, the 2-3-4 finishers in the Sanford opening weekend, have the advantage of a race over the track.
Sisters to BC winners clash
For a potential glimpse at contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, tune in to race 4, which drew an overflow field at 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon course.
The lineup includes Flying Tipat, a full sister to 2009 BC Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Tapitsfly, and Miss Always Ready, whose full sister, More Than Real, won the same race the following year.
Others who bear watching are Thebeatofthestreet, who has workouts on turf and dirt that match stablemate Startup Nation, who was a debut winner Thursday at $21.20 for the same connections of Klaravich Stable and Chad Brown, and Lady of Victory, a daughter of War Front who set the early pace sprinting on dirt opening day for Bill Mott.
Horse to watch
BELLA KATERI
Trainer: Michelle Nihei
Last race: Aug. 8, 5th
Finish: 3rd by 1
Beyer: 70
Taken back off a slow pace set by the front-running winner, raced four wide on the turn, and gained ground into a fast final quarter in 22.68 seconds while placed at a huge tactical disadvantage first time out in nearly three months.