Litfin's preview: Final jump race begins last Thursday card
Cat Feathers heads final jump race
Cat Feathers, a 6-year-old mare whose last two wins have come in the 2012 and 2014 renewals of the Mrs. Ogden Phipps Stakes, picks up four pounds stretching out to 2 3/8 miles in the Mrs. Walter M. Jeffords, the 12:25 p.m. opener that is the 12th and final steeplechase of the Saratoga meet.
Cat Feathers, who beat four of Thursday’s five opponents in the Mrs. Phipps, was beaten a neck in this race in 2012 when it was run at 2 1/16 miles. Whether she can get the distance is the key factor in this rematch with Kisser N Run, Brilliant Match, Sully’s Approach, and the 10-year-old Opera Heroine.
Bittersweet, who has won once from four starts since imported from Britain, rounds out the field of six.
With Anticipation tops last Thursday card
Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown each won with their only starters Wednesday, and they square off with Designed for War and Startup Nation, respectively, in the $200,000 With Anticipation for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf.
Designed for War was bet to 3-2 for his unveiling on Aug. 9, and was never threatened on the lead beneath leading rider Javier Castellano.
“He had a bit of a pace advantage that day, and he was able to get an easy lead and was good enough to take advantage of it,” said Pletcher, who notched his meet-leading 23rd win Wednesday. “We were pretty happy with the way he did it.”
Brown won Wednesday’s P.G. Johnson with second-time starter Partisan Politics to stay within four of Pletcher with 19 victories. He will attempt to sweep the juvenile grass races with Startup Nation, a New York-bred who rallied from 10 lengths behind to win his debut going away Aug. 7.
“He ran terrific in his last start,” said Brown. “He’s got good mechanics and a great attitude.”
Creaky Cricket, International Star, Nutty Fruit, and Strong Coffee are contenders in a wide-open renewal of the Grade 2 race.
Golden Rifle seeks fourth straight win
While Pletcher has only two horses entered, Brown has five, climaxed by Golden Rifle, who shoots for his fourth straight victory in race 9, an optional claiming turf sprint with third-level allowance conditions.
Brown claimed Golden Rifle for $30,000 at Gulfstream Park in March, and brought the 4-year-old to Belmont to take a restricted claimer and two allowance races. The 4-year-old colt by Ghostzapper has been freshened since posting a new top Beyer Figure of 95 on June 19.
Stormy Rush, an invader from Woodbine dropping out of a pace-pressing try in the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes, could be the main threat. He may trip out nicely from the outside post if Chart Topper and I’m Stoked hook up in a speed duel.
Horse to watch
PUCA
Trainer: Bill Mott
Last race: Aug. 25, 5th
Finish: 3rd by 1 1/2
Beyer: 69
Switched over to turf and stretched out for her second start, this Big Brown filly improved substantially to rally from ninth off a slow pace.