Litfin's preview: Sheppard tries to keep streak alive
When Jonathan Sheppard sent out the first two finishers in last year’s Jonathan Kiser, it marked the 45th consecutive year the Hall of Fame trainer has saddled at least one winner at Saratoga.
Sheppard will try to extend his Joe DiMaggio-like streak with Bluegrass Summer in this year’s Kiser, which kicks off a 10-race program at 12:25 p.m.
Bluegrass Summer, who won over the jumps here last summer, makes his first start of the year and figures to be challenged by Schoodic and Top Striker.
Schoodic comes off a third-place finish behind Pleasant Woodman, who set a course record that day. Finishing second in that race was Rudyard K, who won yesterday’s jump-up opener nicely.
2-year-olds kick off all-sprint pick five
Because the first race is a steeplechase, the pick five spans races 2 through 6. They are all sprints, beginning with a five-furlong maiden dash for 2-year-olds that features a clash among Battle Red, Louisiana Brown, and Revolver.
Something has to give, as all three colts set the pace and wound up beaten less than a length in their respective debuts.
Battle Red, a $270,000 purchase in April, earned the best Beyer Speed Figure of the trio when run down late by I Spent It, a $600,000 colt who was the first winner for freshman sire Super Saver.
Louisiana Brown dueled throughout his first start at Churchill Downs against Mr. Z and was flattered when that one returned to narrowly miss in last Saturday’s Sanford Stakes.
Revolver was on the rail when edged at odds on first out at Churchill and is under the gun from the one hole again.
Who’s the quickest in the Quick Call
Seven sophomore sprinters line up in the Quick Call (race 9), and the early pace projects to be hotly contested by Choctaw Chuck, Escapist, Favorite Tale, Good Bye Greg, and Pure Sensation.
Escapist has won both of his starts and indeed owns both of the group’s grass victories.
Goodbye Greg is 2 for 2 as well after beating maiden and preliminary allowance foes by better than 18 lengths on synthetic surfaces at Arlington Park and Presque Isle Downs.
Although still eligible for preliminary allowance conditions, Pure Sensation may shake out as the speed of the speed from the rail. He has broken on top in six consecutive starts and has been freshened since a heated battle with Haskell-bound Bayern from post 13 in the Woody Stephens.
If the pace unravels, Harpoon could be the prime beneficiary. Beaten a nose in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis earlier this year, Harpoon shortens up in distance for the third straight time since finishing off the board in the Wood Memorial.
“He’s a horse that’s frustrated us, and we’re trying to figure out what his niche is,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “I think there’s more talent there, and we just haven’t been able to get it. There’s a lot of speed in the race, so he should be able to come from off the pace. It’s a small field, so we’re taking a shot. He’s shown hints of having talent, and we thought his sprint on the turf last time was good.”