Pioneering Spirit comes into John's Call on four-race win streak

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Pioneering Spirit, who has won his last four starts in one-sided fashion since returning to the turf earlier this year, will get tested for class when stepping up into stakes company for the first time in Wednesday’s $135,000 John’s Call Stakes.

The John’s Call, a 1 5/8-mile turf fixture during the Saratoga meet each summer, is restricted to horses who have not won either a Grade 1 or Grade 2 stakes on turf in 2023.

Pioneering Spirit began his current streak against $40,000 maiden-claiming opposition on May 11 at Belmont Park before coming back just 24 days later there to defeat starter-allowance opposition. He continued his ascent up the class ladder with a pair of allowance wins, the most recent by 3 3/4 lengths going 1 3/8 miles here earlier this meet for which he earned a lifetime-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure. All four tallies have come with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard.

Pioneering Spirit, a son of American Pharoah, is trained by Linda Rice, who cited several reasons for the improvement her rising star has shown over the past three months.

“I think the grass has made the difference with him and of course Jose [Ortiz] has been riding him beautifully too,” Rice said. “And the further he goes, the better he gets.”

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Rice said she is confident Pioneering Spirit will handle the stretch to 13 furlongs along with the big jump in class on Wednesday.

“I think he can do it,” Rice said. “Every time we’ve run him we set the bar a little higher and higher and he’s been able to handle it. And I do think the competition gets a little thinner as you get to these longer, mile and one-half type races. We will have to run him without Lasix, I’m not saying it’s a concern, but you never know.”

The John’s Call lured a field of nine, plus one main-track-only entrant, the majority of whom, aside from Pioneering Spirit, have some sort of stakes experience.

Tawny Port is already a multiple Grade 3 winner on dirt. He ran well making his turf debut here three weeks ago when finishing fifth after prompting the pace of ultimate winner and Eclipse Award champion (2020 male turf horse) Channel Maker in the Grade 2 Bowling Green.

Tide of the Sea finished third in the 2022 John’s Call, which was taken off the turf and run at 1 1/4 miles over the main track. He opened a long lead before finishing second in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy this spring at Belmont while receiving a career-high 99 Beyer Figure. He should appreciate the turnback in distance on Wednesday after checking in a tiring seventh in the two-mile, Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup on June 9.

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British Royalty rallied to finish third after racing near the rear of the field during the early going of the Belmont Gold Cup while making his first start in six months. The 5-year-old Woodbine-based gelding had finished second in the same event a year earlier.

Sy Dog will be making the third start of his current form cycle and first locally since finishing fourth behind Nations Pride and Annapolis in last year’s Grade 1 Saratoga Derby.

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