Pletcher, Baffert square off in Albany Stakes on New York Showcase Day
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It is quite common to see Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert send out top contenders in stakes for 3-year-olds throughout the country. It is less common to see them square off in a 3-year-old stakes restricted to New York breds.
In Americanrevolution (Pletcher) and Bobby Bo (Baffert), the two Hall of Fame trainers have the top protagonists in Friday’s $250,000 Albany Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga.
The Albany is the richest of six stakes and 11 races overall restricted to New York-breds on Saratoga’s New York Showcase Day program. First post is 1:05 p.m.
Americanrevolution, a son of Constitution who sold for $275,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale of New York-breds, enters the Albany off a dominant 7 1/4 length score in the New York Derby at Finger Lakes. In that race, Americanrevolution was stretching out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles around two turns, a configuration Pletcher always felt was in the son of Constitution’s wheelhouse. The Albany is run at 1 1/8 miles.
“I was more concerned about sprinting him first time,” Pletcher said. “He certainly trains like a horse that wants further and ran like one that does as well.”
In fact, in the New York Derby, Pletcher felt “the further they went the better he got,” he said.
Luis Saez, the meet’s leading rider, is aboard Americanrevolution from post 2.
Bobby Bo, a son of Speightster who was purchased for $110,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton sale of New York-bred yearlings, will be facing statebreds and winners for the first time.
On July 21 at Del Mar, his first start of the year and just second overall, Bobby Bo was beaten two lengths by Risk and Reward in a 6 1/2-furlong race. Risk and Reward, also trained by Baffert, came back to run eighth in a first-level allowance race going long on Sunday at Del Mar.
Bobby Bo, meanwhile, wheeled back 12 days later, won a one-mile, two-turn maiden race by 6 1/4 lengths. He was quickly sent to the lead by Juan Hernandez, got clear under strong fractions and won in hand. Flavien Prat rides Bobby Bo Friday.
“He got a little tired his first out down here, he needed it badly,” Baffert said by phone from Del Mar. “We’ve always been very high on this horse. He’s a fast horse. We always thought two turns was going to be better for him, so I’d rather run there for 250,000 and face New York-breds rather than stay here [and] run a mile for $100,000.”
Baffert was referring to the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Sunday where Baffert could be bringing Kentucky Derby first-place finisher Medina Spirit back to the races.
Bingo John and Anejo are the only two members of this field to have won at 1 1/8 miles. Anejo did it on Aug. 11 in his first try on dirt for trainer Jack Sisterson.
Bingo John beat Joey Loose Lips by a neck here in a maiden race on Aug. 5. Joey Loose Lips is back in this field.
Trainer Kelly Breen entered both It’s a Gamble and It’s Gravy in the Albany. Purple Hearted and Our Man Mike complete the field.
Fleet Indian Stakes
The addition of blinkers and added distance have resulted in two straight wins for A Bit o’Irish Sass, who looks for a third straight victory in Friday’s $200,000 Fleet Indian Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Richard Schosberg, trainer and part-owner of A Bit o’Irish Sass, felt the filly was leaning in on other horses and equipped her with blinkers. On July 2, in an off-the-turf race at Belmont, A Bit o’Irish Sass won a 1 1/16-mile maiden race by 4 1/4 lengths. She came back 24 days later to score a 4 1/2-length victory against just three horses in the New York Oaks at Finger Lakes.
“I think she’s just figured it out,” Schosberg said. “We finally ran her at distances she was comfortable with; blinkers definitely helped. She’s laser-focused right now and she’s got a world of confidence going into this one. I think we’re the horse to beat.”
Schosberg believes A Bit o’Irish Sass will appreciate the 1 1/8 miles of the Fleet Indian.
The only horse in the field who has won at the distance is Epona’s Dream, who won an off-the turf maiden race here by a head at that distance on July 25. That was after she finished third to A Bit o’Irish Sass in the aforementioned July 2 race at Belmont.
A potential upsetter in the Fleet Indian is Pay Grade, a daughter of Tonalist trained by Christophe Clement. Pay Grade has won twice – both going a one-turn mile – but Clement always felt she would appreciate more ground.
“I’ve always thought she wanted to run long on dirt,” Clement said. “She’s a nice filly. She’s never stopped improving.”
Noting that Pay Grade got passed in the stretch only to come back and win her first-level allowance by a neck over a next-out winner, Clement said: “She was very game. We like that type.”
Eric Cancel rides Pay Grade from post 2.
U Guys Are No Fun, trained by Jeremiah Englehart, won a four-horse maiden race at Finger Lakes by 20 lengths on June 9. She then, as the favorite, finished second behind A Bit o’Irish Sass in the New York Oaks.
Betsy Blue, Byhubbyhellomoney, Out First, Coffee Bar, and Make Mischief, complete the field.