Ralis scores impressive win in Hopeful Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Doug O’Neill was planning to ship his California-bred stakes winner Mrazek to Saratoga for Monday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes until that horse came out of his most recent workout with body soreness that most likely will sideline him for the remainder of the year.

O’Neill looked down his deep bench of juvenile talent and decided to send Ralis, second to Mrazek in the Graduation Stakes at Del Mar, across the country for the Hopeful.

Ralis, under Javier Castellano, proved a more-than-suitable substitute, roaring past the pacesetting Magna Light at the three-sixteenths pole and drawing clear to a dominant 5 3/4-length victory in the $350,000 Hopeful on closing-day at Saratoga.

Magna Light, the 2-1 favorite, finished second, three lengths ahead of Uncle Vinny, who was followed by Sallisaw, Tom’s Ready, Set the Trappe, and Bullet Gone Astray. Sticksstatelydude was scratched due to a temperature.

It was the second straight juvenile stakes at this meet won by a California-based colt. Exaggerator, trained by Keith Desormeaux, shipped here from Del Mar to win the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 15.

Four years ago, O’Neill shipped I’ll Have Another to Saratoga for the Hopeful, and he finished fifth. He came back to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness the following year before being withdrawn on the eve of the Belmont Stakes due to injury.

“How about those Square Eddies and Team Reddam?” O’Neill, referring to the sire of Ralis and the colt’s owner, Paul Reddam, said by phone from Southern California. “Javier had him in a perfect position, and he looked like a winner all the way around there to us.”

It was the first Hopeful victory for Castellano, but it was his sixth Grade 1 victory of this meet. Castellano also won the Travers, Alabama, Whitney, Woodward, and Alfred G. Vanderbilt. That is more than consolation for finishing second in the jockey standings to Irad Ortiz Jr.

Breaking from post 5 in the seven-horse field, Ralis set up shop three wide outside of Set the Trappe and Sallisaw while Magna Light, under Jose Ortiz, set fractions of 22.79 seconds for the quarter and 45.46 for the half-mile.

Approaching the quarter pole, Ralis moved into second and had his sights set on Magna Light turning for home. Ralis took control in upper stretch and bounded clear a decisive winner.

Ralis covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.30 and returned $15.80 as the fifth choice.

“He broke sharp out of the gate. I could have dictated the pace the way he did it today,” Castellano said. “I had a great post, so I took a nice hold and saw how it developed the first quarter and let those two speeds inside me go and got my position outside. It was a perfect trip I had today.”