Rock Fall can make a statement in Vanderbilt
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Rock Fall has won five consecutive races, including performances in his last two starts that suggest he could be among the top sprinters in the country.
On Saturday in the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga, Rock Fall will get a chance to prove that he belongs in the upper echelon of sprinters when he faces an accomplished group that includes multiple stakes winners Salutos Amigos, The Big Beast, Clearly Now, and Favorite Tale.
The Vanderbilt, run at six furlongs, is the lone Grade 1 race on a Saturday card that features three other graded events, including the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy. The Vanderbilt goes as race 8 and kicks off the late pick four.
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After losing his debut in April 2014, Rock Fall hasn’t lost since, going through all of his allowance conditions and taking the Grade 2 True North at Belmont on June 5. That day, he won by 3 3/4 lengths, ran six furlongs in 1:08.37, and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 110.
“He’s handled everything we’ve thrown against him so far impressively,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who won this race in 2004 with Rock Fall’s sire, Speightstown. “Salutos Amigos, that’s a seriously good horse. We’ll see. I’m confident our horse is doing well. We’ll make them run fast.”
Salutos Amigos has arguably been the top sprinter on the East Coast since last November. While he hasn’t run in a Grade 1, he ran very fast in winning races like the Toboggan and Tom Fool – both Grade 3 races at Aqueduct in the winter – and the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth on June 28.
The Big Beast went 2 for 2 at Saratoga last year, including a victory in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop. The speedy Favorite Tale was no match for Rock Fall in the True North but shipped to Gulfstream and scored a wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint.
Clearly Now has given indications that he’s rounding back into form. Departing, the winner of the Firecracker on turf last out, returns to sprinting on dirt. Viva Majorca comes off a win in the Kelly’s Landing Stakes at Churchill.
KEY CONTENDERS
Rock Fall (Last 3 Beyers: 110-109-93)
◗ Brings a five-race winning streak into his first Grade 1 try and comes off a solid win in the True North.
◗ Figures to stalk the speedy Favorite Tale.
“He has speed that can put himself in a good spot,” Pletcher said. “He can also stalk and produce an explosive kick.”
Salutos Amigos (Last 3 Beyers: 106-110-108)
◗ He has won five of his last six starts, with the lone loss coming in the Dubai Golden Shaheen in March. He returned to win the Mr. Prospector Stakes at Monmouth in a fast time of 1:08.58, which prompted trainer David Jacobson to skip the Smile Sprint at Calder a week later.
◗ Ridden by Cornelio Velasquez, he figures to be prominent early.
“Salutos can do whatever Cornelio wants him to do, but he’s ready,” Jacobson said.
◗ Jacobson’s barn is ice cold. He went 6 for his last 60 at Belmont and began the Saratoga meet 0 for 18.
The Big Beast (Last 3 Beyers: 97-96-96)
◗ In two starts this year, he has an allowance win and a fourth in the Grade 1 Carter. He missed the Belmont Sprint Championship on July 4 due to a foot abscess.
“I don’t think The Beast could be any better than he is right now,” trainer Tony Dutrow said Thursday. “The Beast has never faced horses like those two, and he has a lot of proving to do, but I think the horse is going to run his best race.”