Scramjet looks to back up sharp maiden win in Funny Cide
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Linda Rice will seek a sweep of the juvenile stakes for New York-breds here when she sends out the debut-winning Scramjet against five rivals in Monday’s $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga.
Rice won Friday’s Seeking the Ante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies with Velora, who was also coming off a debut win.
Scramjet won his debut on Aug. 15, two weeks after he was scratched from an off-the-turf race when he unseated Manny Franco in the post parade. Scramjet wound up in the tougher division of a split maiden dirt race, but he handled the assignment just fine, winning by 1 1/2 lengths. He ran 1.87 seconds faster than Road Show did in the other division, which was the next race that day.
“I thought it was a very good race, surprised to see him on the lead, but that’s the way it turned out,” Rice said. “He ended up getting the job done, all is forgiven.”
Jose Ortiz was on Scramjet in the maiden win but will be at Kentucky Downs Monday. Ricardo Santana Jr., himself enjoying a super meet, has the call.
Scramjet will face a familiar rival in Mindfield, who finished second to Scramjet in that race while finishing 3 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Big Handsome. Trainer Mark Casse was pleased enough with that performance to run him in the Funny Cide as a maiden.
The horse to beat may be Fullcup, a son of Authentic who won his debut by 4 3/4 lengths under Junior Alvarado for Riley Mott.
“I didn’t necessarily think he’d draw off like he did, particularly at six furlongs,” Mott said. “I thought once we got to a mile or better, he’d be better. He ran good, but it looks like there a couple of them in there that have also run good so we’ll have to keep moving forward.”
Fullcup will have had two more weeks between his first start and the Funny Cide than Scramjet and Mindfield.
“He’s done excellent since his first race. Junior has worked him two or three times since his first race and he really liked the horse so that gives me confidence,” Mott said.
Professor Plum won his debut going 5 1/2 furlongs on July 12, beating Road Show, who came back to win his maiden on the same day that Scramjet won. D I Wire and Midnight Raider were also debut winners earlier in the meet.
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