Sippican Harbor ($34) goes last to first in Spinaway Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After Sippican Harbor finished fifth launching her career around two turns on the turf here earlier this summer, about the last place where trainer Gary Contessa probably thought he’d be standing six weeks later was in the winner’s circle following the running of the Grade 1 Spinaway. But sure enough, there he was Saturday, alongside owner Lee Pokoik, after Sippican Harbor rallied from last on the turn to a two-length victory over Restless Rider in the Saratoga season's premier race for 2-year-old fillies.

Sippican Harbor’s path to the $350,000 Spinaway began Aug. 12, when several days of rain forced the final race on the card originally scheduled for the turf to be moved to the main track. Sippican Harbor was one of only five horses left in the field following scratches and she made short work of the mediocre opposition, punching her ticket into the Spinaway with an eye-catching 17-length maiden win.

Sippican Harbor led at every call on graduation day, but after getting knocked around between horses leaving the gate in the Spinaway, she found herself at the rear of the pack as the field left the backstretch. Sippican Harbor commenced her bid midway on the turn, swung widest of all into the stretch, then finished full of run down the center of the course to overtake the tiring leaders nearing the sixteenth pole and win going away.

Restless Rider, idle since winning the Debutante at Churchill Downs two months earlier, raced within striking distance of the early leaders while kept wide after breaking from post 10 in the 11-horse field. She continued willingly inside the winner through the final furlong, proving no match for that rival while outlasting the late-running Cassies Dreamer by a neck to finish second.

Chasing Yesterday, American Pharoah’s baby sister, never seemed to get untracked after being involved in some crowding after the start. She ultimately finished a struggling seventh as the 8-5 favorite.

Sippican Harbor, a daughter of Orb, returned $34 after completing the distance in 1:23.72 over the fast track.

The win in the Spinaway gives Sippican Harbor a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies race at Churchill Downs in November.

The Spinaway was the second of three graded stakes victories in a row for her rider Joel Rosario, who also won the Grade 3 Saranac with Raging Bull and Grade 1 Woodward aboard Yoshida.

“I really thought she was a turf horse, shows you what I know,” Contessa admitted after the race. “I knew she needed distance when we started her the first time on the grass and she probably should have won that race. She was blocked behind horses all the way and really had no place to go. When her second start got rained off the turf, seven furlongs was a really good place to start her off on dirt. We knew coming into this race she had to pass the acid test. She beat up on a bunch of nobody's in her last start. This time she had to beat up a lot of somebody’s and she delivered.”

Contessa said one of the things he really liked about Sippican Harbor’s performance in the Spinaway was the versatility she showed by rallying from so far back to win.

“Today’s effort was unbelievable,” Contessa said. “She ate a lot of dirt, I mean she was covered in dirt when she came back, but she was able to make that wide move and then she exploded. That’s the kind of 2-year-old you want, one you can send on the lead like in her first start, or take back and come from last like she did today. She proved here she’s as good as we always thought she was, and hopefully we can make it to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Jockey Mike Smith said Chasing Yesterday just never ran her race after having trouble getting her best footing after the break.

“We took a whole lot of dirt and she just wasn’t used to it,” said Smith, who was caked in dirt himself after the race. “She just jumped and jumped and jumped until she wore herself out. You hate to come all the way down here to school one, but it certainly was a really good schooling race for her. It will do her a lot of good and we’ll see the real her come up next time.”