Summer in Saratoga grabs Tom Benson victory in final strides

Summer in Saratoga, making her first start since September on Saturday at Fair Grounds, got a great ride from invading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and won the $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial Stakes by a head over a stubborn Dominga.

Ortiz, in from his Florida base to ride the Louisiana Derby card, had been disqualified from a maiden win earlier in the day, but did everything right on Summer in Saratoga. Breaking from post 12, Ortiz managed to secure a spot hugging the rail before reaching the first turn in this 1 1/16-mile grass race. There Ortiz sat as His Glory – trained, like Summer in Saratoga and unplaced Catch a Bid, by Joe Sharp - set off on a speed mission, opening a lead of several lengths on Dominga through strong fractions of 23.71 and 47.68.

Ortiz moved off the rail, hunting room, at about the three-furlong marker, his mount poised and in the bridle, but had to wait behind horses until the three-sixteenths pole, where he came niftily across Winning Envelope’s heels getting to the outside, into the clear. Ortiz flicked the reins at Summer in Saratoga, who picked up her pace, Ortiz bearing down more aggressively as the filly rushed for the wire. Winning Envelope, a perfect-trip Joy Epifora, and Dominga still were in front of her at the sixteenth pole, but Summer in Saratoga picked them off, getting to Dominga in the last couple strides.

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Summer in Saratoga clocked 1:42.14 and paid $20.20 to win. She earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. Winning Envelope stayed on nicely to earn the show as favored Dalika ran well below form and played no serious role.

Credit to Sharp as well as Ortiz. Summer in Saratoga knocked out a narrow second-level allowance score in September at Kentucky Downs and hadn’t raced since. Sharp brought her back in stakes competition on works alone, and the filly fired.

“She just keeps getting better and better,” Sharp said. “It’s obviously nice to have a prep race, but the filly was giving us all the signs she was ready.”

Sharp trains Summer in Saratoga for the Highland Training Center. She’s by Hard Spun out of Love Theway Youare, by Arch, and won for the fourth time in 11 starts.

***Who Took the Money talks in Crescent City

Who Took the Money looked like the fastest horse in the Crescent City Derby, so he gave himself some extra challenges.

Who Took the Money, the 1-2 favorite, dumped jockey Gabriel Saez in the post parade and ran off before being corraled by Fair Grounds outriders.

Trainer Bret Calhoun readjusted the gelding’s saddle, Fair Grounds stewards approved him to race, and Who Took the Money promptly stumbled at the start.

Racing fifth while hemmed in along the rail much of the trip, Who Took the Money was shuffled back to seventh at the three-furlong pole but found room along the fence when stablemate Highland Creek vacated the rail at the five-sixteenths pole. Wise Verdict led through splits of 24.45 and 48.99, then drifted off the rail, leaving a wide gap for Who Took the Money. Who Took the Money and Saez took the opportunity, charged to the lead, and held clear of Highland Creek to win by a half-length.

“I was stuck in there for a little bit, but I didn’t worry at all,” Saez said.

Who Took the Money now has won all three of his races, adding the $100,000 Crescent City Derby to a maiden and allowance win over Louisiana-breds.

Calhoun and Chester Thomas’s Allied Racing swept the exacta. Thomas also bred Who Took the Money, a gelded son of Street Boss and Speights’ Colony, by Speightstown. Who Took the Money was running back on just two weeks’ rest and, all things considered, performed exceedingly well.

“He’s a little bit of a wild child,” Calhoun said. “A big strong horse still learning things.”

Unanimously made a late run to finish a close third as the winner, who paid $3, ran 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 1:44.73 and earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure.

***Classy John ends long losing streak, upsets Costa Rising

Classy John broke a 12-race losing streak dating to December 2018 when he won the $100,000 Costa Rising Stakes by a head over X Clown.

Classy John won three of his first four races, including the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, as a 2-year-old of 2018. At 3, he was eased in the Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga, after which Classy John finished seventh or eighth in five consecutive starts before waking up last month while making his second turf start. That improved turf form continued Saturday as Classy John tracked pacesetting X Clown under Colby Hernandez through the early and middle stages of this grass sprint. Classy John took the lead in the final furlong and was edging clear when X Clown fought back, closing the gap to a narrow margin.

Monte Man ran late to finish third, a length behind the top two, while passing odds-on favorite No Parole, who wound up fourth in his turf debut. No Parole is a pure speed horse and broke flat-footed from post 1, racing behind the top pair, looming at the three-sixteenths pole, but failing to produce the needed kick.

Off splits off 22.59 and 45.54, Classy John clocked 1:03.17 for 5 1/2 furlongs, paying $61 to win. He earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure.

Murray Valene owns Classy John and Dallas Stewart trains him. The 5-year-old gelding is by Songandaprayer out of Kitty’s Got Class, by Old Forrester.