Tricky Business leads start to finish in Albany Stakes
:quality(75))
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The complexion of Sunday’s $200,000 Albany Stakes at Saratoga changed the moment the gates opened: Tricky Business came away alertly from his inside post, Talk to Me Jimmy broke at the rear of the seven-horse field. Tricky Business parlayed that advantage into a gate-to-wire, three-length victory.
Tricky Business came into the 1 1/8-mile Albany winless in three starts since capturing his career debut at Aqueduct on May 10, but he was coming off a game effort when beaten a neck in a seven-furlong, entry-level allowance dash here just two weeks ago.
Trainer George Weaver’s instructions to jockey Flavien Prat were simple.
“I don’t know what the other rider’s instructions were, but ours was to go at all costs, to quarter-horse him out of there and make the lead,” Weaver admitted after the race. “Luckily our horse broke well enough, Flavien (Prat) was able to do that and our horse responded.”
Tricky Business was stalked on the lead from the outset by Tuning In. He disposed of Tuning In while angling out near the middle of the track leaving the turn, opened a comfortable advantage through midstretch, and was never threatened thereafter.
Talk to Me Jimmy, the 7-5 favorite, had been on or with the pace in all recent starts including his victory in the New York Derby last month at Finger Lakes. But the awkward beginning forced him into unfamiliar territory, and he raced several lengths off the early leaders while also wide throughout.
Despite the somewhat compromised trip and not switching leads until midstretch, Talk to Me Jimmy ran on gamely down the lane to easily be second-best, finishing 2 3/4 lengths in front of the rail-skimming Sunday Boy, who was along by a nose to finish third over the tiring Tuning In.
Tricky Business is trained by Weaver for R.A. Hill Stable. The son of Vekoma was the third winner on the day for jockey Flavien Prat and returned $20.00 after completing the distance over the soggy going in 1:49.84 seconds. The track was downgraded from fast to sloppy midway through the card.
“Once he got where he was and got comfortable up the backside, I was confident we’d have a chance to win if he handled the distance,” Weaver said. “And he did.”
The Albany marked the first time Tricky Business had run 1 1/8 miles and was also the first time he’d ever competed over a wet track.
“Vekoma won the Carter and ran one of his best races in the slop, so you could assume he (Tricky Business) would like it. But you never know,” Weaver added.
Prat confirmed Weaver’s pre-race instructions.
“We had the one hole. Option A was to go. Option B was to go,” said Prat. “We were very committed to going and he carried his speed.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.
