Uncashed, Drew's Gold give turf a try in Mahony Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Uncashed and Drew’s Gold have combined to win 9 of 12 starts on dirt, including four stakes. Neither has raced on turf.

Their connections, however, would like to try their charges on the grass and believe Sunday’s $150,000 Mahony Stakes at Saratoga for 3-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs is a good place to do it.

Weather permitting, of course.

There is rain in the forecast Saturday night and Sunday morning, and the conditions of the turf courses have come under scrutiny in the wake of two fatal breakdowns in a span of four days last week. There was no turf racing Wednesday or Thursday, and only three of Friday’s five scheduled turf races remained on the grass.

Uncashed, trained by Larry Rivelli, has won 5 of 6 starts, including the Quick Call Stakes here July 16. The Quick Call was originally scheduled for turf, but was transferred to the main track due to wet weather.

Uncashed, under Irad Ortiz Jr., flashed his speed that day to win by 5 1/2 lengths.

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“I want to try him on the turf, I think personally he’s going to like it,” Rivelli said. “If it comes off, it’s not going to hurt our feelings. He’s just a good horse. If he runs third, beaten eight lengths, he’ll never run on it again.”

Rivelli pointed that Uncashed’s dam, Charlie B, who didn’t race, is by War Chant, a Breeders’ Cup Mile winner.

Drew’s Gold won the first four starts of his career, including the Jimmy Winkfield and the Gold Fever, six-furlong dirt stakes at Aqueduct and Belmont Park, respectively.

Drew’s Gold may have run the best race of his career in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, where he finished second behind Arabian Lion. Most recently, Drew’s Gold finished third, 7 1/2 lengths behind New York Thunder, in the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes.

James Chapman, the trainer and part-owner of Drew’s Gold, noted that both Arabian Lion and New York Thunder are pointing to the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes here Aug. 26 and he didn’t want to face those two again.

“It’d be nice for it to come off and be a short field, I guess, but with him getting beat twice, there’s not a better chance to find out if he’ll handle the grass, which I think he will,” Chapman said.

Chapman pointed out that Drew’s Gold’s dam, Frolic’s Revenge, was a two-time stakes winner on turf.

“I don’t think he’ll have any problem with it,” Chapman said.

Drew’s Gold is running back just 16 days after the Amsterdam. Chapman noted that Drew’s Gold won the Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct 14 days after he won a first-level allowance at Laurel.

Chapman has Kendrick Carmouche named to ride Drew’s Gold from the outside post in this 10-horse field.

No Nay Hudson and Eye Witness, an uncoupled entry from the barn of Wesley Ward, are the two most proven turf runners. Both were scratched out of the Quick Call when that race came off the turf.

No Nay Hudson, a son of No Nay Never, hasn’t run since his off-the-pace victory in the William Walker Stakes on May 13 at Churchill Downs.

Ward said he instructed James Graham to ride the horse “Joel Rosario-style” and it worked. Graham lobbied the owners to stay on the horse and that, too, worked.

Eye Witness has won three straight, including the Animal Kingdom over Turfway Park’s synthetic surface and the Paradise Creek going seven furlongs over yielding Belmont turf on May 20.

Ward doesn’t believe cutting back to 5 1/2 furlongs will be a problem.

“The horse would like to go a little longer, but I think this is the best race for him,” Ward said.

Graham will ride No Nay Hudson from post 5 while, Jose Ortiz will be aboard Eye Witness from post 6.

Gaslight Dancer won the Palisades over good ground at Keeneland in April. He finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind No Nay Hudson as the 4-5 favorite in the William Walker. He too scratched form the Quick Call.

Harry Times, Closethegame Sugar, Private Creed, Son of a Birch, and Crispy Cat complete the field.

The Mahony, named in honor of the family that invented the parimutuel wagering in the United States, goes as the final race on a 10-race Sunday program that concludes week 5.

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