Uncle Sigh comes north for Genesee Valley Breeders' Stakes

Uncle Sigh ran in the 2014 Kentucky Derby, and he has been a familiar face on the New York Racing Association circuit in the five years since. He gets some class relief from that competitive circuit as he comes to Finger Lakes for the first time for Monday’s $50,000 Genesee Valley Breeders’ Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up.

Uncle Sigh finished second by a length to Samraat in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes in early 2014 in just his third career start, then was beaten a neck by that same rival in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes. After finishing fifth in the Wood Memorial, then a Grade 1, behind Wicked Strong, Samraat, Social Inclusion, and Schivarelli, he checked in 14th in California Chrome’s Kentucky Derby win.

Uncle Sigh was away from the races for a year after the Derby and has mainly competed in allowance or optional-claiming events on the NYRA circuit since. He has made the occasional stakes appearance, and finished third in the 2018 Commentator Stakes, which was won by Diversify.

This year, Uncle Sigh has won once from seven starts, a seven-length score in an April 28 claiming race at Belmont going the same 1 1/16-mile distance as the Genesee Valley. He was claimed for $25,000 out of that race by Chris Englehart and current owner Ronald Brown. They sent him out to finish third in a Belmont optional claimer and most recently ninth in a Saratoga allowance. John Davila Jr. has the mount Monday.

Winston’s Chance, trained by Debra Breed, comes off a third in the Evan Shipman Stakes for statebreds on Aug. 7 at Saratoga.

Special Story steps up from allowance company for trainer Stacy Torelli after winning four times from his last five outings, including a statebred allowance last time out at Saratoga. Big Gemmy, the morning-line favorite for Linda Rice, has won three consecutive allowance races, the two most recent going 1 1/16 miles at Finger Lakes. Fleet Irish and Danebury finished second and third to Big Gemmy last time out and meet him again in the Genesee Valley.

Completing the field are Invaluable Will, also trained by Breed, who was second in a Finger Lakes allowance last out, and Blugrascat’s Smile, fourth at Belmont in his two most recent outings. He is trained by Charlton Baker.