Weekend Hideaway notching sixth straight summer at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When Weekend Hideaway goes postward as one of the choices in Friday’s Tale of the Cat Stakes, it will mark the sixth consecutive summer that the veteran has competed at Saratoga.

Weekend Hideaway launched his career at 2 here during the summer of 2012, running second in a maiden special weight dash before registering two one-sided wins later in the meet, including an overnight stakes by 6 1/4 lengths. He started here once as a 3-year-old, twice at 4, finished fourth in the Tale of the Cat at 5, and was an allowance winner from two tries last season at the Spa.

“I don’t know if six straight years is a record here, but it’s definitely a record for me,” trainer Phil Serpe said. “He’s amazing. He still turns in those good works and does it easily. And he still holds his own in the afternoon. It’s hard to say if he’s as good as he was as a younger horse. That’s hard to gauge, but he had a pretty good year last year, and when he’s on his game, he can still really run.”

Weekend Hideaway, who went over the $1 million mark in career earnings with his victory in the Commentator at Belmont on May 29, would have been one of the favorites in the John Morrissey Stakes earlier in the meet. Serpe was forced to scratch him the morning of the race due to a minor foot issue.

“I thought he was at his best as far as his fitness and attitude was concerned going into the Morrissey, so it’s really unfortunate what happened,” Serpe said. “But the foot is all healed, and he worked great Sunday for this race, and I’m expecting another big effort from him on Friday.”

Weekend Hideaway will face six in the six-furlong Tale of the Cat, a group led by Stallwalkin’ Dude and including Cadeyrn, Candid Desire, Candip, Chief Lion, and Loose On the Town.