West Saratoga led throughout for a victory last time out and was well-drawn toward the inside of the field to perhaps use similar tactics in the Grade 3, $300,000 Iroquois Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs. But when the gates opened, Patriot Spirit came flying out to set an ambitious pace, and rather than go with him, Rafael Bejarano elected to keep his colt back off the pace. It proved a winning move, as West Saratoga came on in the stretch for a 1 3/4-length win. The Iroquois was the first race offering points toward the 2024 Kentucky Derby, the 150th edition of the spring classic. West Saratoga, who is trained by Larry Demeritte for owner Harry Veruchi, picked up 10 points with his victory, with the race awarding points to the next finishers on a 5-3-2-1 scale. "He likes the track, he likes the distance," Veruchi said. "I think he'll go farther than that. I really do." West Saratoga was coming off a front-running maiden win going a mile, at a 1 1/2-turn configuration, on Aug. 5 at Ellis Park, and was again going a mile in the Iroquois, this time a one-turn race out of the chute at Churchill Downs. But it was Patriot Spirit, from the outside post, who came flying out of that chute, tugging on Jesus Castanon hard into a four-length lead through an opening half in a sharp 44.63 seconds on the fast track. Market Street and Risk It, the latter favored off an impressive debut win at Saratoga, were second and third, with West Saratoga fourth at that point. As the field rounded the far turn, Risk It ate into the leader's margin. As the field straightened away into the lane, Patriot Spirit briefly tried to dig in while tiring and running on the incorrect lead, but then folded to others who had momentum. Rolling best of all of those was West Saratoga, who Bejarano had tipped five wide. He quickly opened up a length, then continued drawing clear to the wire to win by 1 3/4 lengths. “I just let him get comfortable after seeing a lot of speed in the race on paper, and then the outside horse went really fast early,” Bejarano said. “I thought I’d just let my horse settle and start to get going around the turn. I could tell at the three-eighths pole I had a lot of horse beneath me, and I was seeing the horses in front of me still going fast. I figured they would come back to me a little bit. I got a great trip into the stretch, and had a lot of horse still beneath me.” He finished the mile in 1:37.28 and paid $26.96. Risk It held second by a neck over a rallying Liberal Arts, who was another neck ahead of Seize the Grey. They were followed, in order, by Edified, a fading Patriot Spirit, Union Roll, and Market Street. This was the second win in six career starts for West Saratoga, an Exaggerator colt who finished second in three consecutive maiden races before his breakthrough at Ellis. The connections have yet to select a specific next race. "Keeneland is my home track, so maybe look for him showing up at Keeneland," Demeritte said. Pocahontas Stakes Earlier on the card, a fresh V V's Dream was much the best coasting to an 8 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The Pocahontas was the first race offering points toward the Kentucky Oaks, on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale. V V's Dream ($4.40) and Brian Hernandez Jr. sat in third as Ellis Park Debutante winner Hot Beach was pressed by Kentucky Juvenile winner Youalmosthadme through splits of 22.83, 45.55, and six furlongs in 1:10.24. At that point, V V's Dream was breathing down the throatlatch of the top two. When given her cue, the filly powered clear as she pleased and widened through the stretch. V V's Dream stopped the clock in 1:36.45. In their own private battle for second, Youalmosthadme edged Hot Beach by three-quarters of a length. It was 5 1/2 lengths from them to the rest of the field, with Courbe, Riperton, and Regal Rumour rounding out the order of finish. V V's Dream, by freshman sire Mitole, is trained by Kenny McPeek for MJM Racing. This was just the third career start for the filly. After winning her debut in May at Churchill Downs, she was second in Churchill's edition of the Debutante, run July 2 at Ellis this year, beaten a half-length by Brightwork, who subsequently won a pair of graded stakes at Saratoga. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.