World Record sizzles to front-running victory in Amsterdam
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When World Record drew the rail for Friday’s Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga – the third straight time the 3-year-old drew that post – trainer Rodolphe Brisset wanted to scratch.
A talk with co-owner Elliott Walden, president of WinStar Farm, convinced Brisset to ship World Record in from Kentucky. That decision and one by Brisset and jockey Flavien Prat to gun World Record to the lead paid big dividends as World Record roared to the front and never stopped until he hit the wire, 6 3/4 lengths in front of favored Jefferson Street in the $194,000 Amsterdam.
It was 7 1/4 lengths back to Valentine Candy, who was followed by Donegal Momentum and Pure Force.
World Record had an uncomfortable trip when breaking from the rail in the Maxfield Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 30 where he finished third.
Following that race, Brisset trained World Record in blinkers and though he didn’t think they made that much of a difference, opted to put them on for this race anyway.
“I felt if they don’t change anything, they’re not going to get him to run slower,” Brisset said.
Brisset said he was 50-50 at entry time to put blinkers on and when he drew the rail Brisset said he didn’t want to ship from his base at Keeneland.
“I just didn’t want him to be in the pocket and get all the dirt,” Brisset said. “We tried this already and he got beat. We decided to come. [Walden] let me decide but at the same time he said ‘I think you should do it’ and we did it and I guess we got paid.”
Noting that when World Record won a maiden race at Churchill Downs on May 27, jockey Florent Geroux sent him to the lead from the rail and he cruised to a 6 1/4-length score, Brisset wanted Prat to do the same on Friday.
“Flavien rode him twice and he broke okay and he kind of gave him the rein and didn’t put him on the engine and the horse didn’t run the way we were thinking he was going to run,” Brisset said. “On the other side, when Flo rode him he got him out there and put him right on the engine and the horse was a different horse the way he was traveling. So, the plan today was to get out there and make sure we get it.”
World Record opened up a three-length lead by running an opening quarter in 21.56 seconds and was 2 1/2 clear after a half-mile in 44.64. Jefferson Street, fourth early, moved into second around the middle of the turn, but World Record kept on going and was never seriously threatened.
“The other day he took the temperature out of me, on and off the whole backside, couldn’t get him into a good rhythm,” said Prat, who won his meet-best sixth stakes. “We drew the one again so I was very committed to getting him running out of there and getting him forwardly placed for sure.”
World Record, a son of Gun Runner, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.20 and returned $14.60 to win.
Brisset has now won two stakes on the New York Racing Association circuit in 2024 as Mullikin won the Grade 2 John Nerud at Aqueduct on July 6. World Record will likely come back for the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens, while Mullikin is a candidate for the Grade 1 Forego, both on Aug 24.
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