Big Invasion (Declaration of War)'s enormous kick carried him home to a sixth victory in a row in Saratoga's Mahony S. by three effortless lengths.
Coming into the race with four straight stakes victories, the GIII Quick Call July 17 at this venue among them, he was hammered down to 1-5 favoritism in his quest to continue the streak and he made it look a gift. He was equally dominant in the May 29 Paradise Creek at Belmont, William Walker at Churchill Downs May 4, and in the Texas Glitter S. in Hallendale Mar. 26. His only blemish was on debut Jan. 7 behind stakes-placed filly American Starlet (Twirling Candy) who went gate to wire after Big Invasion slammed into the gate on the break.
Rating well off a quick early pace set by That's Right (Goldencents) and a pursuing European invader Cadamosto (Ire), he tracked from fifth on the fence through the early part of the bend. Gradually shifting out to the four path, Joel Rosario set his mount loose in upper stretch and the race was over by the final furlong. Big Invasion inhaled his competition and won geared down by three lengths in a quick 1:01.42.
“I've always thought he was the best 3-year-old in the country on the grass sprinting. We just don't have a program with Grade 1, Grade 2, that's the way the program is made,” said Clement post-race in regards to a start in Grade I company. “But, I don't know, I'd have to talk to [owner] Mr. [Dean] Reeves. I need to give him some time at some stage and maybe we can think about a race like the Breeders Cup even if it's very ambitious. Why not?”
Big Invasion is the third black-type earner in a row for his dam, who claims several multiple winners as half-relations. Curls in Place is out of a stakes-winning half-sister to GSP Going Wild (Golden Missle). In addition to We Miss Susie, the winner is also half to SP Unitedandresolute (Violence). They have a 2-year-old half-sister by Empire Maker, a yearling half-brother by Air Force Blue, and a 2022 half-brother by War of Will. The dam went to Maclean's Music for 2023. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
MAHONY S., $150,000, Saratoga, 8-14, 3yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:01.42, fm.
1–BIG INVASION, 122, c, 3, by Declaration of War
1st Dam: Curls in Place, by Curlin
2nd Dam: Pola's Place, by Out of Place
3rd Dam: Pola, by Strawberry Road (Aus)
($72,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing; B-John O'Meara (KY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Joel Rosario. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 7-6-1-0, $444,045. *1/2 to We Miss Susie (Creative Cause), SP, $194,692.
2–Cadamosto (Ire), 118, c, 3, No Nay Never–Saucy Spirit (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). (£130,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR). O-D. J. Stable LLC; B-Peter Henley & Eric Mc Donnell (Ire); T-Joseph Patrick O'Brien. $30,000.
3–Determined Kingdom, 122, g, 3, Animal Kingdom–Filia, by Fastnet Rock (Aus). ($47,000 Ylg '20 EASOCT). O-D Hatman Thoroughbreds and Schoenthal, Phil; B-Audley Farm Equine, LLC (VA); T-Phil Schoenthal. $18,000.
Margins: 3, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.35, 6.40, 26.50.
Also Ran: Sky and Sand, Surprise Boss, That's Right, Editorial Comment (Arg).
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As soon as trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. saw Monmouth Park's turf course listed as firm for Sunday, he knew he had chosen the right time and spot for Nothing Better's stakes debut.
The 5-year-old gelding didn't disappoint, brushing off an early speed duel with Breakthrough before going on to a comfortable two-length victory in the $100,000 Rainbow Heir Stakes, the co-feature on the 11-race card.
Chad Brown-trained Kuramata also earned his first career stakes win with a 2¾-length victory in the $100,000 Oceanport Stakes in a race that took on a dramatically different complexion when Grade 1 winner Two Emmys was scratched.
Northing Better, a Kentucky-bred son of Munnings owned by Colts Neck Stables, had been pointing to bigger and better things, with the Rainbow Heir marking his fourth win in his past six starts. But this one came off a 58-day layoff.
“He loves the firm going and we're having a dry summer and he had about eight weeks between races so he was fresh,” said Duarte. “With these turf sprinters there's not a big difference between non-winners of two or three other than and these stakes races. We're right at home when we run at Monmouth Park so I think it was a legitimate shot to take (for his first stakes try).
“He has always shown talent. But he's a horse that needs things his way and needs firmer ground. A couple of times we've had some head scratchers with him on softer going. He just needs to be forward and on a firm turf. That's his game.”
Nothing Better stuck to the flanks of speedster Breakthrough through an opening quarter in :21.93 and a half in :44.43 before putting away the 4-5 favorite in the field of seven 3-year-olds and up.
The winning time for the 5½ furlongs was 1:02.57.
Belgrano eventually close for second, one length ahead of a tiring Breakthough, with jockey Jairo Rendon having Nothing Better well in hand at the finish. It was Rendon's third winner on the card and his third stakes win of the meet.
“Breakthrough is a tough horse, but when I got to him I knew I had him,” said Rendon. “I was more worried about Belgrano closing because that's a good horse and he likes to run late. My horse has run well everywhere they have put him so I felt good about him trying stakes company for the first time. I felt he was ready for this.”
The win was the fifth in 15 career starts for Northing Better, who returned $19.20 to win.
Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corp., Nothing Better is out of the Duke of Marmalade mare One True Love.
Irish-bred Kuramata was just as impressive in manhandling five rivals, with jockey Hector Diaz Jr., making a rousing and powerful move coming out of the final turn of the 1 1/16-mile grass race for 3-year-olds and up.
The winning time was 1:40.74.
“They said he has been training well at Belmont,” said Luis Cabrera, who handles Brown's division at Monmouth Park. “They thought he was ready to win a stakes race. He had a great trip. He was close, not too far back, and he always had the leaders in his sights. I think it helped him being outside. I think that's where he prefers to be.”
A Peter Brant homebred, Kuramata returned $6.60 to win. The victory was the third in eight career starts for the 5-year-old Australia gelding from the Invincible Spirit mare Blue Kimono.
Mohs finished second, a half-length better than Not Blooded.
“I knew I was on the best horse. It was just a matter of working out a good trip,” said Diaz, who notched his first stakes win of the meet. “On the backside I was just where I wanted to be, stalking the pace. I knew when I asked him he was going to respond. He was lugging me a little and I didn't want to fight him too much. I didn't want to be in his way, either. I wanted to wait as long as I could before asking him to go and when I did he just exploded. He was waiting for that moment.”
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Trainer Michelle Lovell, who sent out 'TDN Rising Star' Damon's Mound (Girvin) to win Saturday's GII Saratoga Special S., said Sunday that she was not ruling out either the seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. Sept. 5 or the Oct. 5 GI Champagne S. at the Belmont at the Big A meet going a one-turn mile, but is more inclined to get the colt some two-turn route experience for his next appearance.
“Everything's on our radar,” said Lovell. “We'll see how he is. He's never had a bad day, so I don't expect him to.”
Damon's Mound was awarded an 86 Beyer Speed Figure for his defeat of fellow 'Rising Star' Gulfport (Uncle Mo) Saturday.
“He's been so great,” said Lovell. “Everything went to perfection. Even the way the race set up. We were really happy to track the frontrunners. [Jockey] Gabriel [Saez] put an excellent ride on him. The rest is history. It's in the history books.”
Lovell is a former jockey and posted three runner-up efforts at Saratoga during her time in the saddle, but was thrilled to finally have her picture taken Saturday.
“We celebrated at dinner,” said Lovell. “I took my groom and some friends and just had a nice dinner. I had so many congrats from so many people. Saratoga is super special, obviously, that's an understatement. Getting to [be in the winner's circle] was awesome.”
After finishing third in the GI Fourstardave H. in each of the past two seasons, LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable's Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) finally got over the hump Saturday with a last-to-first defeat of odds-on 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) at the Spa. The 6-year-old was earning his third career top-level success on the weekend, having most recently successfully defended his title in the six-furlong GI Jaipur S. on the Belmont S. undercard June 11. But where it comes to a future appearance on Breeders' Cup weekend, part-owner Lee Einsidler is fairly certain of where the entire will end up.
“[The Turf Sprint] is only 5 1/2 [furlongs] sprinting at Keeneland, which is a little short for him,” Einsidler said. “From what we saw yesterday, if all goes according to plan, I'm sure we'll show up in the Mile as long as he's training great and feels great.”
Casa Creed has faced the starter in the Mile the last two years, finishing 12th to Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) at Keeneland in 2020 and eighth behind Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) last year at Del Mar. Einsidler, who owns Casa Creed in partnership with New York sports radio personality Mike Francesa, is confident his charge can go better this time around.
“[Trainer] Bill Mott and I were in his stall a few weeks ago and he said 'Lee, he's better today than he's ever been in his entire career.' He's just been flourishing,” Einsidler recalled. “They say a lot of horses are at their best at five. Yesterday was the best performance of his career and he's a 6-year-old. He's just amazing. I'd say right now, he's at the total top of his game.”
Casa Creed, who was just touched off in the G3 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia and was a sound fifth in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint, could make one interim start prior to the Breeders' Cup, but could also be trained straight into the race, Einsidler said.
“If he's telling us he has to run, we'll run him there which is fine because you got four weeks to the Breeders' Cup and a trip over the course,” Einsidler said. “He's run there before, but now he's much better today than he was then. So, I think the idea of running him over there makes all the sense in the world, but if Mott wants to wait and train him up to the Breeders' Cup, that's why he's in the Hall of Fame. He makes those decisions.”
And 2022 may not be the end of the road.
“If he stays sound and he's doing great, we'll run him next year,” said Einsidler. “There's a stallion career somewhere for him, but I'm all about racing so that's what we're going to do.”
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