Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap | Horse Racing Free Tips

Lexitonian Gets First Grade 1 Win In Vanderbilt Upset

A gate scratch in the 2020 edition of the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Lexitonian's best showings since then were his two second-place finishes in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby last August and the 2021 Churchill Downs on Derby Day. In the 2021 G1 Vanderbilt, though, he played giant killer, taking the lead early and besting a dueling Special Reserve in the stretch to get the first Grade 1 victory of his career at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano, Lexitonian, carrying six fewer pounds than favorite Mischevious Alex, broke well, taking the lead in the race's opening furlong, with Strike Power and Special Reserve a half-length behind. He maintained the lead into the six-furlong G1 Vanderbilt's only turn, but Joel Rosario on Special Reserve stayed with him, grabbing the lead on the final turn. Going into the stretch, Lezcano did not let Special Reserve get too far ahead, as Lexitonian dug in and passed him in the race's waning yards. Whitmore, seventh early, was able to move up on the rail in the stretch to finish third. Montauk Traffic, Firenze Fire, Strike Power, Three Technique, Mischevious Alex, and Miles Ahead rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the six furlongs was 1:09.35. Lexitonian paid $70.00, $21.20, and $10.40. Special Reserve paid $5.20 and $3.70. Whitmore paid $4.00 to show.

Find this race's chart here.

“I said to Jose [Lezcano] he's a horse who fights. Please get him out of the gate and engage him early. I believe if you engage him early, he will feel the pressure and respond to that. At the half-mile pole if he comes off the bridle, perfect. That's him and he will respond. It's even better if a horse heads him because he'll fight on again, which happened. He stuck his head out in front today,” Calumet trainer Jack Sisterson said after the race.

“This horse is a very good horse. He tries hard all the time. He's the type of horse that needs to be involved and sometimes he doesn't break all that well and has to stay in the back. He broke well today,” Lezcano said after his win on Lexitonian. “Joel [aboard No. 9, Special Reserve] tried to get away from me, but when I dropped my hands, he took off again and won the race.”

Bred and owned by Calumet Farm, Lexitonian is 5-year-old horse by Speightstown out of Riviera Romper, by Tapit. The G1 Vanderbilt victory brings Lexitonian to five wins in 19 starts, for career winnings of $687.682.

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Sisterson Prepares Channel Cat, Lexitonian For Saratoga Starts

Trainer Jack Sisterson will see a trio of Calumet Farm-owned stakes contenders look to make an impact at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in the next two weeks, with Tango Tango Tango, Channel Cat, and Lexitonian each slated for respective graded stakes contests through August 7.

This coming Saturday will see Channel Cat look to win the $250,000 Grade 2 Bowling Green for the second time in three editions after his 2019 victory in the 1 3/8-mile turf contest for 4-year-olds and up.

The now 6-year-old son of English Channel ran second in the 1 1/2-mile Grade 2 Elkhorn on April 17 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., before returning three weeks later to edge Gufo by a nose in a thrilling finish to win the Grade 1 Man o' War on May 8 at Belmont Park going 1 1/8 miles. That marked Channel Cat's first win since Sisterson took over the training duties – and his first victory in 10 starts overall – with his first winner's circle trip since the 2019 Bowling Green.

Buoyed by the Man o' War effort in which he earned a 98 Beyer, Sisterson ran Channel Cat back on Belmont Stakes Day June 5 in the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 Manhattan, where he tired and finished seventh. The Chad Brown-trained duo of Domestic Spending and Tribhuvan comprised the Manhattan exacta, with Tribhuvan going on to win the Grade 1 United Nations next out at Monmouth Park.

Sisterson said the extra rest for Channel Cat could put him in a good position to succeed on Saturday.

“I ran him back in three weeks after the Elkhorn because he was doing so well. I probably should have skipped the Manhattan because he had a tough race in the Man o' War, but we gave him a little break now prior to the Bowling Green,” Sisterson said. “It was good to see Chad Brown's horse come back and win the United Nations so the form held up well. Channel Cat should run a good race next week.”

Lexitonian ran second in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day May 1, finishing a head back to Flagstaff, before encountering a troubled trip in a sixth-place Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap effort on Belmont Stakes Day the next month going one turn on Big Sandy. Lexitonian will cut back to six furlongs this Saturday in the $350,000 Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap for 3-year-olds and up.

“He's 110 percent ready to go. It's all about which Lexitonian shows up,” Sisterson said with a laugh. “He's run races that can compete with anyone and then he throws in a clunker now and then. I think a mile is his best distance, so we're cutting him back a little, but if he runs his best race, he'll be right there at the wire. He's shown us training-wise that he's going into next week's race in great shape.”

Lexitonian's previous race at Saratoga was a fifth-place finish in last year's Grade 1 Forego at seven furlongs over a sloppy track. The 5-year-old son of Speightstown will have jockey Jose Lezcano back in the irons.

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Tango Tango Tango, who won his stakes debut last out in the 1 1/16-mile American Derby on July 17 at Arlington Park, could now target the $1 million Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 7, which marks the second leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series for 3-year-olds.

Sisterson said the Tourist colt could also return to Arlington to run in the $600,000 Grade 1 Bruce D – a race formerly knowns as the Secretariat – on August 14.

Tango Tango Tango, unraced as a juvenile, started his career running third in a race moved off the turf in April at Keeneland. After running sixth on the Churchill Downs main track on May 23, Sisterson put him on the turf for the first time on June 27 at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., where he ran second in the 1 1/16-mile contest. For his stakes debut last out, Sisterson added blinkers, and the equipment change netted a personal-best 86 Beyer as he won by two lengths.

“The addition of blinkers really helped him out, as well as putting him on the grass. We thought he'd break his maiden the first time on the grass at Ellis but we ran into a good horse of [trainer] Michael McCarthy [There Goes Harvard]. We thought the blinkers would put him over the edge. It was a 3-year-old stakes, so we figured 'why not take a shot?' He was doing well, and it worked out in his favor.

“He's moved forward in the right direction and we'll obviously keep the blinkers on him. It seemed to be the missing link for him,” he added.

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‘He Has It All’: Volatile Too Quick For Alfred G. Vanderbilt Rivals

Volatile extended an impressive start to his 4-year-old campaign, staying undefeated in 2020 after going to the front and drawing away from the four-horse field in the stretch for a 1 1/4-length win in Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Owned by Three Chimneys Farm and Phoenix Thoroughbreds III, Volatile started his 2020 season with a 7 ½-length allowance score in April at Oaklawn before dominating in his first stakes appearance with an eight-length triumph at Churchill Downs in the Aristides on June 6 that netted a 112 Beyer Speed Figure.

Whitmore, the 4-1 second choice, broke through the gate before the start of the race but was quickly pulled up by jockey Joel Rosario. Lexitonian, the longest shot on the board, was subsequently scratched at the gate, and the four-horse field was backed out and then reloaded.

Volatile, who Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen moved up in class, wasn't fazed by the slight delay, going an easy quarter-mile in 23.46 seconds and the half in 46.67 on the fast main track.

Volatile set the pace and kicked on when straightened for home by jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr., repelling Whitmore's inside bid near the top of the stretch before completing six furlongs in a final time of 1:09.61.

The Violence colt improved to 3-for-3 this year and is 5-1-0 in six career starts – all at six furlongs. An $850,000 purchase at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he has won four straight starts and has earned winner's circle trips at four different racetracks.

“He was really on his toes today,” said Santana, Jr., who won two on the card. “Steve gave him a lot of time from his last race and he was feeling great. I was really happy with how he was out there. I'm glad we backed off from the gate again. When we came up [to the gate] he relaxed really well and then I was happy because I could see he was ready to go. The gate opened and he put me in the spot that he wanted, and I was happy, too. Turning for home, he kicked really well.”

The 2-5 favorite, Volatile returned $2.80 on a $2 win wager. He improved his career earnings to $341,040 and gave Asmussen his third career Vanderbilt win, joining Justin Phillip in 2013 and Majesticperfection in 2010.

“We saw the first two races from him this year and they were absolutely brilliant,” Asmussen said. “I feel very good about getting those races into him before he met accomplished horses like this. But from an ability or a speed level, he has it all.”

Asmussen said he was confident Volatile could be stretched out at some point. The conditioner said the plan is to target the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland.

“We will discuss it, but we obviously feel the Breeders' Cup is where we want to be with him at the of the year and how we get there from here is going to be the plan,” Asmussen said.

Six-time graded stakes-winner Whitmore finished a half-length in front of Mind Control for second. The Ron Moquett trainee, whose previous Saratoga appearance was a victorious 2018 Grade 1 Forego, was making his first start since winning the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint in April at Oaklawn.

“I was in a good position and he was enjoying everything in there,” Rosario said. “I thought for a second we were going to come and get the winner, but he was too good today. I was up close and my horse was there for me. I could see the pace wasn't very fast, but he was traveling hard and very comfortable on the inside there. He's a champ.”

Mind Control, who won the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at the Spa last year for trainer Gregg Sacco, edged Firenze Fire by a neck for third.

Live racing returns on Saratoga on Sunday with a 10-race card which features the Grade 2, $150,000 Bernard Baruch over the Mellon turf course for 3-year-olds and upward. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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