Amsterdam Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Beren Considers Options Ahead of Curlin, Amsterdam At Saratoga

Susan Quick and Christopher J. Feifarek's Beren is entered in Friday's nine-furlong $120,000 Curlin, but trainer Butch Reid Jr. said a recent bullet half-mile work in :46.60 on the Spa main track has him considering cross-entering in the 6 1/2-furlong $200,000 Grade 2 Amsterdam on August 1 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Weigelia sophomore boasts five wins and two seconds from 10 starts, including a pair of off-the-turf scores in his last two starts by 10 3/4-lengths in the seven-furlong Paradise Creek at Belmont and by 9 1/2-lengths in the 1 1/16-mile $100,000 Crowd Pleaser at Parx.

Reid, Jr. said the latter effort has him interested in stretching out the versatile bay.

“That last one is why I'm tempted to keep him around two turns,” Reid, Jr. said. “Both races look like they're coming up equally tough, so it's not going to be easy either way we go.”

Reid Jr. said he is considering longer-term options at Parx for the Pennsylvania-bred colt, out of the millionaire multiple graded-stakes winning Diamond mare Silmaril, including the Grade 3 Smarty Jones on August 24 and the nine-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on September 25.

“Being a 'PA' bred, the bonuses are worth a lot,” Reid, Jr. “When we won the $100,000 race in that last start, his owners own the stallion and the dam, so they got 110 percent of the purse. If he wins the Pennsylvania Derby, the breeder awards are big.”

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, and Swilcan Stable's reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Vequist breezed a half-mile in :47.77 Friday on the Saratoga main track under Jose Lezcano in preparation for a potential comeback at the end of the Saratoga meet.

“Vequist likes this mountain air,” Reid, Jr. said. “She's handling it very well. She didn't do well in the Florida heat. She's training very forwardly and we're right on schedule with her.”

Reid, Jr. said Swilcan Stable and LC Racing's Mainstay, a 2-year-old half-sister to stablemate Vequist, has come out of her runner-up effort to Pretty Birdie in the Grade 3 Schuylerville on Opening Day July 15 in good order and will now point to the 6 1/2-furlong $200,000 Grade 2 Adirondack on August 8.

“Mainstay came back so well, we'll take a shot in the Adirondack with her. I think that race did her a world of good,” Reid. Jr said.

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Sloppy Track Won’t Be Problem For Premier Star In Wednesday’s Jersey Shore Stakes

The initial scouting report that Michael Trombetta received when he took over the training of Premier Star this spring was pretty basic.

“All they told me when I got him was that he was a very nice horse,” Trombetta said.

What the veteran conditioner has found out since then is that the son of Tapiture has the ability to be a top-notch sprinter, maybe even one with a graded stakes-winning future. For now, Wednesday's $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park is the next step toward that, with Premier Star set to take on nine other 3-year-olds in the six-furlong feature, including stablemate Newstome.

Trained by Jorge Navarro for his first three career starts, Premier Star opened with two impressive victories before faltering in the Grade 3 Sam Davis.

Trombetta has had the colt for his three starts since then, the most recent being a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29. In that race, Premier Star finished four lengths behind race winner Yaupon, a leading contender for the Breeders' Cup Sprint trained by Steve Asmussen, and was two lengths behind multiple Grade 1 winner Basin.

“The first time I ran him (a fourth-place finish at Laurel) he took a bad stumble leaving the gate and it really compromised his chances,” said Trombetta. “Then we were able to get things going much better after that.

“He won his next start and then we took him to Saratoga for the Amsterdam. As tough as that race was he showed up in a good way and ran credible.”

The Amsterdam was contested over a muddy track, which is significant given the two days of steady rain Monmouth Park has had Monday and Tuesday.

“He can deal with a sloppy track,” Trombetta said. “I think he will be fine if it's off. Quite frankly, it's getting late in the season for 3-year-olds so we only have so many opportunities left.”

Owned by Sonata Stable, the Kentucky-bred Premier Star has won three of his six career starts, with two of the defeats in graded stakes and the other because of a stumbled start.

But he does have his limitations.

“I don't know if he's truly a two-turn horse. Hopefully at some point he can be,” Trombetta said. “Hopefully he can go a little bit further. We would certainly entertain seven furlongs for sure and maybe a one-turn mile. Whether he is a two-turn horse or not only time will tell.”

For this race, Premier Star is at his optimal distance, facing a solid mix of sophomore runners. The field includes the Kelly Breen-trained As Seen On TV, who is back sprinting after lackluster effort in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park in his last start. He was similarly unimpressive in the Grade 1 Florida Derby after a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.

Newstome, Stidham's other entry in the race, will mark his 10th straight stakes appearance, but is just 1-for-5 as a 3-year-old after winning three of five starts at 2. The son of Goldencents has four career victories and has banked $226,646.

First race post time for the eight-race card on Wednesday is 12:50 p.m.

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Yaupon Stays Unbeaten With Snappy Amsterdam Victory

Yaupon answered another challenge thrown his way, improving to 3-for-3 in his career by wiring a six-horse field by two lengths in his stakes debut in the 28th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam for sophomores on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Yaupon was unraced as a juvenile but won his debut by a nose going six furlongs on June 20 at Churchill Downs. The Uncle Mo colt proved he could ship well in his last start, a 3 3/4-length allowance win at Saratoga on July 18, before handling the step up in class on Saturday.

Breaking well from post 2 under jockey Joel Rosario, Yaupon was sent to the front, where he registered the opening quarter-mile in 21.93 seconds and the half in 44.68 over a muddy and sealed main track after earlier rainfall.

Out of the turn, Rosario kept Yaupon focused for the stretch run, repelling any potential challenge from runner-up Basin, completing six furlongs in 1:08.50.

“He's extremely fast. He's got an elite amount of speed,” Asmussen said. “It's very important that a horse with his physical [gifts], and as fast as he is, is a graded stakes winner here at Saratoga. I think we can sit down and map out a serious future for him from here.”

Owned by L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Yaupon rewarded his 7-5 favoritism, returning $4.80 on a $2 win wager.

“He broke out of there well. I was trying to get a forward position and he put himself on the lead,” said Rosario, who notched his third win on the card. “He went on well. He's a very talented horse. He had no problem [with the surface].”

Yaupon, purchased for $255,000 at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sale, won on an off track for the first time. He nearly doubled his career earnings to $168,264.

“He had very minor issues, but it was just the physics of it when you're capable of going that fast,” Asmussen said. “We wanted to give him all the maturity we could. We were trying to follow a similar plan with him as we were with Mitole for the Heiligbrodts. They had expected to run him over the winter at the Fair Grounds, but he had another minor issue, so we erred on the side of caution as far as waiting and letting him get to 100 percent.”

Basin, making his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher, finished two lengths in front of Premier Star for second in his first start at Saratoga since winning last year's Grade 1 Hopeful.

“The winner was very good,” Pletcher said. “We were hoping for a bit of a speed duel, but it never really developed. We were pleased with the effort though.”

Wondrwherecraigis, Long Weekend and Liam's Pride completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card that features the Grade 3, $125,000 Shuvee for older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles in Race 9 at 5:46 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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Basin Looks to Remain Perfect at the Spa

Basin (Liam’s Map) is two-for-two at Saratoga so far in his young career and looks to extend that record and return to winning ways in the Spa’s GII Amsterdam S. Saturday, which will be his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher. Previously trained by Steve Asmussen, the bay earned his diploma here at second asking last July and dominated the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. next out in September. Third to now-retired Grade I winner Nadal (Blame) in the GII Rebel S. in March, he was fourth in the nine-panel Oaklawn S. Apr. 11 and checked in second behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Charlatan (Speightstown) in one division of the GI Arkansas Derby, but was awarded the winning purse when that rival was disqualified from the money for a lidocaine positive. Basin was last seen fading to 10th in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. around two turns at Keeneland July 11.

“He’s been training well and I’ve been pleased with his works,” Pletcher said. “We’ll see how he responds to the cutback in distance.”

Long Weekend (Majesticperfection) won his first three starts of the year by just over 11 1/2 combined lengths, including the Mar. 21 Gazebo S. and Apr. 25 Bachelor S. His only loss this year came when a close third in a sloppy renewal of Belmont’s Gold Fever S. July 10, but he was promoted to second after the DQ of the original runner-up.

“There’s no secret to our game plan,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “He’s very, very fast out the gate and we’re going to try and use that speed. We were a little disappointed with how things turned out at Belmont with the track condition and not breaking well that day, which was very uncharacteristic of him. We thought he fought hard but was certainly compromised right at the start of the race. We’re looking to make amends for that.”

The unbeaten Yaupon (Uncle Mo) takes a step up to black-type company in this event. A narrow debut winner at Churchill June 20, the $255,000 OBSOPN buy wired a track-and-trip optional claimer July 18, earning a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. The dark bay enters this test off a three-panel bullet in :37 flat (1/7) over the Oklahoma training track Aug. 24.

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