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Nine-Month Layoff No Problem For Breeders’ Cup Winner Golden Pal In Saratoga’s Quick Call

Stakes action for the 2021 meet at Saratoga Race Course kicked off in exciting fashion on Thursday's Opening Day as highly regarded turf sprinter Golden Pal returned to the Spa with vigor, posting a three-length victory in the Grade 3, $120,000 Quick Call for 3-year-olds going 5 ½ furlongs over the Mellon turf course in front of 27,760 fans in attendance.

Golden Pal shook off eight months of rust from his previous outing in the Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 6 at Keeneland. That three-quarter length win came after another astounding Spa stakes win in the Skidmore at 5 ½ furlongs last August.

Golden Pal gave Coolmore partners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg another graded stakes triumph on the NYRA circuit less than a week after respective victories with Santa Barbara and Bolshoi Ballet in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks and Grade 1 Belmont Derby on Saturday.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. nudged Golden Pal coming out of the gate and the talented bay responded swiftly, blitzing through the opening quarter-mile in a torrid 21.92 seconds over good turf. Jaxon Traveler kept close company in second as the field came around the far turn, but Ortiz, Jr. did not call on his charge until just past the quarter-pole.

Golden Pal extended his advantage in mid-stretch and was wrapped up past the sixteenth-pole, completing the journey in 1:02.99.

Florida invader Omaha City closed late for second, edging Jaxon Traveler by a half-length.

Rebel Posse, Second of July and Kentucky Pharoah completed the order of finish. Fauci and main track only entrants Mr. Sippi and Fire Sword were scratched.

Ortiz, Jr., who has never lost aboard Golden Pal in three starts, said he was pleased with the effort.

“He's a nice horse. I'm happy he came back where he left off,” said Ortiz, Jr., who piloted Charlie'sarchangel to victory in the first race on Opening Day. “He broke really nice for me. When I asked him, he responded really well. I didn't want to ask too early. I didn't want him to do too much, he's been off for a long time.”

Trainer Wesley Ward, who won his first graded stakes at the Spa, could not help but sing high praises on behalf of his talented colt.

“He's so extremely talented and quick,” Ward said. “He's a big horse and he moves like a cat and that's where he really has an advantage. I was a little concerned going into the race that I didn't have a gate work into him, but he's so smart that he overcame that in the first jump. When they said 'go,' he was gone.

“I like sprinters off layoffs,” Ward continued. “I think they run their best races off layoffs, more so than the distance horses. I think they need spacing in between because they are so fast and put so much into it, especially the first part of the race.”

Ward said the long term goal for Golden Pal is the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 6 at Del Mar.

“The bigger races are here in the next months and heading into the fall and then the Breeders' Cup, so this is when you want to see them do this,” Ward said.

Upping his consistent record to 5-3-2-0, Golden Pal added $66,000 to a bankroll which now stands at $659,056. He returned $2.40 as the 1-5 post-time favorite.

Bred in Florida by Randall E. Lowe, Golden Pal is out of the Midshipman mare Lady Shipman, who notched two of her 11 stakes triumphs at Saratoga in the 2015 Coronation Cup and Smart N Fancy.

Live action resumes Friday with a 10-race program headlined by the Grade 3, $150,000 Forbidden Apple for 4-year-olds and upward going one mile over the inner turf course. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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Golden Pal Back and Still Brilliant in Quick Call

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), off since a front-running tally in last year's GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland, returned as sharp as ever to dominate the GIII Quick Call S. on Saratoga's opening day card Thursday. Pounded down to 1-5 favoritism while making his first start since being acquired privately by the Coolmore partners and Georg von Opel's Westerberg from his breeder Randall Lowe, the bay looked like a winner every step of the way, clicking off splits of :21.92 and :44.88 without much company and cruising away to a geared-down three-length victory in 1:02.99 over the good ground. Rank outsider Omaha City (Temple City) spiced up the exacta at 36-1, while 'TDN Rising Star' Jaxon Traveler (Munnings) checked in third in his first turf attempt.

“He's a nice horse,” said winning pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr., who had ridden Golden Pal in both of his wins last term. “I'm happy he came back where he left off. He broke really nice for me. When I asked him, he responded really well. I didn't want to ask too early. I didn't want him to do too much, he's been off for a long time.”

Golden Pal is expected to take on the G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. at York Aug. 20.

Bought back for $325,000 as a KEESEP '19 yearling, the son of brilliant turf sprinter Lady Shipman (Midshipman) was a close second at 1-2 in his main-track Gulfstream unveiling last April, and missed by a neck in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot that June. He broke through by an emphatic 3 1/2 lengths in this venue's Skidmore S. in August, and justified heavy favoritism at the Breeders' Cup, holding on by 3/4 of a length after showing the way.

“He's so extremely talented and quick,” said trainer Wesley Ward. “He's a big horse and he moves like a cat and that's where he really has an advantage. I was a little concerned going into the race that I didn't have a gate work into him, but he's so smart that he overcame that in the first jump. When they said 'go,' he was gone.”

As for the time off, Ward explained, “I like sprinters off layoffs. I think they run their best races off layoffs, more so than the distance horses. I think they need spacing in between because they are so fast and put so much into it, especially the first part of the race.”

Thursday, Saratoga
QUICK CALL S.-GIII, $120,000, Saratoga, 7-15, 3yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.99, gd.
1–GOLDEN PAL, 124, c, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Lady Shipman (GSW-Can, MSW & GISP-USA, $902,387), by Midshipman
2nd Dam: Sumthingtotalkabt, by Mutakddim
3rd Dam: Nannetta, by Falstaff
($325,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Mrs. John Magnier, Michael
Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Randall E Lowe (FL); T-Wesley A.
Ward; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $66,000. Lifetime Record:
GSP-Eng, 5-3-2-0, $659,056. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Omaha City, 120, c, 3, Temple City–Lady Of Harrods (Aus), by
Dubawi (Ire). ($5,500 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Mohamed & Bibi N.
Jehaludi; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Amzadali Jehaludi.
$24,000.
3–Jaxon Traveler, 122, c, 3, Munnings–Listen Boy, by After
Market. ($80,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $140,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR).
'TDN Rising Star' O-West Point Thoroughbreds & Marvin
Delfiner; B-A. Leonard Pineau (MD); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$14,400.
Margins: 3, HF, 6 1/4. Odds: 0.20, 36.00, 4.20.
Also Ran: Rebel Posse, Second of July, Kentucky Pharoah. Scratched: Fauci, Fire Sword, Mr Sippi.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:
Golden Pal is one of 40 graded winners for his top sire, but is the only one out of a Midshipman mare–two are out of mares by Midshipman's sire Unbridled's Song. He is the lone stakes winner from a small number of mares so far for Midshipman.

Lady Shipman, perhaps among the most talented runners in recent memory to have never won a Grade I–she missed by a neck in the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint–was also bred by Lowe and he still owns her. She produced an Omaha Beach colt Mar. 24 and is back in foal to Uncle Mo. A Violence half-brother to Lady Shipman RNA'd for $170,000 earlier this week at Fasig-Tipton July.

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Golden Pal Kicks Off Sophomore Season at the Spa

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), off since posting a visually impressive score in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 6, returns to action in Thursday's opening day GIII Quick Call S. at Saratoga.

Last term's narrow G2 Norfolk S. runner-up at Royal Ascot June 19 and ultra-sharp Skidmore S. winner at the Spa Aug. 21 was recently purchased privately by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg from breeder Randall Lowe. He is the 1-2 morning-line favorite.

“He's doing really well. We're excited about him,” trainer Wesley Ward. “I think he'll be the best horse I ever had, but we'll see if it comes out that way. He does things in the mornings that are just so impressive. He's just an immensely talented horse and we're looking forward to getting his season started here at Saratoga on Opening Day. Hopefully, that leads into the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year.”

'TDN Rising Star' Jaxon Traveler (Munnings), first or second in all seven of his career starts, tries grass for the first time. He enters following runner-up finishes in the GIII Chick Lang S. at Pimlico May 15 and Woodstock S. over the Woodbine synthetic June 20.

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Golden Pal To Make 2021 Debut In Quick Call At Saratoga

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg's Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint-winner Golden Pal will make his seasonal debut in Thursday's $120,000 Grade 3 Quick Call, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomores on Opening Day of the 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Quick Call is named for the multiple graded stakes-winning gelding who won more than half of his 16 career victories at the Spa. Trained by Sid Watters, Jr. and Warren Croll, Quick Call finished fifth in the Saratoga Special in 1986 and went on to win nine races there from 1987-1990, including the Forego in 1988 and 1989. Quick Call, who died in October 2019 at the age of 35, enjoyed a remarkable second career as an equine teacher in the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Second Chances Program.

Golden Pal, trained by Wesley Ward, enjoyed a memorable juvenile campaign, finishing second in the Group 2 Norfolk at Ascot last June ahead of a stylish gate-to-wire maiden win in the 5 1/2-furlong Skidmore in August on the Saratoga turf, garnering a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

Sent to post as the odds-on favorite in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, contested at 5 ½-furlongs over good going at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., Golden Pal set splits of :21.62, :44.63, and :56.42 seconds, holding off a late rally from Cowan to secure a three-quarter length score in a final time of 1:02.82.

Out of the 11-time stakes-winning Midshipman mare Lady Shipman, Golden Pal has posted five breezes dating back to June 6 in preparation for his sophomore debut, including an easy half-mile in :51.80 on the Belmont inner turf on Thursday.

“He's doing really well. We're excited about him,” said Ward. “I think he'll be the best horse I ever had, but we'll see if it comes out that way. He does things in the mornings that are just so impressive. He's just an immensely talented horse and we're looking forward to getting his season started here at Saratoga on Opening Day. Hopefully, that leads into the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. retains the mount from post 3.

Ward entered Silverton Hill's Fire Sword, who has won 3-of-5 career starts, for the main track only.

Bryan Hilliard's Second of July will look to get back to winning ways for trainer Phil Gleaves after off-the-board finishes in his last two starts.

The Jack Milton chestnut graduated on debut in September at odds of 68-1 in a six-furlong inner turf sprint at Belmont and proved the result was no fluke, capturing the Grade 3 Futurity over the Widener turf course a month later.

Second of July finished 12th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint to close out his 2-year-old season and was seventh after being bumped at the start last out in a six-furlong turf sprint in June at Belmont in his seasonal debut.

Gleaves said Second of July has excuses for his last two starts.

“In the Breeders' Cup, he got hit with a clod of turf, so much so that when I got back to the barn his right eye was fully closed. That told the tale of that race and then I gave him the winter off,” said Gleaves. “I ran him back at Belmont and our plan was to sit second or third that day and he got hit by the horse outside him leaving the gate and that put him back to last. The jock tried to put him in the race and the horse ran off, so to speak, going from last to second into a 44 and change pace.

“Since then, he's been doing good and training well,” Gleaves added. “I would hope he'll get back to his best form on Thursday.”

Gleaves said Second of July, a longshot in both winning efforts, continues to be a good-moving horse.

“I wouldn't say he's grown that much from two-to-three, but he's still a very sound and fluid-moving horse,” said Gleaves. “At some point, I want to stretch him out. He's a Jack Milton, so you would think he would have no problems going two turns. For now though, coming off the bad race at Belmont, I'd like to have one more sprint under our belts.”

Dylan Davis, aboard for both winning efforts, will guide Second of July from post 2.

“He's got very good speed if he needs to use it, but in his two winning races he came from off the pace,” said Gleaves. “So, I'm sure we'll try something like that again.”

Although cross-entered in Sunday's $75,000 My Frenchman at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., Gleaves confirmed the Saratoga-based Second of July will contest the Quick Call.

West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner's Jaxon Traveler, a $140,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, has posted a consistent record of four wins and three seconds in seven starts for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

The dark bay Munnings colt, bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. A. Leonard Pineau, completed his 2020 campaign with a score in the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile Futurity in December at Laurel Park.

Jaxon Traveler opened his sophomore season with a pair of starts at Oaklawn Park, finishing second in the Gazebo in March ahead of a 2 3/4-length score in the Bachelor in April.

He has finished second in both of his recent efforts in the Grade 3 Chick Lang in May at Pimlico and in the Woodstock last out on June 20 on the Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack.

Jaxon Traveler will make his turf debut from post 9 under Jose Ortiz.

Lindy Farms and Ice Wine Stable's Fauci, runner-up to Golden Pal in the Skidmore last summer, completed his four-race juvenile campaign with a close second in the Juvenile Turf Sprint over soft going at Kentucky Downs.

Also cross-entered in the My Frenchman, trainer Phil Antonacci said Fauci will race at his Monmouth Park base on Sunday unless weather intervenes.

“The plan right now is Monmouth and, depending on weather, the race at Saratoga will be a backup,” said Antonacci. “The weather has been a little weird lately and they're off the turf here today, so I want to be prepared in case it does come off the turf tomorrow.”

Initially trained by Ward, Fauci was transferred to Antonacci following a second-place finish in the Palisades Turf Sprint in April at Keeneland.

In two starts for Antonacci, Fauci finished fourth in the off-the-turf Paradise Creek in May at Belmont ahead of a rallying allowance win over older horses in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint on June 20 at Monmouth Park.

“Wesley put a great base into him,” said Antonacci. “He's very easy to train and a gentleman and a pleasure to be around so far. We're lucky to have him. He makes my job easy.”

Should he race at Saratoga, Fauci will emerge from post 6 under Nik Juarez.

Rounding out the field are Omaha City [post 4, Manny Franco], winner of the Hollywood Beach in September at Gulfstream; Kentucky Pharoah [post 1, Tyler Gaffalione], who captured the Dania Beach in January at Gulfstream; and allowance winner Rebel Posse [post 8, Reylu Gutierrez]. Maiden winner Mr. Sippi is entered for the main track only.

The Quick Call is slated as Race 8 on Thursday's 10-race Opening Day card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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