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Winner for Whitney a Fitting Way to Kick off Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Four days short of two years after her death, Marylou Whitney managed to upstage Thursday's feel-good, season-opener at Saratoga Race Course.

Pretty Birdie (Bird Song), bred and owned by Marylou Whitney Stables, struck just the right emotional note–bridging the past and the present–with her gate-to-wire victory in the 103rd running of the GIII Schuylerville S.

“It's a little bittersweet. I wish she was here,” Whitney's husband John Hendrickson said. “She would love this. Saratoga is open and she's won a race. Things are the way they should be. The only thing missing is her.”

The six-furlong Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies, a staple on opening day since the 1950s, was trainer Norm Casse's first stakes win at Saratoga.

Opening day at Saratoga has always been a big deal, a festive summer holiday, and the first day after the 2020 season without spectators delivered, as many had predicted: a crowd of 27,760 people. They came to reconnect with old friends, enjoy a very warm summer afternoon where racing has been part of the culture since 1863 and wager on Thoroughbreds. The all-sources handle was $21,935,534 (compared to $19,100,297 12 months ago and $15,754,227 in 2019), including $4,023,700 wagered on track.

Whitney was a hugely influential and beloved figure during her many decades in Saratoga. She was a tireless promoter of racing and the city, staged famous parties and was a major philanthropist.

Following her death at the age of 93, Hendrickson said there was never any question that he would keep her stable operating and maintain its bloodlines. Pretty Bird is inbred to Whitney's champion broodmare, Dear Birdie, three by four. Hendrickson said the Schuylerville was the stable's first stakes win at Saratoga Race Course since Birdstone won the 2004 GI Travers S.

“This where she felt the most alive. I wanted to keep her alive,” Hendrickson said. “This is the way she is alive. She has a win on opening day. It's pretty special.”

Just before the Schuylerville, heavily favored Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) turned a jaw-dropping performance to win the GIII Quick Call S. in hand. It may turn out to be one of the standout performances of the 40-day season, but the Whitney connection made Pretty Birdie the star of the day.

Saratoga's fans certainly did not lose their form during the COVID-19 summer of no-spectator racing. There was a crowd of approximately 100 people outside the gates on Union Avenue at 5:30 a.m., some 90 minutes before they were to open. In short order, the picnic tables and other public spaces in the backyard were claimed. Everyone had to leave when training and the trackside breakfast ended at 10 a.m. When the gates re-opened an hour later, the place filled up and the Saratoga party was on.

In the hour before the first post, traffic was near gridlock conditions around the track, standard for Saratoga on big days.

“It feels like a reunion, because I've run into all these people and everybody hollers, 'Hey, good to see you and where you been?' It's been fun,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “I've seen a long list of people and familiar faces. It seems like everybody's in good spirits and gives you another level of appreciation of the place.”

Robertino Diodoro's Charlie'sarchangel (Archarcharch) captured the first race of the day under champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Diodoro, who lost the 5-year-old in a claim, also won the first race on opening day in 2018. He acknowledged the stark difference from the 2020 season.

“The whole atmosphere from last year to this year,” he said. “It means a lot to everyone, especially the riders getting more into the game. It's good to see for the whole town.”

Ortiz, the leading rider at the Spa last year, said he relished the return to the pre-pandemic norm of people, noise and energy at the track.

“There's no words for it,” he said. “Last year was very sad; a lot of things happened. I really missed the fans. I feel very excited to get them back. It's great. I'm so happy to be back and we're happy they can be back at the racetrack.”

Trainer Jack Sisterson and jockey Jose Ortiz teamed to win the seventh race with Calumet Farm's homebred Dack Janiel's (Tonalist). Sisterson said he enjoyed the energy on the grounds.

“The first thing I said to Jose when I saw him in the paddock is 'How incredible is it to have fans back here?'” Sisterson said. “It not only is good for business, but it's good for everything worldwide to get back to normal, back to reality. It was tough times for everyone. Thankfully, we all sort of got through it and hopefully there are quite a few things to look forward to.”

Harry Rice has been a jockey valet at the NYRA tracks since the mid-1970s and his experience enabled him to provide some perspective.

“It's been tremendous, just the atmosphere,” Rice said. “The people are so happy to see everybody. It's been a long two years and this place is alive again. It's great. It's one of the best opening days I've ever had and I've been here 46 years.”

“Rice worked the 2020 season and described it as being eerie. He said he started Thursday, with a visit to the backstretch, which was off-limits to him last summer and began re-connecting with people.

“It was just so nice,” Rice said. “It reminds you of why you love Saratoga.”

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Rubber Match for ‘Liam,’ ‘Spending’ in Manhattan

At the conclusion of the May 1 GI Old Forestor Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs there was no room to spare between Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) and Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending (Kingman {GB}) who crossed the wire in unison and the duo will attempt to separate themselves in Saturday's GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. at Belmont. Domestic Spending is trained by Chad Brown, who has won the 1 1/2-mile race on seven occasions, including the last two most recent renewals.

On the board in all five starts at three, including a win on the Saratoga Derby Invitational, Domestic Spending rounded out the year with a score in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar in November. Given some time off, he returned to dead heat with Colonel Liam last time.

“He seems to be doing really well and came out of his last race super,” Brown said of the colt, who will break from post 4 with Flavien Prat back in the irons. “He's been breezing like a timepiece, so I think we're in good shape. He ran a faster race than the horse he dead-heated with in the Turf Classic. We're confident he'll run a good race.”

Brown also saddles Group 2 winner Master Piece (Chi) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), MGISP Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Tribhuvan (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), winner of the May 1 GII Fort Marcy S.

Trying to take down Team Brown, Colonel Liam, who finished fourth behind Domestic Spending in last summer's Saratoga Derby, kicked off his winning skein in December with a confident victory in Gulfstream's Tropical Park Derby before eking out a win in the 9 1/2-furlong GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at that venue in January. Prior to his Turf Classic tie, he proved best in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. Fair Grounds in March.

“It's a very deep race and a very good race, arguably the strongest on the card,” said trainer Todd Pletcher of the Manhattan. “Colonel Liam is doing great and he's run well every time; we expect him to do the same again.”

He added, “I think he thought he had [the Turf Classic] won last time and he may have idled a touch when he got to the lead. Depending on the pace scenario, I don't see too much pace. He may find himself closer and possibly on the lead. We'll play it by ear and let him do his thing.”

Ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the grey will break from Post 10.

Calumet Farm's Channel Cat (English Channel) comes into this off a career-high score in Belmont's GI Man O' War S. May 8. The 6-year-old was able to withstand the oncoming 2020 GI Belmont Derby winner Gufo (Declaration of War) by a nose at the wire.

“I'm only just getting to know the horse, but he seems to really be coming around in the short time I've had him,” said Jack Sisterson, who took over Channel Cat's training in late 2020. “He was second in the [GII] Elkhorn [S. at Keeneland Apr. 17] and we wanted to give him time to come back for the Manhattan, but he put on 50 pounds after the Elkhorn and his coat was coming around. If horses could talk, he was telling us he wanted to run again. So, we ran him back quick.”

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Brown To Saddle Four In Manhattan; Deep Field Also Includes Colonel Liam, Man O’ War Top Pair

Trainer Chad Brown will be loaded for bear in the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan, with four of the 10 horses entered running under his banner in the 1 1/4-mile inner turf test for 4-year-olds and up on Saturday, Belmont Stakes Day, at Belmont Park.

No stranger to success in the Manhattan, Brown will be looking for his third consecutive win – and seventh overall – in the prestigious race, which will be the final undercard contest as Race 10 before the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in Race 11.

Brown's recent dominance in the race is underscored by the fact that a win in the 119th running of the Manhattan would not even be his first three-peat in the race. The four-time Eclipse Award-winner captured three straight editions of the Manhattan from 2014-16. His exploits in the race also include saddling the top three finishers in 2019 and the top two in 2020.

Brown's quartet all have the credentials to win, but that honor may go to Domestic Spending, a 4-year-old son of Kingman who made a successful 2021 debut in the Grade 1 Turf Classic on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Domestic Spending showed much promise as a 3-year-old, beginning his career with a first-out win in February 2020 at Tampa Bay Downs, before making steady strides throughout a sophomore campaign that culminated with a win in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on November 28. He still seemed to take his game to another level in the Turf Classic, rallying through traffic to dead-heat with the classy Colonel Liam for the win on Kentucky Derby Day.

“He seems to be doing really well and came out of his last race super,” Brown said of Klaravich Stables' Domestic Spending, who will break from post 4 with Flavien Prat aboard again. “He's been breezing like a timepiece, so I think we're in good shape. He ran a faster race than the horse he dead-heated with in the Turf Classic. We're confident he'll run a good race.”

Chilean transplant Master Piece adds a bit of South American flavor to Brown's diverse lineup. Master Piece was a four-time winner in his native Chile, including a marquee win in the Group 2 Gran Clasico Coronacion at about this distance, before he joined the Brown barn late last year and finished fourth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in his North American debut on October 3 at Belmont.

After receiving some time off following the Joe Hirsch, Master Piece returned on April 16 at Keeneland, where he defeated allowance competition by three-quarters of a length going 1 ⅛ miles with a 103 Beyer Speed Figure. He is owned by Don Alberto Stable and will break from post 5 with Javier Castellano in the irons.

Brown will also send out a pair of runners exiting the Grade 2 Fort Marcy, a local prep for the Manhattan. Fort Marcy-winner Tribhuvan was a late addition to the race, while third-place finisher Rockemperor will look to improve upon a runner-up finish in last year's Manhattan, which was won by his stablemate Instilled Regard.

Brown said he is hopeful an equipment change for Rockemperor could be what gets him back on track, as despite running well on a number of occasions he's yet to win a race in the U.S.

“What I'm going to do with him, finally, is put a little blinker on the horse,” Brown said. “He's funny because sometimes he'll drop out of position and look a little funny and lack that turn of foot in his races, but when you train him, he can be a little bit keen going to the pole, so then I end up not putting them on because of the way he trains. I'm going to put the blinkers on.

“Another horse who was like that was [2015 Manhattan-winner] Slumber,” Brown said. “When I first got him, he would go to the pole with an iron jaw and I'd say, maybe I don't want to do that, then I'd see him race and know that I needed to (add blinkers). We'll see with Rockemperor, it may help him move forward. Let's see how he runs with them. I did see an improved workout with them.”

Rockemperor and Tribhuvan will break from posts 6 and 8, respectively, with Jose Ortiz and Eric Cancel named to ride. Both are owned in partnership by Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso, while Michael Kisber is also a part-owner of Rockemperor.

A winner of four straight races dating back to December 26 of last year, Turf Classic co-winner Colonel Liam will give Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher another strong chance to capture a Grade 1 event on Saturday. A son of Liam's Map owned by Robert and Lawana Low, Colonel Liam exploded onto the 3-year-old turf scene in 2020 when he made short work of an allowance field at Saratoga Race Course in his first try on the surface.

Colonel Liam nearly followed with a win a few weeks later in the Saratoga Derby Invitational, but he had to settle for fourth behind Domestic Spending. The Saratoga Derby marked the last time Colonel Liam has lost, and his victories in the intervening months include scores in the Grade 1 Pegasus Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park, as well as the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial in March at Fair Grounds.

“It's a very deep race and a very good race, arguably the strongest on the card,” said Pletcher of the Manhattan. “Colonel Liam is doing great and he's run well every time; we expect him to do the same again.

“I think he thought he had [the Turf Classic] won last time and he may have idled a touch when he got to the lead,” Pletcher added. “Depending on the pace scenario, I don't see too much pace. He may find himself closer and possibly on the lead. We'll play it by ear and let him do his thing.”

Colonel Liam will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. from the outermost post 10.

Trainer Christophe Clement is a three-time Manhattan winner and will send out a pair of runners in Gufo and City Man. The former rose through the stakes ranks last year with Domestic Spending and Colonel Liam, two rivals he's well acquainted with. A 4-year-old son of Declaration of War, Gufo finished second to Domestic Spending in the Saratoga Derby and third in the Hollywood Derby, beaten a head and a neck, respectively, on those occasions. In his 2021 unveiling in the Grade 1 Man O' War over this turf course, the Otter Bend Stables color-bearer lodged yet another near miss, this time finishing second by a nose.

“He's doing very well,” Clement said of Gufo, who will enlist the services of Joel Rosario from post 9. “I worked him on Friday and he had a nice work. He's a nice horse. He ran very well in the Man o' War. The Manhattan is going to be a very tough race, it always is.”

The Manhattan wasn't originally the plan for New York-bred City Man, who was entered in the Kingston here on Memorial Day, but Clement was forced to call an audible when that race came off the turf. City Man, second last out in the Fort Marcy, will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione from post 1.

The upset winner of the Man o' War, Channel Cat, will also be back to try his luck in this spot. The Jack Sisterson and Calumet Farm product was given an aggressive ride by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the Man O' War, which seemed to make all the difference as the sputtering 6-year-old son of Kitten's Cat was able to stir the echoes and just outlast Gufo in the stretch.

“I'm only just getting to know the horse, but he seems to really be coming around in the short time I've had him,” said Sisterson, who took over Channel Cat's training in late 2020. “He was second in the Elkhorn and we wanted to give him time to come back for the Manhattan, but he put on 50 pounds after the Elkhorn and his coat was coming around. If horses could talk he was telling us he wanted to run again. So, we ran him back quick.”

Velazquez will again be aboard Channel Cat and the duo will depart from post 7.

Completing the field will be Masteroffoxhounds [post 3, Manuel Franco], who was eighth last out in the Turf Classic, and Bye Bye Melvin [post 2, Junior Alvarado], most recently fourth in the Grade 2 Dinner Party at Pimlico.

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Sisterson: ‘Thankful For Everyone Behind The Scenes’ After Third Grade 1 Win

In a little more than nine months, trainer Jack Sisterson went from searching for his first Grade 1 win to achieving one at all three NYRA-operated tracks, with Calumet Farm homebred Channel Cat's victory by a nose over Gufo in Saturday's $700,000 Man o' War at Belmont Park checking the final box.

Channel Cat earned the highest Beyer Speed Figure in three starts of his 6-year-old campaign with a 98 number for the effort, which added to Sisterson's 2020 wins with Vexatious in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga Race Course and True Timber in the Cigar Mile Handicap in December at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“It's very humbling,” Sisterson said. “I grew up with a dream but every time I dreamed, the alarm clock went off. Fortunately enough, there wasn't an alarm clock that got in the way yesterday. But I can't take any credit for this. I have to thank Channel Cat, and Calumet Farm for all they do. Unfortunately, I can't have all 50 staff members who do all the hard work in the winner's circle. The microphones are on me, but I just represent the staff, because they do all the hard work.

“It's not me winning the Grade 1. It's a big team effort,” he added. “You'd like to win a Grade 1 anywhere, but in New York, I used to read about races like the Man o' War and the Personal Ensign and the Cigar Mile. To be in a position to even compete in them, it's an honor. I'm just thankful for everyone behind the scenes who work to allow our horses to compete at this level.”

Sisterson, who worked under prestigious trainers Doug O'Neill and newly named Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, went out on his own in 2018. He's had success with Channel Cat, who started his career under Pletcher's care, before being transferred to Sisterson late in 2020.

After running fifth in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight to start his 2021 campaign in January at Gulfstream Park, the son of English Channel ran a competitive second to Say the Word in the Grade 2 Elkhorn going 1 1/2 miles on the Keeneland turf on April 17.

Sisterson worked Channel Cat once on the Keeneland main track before shipping to New York for the Man o' War, where Hall of Famer John Velazquez sent him to the front, setting the pace before the half-mile mark while having enough in reserve to fend off favorite Gufo's late charge to win the head bob in the 1 3/8-mile route.

“We were coming back in three weeks, but we had monitored him coming out of the Elkhorn and breezed him on the dirt and he breezed very well over it,” Sisterson said. “He had put on weight and looked good and we had to go for the Man o' War yesterday because he was doing so well. It was a tough field but we had an advantage with Velazquez riding. We couldn't have asked for a better setup going into the race.”

Channel Cat has primarily used his late-closing ability in recent starts, but Velazquez changed tactics on Saturday, dueling Field Pass at the front before leading the eight-horse field while finishing strong enough to complete the course in 2:13.34 under heavy pressure. Velazquez added another Grade 1 win to his ledger a week after posting the Kentucky Derby-Kentucky Oaks double with Medina Spirit and Malathaat.

“Going from the barn to the paddock, Channel Cat definitely looked energetic leading into the race,” Sisterson said. “There's been a spark in his training. It didn't surprise me that he was forwardly placed. I don't tell jockeys what to do, I can only make mistakes and mess it up for them. All the credit goes to John Velazquez for winning that race yesterday.”

Another quick turnaround could be a possibility with the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan going 1 1/4 miles on the turf a potential spot for Channel Cat on Belmont Stakes Day June 5. Sisterson said he'll see how Channel Cat comes out of his victory before deciding to enter, leaving open the possibility of targeting the Grade 1 United Nations on Monmouth Park's Haskell Day card July 17.

Channel Cat ran fifth, just 3 3/4 lengths back to winner Bricks and Mortar, in the 2019 Manhattan in a year in which he ran third in the United Nations, won the Grade 2 Bowling Green and finished third in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at the Spa. Overall, Channel Cat is 6-3-5 in 26 career starts and upped his career earnings past the $1 million mark with his Man o' War score [$1,373,522].

“It took us awhile to figure him out,” Sisterson said. “I take the blame for his poor performance in the McKnight. I was breezing the horse too fast in the mornings and he ran a flat race, so I gave him two weeks off and I backed off him and slowed his works right down. I have a great staff and we figured out the way Channel Cat likes to be trained. We usually don't run them back that quick, so I just want to make sure I'm not running him back too quick. We're not going to count out the Manhattan and we'll leave it up to Channel Cat.

“We'll get him back home to Keeneland and turn him out in the paddock,” he added. “If we don't feel the Manhattan is the right spot for him, we might try the United Nations at Monmouth and come and wait for Saratoga for him. We have options; he's won the Bowling Green at Saratoga, so he likes the turf course up there. I don't want to get greedy and be selfish here. We have to put it in Channel Cat's hands now.”

Sisterson also singled out Calumet's farm manager Eddie Kane for praise, with the Kentucky-bred Channel Cat just one of the operation's many success stories.

“The one person I'd like to dedicate Channel Cat's victory yesterday to is Eddie Kane, because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in this position,” Sisterson said. “He does everything. To be able to represent Eddie and Calumet with a homebred and win a race like that, I have to give credit.”

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