Market Street Will Try Turf in With Anticipation

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In an atypical move, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said that GIII Saratoga Special S. runner-up Market Street (Street Sense) will likely make his next start on grass in the Aug. 31 GIII With Anticipation S.

Lukas, 87, built his exceptional career with dirt horses and most years saddles far fewer horses on the grass. So far in 2023, just six of his 193 starters (3%) have run on turf. Since the beginning of 2019, 11.9% of his starters have been on turf. His most recent graded stakes winner on turf was Skyring (English Channel) in the 2014 GII Mervin Muniz Jr. H.

In the last four-and-a-half seasons, Lukas has had 38 2-year-old starters on turf from a total of 301 runners (12.6%) and has a record of 0-1-4.

Conditions permitting, Lukas's first 2-year-old runner on the grass this year could be Seize the Grey (Arrogate) Friday in the Skidmore S. With a rain forecast of 90% Thursday night and 100% Friday, there is a good chance that the New York Racing Association will move the turf races to the dirt.

Lukas has targeted the 1 1/16 miles With Anticipation for Market Street because he is planning to run Just Steel (Justify) in the GI Hopeful Sept. 4. Just Steel finished second by three lengths to 'TDN Rising Star' Pirate (Omaha Beach) on July 15 and broke his maiden by a nose on Aug. 5.

Market Street set the early pace in the 6 1/2-furlong Saratoga Special, but Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) unleashed an impressive run in the stretch and matched his Ellis Park maiden score with a 9 1/2-length victory. Lukas said he was pleased with Market Street's run in the Special–“I thought it was good enough,” he said–even though he was a distant second to a spectacular performance.

“That's what happens up here,” he said. “You run a real good race and all of a sudden you look up and there's one that is really good. You have to deal with them.”

Lukas said Market Street will not train on the turf before the With Anticipation, but with his running style should be able to handle the surface change.

“We're not smart enough to have a crystal ball to tell whether they like it or not,” he said. “That's always a conversation among trainers. I always say, 'I don't think anybody knows till they try it.' I've really got a couple other horses backed up, so it's kind of a nice fit for him to drop in there.”

Lukas noted that in this wet summer at Saratoga Race Course the With Anticipation might end up on the dirt.

Through Wednesday's racing, Lukas has a record at Saratoga of 2-9-0 from 25 starters. Both of his wins and five of his seconds have come from 13 starts with 2-year-olds. He said he has five maidens in his barn.

“Our 2-year-olds should all come around a second time now pretty strong,” Lukas said.

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Rhyme Schemes Dominates the Saratoga Special

Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) backed up his big-figure Ellis Park maiden win with a dominating performance in Saturday's GII Saratoga Special S.

After bumping into 'TDN Rising Star' Edified (Tapit) at the start, the even-money favorite sat in the garden spot in an outside joint third through an opening quarter in :22.18. He loomed up with authority while three wide approaching the quarter pole and blew the race apart from there, running up the score in the stretch to win by 9 1/2 lengths. Longshot Market Street (Street Boss) was second. It was another 3/4 of a length back to second- choice Haul (Army Mule) in third.

A well-beaten sixth on debut behind subsequent Bashford Manor S. runner-up Wilson Q (Constitution) and troubled GIII Sanford S. runner-up Gold Sweep (Speightstown) in a very live maiden special weight at Churchill Downs May 18, Rhyme Schemes looked like a different horse with first-time blinkers, airing by 9 1/2 lengths second out going 5 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park June 15. He earned a gaudy 94 Beyer Speed Figure that day, the highest of any 2-year-old in the country this season.

“There's always pressure,” winning trainer Norm Casse said. “The problem with Saratoga is I'm never 100% confident. I knew the horse was very talented from the onset. Right when we got him, I could tell that he had multiple gears underneath him. That number [94 Beyer Speed Figure last out] was so big it was hard to believe. I needed some more affirmation and I think we got it today.”

Rhyme Schemes will return in Saratoga's seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. on closing weekend Sept. 4.

“We skipped the Sanford with the intention of running him twice,” Casse said. “Here today and coming back in the Hopeful. I think going forward, he's going to be a better two-turn horse, but that remains to be seen.”

Winning owner Deuce Greathouse of Pura Vida Investments added, “The time he ran at Ellis was the first time we gave him his head and let him out, and today was the second time and you see what he does. It's kind of jaw dropping when he does it and sprints away like that.”

Pedigree Notes:

Rhyme Schemes, a $210,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, becomes the 97th stakes winner/51st graded winner worldwide for Ghostzapper. The Ghostzapper/Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for GISWs Guarana and Molly Morgan. The winning dam Katherine, a $575,000 OBS April breezer, produced a colt by Honor A. P. in 2022 and a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) in 2023. She was bred back to Honor A. P. This is the extended female family of GISWs Malathaat (Curlin), Dream Rush (Wild Rush), Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), et al.

Saturday, Saratoga
HERB MOELIS MEMORIAL SARATOGA SPECIAL S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-12, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.12, ft.
1–RHYME SCHEMES, 120, c, 2, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Katherine, by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Eileen's Dream, by Bernardini
3rd Dam: Turbo Dream, by Unbridled
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($210,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Pura Vida Investments LLC; B-Parks
Investment Group, LLC (KY); T-Norm W Casse; J-Ricardo
Santana Jr. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $180,950.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Market Street, 120, c, 2, Street Sense–Quality Way, by
Quality Road. 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($275,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Les Wagner; B-Robert & Lawana
Low (KY); T-D Wayne Lukas. $40,000.
3–Haul, 120, c, 2, Army Mule–Western Kitty, by Western Fame.
1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($260,000 2yo '23
OBSAPR). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & St Elias Stable;
B-KMN Racing LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 9HF, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 1.05, 12.90, 2.30.
Also Ran: Lasso, Edified, Woodcourt. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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Danzing Candy’s Yo Yo Candy Upsets Sanford At 46-1

Yo Yo Candy (Danzing Candy), a distant third behind Gold Sweep (Speightstown) in the Tremont S. downstate June 11, pulled off a 46-1 shocker with blinkers added in Saturday's GIII Sanford S. at the 'Graveyard of Favorites.'

With the complexion of the race completely upside down after the aforementioned 1-5 favorite stumbled badly at the start, Yo Yo Candy found a good spot in a stalking third through fractions of :22.15 and :45.83. He was tipped out at the top of the stretch by Angel Castillo and kicked home nicely to score by 2 1/4 lengths. Gold Sweep, the recipient of a gaudy 91 Beyer for his nine-length Tremont romp, ran a remarkable race to close from second-to-last to complete the exacta.

Yo Yo Candy debuted with a three-length victory going 4 1/2 furlongs at Parx May 23 prior to his effort at 26-1 in the Tremont.

“I jumped from the balcony over here,” winning trainer Danny Velazquez said after winning his second career graded stakes race. “I don't even know how I got here. This is a dream come true. As a kid you dream of winning races here and here I am.”

He continued, “The blinkers adjustment was huge. In his last race, we didn't have the blinkers because he won first time out and we were happy with that. I watched him break last time and he broke a little sluggish. He has more speed than that tactically. I added the blinkers and took him back to the gate a couple of times after the race. I told Angel [Castillo], 'If he's as good as we think he is, we're going to be competitive.' No respect on the board, but we knew coming in that we did everything right coming into this race. I was very, very satisfied watching him out there warm up.”

Velazquez added that the GI Hopeful S. Sept. 4 at Saratoga could be next.

Pedigree Notes:

The California-bred Yo Yo Candy, a $35,000 OBS March breezer (:10 1/5), becomes the first graded and second stakes winner for young sire Danzing Candy. His SW & GISP dam Yolanda B. Too (Two Punch), just a $14,000 purchase by breeder Checkmate Thoroughbreds at the 2015 KEENOV sale, is also responsible for a Danzing Candy colt of 2022 and a Sir Prancealot (Ire) colt of this year. She was bred to Eight Rings for 2024.

Saturday, Saratoga
SANFORD S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-15, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.83, ft.
1–YO YO CANDY, 120, c, 2, by Danzing Candy
                1st Dam: Yolanda B. Too (SW & GISP, $340,335), by Two Punch
                2nd Dam: Avie's Lady, by Lord Avie
                3rd Dam: Exotic Dancer, by Sovereign Dancer
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($6,000 Ylg '22 NCAAU; $35,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Happy Tenth Stable; B-Checkmate Thoroughbreds LLC (CA); T-Daniel Velazquez; J-Angel Castillo. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $141,250. *1/2 to Treble (Macho Uno), GSP, $306,169. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Gold Sweep, 122, c, 2, Speightstown–Wonder Brew, by Giant's Causeway. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($285,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-Mike McCarty; B-Joe Anzalone (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $35,000.
3–Dickens, 120, c, 2, Adios Charlie–Malibu Melody, by Malibu Moon. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($20,000 Ylg '22 OBSWIN). O-BC Racing LLC; B-John B. Penn (FL); T-Juan Alvarado. $21,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3/4, NK. Odds: 46.00, 0.35, 11.70.
Also Ran: Triple Trea, Call the Cavalry, Market Street, Jive,
His Rights, Ramming Speed. Scratched: Factor U and Me In.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Graded Stakes Mark Saratoga Opening Weekend

How's your Saratoga opening weekend stakes knowledge?

You probably already knew that the Sanford S. is the only race that the legendary Man o' War ever lost. Or that over a five-year span in the '60s, the great Kelso amassed a staggering record of 63-39-12-2. You also knew that the late '80s warrior Quick Call, who lived to the ripe old age of 35, was denied a third consecutive GII Forego H. by a nose to Lay Down.

And if you are pretty sharp, then you have it down pat that the inaugural running of the Diana S. occurred the same year–1939– that Hitler invaded Poland, which was the last time mounted cavalry saw action against tanks.

Saratoga is dripping with history–it's literally in the water. The track's storied past reminds us of Max Weber's warning that, “Specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart; this nullity imagines that it has attained a level of civilization never before achieved.” In other words, we need the magic to keep us anchored, as we bob along in a digital sea of information.

With the historical juices sufficiently percolating, here's a rundown of the weekend graded action.

GI Diana S. (Saturday)
Besides trainer Charlie Appleby in 2021, no one has been able to dethrone Chad Brown in this Grade I turf event since 2016. The likelihood of another win for Brown appears imminent, were it not for the presence of Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}).

Marketsegmentation | Sarah Andrew

Trained by Mark Casse, the 5-year-old mare is a MGSW who is making her first trip down from Woodbine. “She's coming back a little quick, but I'm going with the old Allen Jerkens line, 'When they're going good, run 'em,'” Casse said.

Out of Brown's four entries, Peter Brant's defending champ and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) looks best, but Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah), a 4-year-old filly owned by Klaravich Stables, is coming off a signature win June 9 in the GI New York S. at Belmont Park.

GIII Kelso S. (Saturday)
Shortening up over the grass, an experienced group of 4-year-olds and up assemble, with 'TDN Rising Star' and GISW Annapolis (War Front) serving as the standout. The Bass Stables homebred, who was second in last year's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational, won the GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. at Keeneland in October en route to a GI Breeders' Cup Mile berth.

Standing in his way is the accomplished grass miler Big Everest (GB) (The Gurkha {Ire}). Making his first graded stakes start, the 5-year-old gelding has won his last six out of seven starts.

“He was the kind of horse that, early on, he fought with the jockey,” said Big Everest's co-owner Dean Reeves. “We learned over time that he was fighting with the jockey because he had speed and wanted to go to the front. So, once we got out of his way and once he was gelded, he doesn't back up and they don't have enough to catch him.”

Also entered is the well-traveled fan-favorite, MGISW Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed), whose style for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott makes him extremely dangerous towards the wire.

GIII Sanford S. (Saturday)
Rounding out the Saturday graded action is this 2-year-old NYRA series test, which has drawn 10. Trainer Steve Asmussen watched Gold Sweep (Speightstown) romp home by nine lengths as he posted a 91 Beyer figure in the Tremont S. June 11 at Belmont Park. The Hall of Fame trainer has never won the Sanford.

Others of note include Market Street (Street Sense), trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who broke his maiden in front-running fashion over the slop by 3 3/4 lengths June 29 at Ellis Park. He will be joined by Triple Trea (Bolt d'Oro). The dark bay colt debuted a winner for Barbara Minshall with a late move in early June on Woodbine's Tapeta.

“He's really nice,” Minshall said. “He's very rideable and it looks like there's a lot of speed in the race. Hopefully, he makes his big run and can get the job done. There's some really nice horses in there–the Asmussen horse [Gold Sweep] looks really tough–but he's coming into it in good order.”

GIII Quick Call S. (Sunday)

No Nay Hudson | Coady Photography

The final graded stakes of the weekend on Sunday afternoon pits 3-year-old turf sprinters against one another. Wesley Ward has two entered in this spot with No Nay Hudson (Ire) (No Nay Never), winner last out of the May 13 William Walker S. at Churchill Downs, and Eye Witness (City of Light), a $650,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase who won the Paradise Creek S. at Belmont Park May 20.

“He's [No Nay Hudson] one we're just trying to get to settle. My main exercise rider, Julio Garcia, has got the horse to relax,” Ward said. “We're doing some nice, easy slow works and he's got a couple races in him now. Fitness isn't an issue. It's just trying to get his mind to where we can get him to settle. He's at Saratoga now and ready to go.”

Facing this pair is Gaslight Dancer (City of Light). The Mike Maker trainee should not be overlooked after winning the Palisades S. at Keeneland in April and the bay colt did finish third behind No Nay Hudson in the William Walker.

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