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Pletcher ‘Excited’ About Likely Hopeful Favorite Mutasaabeq

Seven juvenile colts will face off in a quest to garner their first respective Grade 1 victories in the 116th running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Hopeful on Closing Day Monday, September 7 going seven furlongs over the main track at Saratoga Race Course.

The historic test is the first Grade 1 event for juvenile colts on the East Coast and has been used as a stepping stone to Hall of Fame worthy campaigns for all time greats Regret (1914), Man o' War (1919), Whirlaway (1940), Native Dancer (1952), Nashua (1954), Needles (1955), Buckpasser (1965), Secretariat (1972), Foolish Pleasure (1974), and Affirmed (1978), while solidifying Eclipse Award honors for Champion 2-Year-Olds Chief's Crown (1984), Dehere (1993), Favorite Trick (1997), and Shanghai Bobby (2012).

Shadwell Stables' Mutasaabeq arrives at the Hopeful off a stylish maiden special weight victory on August 8 at Saratoga, where he drew off in the stretch to win by 4 ½ lengths on debut, garnering an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who saddled Circular Quay (2006), Shanghai Bobby (2012) and Competitive Edge (2014) to Hopeful triumphs, said that has been particularly impressed by the son of Into Mischief's works from the gate. Prior to his maiden win, he worked a half-mile in a swift 46.53 seconds over the Saratoga main track.

“He had trained extremely well leading into that race,” Pletcher said. “His gate works were very impressive although his first step is not lightning quick. After that, he really gets going. I'm happy with everything he did prior to his debut, we were excited about the way he ran, we've been pointing for the Hopeful since then. He's trained accordingly.”

Pletcher said that Mutasaabeq's natural speed allows him to recover quickly.

“Once he got going, he put in an impressive run around the turn and it seemed like he had a lot in reserve,” Pletcher said. “This will be a step up in class and a stretch out in distance. There are some quality horses in there as one would imagine in a race like this, but we're excited about giving him the opportunity.

“Hopefully he jumps a little better second time out, but we'll play it by ear,” Pletcher added. “I liked the way he finished the other day, so seven-eighths should be within his range.”

Bred in Kentucky by BlackRidge Stables, Mutasaabeq is out of the Scat Daddy mare Downside Scenario and was purchased for $425,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Jockey Luis Saez, who rode 2017 Hopeful winner Sporting Chance, will ride from post 3.

After saddling last year's winner Basin, Steve Asmussen will send out J. Kirk Robison's Jackie's Warrior as he attempts to become the first trainer to score back-to-back Hopeful wins since fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas sent out High Yield (1999) and Yonaguska (2000).

The son of Maclean's Music was an impressive winner of the Grade 2 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite on August 7, which garnered an 88 Beyer. He will look to become the first horse to sweep the Saratoga Special-Hopeful double since City Zip won the 2000 Saratoga Special before dead-heating for victory with Yonaguska that year.

Following a victory on debut at Churchill Downs over impressive next out winner Therideofalifetime, Jackie's Warrior bested the same foe once more in the Saratoga Special in wire-to-wire fashion, crossing the wire under a hand ride by Joel Rosario.

“It's good timing back, and he's had a race over the track,” said Asmussen's chief assistant Scott Blasi. “He's done everything right for us in the mornings and we're looking forward to running him. Seven-eighths of a mile is not going to be an issue for him.”

Rosario, the leading rider in stakes victories this meet, will return to the saddle from post 6.

Trainer Chad Brown sent out Practical Joke to a victory in the Hopeful for Klaravich Stables, who also won the 2011 Hopeful with Currency Swap. This year Brown and Klaravich will team up with Reinvestment Risk.

The son of freshman stallion Upstart won on debut and was geared down at the wire to a 7 ¾-length victory on August 1 at Saratoga, where he registered a 90 Beyer.

Bred in Kentucky by Aschinger Bloodstock Holdings, Reinvestment Risk was purchased for $280,000 from the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, where he was consigned by DeMeric Sales. He is out of the Candy Ride mare Ridingwiththedevil.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be back aboard Reinvestment Risk from post 5.
Rounding out the field are Fearless Fly [post 1, Dylan Davis], Papetu [post 2, Jose Ortiz], Nutsie [post 4, Kendrick Carmouche], and Ampersand [post 7, Jose Lezcano].

The Runhappy Hopeful is slated as Race 13 on Monday's Closing Day 14-race card, which will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6 beginning in Race 8 at 3:39 p.m. ET. The program also will feature the $85,000 Lure for older horses going 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf.

Monday's card offers a first post of 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Pricey Princess Noor Leads Field For Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante

Zedan Racing Stables' Princess Noor, a $1.35 million purchase at auction earlier this year, appears a solid choice at Del Mar Sunday when she heads a lineup of six juvenile fillies in the 70th edition of the Grade 1, $250,000 Del Mar Debutante.

Princess Noor “won for fun” in her straight maiden debut at the shore oval on Aug. 22 under Victor Espinoza and is wheeled back 15 days later in quest of her first chunk of black type. The rider put his charge on the lead out of the gate, then never asked her late in her bow and she just cruised away from six rivals that day to tally by two and a half lengths. She's worked twice since for conditioner Bob Baffert and the daughter of the Giant's Causeway sire Not This Time could take a lot of catching on Sunday.

Here's the full field for the seven furlong headliner from the rail out with riders and morning line odds: Reddam Racing's Get On the Bus (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1); Dale F Taylor Racing, Taylor, et al's Roll Up Mo Money (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1); Erich G. Brehm's My Girl Red (Flavien Prat, 3-1); Princess Noor (8/5); Bolton, Leidel or Lipman, et al's Illumination (Abel Cedillo, 4-1), and Phoenix Thoroughbred's Forest Caraway (Ricky Gonzalez, 7/2).

Princess Noor's chief rival appears to be the Texas Red filly My Girl Red, who trains out of the barn of J. Keith Desormeaux. The bay miss has raced twice and won both, most recently in the G2 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 7. Desormeaux and owner/breeder Brehm raced My Girl Red's daddy, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with him, several other major stakes and more than $1.6 million.

Get On the Bus began her career in the Sorrento and was a good second to My Girl Red that day. The Uncle Mo filly, a $340,000 purchase at a 2-year-old in training sale in March, has trained well for Doug O'Neill since that start and should move forward from her racing experience.

Forest Caraway was a winner of her lone outing, a straight maiden sprint at Del Mar on Aug. 15. The bay daughter of Bodemeister races out of the Peter Miller barn.

Roll Up Mo Money, also an Uncle Mo offspring, won her debut at Del Mar on Aug. 2, capturing a five-furlong dash by a length and a quarter. She's put in four solid works for trainer Jeff Mullins since.

Illumination chased home Forest Caraway in her first attempt at afternoon racing. The Medaglia d'Oro miss was a $900,000 yearling purchase and she also is under the training care of Hall of Fame conditioner Baffert.

The Del Mar Debutante, one of three stakes Sunday, goes as the ninth race on an 11-race card. First post on Sunday is 1 p.m.

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Oaks Winner Shedaresthedevil Caps ‘Unbelieveable Day’ For Cox, Geroux

It was a thrilling Friday for the team of Brad Cox and Florent Geroux as the duo teamed up for their second Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) victory in the last three years with Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing and Big Aut Farm's Shedaresthedevil.

“It was such an unbelievable day,” Cox said. “This filly has a ton of heart and Flo gave her the perfect ride.”

Cox had an eerily similar morning Saturday as he did in 2018 following Monomoy Girl's Kentucky Oaks victory. The Louisville native continued his regular routine with 10 of his horses recording published workouts.

“It's the life of a trainer,” Cox said. “Horses like Monomoy Girl and Shedaresthedevil make this job all worth it.”

SWISS SKYDIVER – Trainer Kenny McPeek reported that “all is good” with Peter J. Callahan's Kentucky Oaks runner up Swiss Skydiver despite exiting the race with a few cuts on a front ankle. Next race plans are “undecided” for the multiple stakes winner as of Saturday morning, according to McPeek.

Following the race, the trainer made a case for bringing the stallion Daredevil, who was sold to Turkey late last year, back to the U.S., noting he sired both Swiss Skydiver and the Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil.

“They need to get him back here,” McPeek said. “He's a good stallion.”

GAMINE – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert reported that Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine “looked great” and was in good order the morning after finishing third as the favorite in the 146th edition of the Longines Kentucky Oaks.

Gamine set the pace in the 1 1/8-miles Oaks before being collared in the stretch by winner Shedaresthedevil and runner-up Swiss Skydiver. The loss marked the first time the daughter of Into Mischief had been beaten on the square in her five career starts as her only prior blemish was a loss via disqualification for a medication overage at Oaklawn Park.

SPEECH – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables and Heider Family Stables' Speech is scheduled to return to her Southern California base Monday morning according to trainer Michael McCarthy.

“She had a tough trip all the way around,” McCarthy said of Speech, who finished fourth. “She got bumped at the break by Gamine and hit at the 7 ½ pole by Donna Veloce and checked by Donna Veloce at the six-furlong pole. She never got a chance to run her race.”

TEMPERS RISING – Mark and Nancy Stanley's Temper's Rising was back in Dallas Stewart's Barn 34 Saturday morning and doing well following her fifth-place effort in Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

“I thought she ran a great race,” Stewart said.

BAYERNESS – Belladonna Racing's Bayerness was back at Trackside Louisville – Churchill Downs' training facility – Saturday morning. Her next race plans are still to be announced.

HOPEFUL GROWTH – Trainer Anthony Margotta reported via text message that his St. Elias Stable's Monmouth Oaks (GIII) winner Hopeful Growth, sixth in the Oaks, came out of the race in good shape and would be leaving to go back to her Monmouth Park base at 5 p.m. Saturday.

DONNA VELOCE – Kaleem Shah. Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Donna Veloce is scheduled to return to her Southern California base Monday morning following a disappointing run in Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

“She came back good,” said Carlos Santamaria, assistant to trainer Simon Callaghan. “We will try to get her as good as we can for the Breeders' Cup.

Making her first start in six months, Donna Veloce “had a lot of problems” in the race Santamaria said.

“Out of the gate, the five (Gamine) came in and hit the four (Speech) and she hit us,” Santamaria said. “She dropped the bit and ran off going into the first turn. He (jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.) took her to the outside to get her settled and going down the backside he could feel the field pushing him further outside. He ended up being wide all the way around.”

DREAM MARIE – Miracle's International Trading Inc.'s Dream Marie was scheduled to leave Churchill Downs Saturday morning following her ninth-place finish in the Oaks.

“She came out of the race OK,” trainer Matthew Williams said of Dream Marie, who trailed the field throughout. “We were hoping for a better result, but it was still a great experience.”

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The Saratoga Special for Sept. 5: Next Stop

Kentucky Derby Day is here and so is Issue #16 of The Saratoga Special sponsored by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners! Today’s digital edition is loaded with previews for the big racing weekend, a Fasig-Tipton stable table tour with Bill Mott, a special interview of The Tiz Team by Paul Halloran, all of the betting tips, tricks and picks by Saratoga’s top handicappers, a special Derby Day column by Sean Clancy, and SO much more!