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A Horse For The Course? Turned Aside Wins Quick Call At Saratoga

Paul Pompa Jr.'s Turned Aside had seen Jack and Noah win the three previous races in which the two matched up entering the Grade 3, $100,000 Quick Call at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. But Turned Aside ensured he would earn the trip to the winner's circle on Friday, making a strong move from the outside coming out of the turn and charging home a 1 ¾-length victor in the 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds.

Turned Aside broke sharp under jockey Jose Lezcano, tracking in third position as Jack and Noah, who broke awkwardly led the six-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 21.32 seconds on the Mellon turf coursed labeled firm. Lezcano pressed his charge up from the outside, where he overtook his budding rival before hitting the stretch, posting the half-mile in 44.01.

Lezcano kept Turned Aside's attention when straightening for home, repelling Old Chestnut's late move for second, completing the course in a 1:01.99 final time.

“I had a very good trip,” Lezcano said. “My horse broke very sharp and was right there when I asked him. The horse on the lead was lugging out a little bit, but I held my position and when I asked him, he gave me everything.”

The Linda Rice trainee ran second to Jack and Noah in his second career start in September at Belmont Park and also was the runner-up last out, finishing one length back in the Sir Cat going six furlongs on Belmont's firm turf. He also ran seventh in the Atlantic Beach in November at Aqueduct Racetrack. A son of 2015 Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah, Turned Aside improved to 3-2-1 in seven career starts.

“Paul and I discussed it and we felt if we didn't engage early we were just going to hand it over to Jack and Noah and we've done that enough already,” Rice said. “Sometimes you change courses and one horse prefers Belmont and one horse prefers Saratoga and I thought our horse has been training great all spring and maybe we could turn the tables on him on a different course.”

Off at 2-1, Turned Aside returned $6.50 on a $2 win wager. He improved his career earnings to $179,992.

“There were a couple other horses [of concern] in this race – Old Chestnut and I thought Doug O'Neill's horse [Fore Left] showed promised as well, but this horse has trained well and shows no quit in his workouts. Once we were on a clear lead, I thought we'd get it done.”

Old Chestnut, who like Jack and Noah is trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, edged Fore Left by a neck for second. The 11th running of the Quick Call featured the top-three finishers of the Sir Cat, as Old Chestnut earned third in that contest under jockey Junior Alvarado, who had the return call Friday.

“I wish the number two [Jack and Noah] would have broke a little sharper, so it would have made the winner chase a little harder and I'd have even more pace to finish,” Alvarado said. “Other than that, I had a great trip and saved as much ground as I could. Turning for home, he gave me a nice kick.”

Fore Left made his first turf appearance in 11 career starts, earning black type in his first start since a ninth-place effort in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 20.

Flap Jack, 4-5 favorite Jack and Noah and High Cruise completed the order of finish. Power Up Paynter was scratched, as was main-track only entrant Sky of Hook.

Live racing resumes Saturday at Saratoga with an 11-race card that includes the Grade 1, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt for 3-year-olds and up in Race 10 at 6:16 p.m. and the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa for older fillies and mares on the inner turf in Race 3 at 2:18 p.m. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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United Tabbed As Morning Line Favorite For Sunday’s Eddie Read Stakes

LNJ Foxwoods' United, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, was named the 8-5 favorite on John Lies' morning line for Sunday's $200,000, Grade II Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar.

A 5-year-old son of Giant's Causeway, United will break from the outside post in a field of seven for the 1 1/8-mile run over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course which often determines the top grass horse of the meeting.

United was last seen at Del Mar running second as the even-money favorite, beaten a neck by Oscar Dominguez, in the Hollywood Turf Cup on December 1 of last year. United is 2-for-2 in Grade II stakes starts in 2020 – the San Marcos and Charlie Whittingham at Santa Anita – to boost his career earnings to $1,133,549.

The field from the rail: Bowie's Hero (Tiago Pereira. 4-1); Originaire (Umberto Rispoli, 9-2); Sharp Samurai (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Combatant (Jorge Velez, 12-1); Cleopatra's Strike (Abel Cedillo, 8-1); Neptune's Storm (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1), and United (Flavien Prat).

Sunday's other stakes offering, the $125,000 California Dreamin' at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, drew a field of 11 California bred or sired older males. Paradise Road Ranch's Camino Del Paraiso, trained by O.J. Jauregui, drew the rail and was tabbed the 5-2 morning line choice.

Defending summer meeting training champion Doug O'Neill will have a pair of representatives in Whooping Jay and Irish Heatwave. “They're both in good form and even though they both drew way outside the rail is at zero so that helps,” O'Neill said this morning. “It's a bigger field than I expected but regardless they're both doing well and we're optimistic they'll run well.”

The field from the rail: Camino Del Paraiso (Drayden Van Dyke); Galilean (Flavien Prat, 3-1); Brandothebartender (Umberto Rispoli, 15-1); Desmond Doss (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Grinning Tiger (Heriberto Figueroa, 12-1); Loud Mouth (Juan Hernandez, 20-1); Ultimate Bango (Ruben Fuentes, 8-1); Three Ay Em (Mike Smith, 12-1); Whooping Jay (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1); Take the One O One (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 10-1), and Irish Heatwave (Abel Cedillo, 6-1).

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‘You’ve Got To Run When You’re Ready’: Higher Power Takes On Maximum Security In San Diego

Trainer John Sadler has saddled the winner of the last three runnings of the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. A fourth would appear to be a tough task considering the intimidating record and presence of rival Maximum Security.

But Sadler, and his major client Hronis Racing, are hardly ones to be intimidated. And there's recent history on their side.

“Maximum Security is one of the best horses in the world,” Sadler said. “But you've got to run when you're ready, and we're ready right now.”

Sadler has entered TVG Pacific Classic defending champion Higher Power for the Grade II $150,000 San Diego, a 1 1/16-mile main track event that is the primary stepping stone to the Classic. His 5 ¼-length convincing Pacific Classic victory was the highlight of a 2019 campaign as a 4-year-old in which the son of Medaglia d'Oro won three times and compiled earnings of more than $1.2 million for Hronis.

Higher Power opened 2020 with a last-place finish of 10 as the favorite in the Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream Park, then went unraced until a runner-up finish, beaten 3 ¼ lengths by Improbable, in the Hollywood Gold Cup on June 6 at Santa Anita.

“We were very happy with it,” Sadler said. “It was a very good second, coming as it did off a really extended layoff because of travel and COVID. We brought him down here where he's run well before and plan to run him twice – the San Diego and the Pacific Classic.”

Sadler and Hronis also have Combatant, a 5-year-old son of Scat Daddy who is also entered in Sunday's Grade II, $200,000 Eddie Read Stakes on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Combatant won the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on March 7 in his second start for Sadler after previously being based in the Midwest with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. A venture to Hot Springs, Ark., in May for the Oaklawn Handicap produced only an 11th place finish in a field of 13. Combatant, generally a come-from-behind type, has four wins from 25 lifetime starts and earnings of $1,033,998. One victory, and $294,740 in earnings, came from turf races.

“He got cut off and generally had a bad trip at Oaklawn, so we've given him time off,” Sadler said. “Even if I go with him on the grass instead of the San Diego he's still a candidate for the Pacific Classic.”

Catalina Cruiser secured victories in the San Diego Handicap for Sadler, carrying Hronis colors, in 2018-19. In 2017 eventual champion Accelerate did the honors. Accelerate's victory was over the Bob Baffert-trained Arrogate, then the No. 1 ranked horse in the world. Arrogate finished fourth, beaten 15 lengths. Baffert will saddle Maximum Security on Saturday.

The San Diego Handicap, planned for July 18, was rescheduled a week later due to COVID-19 and post positions were re-drawn. It made no difference for Higher Power.

“They drew the race twice and I got the rail both times,” Sadler said. “The post is not my favorite, but we'll live with it.”

The field from the rail: Higher Power (Flavien Prat); Ax Man (Mike Smith); Sharp Samurai (Jorge Velez); Combatant (Drayden Van Dyke); Maximum Security (Abel Cedillo), and Midcourt (Victor Espinoza).

Prat's agent, Derek Lawson, was asked how he felt about going up against Maximum Security with Higher Power. “The same as I felt going up against Maximum Security with Country House in the Kentucky Derby,” Prat said.

Racing fans know how that turned out.

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The Reshuffled Road Ahead for 2020 Kentucky Derby

In 2020, you learn to expect the unexpected. So when the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve announced that it would run on Sept. 5 instead of the traditional first Saturday in May, the schedule of qualifying races included some new summer events that have never had Derby points attached to them before.