Emotions were pulling trainer Chad Brown in all kinds of directions as he sat in a clubhouse box seat during the 85th running of the $500,000 Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
Tag: Racing
Gate-To-Wire Debut Winner Pirate, Half Brother To National Treasure, Possible For Hopeful
Trainer Todd Pletcher began Saturday of opening weekend at the Saratoga in style, debuting promising juvenile Pirate, a half brother to Preakness (G1) winner National Treasure, in the first race, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight.
The son of Omaha Beach coasted to a three-length victory in front-running fashion under Irad Ortiz Jr. and completed the trip in 1:04.89.
“He got away alertly, but they put a lot of pressure on him early. I thought it was a good performance and very professional like he's been since we got him,” Pletcher said.
Pletcher said the $300,000 Hopeful (G1) going seven furlongs on Sept. 4 at Saratoga is a logical option.
“We'll play it by ear. Normally we'd wait for the Hopeful, but we'll see how things go,” Pletcher said.
Bred in Kentucky by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, Pirate was a $350,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Bridie Harrison consigned the dark bay or brown colt out of Treasure, by Medaglia d'Oro. His second dam, Proposal, produced multiple stakes winner Inspired – the dam of graded stakes-placed Carmel Road. He hails from the female line of Mahubah, who was the dam of the mighty Man o' War and is great-great grandam of 1946 Triple Crown winner Assault.
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‘He Was Moving Great’: Tapit Trice Breezes Toward Haskell
Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's Tapit Trice breezed a half-mile in :49.15 over the Belmont Park main track on Saturday in preparation for the $1-million TVG.com Haskell Invitational (G1) on July 22 at Monmouth Park.
Trained by Hall of Famer and three-time Haskell winner Todd Pletcher, the son of Tapit was a last-out third in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 10.
“He just did what he normally does which is work well and gallop out strongly. He was moving great. It was everything we wanted to see,” Pletcher said of Tapit Trice, who won the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and then the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland prior to finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby (G1) in his start prior to the Belmont.
Luis Saez will ride Tapit Trice in the Haskell.
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‘Well Within Himself’: Cody’s Wish Pleases Mott In Tune-Up For Whitney
Godolphin's Kentucky homebred Cody's Wish worked five-eighths in 1:00 flat Saturday over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga in preparation for the $1-million Whitney (G1)going 1 1/8 miles on August 5.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the 5-year-old Curlin bay has won nine of 13 career starts and is currently on a six-race winning streak topped by a powerful 3 1/4-length score last out in the Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) on June 10 at Belmont Park.
“He was very good. He went five-eighths and went well and appeared to be well within himself,” Mott said.
Cody's Wish is currently ranked atop of the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll with 315 points, eclipsing his stablemate Elite Power [271], who is targeting the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) on July 29.
“I'm not going to argue with it. At this point, he's a good choice,” said Mott, with a laugh.
Cody's Wish has yet to win beyond one mile, finishing third in a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight in July 2021 at the Spa and second in the 1 1/16-mile Challenger (G3) in March 2022 at Tampa Bay Downs.
“We're uncertain about the nine furlongs, but we're going to remain optimistic,” Mott said. “Until they do it, you never know. Maybe now that he's more mature than he was early on, maybe he'll do it. He's more seasoned.”
Elite Power worked a bullet five-eighths in :59.60 Friday over the Oklahoma training track and could make two starts here this summer with the $500,000 Forego (G1) on August 26 also under consideration.
“His work was very good,” Mott said. “He'll go to the Vanderbilt and then possibly the Forego.”
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