saratoga | Horse Racing Free Tips

Second Chances: Don’t Wait Up

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

Nominated to Monday's GI Hopeful S. after a too-good-to-lose second on debut at Saratoga Aug. 14, Don't Wait Up (c, 2, Upstart–Lovely Marissa, by Proud Citizen) will instead return in a maiden special weight on the closing day card.

Given a 7-1 chance to win at first asking going six furlongs, he was away last of 10 from post nine after veering in and bumping with a rival at the start.

The bay was on the move beneath Javier Castellano to race in an outside fifth through an opening quarter in :22.27 and made an eye-catching, four-wide bid to challenge for command approaching the quarter pole.

He set his sights on the pacesetting Power Agenda (Nyquist)–entered in a loaded renewal of the Hopeful–as they straightened from home, and, after racing shoulder to shoulder with that game rival down the stretch, just came up a nose short with heads bobbing up and down on the line. Don't Wait Up earned a 76 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

Don't Wait Up returned to the worktab with a four-furlong breeze in :48.12 (7/42) over the Oklahoma training track Aug. 28. Trainer Tony Dutrow has quietly enjoyed a nice meeting from limited action at the Spa, sporting a record of 12-3-4-2 at the stand.

“He's always trained very good and then he came up here to Saratoga for his first race and he ran very well,” Dutrow said. “We were very happy with him.”

He continued, “Personally, I like when some adversity happens– dirt hits them in the face, they're among horses, etc.–in a first-time starter's race. The more experience they can get out of their first race, the more they're gonna put that to use in the future.”

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, Don't Wait Up brought $200,000 from Bluewater Sales, agent, on behalf of Cypress Creek Equine after firing a :9 4/5 bullet from the Woodford Thoroughbreds, Agent CLV, consignment at OBS April. He previously was a $1,500 KEENOV weanling and a $23,000 OBSJAN short yearling. Don't Wait Up is the second foal out of the winning mare Lovely Marissa, a daughter of GI Spinaway S. third and blowout Saratoga debut winner Valiant Passion (Lion Heart).

Don't Wait Up takes on a full field of nine rivals going six furlongs for his second start.

“The first time horses run, it can be a very overwhelming experience for them, but Don't Wait Up took everything very well,” Dutrow said. “He certainly learned a great deal and went through a lot in the race. He came out of it very good, we gave him a workout back, and we're looking forward to getting him back out there on the track. We'll just have to see what exactly became of his experience in his next race Monday. It's his second start and we'll take it from there.”

Previous standouts featured in 'Second Chances' include: GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P. (Honor Code), GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner and Royal Ascot G2 Norfolk S. runner-up Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags), GIII Las Virgenes S. heroine Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner and MGISP Spielberg (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), and MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

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Saturday’s Insights: OBS April Topper Must Overcome High Draw

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

10th-DMR, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 9:07 p.m. ET
CORNICHE (Quality Road) topped this year's OBS April Sale on a bid of $1.5 million from Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stable and has drawn gate 10 as the 9-5 favorite Saturday at Del Mar. The son of six-time GSW and GI Matriarch S. runner-up Wasted Tears (Najran) was led out unsold on a bid of $385,000 at KEESEP last year, but turned in a smooth sales breeze in :10 flat to become one of two horses to eclipse the seven-figure barrier. Mike Smith has the riding assignment for Bob Baffert. TJCIS PPs

Songbird's Full-Brother Down to Debut…
7th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, post time: 3:53 p.m. ET
GALT (Medaglia d'Oro), a full-brother to two-time Eclipse Award and nine-time Grade I winner Songbird, carries the silks of Larry Best's OXO Equine as he makes his first visit to the races Saturday afternoon. A $400,000 Keeneland November purchase, the February foal is out of GSW Ivanavinalot (West Acre), a half-sister to MSW Shananie's Beat (Shananie) and to Beaties for Real (Unreal Zeal), whose five winners from six to race include the GSW full-siblings Friel's For Real (Sword Dance {Ire}) and Ryan's For Real and MSW Onepointhreekarats (Medaglia d'Oro), a $1.3-million KEESEP yearling back in 2009. Misbehaved (Into Mischief), a full-brother to MSW & MGSP Into Mystic, was bought back for $600,000 at KEESEP last fall and for $750,000 at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream before fetching $875,000 from Eclipse and Bob LaPenta's Whitehorse Stable at OBS April after breezing a furlong in :10 flat. TJCIS PPs

My Miss Sophia Colt Kicks Off At the Spa…
6th-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 3:22 p.m. ET
ANNAPOLIS (War Front) gets his career underway for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner/breeder Bass Racing LLC, on whose behalf bloodstock agent Steve Young went to $4 million for his GSW & MGISP dam My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song) with the colt in utero at KEENOV in 2018. That price was second only to the $4.2-million Lady Eli (Divine Park). The 2014 GII Gazelle S. winner and GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up, a half-sister to GI Florida Derby hero Materiality (Afleet Alex), is already the dam of Annapolis's 3-year-old full-sister Nevisian Sunrise, third in the Wild Applause S. in June. This is also the family of MGSW/GISP Eye of the Tiger (American Chance) and GISWs Afleet Express (Afleet Alex) and Embellish the Lace (Super Saver). Calloway Peak (Arrogate) is a Juddmonte homebred son of the talented turf distaffer Filimbi (Mizzen Mast), a stakes winner in France and GSW/MGISP in this country for the colt's trainer Bill Mott. A maternal grandson of Oaks winner Flute (Seattle Slew), Calloway Peak counts GISW Weep No More (Mineshaft) and GSW Current (Curlin) as members of his female family. TJCIS PPs

Baffert Colt Looks to Make Most of Belated Bow…
1st-DMR, $70K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, post time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Florida-bred SUMO (Not This Time) was a $200,000 purchase by Randy Bradshaw out of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton July Sale, then was knocked down to prominent owner Michael Lund Petersen for $700,000 late in the sale at OBSAPR in 2020 after working an eighth of a mile in :10 flat. The bay is out of a daughter of GSW In Conference (Dayjur), the dam of GSP Settle Up (Kris S.) and granddam of MSW & MGSP Foxy Danseur (Mr. Greeley). Sumo, owned in partnership with Albaugh Family Stable, looks to have trained forwardly for this debut, including a half-mile over this strip in :47 1/5 (4/21) Aug. 31. TJCIS PPs

Well-Related Godolphin Runner Tries the Synth…
9th-WO, C$126k, Msw, 2yo, 1m 70yds (AWT), post time: 5:17p.m. ET
GINA (Maclean's Music), a debut third sprinting over the Colonial main track July 20, stretches out and tries the local all-weather for the first time here. The Godolphin homebred is a daughter of five-time Grade I winner Music Note (A.P. Indy), making her a half-sister to 'TDN Rising Star' and reigning G1 Dubai World Cup hero Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) and is more closely related to GIII Penn Mile winner Gershwin (Distorted Humor). There is some turf in the family as well, as Music Note's half-sister Musical Chimes (In Excess {Ire}) won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2003 and the GI John C. Mabee H. in this country. TJCIS PPs

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Test Runner-Up Faces Array of New Shooters in Prioress

Heavily favored on the morning line, Live Oak Plantation's GI Longines Test S. runner-up Souper Sensational (Curlin) will likely need to run that race or better as she faces an intriguing field of emerging sophomore filly sprinters in Saturday's GII Prioress S. at Saratoga.

Named a 'TDN Rising Star' for an easy debut graduation last September at Woodbine, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy quickly backed that designation up with a four-length conquest of the Glorious Song S. Runner-up in the Silverbulletday S., she fell off the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks trail after running sixth in the GIII Rachel Alexandra S. and third in the GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks and was given a brief respite after a troubled-trip fourth in the GIII Eight Belles S. Apr. 30 at Churchill. Returning with a career high when annexing the GIII Victory Ride S. by 3 1/4 lengths July 10 at Belmont, she was no match for the dominant Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) in the Test, but kept on well enough to complete the exacta at 13-1.

Parx sensation Oxana (Uptowncharlybrown) gets her chance against the big girls after toying with a pair of overmatched fields at her home base. Fading to seventh debuting in a Monmouth turf sprint June 6, the $65,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic buy switched to the main track 17 days later and blew apart Pennsylvania-bred maidens to the tune of an 18-length victory, earning a 96 Beyer. Running identical quarter and half-mile splits next out in an open allowance there July 10, she again was all by herself in the lane, coasting home 10 1/4 lengths to the good.

Amendment Nineteen (Constitution) makes her first start for Juddmonte and Brad Cox following a private purchase from D J Stable and three promising starts for Linda Rice. Finishing full of run to be second on debut behind 'TDN Rising Star' Always Carina (Malibu Moon), the $20,000 Keeneland November bargain overcame a slow break and wide trip to graduate next out over a sloppy mile May 31 at Belmont and was runner-up in a local allowance July 24 while finishing nine lengths clear of third.

Edie Meeny Miny Mo (Upstart), an open-lengths winner against $40,000 maiden claimers on debut Apr. 23 at Pimlico, repeated by six lengths with a 91 Beyer in an allowance/optional claimer there June 13 and turns back after not quite being able to see out two turns when second as a 6-5 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile GIII Monmouth Oaks July 31.

Louisiana-bred Cilla (California Chrome) makes her first start for the Charlton Baker barn after back-to-back sharp stakes successes in the state-bred Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle S. at Evangeline and off-the-turf Blue Sparkler S. July 10 at Monmouth.

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Returning Constitution Colt Meets Brown Pair in Saranac

Impressive through his first two races before disappointing in his third try, Repole Stable's Never Surprised (Constitution) will return off a seven-plus month layoff to face a formidable pair of Chad Brown rivals and three other challengers in Saturday's GIII Saranac S. at Saratoga.

Debuting over six furlongs on the Aqueduct grass last November, Never Surprise stalked the pace, pounced at the quarter pole and drew clear in the lane for a 3 1/2-length success, earning a strong 89 Beyer. He bettered that number by one point when going wire to wire making his two-turn bow in the Central Park S. there 20 days later, besting future stakes winners Scarlett Sky (Sky Mesa) and Hard Love (Kitten's Joy). Wrangled back off the pace as a 3-10 favorite in the GIII Kitten's Joy S. Jan. 30 at Gulfstream, he settled for second, recording just a 69 Beyer.

Leading the Brown duo is Klaravich Stables' Public Sector (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Breaking his maiden impressively on debut over this course last summer, he was second when attempting to close into a dawdling pace set by next-out GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf upsetter Fire At Will (Declaration of War) as an odds-on favorite in the GII Pilgrim S. Just missing by a head when again hindered by a slow tempo in the Manila S. two back July 4 at Belmont, the bay picked up his first stakes success when annexing the GII Hall of Fame S. going a mile here Aug. 6. He's flanked by barnmate Founder (Upstart). Bought for $600,000 at OBS March, the ridgling scored at first asking sprinting on the local dirt last August, but failed to connect in his next five outings before rallying from last to first to capture the Tale of the Cat S. last out on the Monmouth turf July 31.

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