Saturday’s 12-race GI Whitney S. Day card generated an all-sources handle record of $35,796,435, eclipsing the previous Whitney Day record of $31,835,863 set in 2019.
2019 Whitney Day, which was held Aug. 3, saw paid attendance of 40,791 with fans on the grounds of Saratoga wagering $4,658,622.
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Global Thoroughbred and Top Racing's Grade 3 Peter Pan runner-up Caracaro, trained by Gustavo Delgado, worked six furlongs under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano in 1:15.99 Saturday morning on the Saratoga main track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., shortly after the renovation break.
The lightly-raced colt moved easily through splits of 26.2, 50.1 with a long gallop out past the wire.
“He's a good mover. Today, it wasn't about looking for time, it was more like a two-minute lick starting from the three-quarters and letting him gallop out,” said Castellano. “He just ran three weeks ago, so today was a good maintenance work. He galloped out beautiful past the wire but I didn't let him overdo it. He handled the track well. He did everything the right way today.”
The Uncle Mo bay, a $95,000 Keeneland November Sale purchase, followed up his January 11 maiden win at Gulfstream with a strong second off the layoff in the July 16 Grade 3 Peter Pan, earning 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Castellano has won the Runhappy Travers a record six times having captured the Mid-Summer Derby with Bernardini [2006; 2-5, $2.70*], Afleet Express [2010; 7-1, $16], Stay Thirsty [2011; 5-2, $6.80*], V.E. Day [2014; 19-1, $40], Keen Ice [2015; 16-1, $34] and Catholic Boy [2018; 7-1, $16.20].
“I really love this race. To me, it's one of the best races in the country. It always has the best 3-year-olds,” said Castellano. “All jockeys and trainers are all trying to win a race like the Travers. I'm very fortunate to be a part of its history winning with six horses. Even myself, when I say that number, I say, 'Really? I did that?' I've been so lucky and I've had a lot of support from my agent, the trainers and owners who put me on horses with opportunities to win these big races.”
While Bernardini and Stay Thirsty were favorites, Castellano has also found Travers success with longshots including V.E. Day, who nosed out Wicked Strong in 2010, and Keen Ice, who upset 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah to end his eight-race win streak.
“You have to be patient and confident in both yourself and the horse to put everything together and have a good result,” said Castellano. “Some of the winners were favorites like Bernardini and Stay Thirsty, but Afleet Express was a longshot and V.E. Day was a longshot that paid big. And then American Pharoah came and we won with Keen Ice.”
To add to his Runhappy Travers ledger, Castellano and Caracaro will have to topple another strong favorite in Grade 1 Belmont Stakes hero Tiz the Law, but the Hall of Fame rider said he is cautiously optimistic.
“It's not an easy race to win,” said Castellano. “You need to time it right and you don't want to overdo it early because it's not going to pay off. You have to be patient and ride like they are the best horse in the race.
“Tiz the Law is the horse to beat, but you never know,” added Castellano. “American Pharoah was supposed to be unbeatable that day, but this is horse racing and you just never know.”
The post ‘Really? I Did That?’ Castellano Hoping To Add To Record Six Travers Wins appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Following a victory in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt last Saturday at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Volatile could target more Grade 1 action going six furlongs on the NYRA circuit in the Vosburgh at Belmont Park.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who won the Vosburgh in 2009 with Kodiak Kowboy, Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farms' Volatile made his graded stakes debut in the Vanderbilt in which he secured a tepid pace and maintained his advantage throughout the journey to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The son of Violence registered an outstanding 112 Beyer from his previous effort in the Aristides at Churchill Downs, which he won by an emphatic eight lengths.
The long term goal with Volatile remains the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland.
“We have to finalize plans with our partners at Three Chimneys, but it's very likely he'll run next in the Vosburgh at Belmont,” said Phoenix Thoroughbreds CEO Amer Abdulaziz. “He's come out of the Vanderbilt well and seems very pleased with himself. The timing of the Vosburgh works very well giving him around six weeks to the Breeders' Cup Sprint which is the target now.”
Bred in Kentucky by Hill n' Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run, Volatile is by Violence and is out of the Unbridled's Song broodmare Melody Lady, whose dam was Grade 1-winning millionaire Lady Tak. He was acquired for $850,000 from the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
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L & N Racing’s Echo Town (Speightstown) registered his first win at the highest level with a 7-1 upset in Saratoga’s GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. Saturday. The bay raced in mid-pack early as recent GI Woody Stephens S. hero No Parole (Violence) doled out a first quarter in :22.67 with MGSW Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) pressing from second. Mischevious Alex turned up the heat on No Parole as the half went in :45.31 and Tap It to Win (Tapit) ranged up menacingly on their outside turning for home. Echo Town swung out four wide turning for home and swiftly inhaled the top three in mid-stretch, charging clear to a dominant 3 1/2-length victory. Tap It to Win held second and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Shoplifted (Into Mischief) completed the trifecta. Favored No Parole faded to ninth.
“He ran an excellent race,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen said. “It’s extremely significant winning the Allen Jerkens. Ricardo [Santana] did a great job with him today. I think the timing for him was better going into today than the Woody Stephens, and he showed it today. I thought 22 and 3 was soft for this group. I thought Echo Town ran the race of his life and Shoplifted, who was second in the [GI] Hopeful last year here obviously likes this track.”
The Hall of Famer continued, “It was great to see him put it all together when it matters so much on this stage. He ran solidly here. He ran really well into the Woody Stephens, but I thought the timing of this race was better.”
“He broke really sharp today and when the dirt started hitting him in the face, he was jumping a little bit but he was really comfortable,” Santana said. “I took him outside and he gave me a nice kick at the end. He was traveling really well. I knew there was plenty of speed today and I just wanted to sit behind the speed. I’m really happy with the horse.”
A debut winner at the Fair Grounds Jan. 18, Echo Town was third next out at Oaklawn Feb. 23 and returned to winning ways in the slop there Mar. 13. Missing by a head in the Bachelor S. in Hot Springs Apr. 25, he captured a Churchill Downs sprint May 25 prior to his effort in the Woody June 20 at Belmont.
Pedigree Notes:
Echo Town is the 18th Grade I victory for his sire Speightstown, as well as the 56th graded winner and 113th black-type scorer for the WinStar stallion. Out of GSW Letgomyecho, the winner is a half to Grade III victor J Boys Echo and GSP Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled’s Song). The 18-year-old mare is also responsible for the 2-year-old colt Burrow (Candy Ride {Arg}), a $200,000 OBSAPR buy; a yearling filly by Gun Runner; and an American Pharoah filly born May 8 of this year.
Saturday, Saratoga
H. ALLEN JERKENS S. PRESENTED BY RUNHAPPY-GI, $300,000, Saratoga, 8-1, 3yo, 7f, 1:22.53, ft.
1–ECHO TOWN, 120, c, 3, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Letgomyecho (GSW, $136,200), by Menifee
2nd Dam: Echo Echo Echo, by Eastern Echo
3rd Dam: Kashie West, by Sir Ivor
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ‘TDN Rising Star’ ($100,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-L & N
Racing LLC; B-Betz, Betz, Burns, CHNNHK Thoroughbreds,
Magers, CoCo Equine & R (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-2-1,
$375,320. *1/2 to Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled’s Song), GSP,
$253,478; J Boys Echo (Mineshaft), GSW, $377,543. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Tap It to Win, 120, r, 3, Tapit–Onepointhreekarats, by
Medaglia d’Oro. O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Live Oak Stud (FL);
T-Mark E. Casse. $60,000.
3–Shoplifted, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–Shopit, by Yes It’s True.
‘TDN Rising Star’ ($525,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $800,000 2yo ’19
FTFMAR). O-Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables, LLC & LNJ
Foxwoods; B-Machmer Hall, Carrie & Craig Brogden (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $36,000.
Margins: 3HF, HF, 1HF. Odds: 7.20, 3.65, 18.50.
Also Ran: Captain Bombastic, Sonneman, Mischevious Alex, Eight Rings, Hopeful Treasure, No Parole, Three Technique, Liam’s Pride.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
The post Speightstown Colt Scores Breakout Win in Jerkens appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
