saratoga | Horse Racing Free Tips

Upstart Colt Much the Best in Hot Spa Maiden; Garners Rising Stardom

The Saratoga opener Saturday was one of those vintage events in which virtually every firster was touted as a runner, and it was Klaravich Stables, Inc.’s Reinvestment Risk (Upstart) who emerged as the best of the bunch while becoming his freshman sire (by Flatter)’s third winner and first ‘TDN Rising Star’. A $140,000 FTKJUL yearling turned $280,000 OBS March acquisition off a strong :20 4/5 breeze, the bay joined the Chad Brown barn at Payson Park this spring before stints at Monmouth and most recently locally.

Off at 4-1, he broke in midpack and was pushed along by Irad Ortiz, Jr. to grab a foothold at the rail just off the pace. Second timer Windcracker (Super Saver) showed increased speed to seize a clear lead through an opening quarter of :22.79, but he left the rail open for Reinvestment Risk turning for home and the colt came through willingly to take over after a :46.14 half. The race was won at that point, and Reinvestment Risk poured it on in the stretch to run up the score to 7 3/4 lengths and stop the clock in1:09.95 after finishing up in a snappy :23.72. Windcracker held on for second over Olympiad (Speightstown–Tokyo Time), the seemingly less fancied half of a 7-5 entry with eighth-place finisher Outlier (Not This Time).

Upstart was a 5 1/2-length debut winner at Saratoga himself before adding the Funny Cide S. for New York-breds here nine days later for owner Ralph Evans and the late Rick Violette, Jr.–who at one point campaigned many of Klaravich’s most precocious babies. Twice Grade I-placed to complete his juvenile season, Upstart added the GII Fountain of Youth S. at three and GIII Razorback H. at four before retiring to Airdrie Stud. In addition to his three winners, Upstart is responsible to Belterra’s Hoover S. runner-up Uptown.

Reinvestment Risk was one of two Upstart colts purchased by agent Mike Ryan at OBS March–he also bought $600,000 Founder, who is training towards his own debut up at the Spa, for fellow Chad Brown clients Jeff Drown and Don Rachel.

Reinvestment Risk is the second foal out of a four-time winning daughter or Candy Ride (Arg) who was acquired by breeder Gerry Aschinger for just $6,000 at the 2016 Keeneland January sale. Dam Ridingwiththedevil, who’s out of a half-sister to MGSW My List (Banker’s Gold), produced a Strong Mandate filly in 2019 and Stormy Atlantic colt earlier this term before being bred to Audible for 2021.

1st-Saratoga, $72,000, Msw, 8-1, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.95, ft.
REINVESTMENT RISK, c, 2, Upstart
                1st Dam: Ridingwiththedevil, by Candy Ride (Arg)
                2nd Dam: One Charming Devil, by Devil His Due
                3rd Dam: Enduring Charm, by Batonnier
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $39,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. ThoroStride Video.
O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Aschinger Bloodstock Holdings, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. *$140,000 Ylg ’19 FTKJUL; $280,000 2yo ’20 OBSMAR

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Aug. 2 Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

WELL-RELATED JUVENILES MEET AT ELLIS

5th-ELP, $37K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 3:42p.m.

KING FURY (Curlin) is the most expensive of the several well-related juveniles making their career bows in this test as a $950,000 FTSAUG purchase. He is the first and only foal out of the late Grade I winner Taris (Flatter), a $2.35-million FTKNOV buy. His second dam Comedy, a $1.5-million KEENOV buy, also produced SW & MGSP Theatre Star (War Front). Dale Romans unveils the latest offspring out of blue hen C.S. Royce (Unbridled’s Song), who has been very good for his stable, in Loumo (Uncle Mo). The colt is a half-sister to GI Preakness S. runner-up Cherry Wine (Paddy O’Prado), GSW Sweeping Paddy (Paddy O’Prado) and SW C.S. Incharge (Take Charge Indy). Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred Milliken (Into Mischief) is out of another very productive mare. Ivory Empress is also the dam of MGSW & GISP McCraken (Ghostzapper), GSW Four Graces (Majesticperfection) and MGSP Bondurant (War Front). Ian Wilkes saddles that colt, as well as $340,000 KEENOV buy Bourbon Thunder (Quality Road), who is out of a half-sister to GISW Summer Colony (Summer Squall). TJCIS PPs

BROWN UNVEILS PRICEY UNCLE MO FILLY

6th-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:04p.m.

Peter Brant went to $575,000 at KEESEP to acquire MO DEAN (Uncle Mo), who makes her first trip to the post in this test. Her dam is a half-sister to GSW Mo Tom (Uncle Mo), SW & MGISP Beautician (Dehere), MGSW Red Ruby (Tiznow) and SW Bella Castani (Big Brown). Woodslane Farm homebred Malibu Curl (Curlin) also debuts in this spot. She hails from the family of MGISW A.P. Indian (Indian Charlie), MGSW Doctor Mounty (Street Sense) and GSW Tiz Shea D (Tiznow). TJCIS PPs

EXPENSIVE MEDAG FILLY DEBUTS IN SOCAL

7th-DMR, $55K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 8:00p.m.

Richard Mandella unveils a pricey daughter of Medaglia d’Oro in MOONLIGHT D’ORO. Her second dam is GSW Moonlight Sonata (Carson City), who is the dam of graded winners Wilburn (Bernardini) ands Beethoven (Sky Mesa) and stakes winner & GSP LA Appasionata (Bernardini). Fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer saddles another intriguing firster in Frosted Blue (Frosted). Out of GISP Sister Girl Blues (Hold for Gold), she is a half-sister to GSW & MGISP Firing Line (Line of David). He also hails from the family of Grade I winners Bowie’s Hero (Artie Schiller) and Sharp Azteca (Freud). TJCIS PPs

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Casse Team ‘Very Pleased’ With Got Stormy Ahead Of Fourstardave Title Defense

Gary Barber's multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Got Stormy, still seeking her first win of the season, fired a bullet work over the Oklahoma training turf course Friday morning ahead of her expected title defense in the Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave on Aug. 22 at Saratoga.

The 5-year-old Get Stormy mare went out just before 10 a.m. and was clocked in 1:00.50 over the firm going, fastest of nine horses at the distance. It was her second work since arriving in Saratoga and first on the grass; she breezed a half-mile in 48.32 seconds on the main track July 22.

“I'm happy with the work,” Jamie Begg, assistant to trainer Mark Casse, said. “Some races she's been getting a little bit aggressive up front, so we started her off slow and let her come home with a good kick, and she did it well. We're very pleased.”

Got Stormy capped 2019 with a popular victory in the Matriarch last December at Del Mar, her second career Grade 1 triumph. The first came last summer over males in the one-mile Fourstardave, a “Win and You're In” race for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile in November at Keeneland.

“I think track condition could maybe play a role in whether or not we go that route,” Begg said, “but that's where we're initially pointing at this point.”

Second in last year's Breeders' Cup Mile, Got Stormy has eight wins, four seconds, three thirds and more than $1.5 million in purse earnings from 22 lifetime starts. She is undefeated at Saratoga, capturing the Fasig-Tipton De La Rose – her only ungraded race in the last 11 – prior to her 2 ½-length triumph in last year's Fourstardave.

Got Stormy opened this year running fourth in the Grade 3 Endeavour at Tampa Bay Downs, then shipped cross country and finished second in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile March 7 at Santa Anita. Given a brief freshening, she was fourth in the Grade 3 Beaugay June 3 and Grade 3 Poker July 4, both at Belmont Park.

The connections are hoping a return to one of her favorite surfaces, plus a spate of good weather, will prove the right combination to get Got Stormy back on the winning track. Prior to her current stretch, she had never lost more than two consecutive races.

“She clearly really likes this turf course,” Begg said. “It was a little wet earlier in the meet but there's been a little less rain recently. I think it's starting to dry out because speed's been holding a little better on it. We'll see. Hopefully it keeps going that way and we'll get a good race out of her.”

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Connections Of Private Purchase South Bend ‘Seriously Thinking’ Travers

Having recently been purchased and moved to the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, stakes-winning sophomore South Bend is being pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers August 8 at Saratoga as the debut for his new connections.

Campaigned by Sagamore Farm through his first 11 starts, including a victory in the Street Sense last fall at Churchill Downs and Grade 3 placings on both turf and dirt, South Bend was acquired by a partnership group that includes Gary Barber, Adam Wachtel, Peter Deutsch and Leonard Schleifer of Pantofel Stable.

“I think that's one of the reasons they bought him,” Mott said. “He looks good on both surfaces.”

Mott said the focus for now is on dirt, namely the 1 ¼-mile Mid-Summer Derby, the centerpiece of the Saratoga meet being contested for the 151st time but first as a point qualifier for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby September 5.

“We're leaning toward the Travers. The partnership group wants to have a good look at that,” Mott said. “We're seriously thinking of the Travers right now. He'll work probably the first part of the week.”

South Bend has already had one breeze for Mott, a half-mile move in 49.12 seconds on July 27 over the Oklahoma training track, fifth-fastest of 31 horses at the distance. Third in the Grade 3 Palm Beach in February at Gulfstream Park in his second try on turf, the bay Algorithms colt exits a rallying runner-up finish in the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Ohio Derby on June 27 at Thistledown in his return to dirt, posting a career-high 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We breezed him the one time. We like the horse, he's doing well,” Mott said. “He's a nice horse to train. He moves well and he worked well for us. I'm happy with him.”

On Saturday, Mott will send out multiple Grade 1 winner Channel Maker for Barber, Wachtel, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and R. A. Hill Stable in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green. The gelded 6-year-old son of grass champion English Channel drew post 5 of seven in the 1 3/8-mile event for 4-year-olds and up on the inner turf course.

With Mott since the spring of 2017, Channel Maker owns a 5-5-3 career record with nearly $2.2 million in purse earnings from 33 starts. He earned his first graded victory in a dead-heat triumph with Glorious Empire in the 2018 Bowling Green, winning the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic that fall and the Grade 1 Man o' War the following spring, each at Belmont Park.

Channel Maker has gone winless since the Man o' War, a stretch of nine races, all but one in Grade 1 or Grade 2 company. Three of those losses have come by a length or less, the most recent coming last out when he finished fourth in the Grade 1 Manhattan on July 4 at Belmont.

“Sometimes he's been a little overmatched, but when he finds the right group he's competitive,” Mott said. “He seems to be doing well. He's run over this course OK. He's competitive when he fires his best shot and gets the right trip. We're happy with him and we're optimistic.”

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