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Week in Review: Uriah St. Lewis Does It Again–His Way

Uriah St. Lewis has won only eight races this year and his winning rate is a paltry 7%. He's never going to win an Eclipse Award and no one is going to send him to the sales to buy six and seven-figure horses. But, when it comes to the bottom line, there may not be another trainer in the sport who does more with less.

In Saturday's $250,000 GIII Iselin S. at Monmouth, the competition included horses from the barns of Todd Pletcher, Jerry Hollendorfer and Chad Brown, two Hall of Famers and a future Hall of Famer. St. Lewis, who is based at Parx and has 27 horses in his stable, sent out Informative (Bodemeister), a 14-1 shot who had lost nine straight. On paper, Informative didn't look to have much of a shot and most trainers would have picked out an easier spot. But St. Lewis is not like other trainers. He'll run a 14-1 shot, he'll run a 140-1 shot, he'll run them in spots where it looks like they don't have a prayer of winning.

“If you're not in it, you don't have a chance,” he said.

That's what he does. He keeps throwing horses into what seems like impossible spots. But in this day and age where there are so many small fields in stakes races he, more often than not, walks away with a check. Case in point: Informative ran fifth and last in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H., but St. Lewis walked away with a check for $40,000. And if you send out enough big longshots in big races sometimes you're going to win and cash even bigger checks.

St. Lewis started in the sport as a fan and a bettor. He got his first job in racing working at the NYRA tracks as a technician for AmTote. His wife encouraged him to give training a try and he took a job under a trainer named Robert Hayes. St. Lewis won his first race in 1987.

Along the way, he has figured out that you don't have to win 150 races a year and have a high winning percentage to make money. He says that his stable makes a profit every year and is his sole source of income. After making $150,000 with the Iselin win, St. Lewis's Trin-Brook Stable has banked $814,325 on the year.

St. Lewis's biggest win came in the 2018 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, which he won with Discreet Lover (Repent). He was coming off a twelfth-place finish in the GI Woodward, but did not embarrass himself when finishing third in the GI Whitney S. and GII Suburban H. He was 45-1 in the Gold Cup, which he won by a neck, defeating horses trained by Pletcher, Brown, Aidan O'Brien and Saeed bin Suroor. Discreet Lover finished his career with $1,452,735 in earnings.

Informative is 4-for-35 lifetime with earnings of $527,040. His other graded stakes win came in last year's GIII Salvator Mile S. at Monmouth, which he won at odds of 79-1.

The other star in St. Lewis's barn this year has been Forewarned (Flat Out). He's 1-for-7 on the year, but won the Excelsior S. and has earned $147,500 in 2022 and $909,883 during his career.

St. Lewis is from Trinidad (Trin) and his wife, Amanda, is from Brooklyn (Brook). He has no outside owners and family members make up the bulk of his staff. That, he says, is a big reason why he has been successful, albeit in his own unique way.

“We are in it to make money,” he said. “If you do the right thing, treat the horses right and take some chances you can make money. We can take the chances because we own all the horses. A lot of trainers can't do that. It's been working for us. This would be hard for other trainers to do because they don't own their own horses. I used to train for other people. It's a real pain because they say 'don't go there, I don't like this spot, I don't want to get embarrassed.' I ran Discreet Lover in the Met Mile and he finished fourth. I made $80,000. I wasn't embarrassed to make $80,000. But a lot of trainers wouldn't have run him in that race.

For his system to work, he's got to do it with inexpensive horses. He paid $10,000 for Discreet Lover, $25,000 for Informative and $40,000 for Forewarned. He buys almost all of his horses as 2-year-olds at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale.

“We go to the sale in Timonium and we sit there for two days and look at every horse,” he said. “You have to take your time. I'll pay $3,000 for a horse, I'll go up to $60,000. It all depends on the horse and how much I like them.”

St. Lewis hasn't decided where Informative will run next, but he said that a Breeders' Cup race is definitely on his schedule. He's not sure whether he will go in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile or the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. In either race, Informative will probably be 50-1, maybe higher. A 50-1 shot in race where the horse looks completely overmatched, that's exactly where St. Lewis is most dangerous.

Nest Is Special

Now that the race is in the books, you can't fault the owners for running Nest (Curlin) in the GI Alabama S. instead of against the boys on the GI Runhappy Travers S. The Alabama had a fat purse of $600,000 and is among the most prestigious races on the calendar for 3-year-old fillies. It was a race she probably couldn't lose while, for her, the Travers would have been a tough spot.

With the win, they've already wrapped up an Eclipse Award for the sport's top 3-year-old filly. With wins in the Alabama, the GI Coaching Club American Oaks and the GI Ashland S. and a second-place finish in the GI Belmont S., she's done more than enough to earn year-end honors. With so many top males horses out there, Nest probably won't be named Horse of the Year, but you never know.

For her, the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff will no doubt now become the main goal for the rest of the season. After that, let's see what she can do as a 4-year-old and whether or not her team will take another crack at beating males. Let's hope that they do. With another big year, they can start thinking Hall of Fame.

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Roth and Dubb Bring New Level of Luxury to Downtown Saratoga

While racing draws thousands of visitors to Saratoga Springs every summer, its biggest appeal day in and day out, 12 months a year, is its graceful, bustling downtown. The city is rich in history, dating back to the 1770s and the Victorian style lends a charm that Saratoga not only strives to maintain, but often mandates through historic preservation codes.

Two buildings on Broadway in Saratoga Springs are now undergoing a huge transformation without losing their historic charm. The Adelphi Hotel, which recently underwent a major renovation, will be merged with the adjacent Rip Van Dam Hotel, expanding the number of luxury hotel rooms from 33 to 78 and adding 85 luxury apartments to the Rip Van Dam.

“We bought the Adelphi in about 2013,” said Larry Roth, a partner with his wife and daughter in LNJ Foxwoods Stable. “It was me and another group that is no longer involved with the Adelphi. The Adelphi at that time was a rundown hotel. It was owned by two individuals that graduated from Skidmore probably in the 1960s. They had the hotel only open two months a year. The rest of the other 10 months of the year, they would travel around the world finding antiques and bringing the antiques back to the hotel. So, when we bought the hotel in 2013, it was really run down, full of thousands of antiques, and we decided that we were going to run it for a year or two and then we were going to renovate it.”

Saratoga's appeal and its offerings have expanded far beyond the track.

In a small geographic area of just 28 square miles, the City of Saratoga Springs boasts the oldest operating racecourse in the U.S., a harness track and casino, a 2,379-acre state park, four golf courses, a top concert and ballet and orchestra venue, a 6.178 square mile lake, historic mineral springs and baths, two colleges, and a 171-bed hospital.

In 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation was organized partly in reaction to the building of the shopping mall just north of the city limits. By protecting the historic facades and buildings downtown, Broadway and its adjoining streets have continued to maintain viable retail businesses and acclaimed restaurants and pubs when many upstate downtown districts have dried up.

The initial renovation of the Adelphi took years and two or three times what the group expected to pay, Roth said, but it re-opened in 2017 to great acclaim. But looming on the south side of the Adelphi was the Rip Van Dam, which had been through a tumultuous era of turnover and suffered from what seemed like a lack of vision and funding. It made sense to Roth that they purchase the Van Dam, which was in need of repair on the same scale. His partners did not share the vision.

“Their philosophy was not the same as mine,” said Roth. “I told them that I think we should buy the Rip Van Dam because the Rip Van Dam had a lot of property. Someone's going to build something there, a hotel, an apartment building, and you don't want to really compete with another hotel. They said to me, 'You're wrong, no one's going to build there.'”

So, in 2019, Roth bought out his partners, became the sole owner of the Adelphi, and bought the Rip Van Dam.

“That's when Michael [Dubb] got involved with me,” said Roth. “I knew Mike was in the horse business and I knew he was a great builder. So, I thought it'd be good to find out if he would be interested in working with me, being my partner on this project.”

“Larry and I had known each other for years,” said Dubb. “And we have a very close mutual friend. And, you know, when Larry correctly purchased the Rip Van Dam property to protect his investment at the Adelphi so he could control it, and that was a very smart move.

“It's a major undertaking. And given my knowledge of Saratoga, my years at Saratoga, and my knowledge of construction, having built buildings like this before, although not 180-year-old buildings, Larry thought it would be a good idea for us to talk. And that's how the partnership was born.”

“Our vision is to just have the most luxurious five-star hotel residence, restaurants, a destination point for people coming from either New York City, Boston, Montreal, Buffalo,” said Roth. “It's all almost equal distance, about a three-hour ride from those locations. And just to have the number one destination in the Northeast.”

“For any city, a vibrant downtown is vital,” said former two-term Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Joanne Yepsen. “This city is successful because we care deeply about historic preservation and we have an appointed design review commission overseeing proposed development on top of a planning and zoning process.

“This project is a diamond in the rough,” said Dubb. “Saratoga is arguably the best town or small city in New York State. It's a one-of-a-kind town, and this is a one-of-a-kind project right in the heart of town. The plan we had was to model this after The Plaza in New York City where you have a five-star hotel, but you also have residences. And the people who live in the residences can avail themselves and do avail themselves of all the hotel services. So here, there are two restaurants here which they would walk directly to through the building. There'll be a gym. There'll be lounges for the guests and the owners, a business center, and underground parking.”

The plan for the condominium apartments will be a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom luxury apartments appointed with hardwood floors, state-of-the-art kitchens, great appliances, marble bathrooms, and molding details. Each owner will have their own storage unit and a coveted parking spot underneath the building. The new hotel rooms will mirror the existing rooms at the Adelphi.

“The hotel units will be and are obviously very, very, very high-level luxury units,” said Dubb. “So, there'll be heated bathroom floors, automatic blinds, suite-type living. Some of the new hotel rooms will have their own den and just all of the services and all the luxury that you would expect in a five-star hotel.”

In addition to the new hotel rooms and residences, there have been significant changes and upgrades to the common areas of the hotels, with more in the plan.

“We've increased the ballroom space. So, the capacity went from about 125 people to 225 people,” said Dubb. “That project is done. We've increased the size of Morrisey's, put additional indoor dining rooms in, and also a sushi bar. And that project is done. The Salt and Char Restaurant, which is part of the building, is through phase one and the interiors of the existing Salt and Char has been completely rebuilt. But as construction progresses, there'll be another dining room, about 800 square feet–state of the art. You know, with that real steakhouse feel, to go with the great food.

“In the original Adelphi, part of the lobby space was lost to the kitchen. The kitchen is moving away into the new structure. So, the lobby of the Adelphi now, which is beautiful, is going to double in size.”

While both Dubb and Roth are deeply ensconced in the upper echelons of the horse business, they've committed to the City of Saratoga and its growing year-round clientele with the Adelphi-Van Dam project. The underground parking garage for 100 cars, and major street and sidewalk and infrastructure improvements add to the entire downtown experience. And both partners are bullish on the long-term success of the project outside of the racing months.

“It's not just the racing industry,” said Roth. “We've been extremely busy even during the off-season. Our occupancy during the off-season runs probably about 70%. During the track season, we're running very close to 100%. Obviously, the July and August period is peak for us. But the rest of the year has, for the last year and a half, two years, has been truly outstanding.”

Preserving the historic façade and feel of the buildings seems to be more of a passion to the partners than a city requirement.

“The architecture and the character are beautiful. One great thing about Saratoga is its intense dedication to preserving its historic feel and its historic character,” said Dubb. “You really feel like you're back in the early 1900s, in the late 1800s. And one thing we went to painstaking lengths to do is to preserve the entire facade of the existing Rip Van Dam Hotel. And previously, Larry did the same thing with the Adelphi Hotel. So, from the street, you know, I see turn-of-the-century pictures, not this century, the century before. And the facade will look just the same as it looked then.”

“The town is very pro-historical sites here,” said Roth. “We went before the board a number of times to show them what we're doing. We made some revisions after they suggested we make some changes that they wanted us to do and we adhered to what they wanted us to do.”

What is the timeline?

“After we finish Salt and Char, we will be looking to get the next group of hotel rooms, some online for late fall this year, others on time for track season,” said Dubb. “And that will be followed by the construction of the 85 condominiums. We're looking at a time frame for completion of about 18 months. So, we'd be looking in its entirety at early '24.”

The lure of Saratoga Springs, the two hotels so steeped in American history, and the racing industry at the Spa seem to give Roth and Dubb a deep sense of pride in the project. It was palpable as we walked around the busy establishment while they interacted with the staff and patrons. Individually and together, they appear relaxed and excited about what seems like a massive undertaking (and crater) in the middle of downtown.

“The combination, first the Adelphi, and then the Rip Van Dam and the adjoining land, is really a unique opportunity to marry two historic, legendary buildings together into one,” said Dubb. “A state-of-the-art five-star luxury hotel and residence building- nothing like this really exists in Saratoga and very few places like this exist anywhere in New York. So, this was really a unique opportunity. And when Larry reached out to me about it, my connection with Saratoga, you know, runs 50 years. And so, I've walked by these hotels for 50 years. I never dreamt I would have the opportunity to be involved and really make a difference in the City of Saratoga.”

“I don't think I could have picked a better partner,” said Roth. “He is, first of all, a great friend. I think we have the same vision. We think alike. Being with him for the last two years on this project, I have learned so much from him about building, and I think even our contractor has learned a lot from Michael. He's made a lot of suggestions to our contractor, which have panned out successfully.”

“I told Larry when we started, that it would be two very challenging years to build the building,” said Dubb. “COVID turned that into three and a half years. So, it's challenging. I think we enjoy the challenge and I know when all is said and done, Larry and I are going to stand on Broadway, look up and be just the two proudest guys in Saratoga.”

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Woodbine’s Field of Dreams

Woodbine is a track of two tales: history and innovation. The home of the historic Queen's Plate–which will be run for the 163rd time Sunday thus making it the longest continuously run race in North America–has been undergoing renovations that on a conceptual level, might border on the fantastical. That is, until it is seen in person. At the forefront of structural renewal, Woodbine, which covers 684-acres of prime real estate in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, currently stands against a backdrop of development that would make most other racing operators blush. Looming in the background of the track's famed paddock is the ever-expanding framework of an amphitheater and a hotel, both slated for unveiling in the spring of 2023. A second hotel and a train station are also among other amenities slated for the future. And while the present-day Woodbine continues to expand at an impressive rate, the legacy of the oval and the tradition of the track's Classic race, the Queen's Plate, remain solidly embedded in the psyche of the local horse community.

Looking for his first Queen's Plate victory is trainer Kevin Attard, who will saddle morning-line favorite Moira (Ghostzapper), campaigned by X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables and SF Racing. Third in the initial jewel in Canada's Triple Crown with H C Holiday last year, Attard attempts to saddle the first filly to win the 1 1/4-mile test since Wonder Gadot established the feat in 2018. Attard's best finish in the race was recorded by Alezzandro, finishing second in the 2007 Queen's Plate before taking the second jewel in the Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales S.

“This is my ultimate goal right here,” admitted Attard. “It is an instrumental race in Canadian racing. The history and the hype that leads up to this race. There are a few Canadian Hall of Fame trainers that have had very successful careers and won great races, but the one that has eluded them was the Queen's Plate. I have been down this path with a horse I thought had a good chance to win. It hasn't worked out yet, but I hope Moira is the one that could put the icing on the cake.”

She won the Princess Elizabeth S. on debut and was runner-up in the GIII Mazarine S. at two, earning her a Sovereign Award nomination. A narrow winner in her sophomore debut in the seven-furlong Fury S. June 11, she blew the doors off her competition with an eye-popping 10 3/4-length victory in the nine-panel Woodbine Oaks July 24. In her most recent work, she covered five furlongs in a sharp :59 4/5, the fifth fastest of 46 at the distance Aug. 14.

“She seems like she has blossomed since her Oaks win,” confirmed Attard, son of longtime Woodbine trainer Tino Attard. “She's had two good interim breezes. She's put on some weight and her coat looks great and is vibrant and healthy. I don't think she could be coming into the race in any better form.”

While the Oaks appeared executed to perfection, the high-spirited filly stepped on her hind foot, dislodging one shoe while bending the other. The mishap prompted Attard to make an 11-hour decision and have both back shoes removed for the race. A move that didn't appear to affect the filly.

“She doesn't like to stand still too long,” explained Attard. “She does get a little bit antsy. That's the only real quirk to her. Once she has the tack on, she really hasn't done anything really negative.”

He continued, “The larger crowd is something she will have to handle, but luckily, even with her pre-race antics in the Oaks, she didn't break out or wide. It's not like she lost her race in the paddock, so she was able to keep herself in check. We've done a lot of schooling with her, so we can get her over this. We have a little bit of a different game plan, we're going to tack her in the paddock for [the Queen's Plate], so hopefully she handles that all well. The idea right now is she's going over there with four shoes and we hope she keeps them all on by the time she gets to the starting gate.”

With most of her competitors already having taken their shot in the Queen's Plate, trainer Katerina Vassilieva will attempt to win the Classic in her first attempt. Given the task to land lucrative prize is GIII Marine S. scorer Rondure (Oxbow), owned by Borders Racing Stable. A 10 3/4-length winner in his unveiling at Woodbine in May, the colt finished runner-up behind the re-opposing The Minkster (English Channel) in the June 12 Queenston S.

“He's done nothing wrong this year. He broke his maiden impressively and was just beaten a head in the Queenston S., which solidified in my mind that he is a legitimate horse that can compete at a high stakes level. He impressed me even more in the Marine, so right then I knew I had a legitimate runner for the Queen's Plate.”

“There wasn't too much time between the Queenston and the Marine, so I thought I could give him a little bit of a breather, especially after the big effort that he put in.”

Rafael Hernandez, who was aboard for Rondure's latest win, opted to ride Moira, vacating the saddle for U.S. import Flavien Prat.

“I had it in my mind that if he was to choose the filly, I was going to contact a rider from the U.S. I had Irad Ortiz [Jr.] in mind, because he won the Plate last year and I had Flavien Prat in mind because he won it two years ago [One Bad Boy]. I think Flavien will be a tremendous rider for my horse.”

More Graded Action

Woodbine offers an addition trio of stakes on the Queen's Plate undercard, highlighted by the GII Kind Edward S. and GII Canadian S. In the former, last season's GI Woodbine Mile winner Town Cruise (Town Prize) attempts to record his first victory since taking that race almost a year ago. Also looking to regain the winning thread is GI Maker's Mark Mile Shirl's Speight (Speightstown), who has hit the board once in three starts since, finishing third for Hall of Famer Roger Attfield in the GIII Salvator Mile in June.

Mark Casse, represented by Hall of Dreams (Lemon Drop Kid) and Sir For Sure (Sligo Bay {Ire}) in the day's Classic feature, also saddles Filo Di Arianna (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) and March to the Arch (Arch). The duo finished 1-2 in the GII Connaught Cup July 23. The Hall of Fame trainer also saddles a pair in the GII Canadian S.-French Group 2 scorer Fev Rover (Ire) and Keyflower (Fr) (Kheleyf). Attempting to stand in his way is Graham Motion, who offers up Crystal Cliffs (Fr) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), winner of Gulfstream's Sand Springs in April and second in the GIII Gallorette S. at Pimlico May 21. Most recently, he came from just off the pace to annex the mile GII Nassau S. over the E.P. Taylor turf course July 2.

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Summer Breezes: Aug. 21, 2022

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attracts its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Already this year at Saratoga, City Man (Mucho Macho Man), Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) and Empress Tigress (Classic Empire)–each a graduate of the 2-year-old sales–have already struck at stakes level, while the likes of juvenile purchases and 'TDN Rising Stars' Taiba (Gun Runner), We The People (Constitution) and Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) have also left their mark on graded/group competition this season. To follow are the horses entered for Sunday:

Sunday, August 21, 2022
Saratoga 6, 3:52 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire), Sale, Price, Breeze
Mrs. Macomber (Gun Runner), OBSPAR, $100,000, click
C-Tom McCrocklin, agent; B-Gary Contessa, agent

Ellis 6, 4:10 p.m. ET
Martini Shot (Always Dreaming), FTMMAY, $70,000, see below
C-Randy Miles, agent; B-Chris & Mackenzie Johnson

Del Mar 3, 6:06 p.m. ET
Argentina Cries (Ire) (Empire Maker), OBSAPR, $190,000, click
C-Lucan Bloodstock (Karl Keegan), agt; B-Bryan Anderson, agt

Del Mar 7, 8:07 p.m.
Broadway Girls (Army Mule), OBSJUN, $60,000, click
C-Top Line Sales LLC, agent; B-Dennis O'Neill
Electric Glide (Accelerate), OBSMAR, $250,000, click
C-Old South Farm LLC; B-West Point/Talla Racing, LEB, agent
House of Magic (Good Magic), OBSJUN, $200,000, click
C-New Horizon Farm Inc, agent; B-Peter Miller, agent
Muteki (American Pharoah), OBSMAR, $1,000,000, click
C-Top Line Sales LLC, agent; B-Donato Lanni, agent
She's Inthearmynow (Army Mule), OBSAPR, $140,000, click
C-Top Line Sales LLC, agent; B-Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC

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