Steve Asmussen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Yaupon Stays Unbeaten With Snappy Amsterdam Victory

Yaupon answered another challenge thrown his way, improving to 3-for-3 in his career by wiring a six-horse field by two lengths in his stakes debut in the 28th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam for sophomores on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Yaupon was unraced as a juvenile but won his debut by a nose going six furlongs on June 20 at Churchill Downs. The Uncle Mo colt proved he could ship well in his last start, a 3 3/4-length allowance win at Saratoga on July 18, before handling the step up in class on Saturday.

Breaking well from post 2 under jockey Joel Rosario, Yaupon was sent to the front, where he registered the opening quarter-mile in 21.93 seconds and the half in 44.68 over a muddy and sealed main track after earlier rainfall.

Out of the turn, Rosario kept Yaupon focused for the stretch run, repelling any potential challenge from runner-up Basin, completing six furlongs in 1:08.50.

“He's extremely fast. He's got an elite amount of speed,” Asmussen said. “It's very important that a horse with his physical [gifts], and as fast as he is, is a graded stakes winner here at Saratoga. I think we can sit down and map out a serious future for him from here.”

Owned by L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Yaupon rewarded his 7-5 favoritism, returning $4.80 on a $2 win wager.

“He broke out of there well. I was trying to get a forward position and he put himself on the lead,” said Rosario, who notched his third win on the card. “He went on well. He's a very talented horse. He had no problem [with the surface].”

Yaupon, purchased for $255,000 at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sale, won on an off track for the first time. He nearly doubled his career earnings to $168,264.

“He had very minor issues, but it was just the physics of it when you're capable of going that fast,” Asmussen said. “We wanted to give him all the maturity we could. We were trying to follow a similar plan with him as we were with Mitole for the Heiligbrodts. They had expected to run him over the winter at the Fair Grounds, but he had another minor issue, so we erred on the side of caution as far as waiting and letting him get to 100 percent.”

Basin, making his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher, finished two lengths in front of Premier Star for second in his first start at Saratoga since winning last year's Grade 1 Hopeful.

“The winner was very good,” Pletcher said. “We were hoping for a bit of a speed duel, but it never really developed. We were pleased with the effort though.”

Wondrwherecraigis, Long Weekend and Liam's Pride completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card that features the Grade 3, $125,000 Shuvee for older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles in Race 9 at 5:46 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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Yaupon Gives Uncle Mo a Graded Double in Amsterdam

Yaupon took his record to a perfect three-for-three and became the second graded winner of the day for Uncle Mo with a victory in the GII Amsterdam S. Hustled up to the front by Joel Rosario, the dark bay clicked off an opening quarter in :21.93 with Long Weekend giving chase in second. Registering a half-mile in :44.68 with a host of pursuers ranging up menacingly, Yaupon kept on finding over the sloppy going, pulling clear in the lane for a decisive score.

“He’s extremely fast. He’s got an elite amount of speed,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “It’s very important that a horse with his physical, and as fast as he is, is a graded stakes winner here at Saratoga. I think we can sit down and map out a serious future for him from here.”

As for a potential match-up with stablemate and GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt S. winner Volatile (Violence) in the Breeders’ Cup, the Hall of Famer said, “It’s maybe why there are different people [jockeys] on them to begin with. He’s just that level. We’re very fortunate that they’re both doing so well.”

Graduating by a nose in his Churchill downs unveiling June 20, Yaupon wired a track-and-trip optional claimer July 18 and breezed a bullet three panels in :37 flat over the Oklahoma Aug. 24. Carrying the same orange and white Heiligbrodt colors as Asmussen’s champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya), the sophomore was a $355,000 KEESEP yearling, who RNA’d for $485,000 at FTFMAR before selling to these connections for $255,000 at last year’s OBS June Sale.

Asmussen explained why the colt did not debut until this year, saying, “He’s a 2-year-old that worked :20.3 at Gulfstream for the 2-year-old-in training sale. He had very minor issues, but it was just the physics of it when you’re capable of going that fast. We wanted to give him all the maturity we could. We were trying to follow a similar plan with him as we were with Mitole for the Heiligbrodts. They had expected to run him over the winter at the Fair Grounds, but he had another minor issue, so we erred on the side of caution as far as waiting and letting him get to 100%.”

Pedigree Notes:

Yaupon is the second 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo to win a graded stake at Saratoga Saturday, following Bye Bye Melvin’s win on soft turf in the GIII Saranac S. earlier on the card. He is the 64th black-type victor and 36th graded victor overall for the Coolmore stallion. The winner’s dam is GISP Modification, a saughter of SW Swift Alliance (Afleet) and a half to GSW Sky Alliance. Also the dam of MGSP Sawyer Hill, the mare’s recent produce includes a yearling filly by American Pharoah and a Good Magic colt born May of this year. The 15-year-old was bred back to Uncle Mo this spring.

Saturday, Saratoga
AMSTERDAM S.-GII, $150,000, Saratoga, 8-29, 3yo, 6f, 1:08.50, my.
1–YAUPON, 118, c, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Modification (GISP, $166,116), by Vindication
2nd Dam: Swift Alliance, by Afleet
3rd Dam: Stately Bride, by Tom Rolfe
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($350,000
Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $485,000 RNA 2yo ’19 FTFMAR; $255,000 2yo
’19 OBSOPN). O-L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt; B-Betz,
Lamantia, CoCo Equine, Magers, Burns (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0,
$168,264. *1/2 to Sawyer’s Hill (Spring At Last), MGSP,
$366,705. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Basin, 124, c, 3, Liam’s Map–Appenzell, by Johannesburg.
($150,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Jackpot Farm; B-Cottonwood
Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $30,000.
3–Premier Star, 120, c, 3, Tapiture–Letthetigerparty, by Hold
That Tiger. ($105,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo ’19
OBSOPN). ‘TDN Rising Star’ O-Sonata Stable; B-Charles H. Deters (KY); T-Michael J. Trombetta. $18,000.
Margins: 2, 2, 3HF. Odds: 1.40, 2.05, 7.70.
Also Ran: Wondrwherecraigis, Long Weekend, 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.

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Basin To Debut For Pletcher In Saturday’s Amsterdam

Jackpot Farm's Basin is entered in a sprint for the first time since his juvenile campaign, making his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher in headlining a six-horse field in the six-furlong Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

The 28th running of the Amsterdam for sophomores is one of four graded stakes on the 11-race card, highlighted by the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer for 4-year-olds and up on the inner turf in a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Keeneland. Also featured will be the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego presented by America's Best Racing for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs, and the Grade 3, $100,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds competing at one mile on the inner turf.

After registering four breezes over the Saratoga main track since July, the Liam's Map colt will be making his first start at the historic course since winning the Grade 1 Hopeful last September to cap his juvenile campaign.

Under Hall of Fame conditioner Steve Asmussen, Basin started the year on the Triple Crown trail, running third in the Grade 2 Rebel to start his 3-year-old campaign in March at Oaklawn Park. He again ran on a sloppy and sealed track next out, running fourth in the Oaklawn Stakes in April.

Keeping at the two-turn 1 1/8-mile distance, Basin won his second career Grade 1 in a division of the Arkansas Derby on May 2, crossing the wire second, six lengths back of Charlatan, who was later disqualified from purse money.

A troubled trip that saw Basin bumped at the start resulted in a 10th-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Blue Grass last out on July 11 at Keeneland. He will now return to sprinting for the first time in five starts as a sophomore, picking up the services of jockey Jose Ortiz for the first time out of the inside post.

“He's been training well and I've been pleased with his works,” Pletcher said. “We'll see how he responds to the cutback in distance.”

Long Weekend will return to the site of his lone previous graded stakes start, making his first appearance of the year against graded caliber for trainer Tom Amoss. The ultra-consistent Majesticperection colt is 4-1-0 in six career starts, with his only off-the-board effort coming in his second start last year when sixth in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.

After getting six months off, Long Weekend won his first three starts to begin his 3-year-old campaign and placed second last out in the Gold Fever going six furlongs over a sloppy and sealed Belmont Park main track on July 10. The speedy Kentucky bred has served as the pacesetter in five of his six starts and tracked in second position in the Gold Fever despite what Amoss said was a disappointing break.

“There's no secret to our game plan,” Amoss said. “He's very, very fast out the gate and we're going to try and use that speed. We were a little disappointed with how things turned out at Belmont with the track condition and not breaking well that day, which was very uncharacteristic of him. We thought he fought hard but was certainly compromised right at the start of the race. We're looking to make amends for that.”

Jockey Luis Saez will pick up the mount for the first time and will break from post 3.

Liam's Pride will look to bounce back after finishing last of 11 in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on August 1, Whitney Day, at Saratoga. But the Liam's Map colt notched a victory in the race prior, overcoming a sloppy and sealed track to win the six-furlong Gold Fever by a head on July 10 at Belmont Park.

Trained by Doug O'Neill, Liam's Pride was unraced as a juvenile but has already made nine starts this year with two wins, breaking his maiden at fourth asking in March at Oaklawn Park before his stakes win last month.

Owned by Tom Mansor, Richard Pushor, Robert Roy, Chadwick Calvert and Jerry Caroom, Liam's Pride will return the services of jockey Dylan Davis for a third straight race, drawing the outermost post 6.

“He is a really cool horse that has a lot of fight to him,” O'Neill said. “He continues to train full of energy, and Dylan Davis has a been a great addition to him as well.”

Yaupon will make his stakes debut in attempting to start his career 3-for-3 after a debut win by a nose in June at Churchill Downs. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Yaupon handled the Saratoga track well last month, besting allowance company by 3 ¾ lengths on July 18 to earn a field-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Purchased for $225,000 at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sale, Yaupon, owned by William and Corrine Heiligbrodt, is a son of Uncle Mo and is looking to give Asmussen his fourth career Amsterdam victory after previously winning with Bwana Charlie [2004], Santana Strings [2005] and Holy Boss [2015].

Joel Rosario, aboard for his win last month, will ride again, breaking from post 2.
Rounding out the field is Premier Star, a last-out winner going six furlongs at Laurel Park on August 6, for trainer Michael Trombetta [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Wondrwherecraigis, who was placed third in the Gold Fever in his previous start, for trainer Brittany Russell, drawing post 5 with Hall of Famer Javier Castellano aboard.

The Amsterdam is carded as Race 7 with a post time of 4.32 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:10 p.m. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Max Player Works at Churchill for Derby

Max Player (Honor Code), third in both the GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. behind expected GI Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law (Constitution), worked in company Monday morning at Churchill Downs as he continued his preparations for the Sept. 5 Derby. Under jockey Florent Geroux, Max Player completed a five-eighths work in :59.60 during the 15-minute window set aside exclusively for Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks contenders.

Off at approximately 7:30 a.m., Max Player began the move two lengths behind his stablemate, Allege (Uncle Mo), and finished on even terms at the wire. He recorded splits of :23.80 for the quarter and :35.80 for three furlongs, galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.60.

“He worked really well behind his workmate,” said Geroux, who was deputizing for rider Ricardo Santana, Jr., who is scheduled to have the mount for the Derby. “I think he will like the 1 1/4-mile distance in the Derby. I was working the horse this morning because Ricardo is still at Saratoga. Steve [Asmussen] has given me many great opportunities in my career so I always try to help when he needs me. I will be on [trainer] Bob Baffert’s horse Thousand Words [Pioneerof the Nile] in the Derby.”

Sporting the colors of George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp., Max Player was trained by New York-based Linda Rice through the Aug. 8 Travers before being transferred to Asmussen. Never off the board in five career starts, he opened his sophomore campaign with a win in the GIII Withers S. Feb. 1 prior to his placings in the Belmont and Travers.

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