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Cody’s Wish Runs Down Jackie’s Warrior in Forego

Previously unbeaten at Saratoga and for the season, champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) became the latest victim of the “Graveyard of Champions” Saturday when run down late by the ever-improving Cody's Wish (Curlin).

The 1-9 favorite hustled up to dictate terms and was pressed by longshot Pipeline (Speightstown) through a :22.75 opening quarter and :45.10 half-mile while 8-1 shot Cody's Wish raced in a joint last. Jackie's Warrior turned for home in front with a stubborn Pipeline breathing down his neck and Cody's Wish winding up out in the center of the track. Jackie's Warrior shook loose as three quarters went up in 1:08.76 and appeared home free. However, Cody's Wish was just hitting his best stride and swept by the favorite just a few steps from the wire to spring the upset by 1 1/4 lengths. Pipeline held on for third.

“I really thought the style of this race would suit this horse. I was glad to see somebody going with [Jackie's Warrior], for sure,” said winning trainer Bill Mott, who also trained fourth-place finisher Baby Yoda (Prospective). “I didn't think it was going to be either of mine. I thought both of ours were going to settle back. I didn't know whether we were going to be laying second, third or fourth, and actually Cody's Wish was back a little further. I thought he'd be a little closer to the pace early, but as it turned out it was good that somebody entertained Jackie's Warrior a little bit. When he cut the corner at the three-eighths pole, I saw him moving. I know when he starts moving, he keeps moving.”

“When we turned for home and I saw Jackie's Warrior didn't take off, at that point we're taking a good shot at it, and right by the eighth pole I had a good feeling at that point,” said winning rider Junior Alvarado. “I still never underestimated Jackie's Warrior, but by the eighth-pole I definitely was all out and I knew it was going to happen today.”

Graduating at fourth asking at Churchill in October, Cody's Wish followed suit with a pair of allowance wins beneath the Twin Spires in November. Missing by a neck in Tampa's GIII Challenger S. Mar. 12, the homebred romped in Belmont's GIII Westchester S. in the slop May 7, running a 104 Beyer Speed Figure. He entered this off a win in Churchill's Hanshin S. July 4.

Pedigree Notes:

Cody's Wish is the 19th Grade I winner for his legendary sire Curlin. Sheikh Mohammed's operation purchased the winner's Grade I-winning dam Dance Card for $750,000 as a 2-year-old at the FTKFEB sale. All three of her foals to race are black-type runners with the other two being MGSP Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro) and SP Bocephus (Medaglia d'Oro). Her recent produce includes a yearling colt by Into Mischief and a 2022 filly by Street Sense. The 13-year-old mare was bred back to Gun Runner.

Saturday, Saratoga
FOREGO S.-GI, $589,000, Saratoga, 8-27, 4yo/up, 7f, 1:20.95, ft.
1–CODY'S WISH, 120, c, 4, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Dance Card (GISW, $502,200), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Tempting Note, by Editor's Note
                3rd Dam: Tempt, by Devil's Bag
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $320,000. Lifetime Record: 10-6-1-3, $812,130. *1/2 to Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro), MGSP, $676,544. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Jackie's Warrior, 124, c, 4, Maclean's Music–Unicorn Girl, by A. P. Five Hundred. ($95,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-J. Kirk and Judy Robison; B-J & J Stables (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $112,000.
3–Pipeline, 118, c, 4, Speightstown–Vivo Per Lei, by Empire Maker. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services; B-Eurowest Bloodstock Services LTD. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2 1/4, 6. Odds: 8.00, 0.15, 15.50.
Also Ran: Baby Yoda, Drafted, Three Two Zone, Kneedeepinsnow.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPshttp://www.equineline.com/tdn/pedigree.cfm?tk=SAR&cy=USA&rd=09/07/2015&rn=9&de=D &ref=9104432. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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‘Funtastic Again’ Provides First Win For Funtastic

2nd-Saratoga, $101,850, Msw, 8-27, 2yo, 1m (off turf), 1:38.44, ft, 6 1/2 lengths.
FUNTASTIC AGAIN (c, 2, Funtastic–Repeta, by Broken Vow), seventh on debut after chasing the pace and fading late over Belmont's turf course July 1, drew in as a main track only entry Saturday and got the 9-5 nod for his second career start. Despite being difficult through the loading process and breaking last of the field, Funtastic Again, wearing blinkers for the first time, rushed up in a three-wide move to assume command seven furlongs from home. Showing the way from just off the rail down the backstretch, he stayed relaxed even as Triple Start (American Pharoah) came through on the inside to challenge. Given his cue into the far turn, Funtastic Again shook off that rival for good past the quarter pole and drew off, cruising home to win geared down by 6 1/2 lengths. The first winner for his freshman sire (by the late More Than Ready), Funtastic Again is already a half-brother to a pair of stakes horses in Lady Glamour (Discreet Cat), GSP, $126,170 and Mucho Del Oro (Mucho Macho Man), SW, $245,000. His only younger sibling is a weanling half-sister by Volatile, while his dam was bred back to Not This Time for 2023. Funtastic, a half-brother to both the dam of Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and horse of the year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado), currently stands at Three Chimneys Farm for a fee of $5,000. Sales History: $60,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $58,290. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Goncalo B. Torrealba); B-BHMFR, LLC (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward.

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Bisou Bro Justifies Favoritism in Spa Opener

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-27, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.26, ft, 1 3/4 lengths.
VERIFYING (c, 2, Justify–Diva Delite {GSW, $300,067}, by Repent), a half to none other than Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Ch. Older Dirt Female, MGISW, $3,971,500, ran to advanced billing to take a typically tough-looking Travers Day maiden as the 3-5 favorite. Debuting with blinkers on, the bay broke well and took a short lead to post splits of :22.90 and :46.04. He turned for home a bit wide, allowing Track Mate (Union Rags–Teammate) to challenge to his inside at the top of the lane. The pair seemed to make contact as Verifying shifted in when switching leads, but the chalk quickly righted the ship and leveled off well to pull clear late by 1 3/4 lengths while providing his hot-starting, Triple Crown-winning sire (by Scat Daddy) with an 11th winner. Track Mate, sixth in his turf route unveiling for D. Wayne Lukas, held second over Parx invader and fellow second timer Didinger (Bolt d'Oro). King's Glory (Speightstown), the $575,000 half-brother to GSW Dr. Dorr (Lookin At Lucky), was fourth. The winner is also half to precocious Stage Left (Congrats), SP, $345,808 and a foal colt by Uncle Mo. Diva Delite, who fetched $1.2 million from David Redvers while carrying Verifying at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November sale, was bred to Gun Runner for 2023. Sales Sales history: $775,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Jonathan Poulin, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith & Michael B. Tabor; B-Hunter Valley & Mountmellick Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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Ballerina Solos Sunday at Saratoga

Typically part of Saratoga's Runhappy Travers Super Saturday card, the GI Ballerina H. gets the spotlight all to itself this year as the lone graded event on Sunday's card. It is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint S.

Champion Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) could only manage third behind the fleet-footed Gamine (Into Mischief) in last year's Ballerina, but a victory in the Breeders' Cup more than made up for it. Just like last year, she enters this test off a tour de force in the GII Princess Rooney S. at Gulfstream July 2.

“We're kind of following the same pattern we followed last year. I thought she ran well at Saratoga last year and I'm looking forward to having another crack at it again this year,” the southern California-based conditioner Michael McCarthy said. “She obviously ran into a very good filly in Gamine but she showed up, and I think she's doing just as well this year if not better than she was last year at this time.”

Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) and Obligatory (Curlin) finished one-two in Belmont's GII Bed o'Roses S. last out June 10 and the Grade I-winning duo return here. Bella Sofia's career high came over this track-and-trip last year in the GI Test S. and Obligatory got her Grade I two back in the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat) dominated the GIII Go For Wand H. last year and enters off a front-running score in Churchill's GIII Chicago S. June 25.

Female sprinters also highlight Del Mar's Sunday card with the GIII Rancho Bernardo H. It's topped by Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint runner-up Edgeway (Competitive Edge).

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