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Aspray Back in Winner’s Circle in Lake Placid

Ran Jan Racing's immaculately bred Aspray (Quality Road), who tasted defeat for the first time in her career in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. July 8, atoned for that effort in no uncertain terms with a powerful two-length victory over her previously unbeaten stablemate Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}) in Saturday's GII Lake Placid S. at Saratoga. Soviet Excess (Uncle Mo) charged home late to deny a Chad Brown 1-2-3 sweep, finishing just ahead of favored Tax Implications (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}).

Drawn beautifully in gate two, Aspray bounced away in good order and secured the ideal position in transit, riding the rails as Heavenly Sunset (Candy Ride {Arg}) led from Gloria's Princess (Cairo Prince) at an even gallop. Traveling sweetly beneath Flavien Prat for the run into the final half-mile, Aspray was waited with nearing the quarter pole, popped off the inside and into the three-wide line to deliver her challenge in upper stretch. The homebred quickly put the pacesetters to the sword with about a furlong and a half to race, pinched a winning break and was never in any sort of danger. Surge Capacity appeared to take an awkward stride or two in a bit tight down the backstretch, but had a clear shot at the winner in the stretch and just couldn't reel her in.

Victorious in an off-turf maiden on Tampa debut Jan. 14, Aspray followed up with a facile 2 1/2-length success trying the grass for the first time in Oldsmar Mar. 22. With Prat in the boot for the first time, the bay made up a double-digit deficit with a wide rally to take out the May 19 Hilltop S. at Pimlico and was wide on both turns last time in the 10-furlong Oaks, finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind European raider Aspen Grove (Ire) (Justify) in fourth.

“[Aspray relished the] cutback in distance and she really appreciated the ground today, too,” said Brown, winning his fifth Lake Placid in the last seven years and third straight. “She didn't mind a little cut in the ground. She worked out a beautiful trip from that inside post. Flavien [Prat] really took advantage of that.

“I trained her a little too far last time, but you had to try since it was such a prestigious race we were pointing towards. I thought she could do it. Flavien [Prat] knows the horse so well, he came back after the race and he was adamant about the race being a little too far for her and that we should cut her back in distance to 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles and we'll be fine. He was right.”

Brown indicated that Aspray would likely make her next start in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland over nine panels in October, an event he won last year with Gina Romantica (Into Mischief).

Pedigree Notes:

Aspray is a 35th worldwide winner at the group/graded level for Lane's End's Quality Road and is bred on the exact same cross as Cairo (Ire), a Group 3 winner last season at two in Ireland and most recently runner-up to Paddington (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas in May. Aspray is the 164th GSW worldwide out of a daughter of the late Galileo.

Aspray's dam was raced by the Coolmore partners, finishing runner-up to Beauty Parlour (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in 2012 before returning to Ireland to win the G3 Dance Design S. and G2 Blandford S. Robert Naify and Jan Vandebos's Ran Jan Racing paid a sales-topping $2.2 million for Up, in foal to War Front, at the 2015 Keeneland January Sale.

The mare, a half-sister to Group 1-winning juvenile and Cheveley Park sire Dutch Art (GB) (Medicean {GB}), has proven a commercial success and her offspring have done their part at the races. Her foal of 2017, Monarch of Egypt, became the first winner and 'TDN Rising Star' for American Pharoah and went on to be second in the 2019 G1 Phoenix S. for the Coolmore partners. He was later sold to Hong Kong interests, was unplaced in the 2021 BMW Hong Kong Derby and is now conditioned by the Hayes brothers in Victoria, Australia, where he won in handicap company in May. Khartoum (Pioneerof the Nile), a $1-million KEESEP grad in 2019, was Group 3-placed for Coolmore in Ireland and was sold to continue his career in Saudi Arabia, where he was an 8 1/2-length winner in allowance company at King Khalid Racecourse in Ta'if Aug. 4.

Up's yearling Medaglia d'Oro filly is cataloged as hip 384 to the upcoming Keeneland September Sale. She was among the first book of mares bred to Flightline this season.

Saturday, Saratoga
LAKE PLACID S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-19, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.85, gd.
1–ASPRAY, 120, f, 3, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Up (Ire) (MGSW-Ire, G1SP-Fr, $379,468),
                                by Galileo (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Halland Park Lass (Ire), by Spectrum (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Palacegate Episode (Ire), by Drumalis (Ire)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Ran Jan Racing, Inc. (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $110,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-0-0, $226,210. *1/2 to Monarch of Egypt (American
Pharoah), G1SP-Ire, GSP-Eng, $268,084. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Surge Capacity, 122, f, 3, Flintshire (GB)–Strong Incentive, by
Warrior's Reward. O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown. $40,000.
3–Soviet Excess, 118, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Westit (GB), by Tapit.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 2, HD, NK. Odds: 3.35, 4.20, 28.25.
Also Ran: Tax Implications (GB), Prerequisite, Gloria's Princess, Heavenly Sunday, Junipermarshmallow. Scratched: Leave No Trace, Undervalued Asset.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Travers Candidates Breeze On Both Coasts

No fewer than four of the seven 3-year-olds expected for Saturday's GI Travers S. got their final tune-ups Saturday morning, three over the Saratoga main track and one at Del Mar.

Mage (Good Magic), the GI Kentucky Derby hero who figures no worse than the second betting choice behind Forte (Violence) in the 10-furlong feature, breezed three-quarters of a mile in 1:15.56 for trainer Gustavo Delgago. In what was described as a maintenance move beneath exercise rider J.J. Delgado, the son of former 'TDN Rising Star' Puca (Big Brown) went in splits of :13.60, :26.40 and :50.40 before galloping out seven panels in 1:29.33.

“He did well. It was just a maintenance breeze,” said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., assistant to his father. “He did exactly what my Dad told J.J. to do. He wanted 1:15 or 1:16 for six furlongs and that's exactly what he did.”

It was the third work locally for Mage, who will look to step forward off a runner-up effort in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. July 22.

“He likes it here. It's been three weeks already that we're here and he shows us all the good signs,” Delgado, Jr. said. “It helps him to be at the track with time. In the Preakness, we arrived Wednesday and ran Saturday and for the Haskell it was the same thing, we got there earlier in the week and ran that Saturday. But here, he's been able to adapt.”

 

 

 

Forte, who did not wear blinkers in his four-furlong workout that was timed in :48.33 last Saturday, was refitted with the equipment Saturday morning and covered a similar distance in :50.50 in the company of his year-older stablemate Bright Future (Curlin).

“He looked super, was moving really well and got into a nice rhythm,” said Pletcher of the recent GII Jim Dandy S. winner. “Sometimes if you put them [blinkers] on all the time, you lose a little effect. We were just looking to keep him as good as he is going into this. We got a good, steady work and a good strong gallop out. He was well within himself throughout and I think he's moving terrific. He seems really happy, so we're trying to just keep him happy.”

Stable companion 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit) was wearing blinkers for the first time Saturday morning when going a half-mile on his own in :49.22. Jose Ortiz, who replaces Luis Saez aboard the gray colt, was in the irons. Saez picks up the ride on Mage, while Javier Castellano sticks with GI Belmont S. hero Arcangelo (Arrogate).

“His weakness so far has been getting out of the gate and getting into a good position,” said Pletcher. “We're hoping that will help a little with that, maybe keep him a little more focused throughout the race. We galloped him earlier in the week with blinkers and he seemed to be dialed in a little more, and it seemed like that was the case breezing this morning.”

 

 

 

National Treasure (Quality Road), who defeated Mage into third in the GI Preakness S. May 20, went five furlongs over the Del Mar main track in 1:00.40 Saturday morning.

“It went well,” said trainer Bob Baffert, who took the blinkers off the colt and will leave them off for the Travers. “I was happy with him and everything went as planned. He's doing well and we're looking forward to it.”

National Treasure, a latest sixth in the Belmont, is scheduled to depart Southern California Tuesday, weather permitting, and will be accompanied by 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Lion (Justify), winner of the GI Woody Stephens S., and GIII Dwyer S. hero Fort Bragg (Tapit), each an intended runner in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. One horse that will not make the trip is Reincarnate (Good Magic), who will pass the Travers in favor of the GI Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 23.

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Vino Rosso Colt Skips Home First at Saratoga

2nd-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-19, 2yo, 1m (off turf), 1:39.24, ft, 5 lengths.
DANCING GROOM (c, 2, Vino Rosso–Snow Dancer, by Bernardini) skipped clear down the lane to become the sixth winner for his freshman sire (by Curlin). A 9-2 shot in this off-turf stretch-out to a mile, the chestnut colt was hustled to keep pace with the early leaders, but was shuffled back to midpack down the backstretch. He rolled into contention with a three-wide move on the far turn, took charge at the top of the lane and strolled home a five-length winner. Houlton (American Pharoah) was second and Divine Empire (Classic Empire) was third. A well-beaten sixth in his six-furlong debut over the Saratoga main track July 22, Dancing Groom was a $37,000 KEESEP yearling and a $60,000 OBS March graduate. Snow Dancer produced a filly by Mo Town last year and was barren this year before being bred back to Enticed. The winner's third dam, Snowflake (Ire) (Caerleon), produced multiple graded winner Upperline (Maria's Mon). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $58,380.
O-Eduardo Soto; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Antonio Sano.

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Gun Runner Colt Wires the Field in Spa Opener

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-19, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.75, ft, 4 1/2 lengths.
RISK IT (c, 2, Gun Runner–Wedding Jitters, by Broken Vow), sent off the 8-5 favorite, wired the field for a debut victory at Saratoga Saturday. A $500,000 Keeneland September purchase, the chestnut colt jumped out to the early lead and was clear through a quarter in :22.60 and a half in :46.00. He shrugged off a challenge from Hunt Ball (Into Mischief) at midstretch and strode clear under a hand ride to graduate by 4 1/2 lengths. Wedding Jitters has a yearling filly by Laoban and, without a foal this year, was bred back to Nyquist. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750.
O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Three Chimneys Farm; B-Gun Runner Syndicate & De Sousa Stables & Cranford Bloodstock LTD (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

 

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