Jockeys Dylan Davis and Jose Ortiz each won two stakes at the New York Showcase Day program on August 25 in Saratoga Racetrack. In the special 11-race race featuring all New York horses, including six stakes totaling $1.25 million, trainer Jorge Abreu won three races, including one of the main events.
“It’s a great program for New York breeders and owners. It’s a very rich program,” Ortiz said. “They put a lot of money into New York-bred horses here at NYRA, which is very important for the program to continue to grow. I think it’s in a great place right now. It’s great — you could see a lot of horses today.”
Ortiz finished the race with a win in the opening race ahead of Kaleem Shahs Accelerate who went unbeaten with a strong start-to-finish finish on her stakes debut in the $200,000 Seeking the Ante, a six-furlong sprint for young fillies, to kick off her stakes campaign.
Coached by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who Mitol Brauner stumbled at the start but recovered quickly and set intermediate times of :22.69, :46.07 and :58.29 on the fast main track. Accelerating was in control the whole time and was able to pull ahead by four lengths with a final time of 1:11.31. Carmen’s candy jar completed the Exacta with a lead of 1 1/4 lengths Central to success with Trail of Gold Complete the order of arrival at the finish.
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Video: In search of the Ante S. (BT)
Davis, who hails from Saratoga Springs, NY, has won 29 races at the meet, including seven stakes victories. He continued his stormy summer by beating the Christophe Clement-trained Pandagate from last to first in the $250,000 Albany feature race, a nine-furlong test for sophomores.
Pandagate wins Albany at Saratoga Racetrack.
“I love him very much,” Davis said of the later Pandagate. “I’ve used him since the beginning and Clement and the team are doing a very good job with him. He’s already taken me all over the world. He doesn’t owe us anything. He’s a really, really beautiful horse. He’s got big strides and is very competitive here in the New York Series.”
The grey Arrogate racing stable took part again in the action of the Adelphi Racing Club, the Madaket Stables, the Corms Racing Stable and the On The Rise Again Stable and won Doc Sullivan at the replica of the Exacta from the New York Derby last month at Finger Lakes.
Aggelos the Great led the five-man field through intermediate times of :24.25, :48.39 and 1:13.19, while being pursued by BD Saints Pandagate watched from the back of the field with Doc Sullivan just ahead of him in fourth. Davis signaled his charge for a wide run on the final turn as Hall of Famer Javier Castellano took the ground-saving approach with Doc Sullivan. Pandagate led down the track with Doc Sullivan straying off the inside lane in pursuit but to no avail as Pandagate won by a length in a final time of 1:51.11. It was 5 1/4 lengths back to Freedom Center in third place, Aggelos the Great and BD Saints completed the result.
Video: Albany S. (BT)
West Point
The victory in Albany came one race after Davis Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Dakota Gold to a thrilling victory when he defeated the favourite after the break Spirit of St. Louis at the finish of the $200,000 West Point, a 1 1/16-mile indoor turf handicap for three-year-olds and older.
Dakota Gold beats Spirit of St. Louis at West Point at Saratoga Racecourse
Trained by multiple stakes winner Danny Gargan Freud The 5-year-old scored his first win since Hudson Valley last July at Belmont Parkand avenged fourth place in this event last year when his returning opponent and fellow Reeves flag bearer won City person .
Dakota Gold, skilfully piloted by Davis, came from the inside position and finished last of five Jerry the Nipper started sharply from the far post and shot forward to post split times of :23.43 and :48.30 on the tough course. It all comes together in second place with City Man and Spirit of St Louis tied just behind.
Manny Franco, on Spirit of St Louis, shook the reins before the turn and his charge reacted violently, gaining ground with every step and thus entering the contest with three horses at the front of the track as Itsallcomintogetha attempted to put his head forward.
Spirit of St Louis took the lead from a determined Itsallcomintogetha at the eighth pole, but Dakota Gold was released midway and had the better of the chances, getting to his feet just in time to win by a nose with a final time of 1:41.24.
City Man ran well to take third place, a length behind, with Jerry the Nipper completing the superfecta. Itsallcomintogetha eased off and completed the order at the finish.
Video: West Point H. Presented by Trustco Bank (BT)
Fleet Indians
Lael Stables’ Landed led every step of the way and doubled his stakes score in the $200,000 Fleet Indian for fillies over nine furlongs on the main track as a sophomore.
Trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, daughter of Omaha Beach came well from post 2, took the early lead and achieved intermediate times of :24.75, :50.46 and 1:14.69 with dolomite Tracking in second place, Landed maintained her lead until the final turn when Dolomite pressed her on the outside, but Landed fought back bravely to win by 2 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:51.99.
Dolomite finished second, three lengths ahead of the rally driver My Shea D Lady with Call them, Bluff , Caldwell loves gold , Sweet brown sugar And Maggy’s Palace Complete the order of arrival at the finish.
Landed was bred by Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable and is a half-sister to the multiple graded stakes placed Venti Valentine’s Day who finished sixth in the Yaddo.
Video: Fleet Indian S. (BT)
Funny Cide
The rising star of R and H Stable Mo Plex remained undefeated with a fighting victory over SoontoKing in the $200,000 Funny Cide, a six-furlong sprint for youths.
Connections for Mo Plex celebrate victory in Funny Cide at Saratoga Race Course
Trained by Jeremiah Englehart and flown by Irad Ortiz, Jr., complexity Colt broke out from the outermost position 7 and followed the pacemaker from the outside On the hunt by intermediate times of :22.43 and :45.89. In The Chase had a precarious lead towards the end of the curve, when My Bago threatened on the inside lane, Soontobeking raced past him and shared In The Chase and Mo Plex took the lead. But with the right support of the leading rider from Spa, Mo Plex later found another gear to switch up and secure the narrow victory in a final time of 1:11.72. It was 2 1/2 lengths back to The toner in third place with In The Chase, McDiesel Mi Bago and Subscribe and rounds off the order of arrival at the finish.
Bred by Everything’s Cricket Racing and purchased for $45,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, the stallion won by 10 lengths against other state-bred horses in his debut on June 20 at Belmont at the Big A before winning by a length in the six-furlong Sanford (G3) here on July 13.
Video: Fleet Indian S. (BT)
Yaddo handicap
Stakes action ended with a surprise win by the prolific Jose Ortiz with Chris Larsen’s Moontime Daydream in the $200,000 Yaddo Handicap for fillies and foals ages 3 and up over 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf. It was the third win on the card for trainer Jorge Abreu, who won in race 3 with Silver Satin and in race 7 with Busy morning .
The Candy ride The 4-year-old was helped by the honest pace of his stablemate Venti Valentine, who charged hard from post 7 to take the lead around the first turn and posted splits of :23.82, :48.22 and 1:12.42 on the firm surface, with Moonage Daydream following in second.
Favorite by time Silver frying pan made a three-man attack at the end of the home straight, but then began to skid when Moonage Daydream took over her weakening stablemate and still had enough reserves to withstand the late onslaught of Wonderful Maude and won by 1 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:42.81.
Marvelous Maude secured first place by a neck length Whatlovelooks like which was a nose length better than Stonewall Star . Silver pan, Venti Valentine, Lisa’s vision And Spinning colors completed the finishing order.
Video: Yaddo H. (BT)
This press release has been edited for content and style by the BloodHorse team.