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Saratoga Report #3

Saratoga Report #3

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: HONOR CODE – There is no doubting it now…Honor Code is the number one older horse in American after a thrilling come from behind win in the Whitney Handicap.  Several pundits (including me) felt this horse might not be at his best going two turns, but he proved us wrong as he ran down Liam’s Map late to prevail this weekend.  The ride on Liam’s Map was questionable, however it doesn’t at all discount what Honor Code accomplished.  From here on out the big challenge will be to keep Honor Code healthy, and to get him to the Breeders Cup in the best shape possible.

– 2nd Star: CAVORTING – Cavorting loves Saratoga!  Last year she captured a Grade 2 Stakes victory at Saratoga, and now this year she returned to win the Grade 1 Test Stakes.  It’s obvious that one turn races are her thing now, and she’s proving to be very classy at this distance.  Her win in the Test couldn’t have looked much easier as she coasted by horses in mid-stretch to win going away.  In the past they’ve had trouble keeping her healthy, but if they can get her to the Breeders Cup she might fit in well with Filly and Mare Sprint Division.

– 3rd Star: BAY OF PLENTY – The Alydar Stakes on Sunday was supposed to be all about the return of Palace Malice, but Bay of Plenty was able to steal the show in front running fashion.  He basically dominated this field of tough older horses on the front end and never looked back.  This was his fifth win in nine stats, and his first stakes win as well.  After a performance like this you would have to think a race like the Woodward will now be on the schedule for this talented individual.

Flop of the Week

– TAKE CHARGE BRANDI – The 2 Year Old filly of the year returned for the first time since January in the Test Stakes on Saturday and looked good for the first half of the race, but faded badly to finish dead last.  The good news is she’s perfectly healthy, but the bad new is she didn’t look anywhere near the same as she did last year.  Her second start off the layoff will tell us a lot as she could have just been short this time out.

Trainer Standings

Rank Trainer Name Starts 1stDescending 2nd 3rd Earnings Win % Top 3 Top 3%
1 Todd A. Pletcher 62 19 9 5 $1,936,818 31% 33 53%
2 Chad C. Brown 58 14 6 8 $1,135,118 24% 28 48%
3 William I. Mott 44 8 12 6 $797,683 18% 26 59%
4 Kiaran P. McLaughlin 19 7 5 2 $811,034 37% 14 74%
5 Christophe Clement 29 5 2 4 $701,032 17% 11 38%
5 John P. Terranova, II 13 5 1 1 $252,110 38% 7 54%
7 David Jacobson 31 4 3 6 $230,180 13% 13 42%
7 Michael J. Maker 29 4 3 4 $214,897 14% 11 38%
7 Claude R. McGaughey III 17 4 3 2 $925,690 24% 9 53%
10 Rudy R. Rodriguez 27 3 5 7 $235,416 11% 15 56%
10 Gary C. Contessa 34 3 7 3 $213,692 9% 13 38%
10 Steven M. Asmussen 22 3 4 2 $358,885 14% 9 41%
10 H. Graham Motion 26 3 4 2 $293,641 12% 9 35%
10 Joe Sharp 12 3 0 2 $159,875 25% 5 42%
10 Thomas Albertrani 31 3 2 3 $207,882 10% 8 26%

Jockey Standings

Rank Jockey Name Starts 1stDescending 2nd 3rd Earnings Win % Top 3 Top 3%
1 Irad Ortiz, Jr. 112 25 10 19 $1,811,303 22% 54 48%
2 John R. Velazquez 92 22 13 5 $2,061,900 24% 40 43%
3 Javier Castellano 122 21 17 15 $2,388,968 17% 53 43%
4 Joel Rosario 93 11 17 7 $1,125,811 12% 35 38%
5 Jose L. Ortiz 97 10 10 11 $937,201 10% 31 32%
5 Luis Saez 95 10 12 11 $888,083 11% 33 35%
5 Junior Alvarado 77 10 9 9 $811,404 13% 28 36%
5 Jose Lezcano 73 10 8 5 $888,782 14% 23 32%
9 Eric Cancel 64 6 6 6 $435,483 9% 18 28%
9 Kendrick Carmouche 57 6 8 3 $475,750 11% 17 30%

Preview to Next Week

Wed., Aug. 12 Birdstone* $100,000 3&UP 1 3/4 (Dirt)
Thu., Aug. 13 NYSS Statue of Liberty Division $100,000 F3YO 1 Mile (Turf)
Fri., Aug. 14 Maker’s Mark Lake Placid II $300,000 F3YO 1 1/8 (Turf)
Sat., Aug. 15 Fourstardave Handicap II $500,000 3&UP 1 Mile (Turf)
Sat., Aug. 15 Adirondack II $200,000 F2YO 6 1/2 Furlongs (Dirt)
Mon., Aug. 17 Saratoga Dew (NYB) $100,000 F&M 3&UP 1 1/8 (Dirt)

 

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