2023 With Anticipation Stakes Preview | Carson’s Run Carries Strong Momentum At Saratoga

West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey’s Carson’s Run brings a strong debut win for trainer Christophe Clement over a route of ground into Thursday’s Grade 3, $175,000 With Anticipation, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.

The With Anticipation is slated as Race 7 on Thursday’s 10-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.  

The son of Cupid arrives at his first test against winners from a determined neck triumph on July 29 at the Spa, where he traveled five lengths off the pace under Dylan Davis and steadily made up ground over the With Anticipation’s distance to challenge for the lead at the top of the lane. The talented chestnut dueled gamely with Moonlight down the stretch before taking a slim advantage at the wire and completing the course in 1:44.40.

Carson’s Run has worked back three times since his victory, most recently covering five furlongs in 1:03.25 over the Oklahoma turf training track on Thursday.

“He had a good work on the grass the other day. He’s trained very forwardly and we’re looking forward to running him again here at Saratoga,” said Miguel Clement, son and assistant to Christophe Clement. “Dylan has been breezing him in the mornings. He’s always been high on the horse from Day One. The horse has a good turn of foot, and I wouldn’t swap positions with anyone else heading into this race.”

Carson’s Run will have plenty of support on Thursday as friends and supporters of the colt’s namesake, Carson Jost, rally around Carson’s Run and his attempt at becoming racing’s latest graded stakes-winner. Jost, 30, suffers from a genetic condition called Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. His father, Wade Jost, is a longtime friend of West Point Thoroughbreds’ President and CEO Terry Finley and is a partner in the horse’s ownership.

Carson’s Run is out of the winning Henny Hughes mare Hot N Hectic, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Rated R Superstar. His second dam, Wicked Wish, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Wishful Tomcat and multiple stakes-winner Uncle T Seven.

Davis will look to pilot Carson’s Run to a meaningful victory from post 8.

Clement will also send out debut maiden runner-up Spirit Prince [post 2, Flavien Prat] for owners Oakwood Stables, Scott Krase, Donarra Thoroughbreds, Kenneth Beitz and Gail Beitz. The gray son of Cairo Prince, who adds blinkers, finished a closing second in the 1 1/16-mile maiden on July 22, finishing just a half-length back of the victorious Noted, who exited that race to win Monmouth Park’s one-mile Sapling on Saturday. He was a $110,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Les Wagner’s graded stakes-placed Market Street tries turf for the first time after a distant runner-up effort to Rhyme Schemes in the Grade 2 Herb Moelis Memorial Saratoga Special on August 12. Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, the son of Street Sense established early command under Jaime Torres, but could not fend off the strong turn of foot from Rhyme Schemes and was defeated 9 1/2 lengths.

Market Street makes his third appearance at the Spa this summer, his other start a pacesetting sixth in the Grade 3 Sanford on July 15. He was an impressive debut winner in June at Ellis Park when setting the pace in a five-furlong maiden tilt and drawing clear to a 3 3/4-length score.

A $475,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, Market Street is out of the Quality Road mare Quality Way, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Super Ninety Nine, as well as multiple stakes-winner Elusive Horizon. He will emerge from post 4 in rein to Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will be represented by two debut winners in Carem Stables’ Get Spooled [post 5, Jose Lezcano] and Arnmore Thoroughbreds and Even Keel Thoroughbreds’ Gala Brand [post 1, Jose Ortiz].

Get Spooled, a New York-bred son of Hard Spun, was a determined winner traveling the With Anticipation distance on August 3 against fellow state-breds, scoring the wire-to-wire triumph by three-quarter lengths over next-out winner Dancing Mischief. His dam, the Street Cry mare Cuccidati, is a half-sister to turf stakes winner Spycraft, as well as the stakes-placed Cave Run. Get Spooled, bred by Waterville Lake Stable, was purchased for $230,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale.

Gala Brand, a chestnut Violence filly, will take on the boys on the heels of a deep-closing victory in a restricted maiden special weight on August 3 sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs. She rallied from 14 lengths off the pace impressively under Jose Lezcano to chase four-wide into turn and kick clear in the lane to a 2 1/4-length score that was awarded a field-best 71 Beyer Speed Figure. Out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Lord of England mare Olorda, Gala Brand was a $30,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Completing the field are Wine Collector [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.], who won at third asking for conditioner Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon; maiden runner-up British Sea [post 6, Manny Franco] for trainer Mike Maker; and debut maiden winner Nomos [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.