Saratoga Report #3

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Cross Traffic (KY) – The tough luck horse of the year finally got his first stakes victory in the Whitney Handicap Saturday, and it was impressive!  After taking the field through decent fractions, and weaving in and out down the stretch, Cross Traffic was a convincing three-quarter length winner in the end.  Whether he could stretch out to nine furlongs was in question coming into this one, as well as if he was classy enough, but he left little doubt on Saturday.  The win vaults him to the top of the older male division, and puts him right into the mix of Breeders Cup Classic contenders.  Just another horse to add to Todd Pletcher’s growing list of supers stars!

– 2nd Star: Justin Phillip (KY) – If you love horse racing, then you had to LOVE seeing Justin Phillip finally get his first Grade 1 victory Sunday in the Vanderbilt Handicap.  The horse also became a millionaire with the win, and may have put himself at the top of the list when it comes to sprinters, along with his stable mate Fast Bullet.  The race set up perfectly for his fast closing style, and for the victory he earned a beyer speed figure of 109.  He’s been as honest as they come for four years now, so this was a well deserved victory.  The Breeders Cup Sprint will now be the goal for the old pro, where he should be very competitive.

– 3rd Star: Saginaw (NY) – Speaking of horses you should love, Saginaw is definitely another one to put on that list.  The amazing New York bred horse has now won 21 of 40 races, including a perfect five for five on the year!  The win also gives Saginaw $974,690 in total earning, so it’s easy to see that he should become a millionaire with his next race.  While he’s never won a graded stakes, Saginaw is still a joy to watch.  Maybe a test against out-of-state competition is in order for his next race.

Flop of the Week

– Fort Larned (KY) – Hard to figure out this one…the former Breeders Cup Classic winner has had an EVENTFUL 2013.  After losing the his jockey in the first race of the year, and a brutal performance in the Oaklawn Handicap, Fort Larned was fantastic in winning the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs last time out.  So all systems looked to be set on go for the Whitney, but instead he was a well beaten fifth.  Who knows where they will go from here, or what we can expect from him for the rest of the year.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Todd A. Pletcher	43	16	3	6	$1,929,862		37%	25	58%
2	Chad C. Brown	42	11	6	8	$897,716		26%	25	60%
3	Michael J. Maker	34	7	4	8	$409,174		21%	19	56%
3	David Jacobson	34	7	2	5	$316,828		21%	14	41%
5	Steven M. Asmussen	23	6	5	2	$608,922		26%	13	57%
5	William I. Mott	37	6	7	4	$518,232		16%	17	46%
7	George Weaver	13	5	2	1	$386,738		38%	8	62%
7	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	26	5	4	2	$365,086		19%	11	42%
9	Claude R. McGaughey III	12	4	1	4	$285,500		33%	9	75%
9	Dominic G. Galluscio	14	4	3	0	$152,775		29%	7	50%
11	Christophe Clement	25	3	3	9	$286,460		12%	15	60%
11	Rudy R. Rodriguez	34	3	6	5	$228,405		9%	14	41%
11	Dale L. Romans	16	3	2	2	$216,912		19%	7	44%
11	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	10	3	1	1	$193,794		30%	5	50%
11	Michael E. Hushion	11	3	2	1	$187,366		27%	6	55%
11	Nicholas P. Zito	25	3	3	3	$182,419		12%	9	36%
11	Wesley A. Ward	14	3	2	2	$171,225		21%	7	50%
11	Michael R. Matz	5	3	0	0	$160,216		60%	3	60%
11	Mitchell E. Friedman	9	3	0	1	$122,555		33%	4	44%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Joel Rosario	127	25	24	20	$2,047,630		20%	69	54%
2	Javier Castellano	124	22	22	22	$1,746,612		18%	66	53%
3	John R. Velazquez	93	16	11	16	$1,874,385		17%	43	46%
4	Jose Lezcano	96	12	11	14	$1,257,502		13%	37	39%
5	Junior Alvarado	60	10	5	3	$725,877		17%	18	30%
6	Luis Saez	89	9	7	9	$743,048		10%	25	28%
6	Cornelio H. Velasquez	68	9	6	8	$554,572		13%	23	34%
8	Rosie Napravnik	81	7	13	9	$668,016		9%	29	36%
8	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	90	7	11	13	$597,067		8%	31	34%
10	Jose L. Ortiz	68	6	6	6	$467,146		9%	18	26%
10	Rajiv Maragh	68	6	5	12	$414,042		9%	23	34%
12	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	49	5	2	0	$411,278		10%	7	14%
13	Robby Albarado	32	4	5	3	$337,389		13%	12	38%
13	Alex O. Solis	38	4	2	2	$278,275		11%	8	21%
13	Jose L. Espinoza	42	4	4	3	$230,112		10%	11	26%
16	Mike E. Smith	5	3	0	1	$462,800		60%	4	80%
16	Edgar S. Prado	45	3	9	7	$424,883		7%	19	42%
16	David Cohen	45	3	3	5	$210,411		7%	11	24%
19	Alan Garcia	16	2	1	1	$127,115		13%	4	25%
19	Paco Lopez	8	2	1	1	$108,130		25%	4	50%
19	Abel Lezcano	34	2	0	2	$95,207		6%	4	12%

Preview to Next Week

– Wednesday – The NYSS Cab Calloway Division Stakes – 3 Year Olds – 1 Mile (Turf) – Purse: $100,000

– Thursday – The NYSS Statue of Liberty Division Stakes – 3 Year Old Fillies – 1 Mile (Turf) – Purse: $100,000

– Friday – The National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (Grade 2) – 3 Year Olds – 1 1/16 Miles – Purse: $200,000

– Saturday – The Fourstardave Stakes (Grade 2) – 3 Year Olds and Upward – 1 Mile (Turf) – Purse: $500,000

– Sunday – The Adirondack Stakes (Grade 2) – 2 Year Old Fillies – 6 1/2 Furlongs – Purse: $200,000

– Sunday – The Saratoga Special (Grade 2) – 2 Year Olds – 6 1/2 Furlongs – Purse: $200,000

– Monday – Coronation Cup – 3 Year old Fillies – 5 1/2 Furlongs (Turf) – Purse: $100,000