Saratoga Report #6

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Will Take Charge (KY) – Much to the delight of the Racing Dudes and Oaklawn fans everywhere, Will Take Charge waited to get on the big stage at Saratoga before finally breaking through with two big races in a row.  After struggling through the Triple Crown, the 17 hand chestnut was a solid second in the Jim Dandy, before running the race of his life and winning the Travers last Saturday.  He sat the perfect trip with rider Luis Saez aboard, and was able to make up three to four lengths in the stretch to nip Moreno right on the wire.  The win also made Will Take Charge a millionaire, and puts him into the mix for three-year old of the year.  The Pennsylvania  Derby or Jockey Club Gold Cup will be next for him, with the long-term goal being the Breeders Cup Classic.

– 2nd Star: Royal Delta (KY) – While Will Take Charge won the tracks biggest race, the biggest performance of the weekend may have come from two-time defending Breeders Cup Ladies champion Royal Delta.  After struggling a bit to start the year, Royal Delta has returned to her flawless form, winning the last two races with no trouble whatsoever.  It’s interesting to note that her last two races have been without Lasix, a move that must be credited to trainer Bill Mott.  She is without a doubt the number one older mare in the country, and should be heading into the Breeders Cup in perfect shape.

– 3rd Star: Capo Bastone (KY) – The OTHER Pletcher horse got the job done in the King’s Bishop!  The race came up as one of the stronger races of the year, and as expected the pace up front was very hot.  It was expected that Forty Tales or Declan’s Warrior would be the faster of the closing horses, but it was Capo Bastone that made the strongest of the late charges, and he easily passed Mentor Cane to win by two lengths.  Since shortening up to sprint races Capo Bastone has improved tremendously, but still he paid $58.50 for a $2 win bet on Saturday.  No plans are set in stone for him yet, but he may have tossed his hat into the Breeders Cup Sprint discussion with this solid effort.

Flop of the Week

– Verrazano (KY) – When you are a heavy favorite and you get a trip like Verrazano got, you are supposed to win.  It’s obvious the mile and one-quarter just isn’t up his alley, although there is still plenty of value with him.  Shortening him up to a mile is probably the next step, and you would have to think he will be awfully tough to beat at that distance as long as he’s healthy.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Todd A. Pletcher	106	32	14	15	$3,881,667		30%	61	58%
2	Chad C. Brown	75	21	14	16	$2,077,018		28%	51	68%
3	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	51	13	7	5	$1,005,136		25%	25	49%
3	David Jacobson	64	13	8	7	$701,543		20%	28	44%
5	William I. Mott	74	11	9	6	$1,198,764		15%	26	35%
5	Steven M. Asmussen	49	11	10	9	$897,569		22%	30	61%
5	Michael J. Maker	72	11	10	11	$662,074		15%	32	44%
8	George Weaver	38	9	4	6	$664,054		24%	19	50%
8	Dominic G. Galluscio	35	9	8	3	$417,353		26%	20	57%
10	Rudy R. Rodriguez	67	8	11	9	$520,080		12%	28	42%
11	Bruce N. Levine	45	6	9	5	$424,407		13%	20	44%
11	Anthony W. Dutrow	24	6	4	3	$357,008		25%	13	54%
13	Claude R. McGaughey III	30	5	2	9	$529,380		17%	16	53%
13	Christophe Clement	44	5	9	13	$526,705		11%	27	61%
13	Dominick Schettino	36	5	5	2	$395,181		14%	12	33%
13	Bruce R. Brown	43	5	5	7	$390,615		12%	17	40%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Javier Castellano	269	54	45	53	$4,360,374		20%	152	57%
2	Joel Rosario	221	41	41	32	$3,209,172		19%	114	52%
3	John R. Velazquez	202	39	29	29	$4,058,223		19%	97	48%
4	Jose Lezcano	170	24	25	26	$2,454,093		14%	75	44%
5	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	210	22	19	33	$2,071,290		10%	74	35%
6	Junior Alvarado	140	21	12	10	$1,440,062		15%	43	31%
7	Jose L. Ortiz	164	19	16	21	$1,510,926		12%	56	34%
7	Cornelio H. Velasquez	145	19	15	15	$1,215,521		13%	49	34%
9	Rosie Napravnik	140	15	21	16	$1,259,989		11%	52	37%
9	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	113	15	11	2	$1,090,709		13%	28	25%
11	Luis Saez	192	14	19	21	$1,920,623		7%	54	28%
12	Rajiv Maragh	137	10	15	24	$854,866		7%	49	36%
13	Edgar S. Prado	98	7	15	11	$950,662		7%	33	34%
14	Mike E. Smith	26	6	1	3	$1,096,114		23%	10	38%
14	Alex O. Solis	77	6	11	11	$603,116		8%	28	36%
14	Jose L. Espinoza	61	6	4	4	$331,309		10%	14	23%

Preview to Next Week

– Wednesday: The P.G. Johnson Stakes – Two Year Old Fillies – 1 1/16 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $100,000

– Thursday: The With Anticipation Stakes (Grade 2) – Two Year Olds – 1 1/16 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $200,000

– Friday: The Riskaverse Stakes – Three Year Old Fillies – One Mile (Turf) – Purse: $100,000

– Saturday: The Bernard Branch Handicap (Grade 2) – Three Year Olds and Upward – 1 1/16 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $250,000

– Saturday: The Forego Stakes (Grade 1) – Three Year Olds and Upward – Seven Furlongs – Purse: $500,000

– Saturday: The Woodward Stakes (Grade 1) – Three Year Olds and Upward – 1 1/8 Miles – Purse: $750,000

– Sunday: The Saranac Stakes (Grade 3) – Three Year Olds – 1 1/8 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $150,000

– Sunday: The Spinaway Stakes (Grade 1) – Two Year Old Fillies – Seven Furlongs – Purse: $300,000

– Monday: The Glen Falls Stakes (Grade 3) – Fillies and Mares Three Year Olds and Upward – 1 3/8 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $150,000

– Monday: The Hopeful Stakes (Grade 1) – Two Year Olds – Seven Furlongs – Purse: $300,000