Alydar Preview: Endorsed Returns to the Spa

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s Endorsed stretches back out while getting much-needed class relief as he returns to the Spa in Sunday’s $85,000 Alydar Stakes at Saratoga.

The Alydar is a 1 1/8-mile dirt route restricted to horses ages 4 and up who have not won a stakes race (other than state-bred) in 2020. This year’s edition attracted a field of six, has a local post time of 5:50 PM Eastern, and is slated as the penultimate event on a 10-race card.

Here is a look at the full field for the Alydar:

1. Endorsed 7/5 – The Godolphin homebred takes a significant class drop after failing to threaten against several of the nation’s top older males in the Met Mile (G1) last time out. He broke his maiden on debut here in 2018, ran a solid second in the 2019 Curlin Stakes over this course and distance, and gets Joel Rosario back aboard for the fourth straight time.

2. Backsideofthemoon 15/1 – His current connections tagged the 8-year-old gelding for $100k out of a 1-mile optional claiming event at Aqueduct last fall and entered him in 3 stakes, placing in 2. Away for three months, he was fourth upon return in early June while going 1 mile at Belmont Park and is a candidate to improve in his second start off the bench.

3. Spinoff 5/1 – He was third in the 2018 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) and dominated an optional claiming event over this course and distance last August. Though winless in 3 appearances since then, he was missed winning the 1 1/8-mile Sunday Silence Stakes by a neck in May and will have Irad Ortiz, Jr., aboard for the fourth straight start.

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4. Its All Relevant 6/1 – Claimed for $32k last December, he posted a career-best 100 Beyer speed figure while trouncing optional claimers in a 1 1/8-mile route at Aqueduct in March. He backed that up by earning a 99 Beyer in his next and most recent start, a 1 1/16-mile victory at Belmont Park, and that race’s runner-up returned to win at the same level in his next start.

5. Bodexpress 5/2 – One of the nuttiest horses in the graded stakes ranks knows one way to race: bolt from the gate (preferably with his jockey still aboard) and try to run his foes off their feet. He’s struggled to sustain his speed against other early pace runners in graded stakes, but if he manages to shake clear heading into the first turn, he could prove difficult to catch. 

6. Tenfold 4/1 – He won the 2018 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) on the front end over this course and distance, then rallied from the rear to win the 2019 Pimlico Special (G3), his last victory. He was most recently third in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) behind Improbable, who returned to win the Whitney Stakes (G1) last weekend.