Listing Makes the Grade in Quick Call

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Already a three-time stakes winner in his native California, Reddam Racing’s homebred Listing broke through for his first career graded score when he broke through late to take Thursday’s $100,000 Quick Call Stakes (G3) at Saratoga.

Breaking from post 4 under Joel Rosario as the 7/5 favorite, Listing bumped with Elektronic and Call Paul shortly out of the gate and soon found himself near the rear. Up front, Call Paul pressured early leader Abyssinian, the field’s lone filly, through opening fractions of :21.68 and :45.54.

Still saving ground toward the rear as the field rounded the far turn, Rosario waited until the field straightened for home before he tipped Listing out. Splitting rivals and coming with a sudden rush up the middle of the lane, Listing steadily dug into new leader Neverland Rock‘s advantage with every step. Taking over a handful of jumps from the wire, the Ben Cecil-trained Listing eventually crossed with a 1/2-length advantage in a final time of 1:03.94 for the 5 1/2-furlong sprint over the yielding outer turf course.

“He has speed and he broke sharp and it looked for a second that he wanted to be where he was,” said Rosario, whose three wins on Saratoga’s opening day card were the most among jockeys. “I just wanted to hold him together and try to move at the right time, and he did. I got in between horses and he kicked home, and that was good. The turf is soft but he was handling it fine. I rode him once on the dirt in California and he went to the grass after and won easy. It was on the grass again today, so that was a good performance.”

Elektronic took back shortly after the break and toiled a few lengths behind the rest of the field early, but he was able to rally well down the stretch to take second by a neck over a caught Neverland Rock. Last year’s Sanford Stakes (G3) winner Sombeyay‘s first foray on turf resulted in a well-beaten fourth-place finish. Abyssinian, Fully Loaded, and last year’s Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) winner Call Paul – also trying turf for the first time – completed the order of finish.

Dunph, Gladiator King, and Mount Travers were listed as training scratches, while Releasethethunder was a main track only entry.

Listing’s win was his second straight and the fourth of his career, all of which have come in stakes races. The 3-year-old son of Square Eddie now sports a record of 9-4-1-1 with $280,400 earned.

Listing returned $4.80 to win, $3.20 to place, and $2.60 to show. Elektronic brought back $7.50 to place and $4.30 to show, while Neverland Rock paid $5.10 to show.