Saratoga Report #1

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Princess of Sylmar (PA) – This was the performance of the weekend, no matter what track you are talking about.  The Kentucky Oaks winner finally returned to the track Saturday, and absolutely crushed her four rivals in the Coaching Club American Oaks.  The win makes her the obvious choice for best three-year old filly in the country, and also gets you wondering if she might just be the best three-year old period!  Many local pundits felt her stable mate Unlimited Budget was the one to beat in this race, but she disposed of her early on.  My Happy Face set the pace, but was also absolutely no match for Princess of Sylmar.  This race should propel her to the Grade 1 Alabama next time out where she’ll look to continue her dominance over the division.

– 2nd Star: Authenticity (KY) – While Princess of Sylmar made her presence felt in the three-year old filly division, Authenticity did the same in the older filly and mare division when she easily won the Shuvee Handicap on Saturday.  While she still has the monster that is Royal Delta ahead of her in the rankings, Authenticity has proven she’s more than a one hit wonder.  This year she’s gotten better with every race, and the win on Saturday makes her a two-time Graded stakes winner.  Her solid Saratoga form is great news as now a date with Royal Delta and Tiz Miz Sue looms large in the Personal Ensign a few weeks down the road.  A win in that race would elevate her to the top of her class, and it’s something that’s not totally out of the question for this rising superstar.

– 3rd Star: Sage Valley (KY) – Meet the horse that is starting to really become a fan favorite!  After being somewhat average the first four races of his career, Sage Valley has rattled off five wins in his last six starts, including two wins against Grade 3 company.  His latest victory in the James Marvin on Friday could have been his most impressive yet.  After sitting just off a fairly strong pace, Sage Valley had plenty left in the stretch and drew off to a convincing one length victory.  The win could springboard him into the Grade 1 Forego, which will be ran on closing weekend of the meet.

Flop of the Week

– Unlimited Budget (FL) – The Coaching Club American Oaks was supposed to be hers for the taking, but it turned out to be a brutal day.  Right from the start there was trouble, as she struck the right side of the starting gate as the gates opened.  She did somewhat recover and was in a decent spot for part of the race, but she had no response down the stretch.  The result was a disastrous last place effort, and beaten fifteen lengths.  Perhaps the Belmont took its toll on her, or maybe it just wasn’t her day.  Time to regroup…

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Todd A. Pletcher	14	5	1	3	$507,698		36%	9	64%
2	Steven M. Asmussen	7	3	1	0	$192,486		43%	4	57%
3	Chad C. Brown	14	2	1	3	$193,797		14%	6	43%
3	William I. Mott	7	2	1	0	$119,024		29%	3	43%
3	David Jacobson	12	2	0	2	$90,250		17%	4	33%
3	Dominic G. Galluscio	6	2	0	0	$66,189		33%	2	33%
7	Michael Dilger	1	1	0	0	$220,000		100%	1	100%
7	Gary C. Contessa	16	1	2	2	$105,826		6%	5	31%
7	Christophe Clement	7	1	1	2	$91,910		14%	4	57%
7	H. Graham Motion	5	1	2	0	$91,020		20%	3	60%
7	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	7	1	2	0	$85,589		14%	3	43%
7	Rudy R. Rodriguez	7	1	1	1	$84,864		14%	3	43%
7	Bruce R. Brown	9	1	1	1	$79,017		11%	3	33%
7	Mark A. Hennig	4	1	1	1	$67,400		25%	3	75%
7	Nicholas P. Zito	5	1	0	2	$65,429		20%	3	60%
7	Jason Servis	5	1	1	0	$63,848		20%	2	40%
7	George Weaver	2	1	1	0	$62,400		50%	2	100%
7	W. Bret Calhoun	1	1	0	0	$60,000		100%	1	100%
7	David G. Donk	1	1	0	0	$60,000		100%	1	100%
7	Rodrigo A. Ubillo	1	1	0	0	$60,000		100%	1	100%
7	Michael J. Maker	12	1	1	3	$59,168		8%	5	42%
7	Mitchell E. Friedman	5	1	0	1	$58,450		20%	2	40%
7	Dale L. Romans	4	1	0	1	$58,264		25%	2	50%
7	Andrew Mitchell	3	1	0	0	$57,640		33%	1	33%
7	Kathleen M. Feron	2	1	1	0	$56,400		50%	2	100%
7	David P. Duggan	2	1	1	0	$53,800		50%	2	100%
7	John P. Terranova, II	2	1	0	0	$45,250		50%	1	50%
7	Ian R. Wilkes	2	1	0	0	$45,250		50%	1	50%
7	Michael E. Hushion	1	1	0	0	$43,200		100%	1	100%
7	Rodolfo Romero	1	1	0	0	$43,200		100%	1	100%
7	Randi Persaud	3	1	0	0	$24,435		33%	1	33%
7	Jack O. Fisher	2	1	0	0	$24,205		50%	1	50%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Javier Castellano	32	5	5	7	$493,909		16%	17	53%
1	John R. Velazquez	33	5	4	6	$479,017		15%	15	45%
1	Joel Rosario	37	5	6	6	$448,190		14%	17	46%
4	Rosie Napravnik	29	3	5	2	$282,253		10%	10	34%
4	Cornelio H. Velasquez	23	3	1	3	$213,117		13%	7	30%
4	Rajiv Maragh	27	3	0	4	$168,790		11%	7	26%
7	Jose Lezcano	28	2	0	4	$172,432		7%	6	21%
7	Jose L. Ortiz	20	2	3	0	$139,194		10%	5	25%
7	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	15	2	0	0	$114,529		13%	2	13%
7	Alex O. Solis	11	2	1	0	$104,322		18%	3	27%
11	Shaun Bridgmohan	5	1	0	1	$232,070		20%	2	40%
11	Luis Saez	29	1	1	1	$124,965		3%	3	10%
11	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	17	1	3	1	$117,369		6%	5	29%
11	Robby Albarado	13	1	1	2	$110,047		8%	4	31%
11	Paco Lopez	3	1	0	1	$64,320		33%	2	67%
11	Corey J. Lanerie	2	1	0	0	$60,328		50%	1	50%
11	Alan Garcia	4	1	0	0	$56,015		25%	1	25%
11	Abel Lezcano	8	1	0	1	$51,492		13%	2	25%
11	Jose L. Espinoza	7	1	0	0	$46,456		14%	1	14%
11	David Cohen	9	1	1	0	$46,193		11%	2	22%

Preview to Next Week

– Wednesday – The Lake George (Grade 2) – Three Year Old Fillies – 1 1/16 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $200,000

– Thursday – The Quick Call Stakes – Three Year Olds – 5 1/2 Furlongs (Turf) – Purse: $100,000

– Friday – The Curling Stakes – Three Year Olds – 1 1/8 Miles – Purse: $100,000

– Saturday – The Jim Dandy (Grade 2) – Three Year Olds – 1 1/8 Miles – Purse: $600,000

– Saturday – The Diana Stakes (Grade 1) – Fillies and Mares Three Year Olds and Upward – 1 1/8 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $600,000

– Saturday – The Prioress Stakes (Grade 1) – Three Year Old Fillies – Six Furlongs – Purse: $300,000

– Sunday – The Amsterdam Stakes (Grade 2) – Three Year Olds – 6 1/2 Furlongs – Purse: $200,000

– Monday – Honorable Miss Handicap (Grade 2) – Fillies and Mares Three Year Olds and Upward – Six Furlongs – Purse: $200,000