Saratoga Report #3

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Moreno (KY) – Is there a horse out there that loves Saratoga more than Moreno?  After running the race of his life and almost winning the Travers last year, Moreno found the winners circle on Saturday as he pulled the upset at 10-1 to win the Whitney Handicap.  He used his tactical advantage to the fullest as the field let him get away with slow opening fractions, and he was able to put away everyone down the stretch with plenty left in the tank.  The Woodward Stakes on closing weekend will most likely be next.

– 2nd Star: Palace (NY) – In his 20th start Palace finally became a Grade 1 winner, running huge in the Vanderbilt Handicap this Saturday.  The win was his third Graded Stakes win overall, and puts him at the very least in the mix as one of the top sprinters in the country.  Trainer Linda Rice has done an excellent job with him, and probably does not get enough credit for what she has accomplished with him.

– 3rd Star: Sweet Reason (KY) – Saturday’s Test Stakes victory gave Sweet Reason her second straight Grade 1 victory, and stamps her as one of the best three year old filly’s in the country.  Going long might not be her thing, but when going a mile or less she’s going to be awfully tough to beat.  This year the filly crop is definitely short on talent, but it’s nice to see a consistent horse emerge from the pack.

Flop of the Week

– Palace Malice (KY) – The top horse in the country was set up for a huge “statement day” in the Whitney last Saturday, but instead turned in a very flat performance.  After stalking the front runner and seemingly having the perfect trip, Palace Malice came up completely empty at the top of the stretch.  He seems to be sound after the race, so this performance is really a mystery.  Hopefully he can bounce back next time out.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $	Per Start $	Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Todd A. Pletcher	51	15	10	6	$1,232,259	$NaN	29%	31	61%
2	Chad C. Brown	35	7	6	8	$650,960	$NaN	20%	21	60%
2	H. Graham Motion	27	7	2	2	$536,793	$NaN	26%	11	41%
4	William I. Mott	30	6	5	3	$469,554	$NaN	20%	14	47%
5	Linda Rice	23	5	0	3	$495,193	$NaN	22%	8	35%
6	Christophe Clement	28	4	6	5	$486,737	$NaN	14%	15	54%
6	Anthony W. Dutrow	14	4	2	1	$389,718	$NaN	29%	7	50%
6	Claude R. McGaughey III	18	4	1	4	$316,256	$NaN	22%	9	50%
6	Rudy R. Rodriguez	33	4	4	7	$268,382	$NaN	12%	15	45%
6	Michael J. Maker	24	4	5	1	$254,966	$NaN	17%	10	42%
6	Gary C. Contessa	33	4	4	5	$248,581	$NaN	12%	13	39%
6	George Weaver	20	4	2	5	$231,774	$NaN	20%	11	55%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $	Per Start $	Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Javier Castellano	93	22	16	15	$1,753,679	$NaN	24%	53	57%
2	John R. Velazquez	89	17	12	12	$1,346,449	$NaN	19%	41	46%
3	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	99	15	19	13	$1,757,433	$NaN	15%	47	47%
4	Jose L. Ortiz	91	14	7	15	$924,421	$NaN	15%	36	40%
5	Joel Rosario	84	13	12	12	$1,203,695	$NaN	15%	37	44%
6	Cornelio H. Velasquez	43	10	3	3	$652,340	$NaN	23%	16	37%
7	Luis Saez	69	9	12	7	$1,113,589	$NaN	13%	28	41%
8	Jose Lezcano	55	8	8	11	$648,888	$NaN	15%	27	49%
9	Junior Alvarado	54	7	11	4	$1,244,801	$NaN	13%	22	41%
9	Rajiv Maragh	54	7	5	8	$808,112	$NaN	13%	20	37%

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