With Anticipation Stakes Preview: Juveniles Look to Prove Themselves

The up-and-coming trainers Arnaud Delacour and Tom Morley saddled veteran sprinters A.P. Indian and Haveyougoneaway to Grade 1 “Win And You’re In” glory in the Priority One Jets Forego and the Ballerina on Travers Day, and will try their touch with juveniles going long on the lawn in Wednesday’s Grade 2 With Anticipation at Saratoga Race Course.

Pace Scenario – Moderate

Speed: #7 Keep Quiet

Stalkers: #1 Gemologister, #2 Made You Look, #3 My Bo Chop, #4 Ardmore Bay, #8 Bird’s Eye View

Closers: #5 Monsoon K S A, #6 Tell the Truth

With several of these horses stretching out to two turns for the first time it’s hard to project what might happen with the pace, but Keep Quiet won going wire to wire last time out at the the same distance they’ll be running at today.  I’m going to guess that one or two may go with him today, but I still wouldn’t expect a blazing pace up front.  Looking for a moderate tempo that gives all runners a shot from a pace standpoint.

Breakdown

Top Pick: #2 Made You Look

It’s always tough to go against Todd Pletcher in these two year old races at Saratoga, and especially with a horse that looks promising.  Last time out at Belmont Park Made You Look defeated Conquest Sure Shot, who has come back to win and looks like a pretty decent horse.  Also, I like the stretch out today for this horse as I think two turns will suit him very well.  It was very close between him and Keep Quiet,  but the “Pletcher factor” gave Made You Look the nod.

Horses to Use in Multi Race Wagers: #7 Keep Quiet and #3 My Bo Chop

It’s hard not to like Keep Quiet as this horse was super impressive in his maiden win last time out.  It looked as though all this horse needed was a two turn race, and that maiden win looks stronger than ever as horses that finished behind him have come back to win.  Very nearly made Keep Quiet my top pick in here.  With My Bo Chop it’s hard to know what to expect with this being his first race in the United States.  He should be fairly well prepared with three races under his belt, but he’ll my a mystery until we see him in action.

Exotic Plays: #6 Tell the Truth

Comes into this race off a nice maiden score at Delaware Park, and now will stretch out a bit in this spot.  This is a trainer you always must respect, and especially on the turf.  He seemed to love the turf last time out, while his poor performance at Presque Isle could be blamed on the fact he didn’t like the synthetic surface.  I have him underneath because he doesn’t look quite as fast as the top two or three, but he can be in the mix with a small improvement.

Party Crashers: #4 Ardmore Bay

From a pure numbers standpoint he’s a small step below the top few in here, but he stretches out today and is also undefeated.  Trainer Tom Morely is on fire as of late as he saddled his first grade 1 winner over the weekend.  He could find himself close to the lead with this stretch out, and you would think his breeding suggests he’ll handle two turns just fine.  Worth a look at the right price.

Throw Outs: #1 Gemologister, #5 Monsoon K S A, and #8 Bird’s Eye View

Gemologister is still a maiden and the other two I have listed here just don’t match up from a number stand point.  They all with have to take a big jump up in ability today to compete.

Summary

Scheduled for the inner turf, the 12th running of the $200,000 With Anticipation attracted a field of eight 2-year-olds stretching out to 1 1/16 miles. The race has an air of international intrigue as Delacour sends out My Bo Chop, acquired by Team Valor International after three starts in France, capped by a late rally for fourth in his initial stakes try at Vichy.

According to Team Valor’s Twitter feed, My Bo Chop, who arrived Thursday, races with blinkers on after racing a bit greenly.

“He was just released from quarantine [Sunday] morning,” said Delacour, a native of France. “I don’t know him very well but he has run three times, which is a good bit of experience.”

The international traveler is out of the dam Hoosick Falls, a nearby town located less than an hour’s drive from Saratoga Springs.

The son of Myboycharlie breaks from post 3 with Joe Bravo aboard.

Morley enters the final week of the meet with six wins, topped by Haveyougoneaway’s double of the Ballerina and the Grade 2 Honorable Miss, the first graded stakes winners of his nascent career. He shoots for another black-type triumph with Ardmore Bay, who followed a front-running debut win at Belmont Park with an off-the-pace score in the 5 ½-furlong Tyro at Monmouth Park.

“Really nice little horse – he’s done nothing wrong,” said Morley. “He’s a New York-bred, there’s nothing for New York-breds on the grass at this time of year, and I was surprised he could win like that at Monmouth on a very, very speedy grass course. I was actually kind of using the race to set up this, because I’ve always wanted to go two turns with him. So for him to kick and win like that going five and a half really encouraged me. He’s a smart horse and he’ll be even better next year.”

Ardmore Bay drew post 4 and gets a switch to Manny Franco.

Todd Pletcher has already won the With Anticipation four times including last year’s renewal with Azar, and will likely be favored to add a fifth Made You Look, a $360,000 son of More Than Ready who posted a top-figure maiden win as the odds-on choice at Belmont Park second time out. The filly he ran second to in his debut, Red Lodge, recently won the Colleen Stakes.

Made You Look will begin from post 2 beneath Javier Castellano.

Delacour’s former boss, Graham Motion, took the 2011 With Anticipation with Team Valor’s State of Play. This year, he sends out Tell the Truth, who was unplaced on Presque Isle Downs’ synthetic surface before posting a second-out maiden win on grass at Delaware Park going 7 ½ furlongs.

Jose Ortiz has the call on Tell the Truth from the outside post.

The Cal Lynch-trained Monsoon K S A exits a second-out maiden win at 7 ½ furlongs on Delaware turf as well. He ships in from Laurel Park, and picks up Angel Arroyo from post 5.

Completing the lineup on the rail is Gemologister, a maiden making his fourth start at the meet for Jaime Mejia after three turf sprints. Eric Cancel rides.