Call Paul showed his grit in the GII Saratoga Special S. Sunday, exchanging bumps with a pesky Tight Ten in upper stretch before digging in to hold on strongly to the wire and prevail.
The colt did not break on top, but punched through to set the pace along the inside through a quarter-mile in :22.48 with pressure being applied by Tight Ten to his outside. Call Paul's rival moved up to his throat latch cornering for home and the pair appeared to make contact twice, but Call Paul shut the door and strode home to claim the victory.
“He's a nice colt,” said winning trainer Jason Servis. “I've been breezing him behind horses and covering him up and we were thinking if he got stuck down inside and we were laying second or third, not bad. He's got a great mind.”
Call Paul worked on a steady basis at Monmouth Park leading up to his July 5 debut at Delaware, where he scored by a convincing 2 1/4 lengths as the 2-5 favorite. The form of that race received a boost earlier in the day Saturday when runner-up Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) returned to annex a Monmouth maiden special weight by three lengths. Call Paul posted three more workouts at Monmouth in preparation for his tilt in the Saratoga Special.
“This horse acts like he'll run further,” Servis added. “I did the same thing with [2017 GII Sanford S. winner] Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior)–broke his maiden shipped him the day before, and he won the Sanford. I'll probably leave him here and we're thinking maybe the [Oct. 6 GI] Champagne.”
Pedigree Notes:
Call Paul's second dam Avani (Gulch) is a half-sister to GSW & GISP Jade Flush. This is the same female family that produced MGISW Harmonious (Dynaformer) and GISW Startac (Theatrical {Ire}). Avani Force produced a filly by El Padrino in 2017 and a colt by Bullsbay last year before being bred back to Uncle Lino.
Sunday, Saratoga
SARATOGA SPECIAL S. PRESENTED BY MILLER LITE-GII, $180,000, Saratoga, 8-12, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:16.55, ft.
1–CALL PAUL, 118, c, 2, by Friesan Fire
1st Dam: Avani Force, by Forestry
2nd Dam: Avani, by Gulch
3rd Dam: Royal Strait Flush, by Seattle Slew
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($20,000 Ylg
'17 EASOCT; $210,000 2yo '18 EASMAY). O-Michael Dubb,
David Simon, Bethlehem Stables LLC & Bruce Irom; B-Beatrice
Patterson & Vicky Schowe (PA); T-Jason Servis; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
$110,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $135,500. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”young-gary-2yo-in-training-sales-recommendation”]2–Tight Ten, 118, c, 2, Tapit–Devils Humor, by Distorted Humor.
O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
$40,000.
3–Spinoff, 118, c, 2, Hard Spun–Zaftig, by Gone West.
O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, 4 3/4. Odds: 0.85, 1.55, 7.00.
Also Ran: Meade. Scratched: Stage Left, Sir Truebadour. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
