The lightly raced Shancelot put on a devastating display of speed in Sunday's GII Amsterdam S. at Saratoga, storming home an unchallenged 12 1/2-length winner to remain unbeaten in three career starts. Breaking from the outside post in the 12-horse field, the 6-5 favorite broke sharply and angled over to the rail to take the early lead. The dark bay zipped through a quarter in :21.79 and was some six lengths in front after a half in :43.94. He turned for home with an unassailable lead and strode down the lane a never-in-doubt winner. Shancelot's three-quarter mile split of 1:07.63 bettered Imperial Hint (Imperialism)'s track-record setting six-furlong time of 1:07.92 in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H.
Winning trainer Jorge Navarro summed up the performance in one word.
“Wow,” he said. “To say what I said a month ago, that this is the best horse I've ever trained–you know, [four-time Grade I winner] Private Zone was good. [2017 GI Cigar Mile winner] Sharp Azteca was good. [2019 G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner] X Y Jet is still good. Going into the race, I knew he was running against some good horses, I thought, 'Am I going to be wrong?' I guess not.”
Winning jockey Emisael Jaramillo was equally impressed.
“He was excellent today,” Jaramillo said. “He did it easy. He was moving fast, but he did it like it was normal. That's him. He's that talented. This is probably the best horse I've ever ridden in my life, next to X Y Jet.”
Shancelot opened his career with a dimishing neck victory over subsequent GI Florida Derby runner-up Bodexpress (Bodemeister) going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Feb. 16. He returned to score a front-running 6 1/4-length victory going six furlongs at Monmouth June 23.
Navarro said the Aug. 24 GI H. Allen Jerkens S. could be next up for Shancelot.
“If everything comes out good, that's where we'll end up,” he said. “We'll go through everything with him, make sure everything is fine. That's our plan.”
Pedigree Notes:
Co-breeder Charles Muth purchased True Kiss for $70,000 at the 2006 Keeneland November sale. In foal to Tiz Wonderful, the mare RNA'd for $32,000 at that same auction in 2010. The resulting foal was graded stakes placed Tiz Kissable.
Shancelot, whose juvenile half-sister Sweet Kisses (Carpe Diem) broke her maiden at Saratoga July 19, was purchased by Raul Reyes's Kings Equine for $50,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. The colt sold for $245,000 after working a furlong in :9 4/5 at the 2018 OBS March sale.
True Kiss's yearling colt by Runhappy RNA'd for $145,000 at this year's Keeneland January sale. She produced a colt by Carpe Diem this year.
Shancelot is the ninth graded winner and 22nd black-type winner for Shanghai Bobby, who now stands at Arrow Stud in Japan. The stallion, who was Eclipse champion juvenile in 2012, has also been represented by 2019 stakes winners Shanghai Tariff, Joevia, Shang, Toss of Fate, and Chilean Group 1 winner Coconut Bobby (Chi).
Sunday, Saratoga Race Course
AMSTERDAM S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 7-28, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:14.01, ft.
1–SHANCELOT, 118, c, 3, by Shanghai Bobby
1st Dam: True Kiss (SW, $115,418), by Is It True
2nd Dam: Kissin Rene, by Kissin Kris
3rd Dam: Monique Rene, by Prince of Ascot
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($50,000 Ylg
'17 FTSAUG; $245,000 2yo '18 OBSMAR). O-Ivan Rodriguez &
Albert & Michelle Crawford; B-Charles Muth & Patrick Murphy
(KY); T-Jorge Navarro; J-Emisael Jaramillo. $110,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-3-0-0, $164,300. *1/2 to Tiz Kissable (Tiz
Wonderful), GSP; One True Kiss (Warrior's Reward), MGSP,
$231,459. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Nitrous, 122, c, 3, Tapit–Speedinthruthecity, by City Zip.
'TDN Rising Star'. O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC &
Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $40,000.
3–Honest Mischief, 118, c, 3, Into Mischief–Honest Lady, by
Seattle Slew. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Juddmonte Farms, Inc.;
B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: 12HF, 1 3/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 1.35, 5.70, 3.10.
Also Ran: Super Comet, The Big S, Bourbon Calling, Achilles Warrior, Lemniscate, Garter and Tie, Wendell Fong, Strike Silver, Classy John.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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