Short But Sweet Field of 2-Year-Olds Set at Spa

Unbridled Daddy| NYRA Photo

A compact field of six juvenile turfers are set to kick off closing week at Saratoga with an intriguing matchup in Wednesday's GII With Anticipation S. Headlined by flashy maiden graduate Site Read (Tizdejavu) and newly minted 'TDN Rising Star' Unbridled Daddy (Scat Daddy), the race contains no shortage of apparent talent. Owned in partnership by trainer Bill Mott along with Jake Ballis and Rashard Lewis, Site Read made up 12 lengths to win going away by 4 1/2 in his course-and-distance unveiling July 25. Although the bay was aided by unusually fast early fractions in that maiden event, he closed the final 5/16 of a mile in an impressive :28.82–a turn-of-foot that earned him 2-1 favoritism in this stakes debut. Red Oak Stable homebred Unbridled Daddy, who displayed a similar late-running style to his favored counterpart, draws the outside post in this event. Fourth in his six-panel bow over the Belmont lawn July 19, the colt encountered trouble around the opening bend and uncorked a prolonged rally to get up in deep stretch in a local maiden event going this same distance Aug. 16. The Todd Pletcher trainee retains the services of Irad Ortiz Jr., who holds a 10-win lead in the jockey's standings at the meet. Pletcher saddles another Scat Daddy colt in Alto Racing's Azar, who remains a maiden after setting the pace and holding on for place honors behind his stablemate in the common Aug. 16 race. Gary Barber's Monster Bea (Hat Trick {Jpn}) has been installed as the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, but the gelding was arguably the longest shot to make it to this event in the first place. Purchased for a meager $2,000 at Fasig-Tipton October, the bay pulled off an 11-1 trip-and-track shocker for owner and trainer Adam Rice Aug. 8 and was subsequently purchased privately by Barber. Monster Bea recently posted a bullet five-panel breeze in 1:02.02 over the Oklahoma turf course Aug. 26 and figures to make use of his speed from the rail post in this initial start for trainer Mark Casse. Completing the field are Delaware Park maiden graduate Runaway King (Run Away and Hide) and Ellis Park shipper Next Shares (Archarcharch), who was also purchased by Barber in partnership with Brous Stable and Wachtel Stable after a hard-fought runner-up effort in his Aug. 1 career debut.

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