European invader Glacius (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) made his North American debut a winning one Saturday, upsetting the GI Saratoga Derby under Luis Saez.
While multiple group-stakes placed in England, the 9-1 shot was seeking his first win since breaking his maiden on debut at Newmarket nearly one year ago. He's filled up the show slot in each of his last three starts dating back to October of last year in the G3 Autumn Stakes, at Ascot this year in the G3 Hampton Court Stakes and most recently the Gala Stakes July 3 at Sandown Park.
Shipping in for trainer Hugo Palmer, who with the victory recorded his first North Amerian win, the V. I. Araci homebred drew outside and was extremely keen under Saez, tugging his way to the front in an early pace scramble with both Glavine (Not This Time) and West End Kid (Twirling Candy). Unwilling to be headed even as Glavine was equally as fractious to go ahead of him, Glacius re-asserted himself on the front and held the hedge into the first turn.
Taking the inside track as he was fast enough to clear, Glacius opened up a several-length advantage up the backstretch over Glavine through fractions of :23.02 and 47.29. Things strung out up top with the leading trio all separated by a clear margin to the half-mile pole.
Even as things began to bunch up midway around the far turn with Glavine in clear pursuit of this loose leader, Saez seemed to know what he had, not even drawing his stick until well inside the final furlong.
West End Kid made a late run as did Title Role (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) but Glacius was long gone and checked in safely home in a final time of 1:53.22. Race favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Remember Mamba (Kitten's Joy) was fourth.
“We looked at the race and we didn't think there was much pace,” Palmer said. “The one thing we really knew he would do today is stay. I knew going into it, when I booked Luis Saez, that he's one of the best riders in North America, but certainly one of the best front-running riders in America; he's very hard to pass. He certainly had to light up the horse a little bit the first 150 meters maybe to get that position, but we thought we got into a really nice rhythm.”
Palmer admitted that Glacius had been a tough horse to get into shape this year after a slow beginning to 2026.
“He's been a frustrating horse. We always hoped he would be an Epsom Derby horse at home in England–he just never came. He had a winter coat right up until the middle of May. As a trainer, all you can do is sit on your hands. It's the most frustrating thing. It's the only job in the world where when something's wrong, you do less, not more. He eventually came to himself and started at Royal Ascot and has run very well twice in England, so this looked a great opportunity for him.”
The Saratoga Derby win could provide a springboard for Palmer to try more North American starts in the near future, including a next-out attempt at the more European-style course at Kentucky Downs.
“I don't know [what's next],” Palmer said. “We're definitely going to take him home, but I suspect his next race might be in the states. We've nominated him for the Nashville Derby [September 5 at Kentucky Downs], which is worth a lot of money. We may well go there. The Bahrain International at the end of the year. Sadly, I don't think he'll run in England for the rest of the year.”
Pedigree Note:
Glacius is the eighth Grade/Group 1 winner for Darley stallion Too Darn Hot (GB) who also sired this year's GI Belmont Derby winner (and Saratoga Derby third) Title Role (GB).
Prominent Turkish businessman Ibrahim Araci, whose family is amongst the leading owners and breeders in Turkey, purchased Old Mill Stud in Newmarket in 2020 and has begun to lay the foundations of a breeding program there.
Araci made a splash purchasing this colt's dam, Predawn (Ire), along with three other mares totaling over 2,000,000gns, at the 2019 Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 600,000gns. That mare is a full-sister to both MGSP Shogun (Ire) and G1 Investec Oaks winner Qualify (Ire), the latter of whom became the dam of MGSW/MG1SP Cualificar (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and GSW Swing Vote (GB) (Shamardal).
Predawn, who has three winners from four to race, has also produced from that lot the stakes-placed filly Al Jafara (GB) (Pinatubo {Ire}) who picked up her black type at Aqueduct in the Plenty of Grace Stakes earlier this year. She has a 2-year-old Oasis Dream (GB) filly named Flutterfly (GB), a yearling Sea the Moon (Ger) filly and returned to Pinatubo for her 2026 filly.
Saturday, Saratoga
SARATOGA DERBY S. PRESENTED BY QATAR RACING-GI, $750,000, Saratoga, 8-8, 3yo, 1 3/16mT, 1:53.22, fm.
1–GLACIUS (GB), 124, c, 3, by Too Darn Hot (GB)
1st Dam: Predawn (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Perihelion (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
3rd Dam: Medicosma, by The Minstrel
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-V I Araci (GB); T-Hugo Palmer; J-Luis Saez. $412,500. Lifetime Record: 6-2-0-3, $465,410. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–West End Kid, 124, c, 3, Twirling Candy–To a Friend, by Scat Daddy. ($120,000 RNA Ylg '24 KEESEP; $110,000 Ylg '24 FTKOCT; $350,000 2yo '25 OBSAPR). O-Mo Speed Racing; B-Fred W Hertrich (KY); T-William Walden. $150,000.
3–Title Role (GB), 124, c, 3, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Valiant Girl (GB), by Lemon Drop Kid. (90,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT; 500,000gns 2yo '25 TATBRE). O-Will Stroud; B-Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd (GB); T-Simon Crisford. $90,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, NK. Odds: 9.62, 2.06, 3.63.
Also Ran: Remember Mamba, The Big Con (GB), Heeere's Johnny, Glavine, McCready. Scratched: Bottas, Pacific Avenue (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
GLACIUS gets his first stakes win in his first start in the US in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby pres. by @Qatar_Racing under Luis Saez for trainer @hpalmerracing. pic.twitter.com/a0K89fwuDE
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 8, 2026
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
