Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga was the loser–numerically speaking, anyways–in the confluence of sophomore stakes events carded for this always busy weekend of racing. With Tekton (Bernardini) having scratched in favor of Friday's Curlin S. and with Upstart (Flatter) and TDN Rising Star Competitive Edge (Super Saver) traveling the NJ Turnpike for Sunday's GI Haskell Invitational S., just four horses faced the starter in the main local prep for the GI Travers S. Aug. 29, but the race did not lack for excitement, as GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero Texas Red (Afleet Alex) outfooted odds-on Frosted (Tapit) by a measured half-length.
A maiden winner at third asking going two turns for the first time over the Del Mar Poly Aug. 20, Texas Red gave an excellent account of himself in Santa Anita's GI FrontRunner S. at Santa Anita Sept. 27, finishing third, beaten 4 3/4 lengths, behind American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Calculator (In Summation). Dismissed at nearly 14-1 in the Juvenile, he rattled home off a strong pace to score by 6 1/2 widening lengths before taking a break. Returned to action in the GII San Vicente S. Feb. 1 over a seven-furlong trip that was always going to be too short, the bargain yearling purchase finished nicely but fell just a neck short of the Baffert-trained Lord Nelson (Pulpit). Forced to miss the Triple Crown due to a foot abscess, connections did not rush their colt and brought him back to the races in the GIII Dwyer S. July 4. Favored despite having to contend with a race-fit foe in the form of 'TDN Rising Star' Speightster (Speightstown), he relaxed kindly as the WinStar runner sat up on the pace, circled wide for the drive and found the wire nicely to drop a 2 1/2-length decision. The Dwyer form was further supported by Smart Transition (Smart Strike)'s victory in Friday's Curlin S. at the Spa, and Texas Red was the second wagering selection behind the Classic-placed Frosted.
With little other speed signed on in the scratch-depleted affair, Japan jumped well and tried to take the race by the throat early, but Texas Red–previously never closer than four lengths from the front at the first call in any of his races–had no other choice but to do the chasing from second, with Frosted three wide and to his outside. Japan had things very much his own way as he lobbed along through an opening four panels in :48.15, but Texas Red remained within easy striking distance a couple of lengths behind, with a similar distance back to Frosted in third. Kent Desormeaux was the first to come after the pacesetter, getting the jump on the more one-paced Frosted, and–despite cornering a fraction wide into the stretch–collared the front-runner with relative ease. Firmly in front at the eighth pole, he began reaching for the wire and stayed on well with a single left-handed crack of the whip in the final 50 yards. Frosted, giving the winner four pounds, was far from disgraced in second.
“He just galloped along to the quarter pole,” said Desormeaux, who rides Texas Red for his brother and co-owner Keith. “I had so much left that I got to the [front] quicker than I thought I would. He kind of idled on the lead a little bit that last three sixteenths of a mile, but when challenged he had tons left. The most encouraging thing about the entire ride was the energy left galloping out. I think I'm sucking more wind than he is from the race.”
Frosted's trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was happy with the effort.
“Four-horse races are always tricky, but it will be a different race in four weeks,” he opined. “You just don't know what's going to happen, he ran well, but hopefully he will be better in four weeks.”
Saturday, Saratoga Race Course
JIM DANDY S.-GII, $570,000, SAR, 8-1, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.77, ft.
1–TEXAS RED, 119, c, 3, by Afleet Alex
1st Dam: Ramatuelle (Chi) (SW-Chi, GSP-US),
by Jeune Homme
2nd Dam: Villa Torlonia (Chi), by Roy
3rd Dam: Noble Sixtina, by Noble Quillo
($17,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Erich Brehm, Wayne
Detmar, Lee Michaels, J. Keith Desormeaux, et al;
B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-J.
Keith Desormeaux; J-Kent J. Desormeaux. $360,000.
Lifetime Record: GISW, 8-3-3-1, $1,692,300. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: D.
2–Frosted, 123, c, 3, Tapit–Fast Cookie, by Deputy
Minister. O-Godolphin Racing LLC; B-Darley (KY);
T-Kiaran P. McLaughlin. $120,000.
3–Japan, 117, c, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–Maya, by Capote.
($300,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Barry K. Schwartz;
B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY); T-William I. Mott.
$60,000.
Margins: HF, 3 3/4, 7. Odds: 1.85, 0.75, 3.85.
Also Ran: Frammento. Scratched: Tekton, Competitive Edge, Upstart.
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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