Sadler’s Joy in good hands with Leparoux in Hirsch

Although a specific jockey riding a horse typically is low on my list of handicapping criteria when analyzing a race, a rider is the deciding factor with the horse I am keen to wager on in Saturday’s Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park. Specifically, Julien Leparoux’s presence on the laterunning Sadler’s Joy leads me to believe that the colt can run down the opposition.

Why the love for Leparoux when other exceptional jockeys such as Javier Castellano, Jose Ortiz, Irad Ortiz Jr., Joel Rosario, and John Velazquez also have mounts in the race? Because his patient style suits his mount, and their teamwork has resulted in some of the horse’s best races.

Sadler’s Joy has won two graded stakes this year from four Leparoux rides – the Grade 2 Pan American and Grade 1 Sword Dancer – and the other two races resulted in on-the-board finishes in graded stakes.

Watch the replays of those stakes and Sadler’s Joy’s other races when ridden by other jockeys, and it becomes apparent why they have been so successful together. Leparoux has regularly taken a hold of Sadler’s Joy early, restraining him to race toward the rear of the field and limiting his rally to roughly a quarter of a mile.

This wouldn’t work for some horses, but it suits Sadler’s Joy, whose turn of foot is his greatest asset. He can go from last to first in the final furlong irrespective of pace, which is exactly what he did in winning the Sword Dancer at Saratoga on Aug. 27.

For a horse like Sadler’s Joy, who also can start to idle within seconds of making the lead – see his third in the Grade 2 Bowling Green under Castellano for evidence – this is how he must be ridden. And this short-burst strategy has an added benefit in that it allows him to save ground because he doesn’t have to make a wide, sustained run.

This is not to say that only Leparoux could ride him with this level of effectiveness. I have no doubt that other top jockeys could as well. But knowing that Leparoux has ridden him successfully in this manner gives me confidence that he is going to once again dial up what has been a winning strategy.

I am further encouraged by other factors in the 1 1/2-mile Joe Hirsch that tilt the balance in favor of Sadler’s Joy. I see vulnerability in 3-1 morning-line favorite Oscar Performance, a 3-yearold taking on older horses for the first time, and in 5-1 shot Beach Patrol, who won a soft renewal of the Arlington Million in his last start and has been managed like a 1 1/8-mile or 1 1/4-mile horse over his career.

Sadler’s Joy is a far more appealing wagering prospect provided he starts at or near his 4-1 morning line.

Stallwalkin’ Dude likes Belmont

Earlier on the Belmont card, another closer has drawn my attention in the Vosburgh – the veteran Stallwalkin’ Dude. An 8-1 shot, he figures to benefit from a hot pace that should aid his rally.

That rally was nonexistent last out in the Grade 1 Forego, though he never really had a chance to rally. He instead chased the victorious Drefong early, sitting in second after the opening quarter-mile, and faded to eighth.

This horse needs to be patiently ridden and close from the middle or rear of the pack. After the poor experience in the Forego, I anticipate that regular jockey Joe Bravo will seek to implement this strategy, particularly given the speed-laden composition of the Vosburgh. Whether Stallwalkin’ Dude is good enough I’m not entirely sure, but at the very least, the circumstances are ripe for him to run to his potential.

Returning to Belmont Park may also aid his chances. He has earned more than one-third of his $1.49 million bankroll over the Belmont main track and rallied to be second to Roy H, one of the leading Breeders’ Cup Sprint contenders, in the Grade 2 True North over this strip in June when closing from off the pace.

Piedi Bianchi can turn tables

Lastly, a favorable betting opportunity looms on Piedi Bianchi in the Grade 1 Chandelier for 2-year-old fillies at Santa Anita. A tiny but hard-trying filly, she appears more likely than others to handle the stretch-out to 1 1/16 miles.

Even if she merely maintains her form at a route, she is quite good, having just run second in the seven-furlong Del Mar Debutante to the front-running Moonshine Memories, the probable Chandelier favorite. And in looking at the Chandelier, with plenty of speed to challenge Moonshine Memories I see her as more likely to regress than Piedi Bianchi.