SARATOGA Mind Control pursues history

Mind Control will be attempting to make history at Saratoga when he seeks a Grade 1 victory for the third consecutive year in Saturday’s $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at six furlongs.

In the graded stakes era, no horse has won Grade 1 stakes three years in a row at Saratoga. Sky Beauty was disqualified from first in the 1992 Spinaway and won the Alabama in 1993 and Go for Wand in 1994. Heavenly Prize and Ginger Punch are the only horses to have won three Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga, but they each won two in one season.

Mind Control won the Grade 1 Hopeful at 2 and the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens last year at 3. His first attempt to win a Grade 1 at 4 did not go well as he finished sixth, beaten 17 lengths by Vekoma in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on June 6 at Belmont Park. Gregg Sacco, who trains Mind Control for Steve Brunetti’s Red Oak Stable and Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stable, said jockey John Velazquez told him Mind Control simply didn’t handle the wet track in the Carter.

“I don’t think anyone was beating Vekoma that day, but it was a completely uncharacteristic performance by Mind Control,” Sacco said. “After talking to Johnny – he gives you straight feedback – after an eighth of a mile he was just spinning his wheels.”

Sacco said Mind Control underwent a thorough examination and there no were problems. The horse has been training at Monmouth Park since mid-June.

“He hasn’t missed a beat. He’s really trained well,” Sacco said Wednesday. “Every work has been what we’ve asked for. He looks terrific. We’re very happy where he is heading into the Vanderbilt.”

Velazquez will ride Mind Control from post 5 in the Vanderbilt under co-high weight of 123 pounds. Inside of Mind Control, from the rail, is

Lexitonian (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Whitmore (Joel Rosario, 123), Firenze Fire (Irad Ortiz Jr., 122), and Volatile (Ricardo Santana Jr., 121).

◗ Joevia came out of a sixthplace finish in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Monmouth Cup at Monmouth Park with a softtissue injury and has been retired from racing, Sacco said.

Joevia, a son of Shanghai Bobby, finished third in the 2019 Belmont Stakes. He won three races from 11 starts, including the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth.

Sacco said plans are close to being finalized for a stallion deal for Joevia to stand at Colonial Farms in New Jersey.

Joevia, owned by brothers Michael and Jeff Fazio, earned $337,391 in his career.

Aquaphobia a marathon man

Aquaphobia, the one-length winner of last Saturday’s Grade 1 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park, will be pointed to the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer on Aug. 29 at Saratoga, trainer Mike Maker said.

Aquaphobia, claimed for $62,500 in January, earned a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure for the United Nations victory, which came in his first start going 1 3/8 miles. The Sword Dancer is run at 1 1/2 miles.

“With all the COVID stuff going on we didn’t have a chance to stretch him out right away,” Maker said. “We felt he’s kept some solid company and ran some good races, just felt like there was a lot more there than we had gotten out of him in those races.”

Maker said he shipped Aquaphobia back to Kentucky from Monmouth “to keep him with the people that have been working with him.”

Aquaphobia gave Maker his sixth graded turf stakes victory in 2020. Zulu Alpha, who has won three graded stakes this year, including the Grade 3 Elkhorn on July 12 at Keeneland, is pointing to the $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup on Sept. 12 at Kentucky Downs. Field Pass, who won the Grade 3 Transylvania on that same July 12 card, will be aimed at the Saratoga Derby on Aug. 15.

Maker, who won Wednesday’s $85,000 Lubash Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga with Cross Border, is expected to run Some like it hot brown herein Sunday’ s Grade 2, $150,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap.

Bemma’s Boy, winner of the Grade 2 Pan American in March at Gulfstream, is expected to start back training next week following a three-month freshening.

– David Grening

Got Stormy points for repeat

Trainer Mark Casse is well aware people are saying Got Stormy is not the horse she was last year after opening her 2020 campaign with four consecutive losses, including a fourthplace finish earlier this month in the Grade 3 Poker at Belmont Park.

But Casse is not about to give up yet on the two-time Grade 1 winner and runner-up in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Mile who is being pointed toward a defense of her title in the Fourstardave here Aug. 22.

“Nobody really heard of Got Stormy until around this time last year, until after she won the De La Rose and then the Fourstardave a week later,” Casse said. “What she really needs is firm, hard turf to get a mile. So I’ll believe she’s not as good when I see her get beat on hard turf.”

Referring to Got Stormy’s second-place finish in last year’s Woodbine Mile, run on good turf, Casse said, “There was definitely give in the ground when she got beat in the Woodbine Mile, and they ran a mile last time in 36 and 1, which is not Belmont.” Got Stormy put in a rare main-track work here Wednesday, breezing an easy half-mile in 48.10 seconds shortly after 9 a.m. over a track that was sealed and muddy earlier in the morning but upgraded to fast once harrowed during the renovation break.

“I just wanted to do a little something with her today,” Casse said. “She’ll go back to the turf next time.”

Casse also is hoping he can throw out Sir Winston’s last start after the 2019 Belmont winner finished last, nearly 22 lengths behind Tacticus, in the Grade 2 Suburban at Belmont Park. The outing was just the third this season for Sir Winston, who finished second in the Flat Out in his previous try.

“He just never really engaged in the Suburban – I have no idea why,” Casse said. “He’s done that before. He did it once on turf and a few times when younger. He’s fine. We’ll just try to regroup with an easier spot, the Alydar, for his next start.

The Alydar will be run Aug. 9 at Saratoga.

Casse also reported his promising 2-year-old filly Beautiful Memories is doing well and has gone back to the track after being pulled up by jockey Jose Ortiz as the overwhelming favorite on opening day in the Schuylerville. Casse said Beautiful Memories will probably run Sept. 6 here in the Spinaway.

“She stumbled pretty hard at the start, and Jose thought maybe she hurt herself so he just pulled her up,” Casse said. “Better safe than sorry. She nicked herself up, had a little cut above the knee, but otherwise she’s okay and at the moment we’re planning to aim for the Spinaway. It just goes to show anything can happen in this game. It wasn’t that long ago that Classic Empire took a right-hand turn in the Hopeful. Nothing surprises me. The main thing is, she’s fine.”