Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Market Alert in comfier spot
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After defeating New Yorkbreds handily at Belmont Park in June, Market Alert found the waters a bit too deep when he ran back in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and was beaten 16 1/2 lengths by Jackie’s Warrior.
Back with statebreds and with blinkers added, Market Alert will look to rebound in Friday’s $150,000 Funny Cide Stakes, part of a 12-race program at Saratoga with all races restricted to New Yorkbreds.
Market Alert, a 2-year-old son of D’Funnybone, got a nice setup when he came from off the pace to win his debut by 3 1/4 lengths on June 19 at Belmont. Effinity, runner-up in that spot, came back to win his next start and will be one of Market Alert’s primary foes in the Funny Cide.
In addition to facing a different caliber of horse in the Saratoga Special, Market Alert became “unnerved” when there was a horse who acted up in the gate pre-race and was a late scratch, according to Market Alert’s trainer, Jim Ryerson. Also, Ryerson felt jockey Jose Lezcano had to ride his horse hard just to get his early position, which was still well behind the leaders.
“First time he was off the pace, he was running pretty easy,” Ryerson said. “The other day he had to ask him to put him in the race because he didn’t get off that good. They’re a better type of horse, and he had trouble handling all those things.”
Ryerson has added blinkers to Market Alert’s equipment. Over the last two years, Ryerson has two wins and three seconds from 12 starts adding blinkers with a $3.34 return on investment.
“I think we’ll still be off the pace, but I’m hoping he’ll doing it a little bit easier than the other day,” Ryerson said.
Lezcano rides Market Alert from post 3. Effinity, a son of Effinex trained by Brad Cox, bounced back from his second-place finish to Market Alert with a professional four-length victory over just four rivals in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race here July 26. He has since come back with a few solid workouts, including a fastest-of-35 move in 47.88 seconds over the Oklahoma training track on Aug. 30.
The maiden Thin White Duke will make his fifth start and third of the meet in the Funny Cide. In two starts on dirt, he was third behind Market Alert and then third to Hold the Salsa at Belmont. He ran twice here on turf at Saratoga, just missing going 5 1/2 furlongs here Aug. 13. An outside draw may help Thin White Duke as he returns to dirt and picks up Joel Rosario.
Hold the Salsa, like Market Alert, found the Saratoga Special a bit too tough when he finished ninth. Eagle Orb, Alpha Chi Rho, Looking for Trouble, and Windy Nations complete the field.
Round 2 in Seeking the Ante
A half-length separated Rossa Veloce and Summer Brew when they ran 1-2 in a New Yorkbred maiden race for juvenile fillies here Aug. 5. Friday, the pair meet again in the $150,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes, where there’s a good chance they could run 1-2 again.
The Seeking Ante, at 6 1/2 furlongs, is the first of 12 races – including six stakes – restricted to New York-breds on Friday’s program that begins at 12:20 p.m.
Despite breaking outwardly from post 9 in her debut, Rossa Veloce showed good speed, and after exchanging a bump with Summer Brew in upper stretch, went on to beat that rival by a half-length. No Mo Spending, third in that race, did come back to win her next race.
Rossa Veloce figures to show speed breaking from post 2 under Jose Ortiz.
“It was a big race she ran last time, but she bounced out of it great and really tightened up from that first run,” said Ray Handal, trainer of Rossa Veloce. “It’s always a concern when you stretch these horses out in distance, but she didn’t look like she was slowing down a whole lot to me. It’s going to be in Jose’s hands to be able to ration out the fractions, not go too fast, and have something left to finish with.”
Summer Brew broke a step slow, made a three-wide move turning for home and tried hard to the wire despite coming up a little short.
She is likely to be chasing Rossa Veloce around the track under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Make Mischief comes out of a pair of second-place finishes in the Grade 3 Schuylerville and Grade 2 Adirondack and could show speed from the rail under Rosario.
Debut winners Infringement and Queen Arella and the maiden Samborella complete the field.