Rain may play a part in Hall of Fame Stakes
MTO entry Caviar Czar may be the horse to beat on main track
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The three-year-old turfers in today’s $200,000 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes (G2), scheduled as usual on the same day as the HOF induction ceremony across the street, often don’t have very extensive resumes.
Recent winners of the mile-and-a-sixteenth event, however, have included a number of horses who went on to have stellar careers: Stroll, Artie Schiller, After Market, Nobiz Like Shobiz, Courageous Cat and Big Blue Kitten. All were Grade 1 winners, and Big Blue Kitten was voted 2015 Champion Turf Male.
This year’s Hall of Fame has attracted 10 entrants, including main-trackonly entry Caviar Czar, who is the 2-1 morningline favorite. The Medaglia d’Oro colt has only a maiden win to show for four starts, but because rain is in the forecast — and Caviar Czar is the only horse who has been running lately on dirt — he must be taken seriously should the race be taken off the turf.
If the race remains on the grass, morning-line favoritism falls to Bricks and Mortar at 5-2. The son of Giant’s Causeway is undefeated in three starts and comes in off a rousing off-the-pace score in the ungraded Manila Stakes on July 4. Joel Rosario has been aboard all three starts for the Chad Brown trainee.
Big Handsome (3-1) was the last horse passed by Bricks and Mortar in the Manila, a result that ended his three-race winning streak. In his previous race, he won the Paradise Creek Stakes (also at Belmont) by 5¼ lengths. The Street Boss colt has been out of the money only once in seven starts.
Yoshida (7-2) exits a fading fifth as the 3-1 favorite in the Belmont Derby (G1). The Japanese-bred son of Heart’s Cry (winner of the 2006 Sheema Classic) had won his previous two starts by open lengths. Leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. climbs aboard for trainer Bill Mott.
Secretary of War (5-1), a close third in the abovementioned Manila Stakes, earlier won the ungraded Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct. The War Front colt finished up the track in the Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3), however. Arlow (101) is the lone graded winner in the field, having won the American Turf (G2) at Churchill on Derby Day.
The rest of the Hall of Fame field consists of Snap Decision (5-1), Makarios (20-1), Bonus Points (20-1) and Parlor (15-1).
Plenty of back class in Lure Stakes
With a field that includes a Grade 1 winner and two-time Grade 2 winner at Saratoga (Ring Weekend), another multiple graded winner (Blacktype), the last two winners of the Hall of Fame Stakes (Takeover Target and Camelot Kitten), and Mohaymen, a four-time Grade 2 winner of dirt, Saturday’s $100,000 Lure Stakes doesn’t lack for story lines.
What makes the race even more interesting is that the 9-5 morning-line favorite, Projected, has yet to win at the graded or group level. The fiveyear-old gelding put up big numbers in finishing second in recent graded tries at Pimlico and Belmont, however. And with the best days of most of chief rivals perhaps behind them, the Chad Brown-trained son of Showcasing may be ready to break through.
Ring Weekend and Blacktype are winless in a combined eight starts in 2017. Mohaymen hasn’t won since last year’s Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream. And Takeover Target is 1-for-7 this year.
Camelot Kitten will be given a long look at 9-2. The four-year-old colt was out of the money in just one of eight starts in 2016, winning the American Turf (G2), Pennine Ridge (G3) and Hill Prince (G3), in addition to the Grade 2 Hall of Fame. Camelot Kitten, however, will be making his first start since last December.
Full field in De La Rose
Plenty of options to choose from in the oversubscribed De La Rose Stakes. The $100,000 one-mile turf event, the tenth race on Saturday’s Whitney card, drew a full field of a dozen starters, with one alsoeligible.
On Leave is second choice on the morning line at 3-1. The War Front filly has won 5-of-9 starts and is 3-for-3 at the distance. She has a Grade 2 win on her resume (last year’s Sands Point Stakes) and exits a neck win in the ungraded Perfect Sting last month.
Sassy Little Lila is no surprise as the 5-2 favorite. The daughter of Artie Schiller has been beaten less than a total of a length in two Grade 1 tries, mostly recently by three-quarters of a length to Antonoe in the Just a Game Stakes.
Bar of Gold (10-1) is making just her third start on turf. The hardrunning New York-bred has earned over $818K racing mostly in open company. She has yet to win in 13 graded-stakes tries, but has been a close second several times, and her back class may work in her favor in this spot.
Light in Paris (8-1) is 4-for-8 at the one-mile distance and has a pair of seconds in five graded outings. Freudie Anne (15-1), another New Yorkbred, is 4-for-6 at the distance.
If the race remains on the grass, morning-line favoritism falls to Bricks and Mortar at 5-2. The son of Giant’s Causeway is undefeated in three starts and comes in off a rousing off-the-pace score in the ungraded Manila Stakes on July 4. Joel Rosario has been aboard all three starts for the Chad Brown trainee.