STAKES ANALYSIS Nine set to go in Saratoga Special

By Jeff Scott SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » It’s been seven years since a Steve Asmussenconditioned horse (Kantharos) finished first in the Saratoga Special, but the veteran trainer has won the $200,000 Grade 2 three times. And he appears to have a big shot in this summer’s edition with Copper Bullet, the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Copper Bullet comes into the Special off a runner-up finish in the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, the year’s first graded race for twoyear-olds. The More Than Ready colt broke his maiden a month earlier, also at Churchill, by an impressive eight lengths.

Todd Pletcher, of course, is rarely without an entry or two in a two-year-old stakes, and he has two in this year’s Saratoga Special. Neither is afforded much respect on the morning line. Tempestad, a neck winner in his debut at Belmont back in May is pegged at 15-1. Bal Harbour, a distant third here in the Sanford on July 22, is 12-1.

Second choice on the morning line is Diamond Oops (7-2), a son of Lookin At Lucky who was perfect in two outings at Gulfstream, a maiden special and a minor stake. Diamond Oops has demonstrated the ability to come from the pace, which could serve him well in this speed-laden field.

Hollywood Story (4-1) also showed the ability to close by rallying to break his maiden at first asking back on June 28. The son of Malibu Moon, a $550,000 yearling at Keeneland September last fall, is out of two-time Grade 1 winner Hollywood Story, by Wild Rush.

Barry Lee (4-1) romped in his debut at Laurel by 6½ lengths as the evenmoney favorite.

The Horacio DePazconditioned colt is by the Medaglia d’Oro stallion Violence, whose first foals are two-year-olds this year.

Mo Diddley (8-1), Crea’s Brooklyn Law (201) and Vino (12-1) round out the field of nine juveniles. Asmussen