Large field aims at With Anticipation
By Jeff Scott SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » With major stakes winners Paddy O’Prado, Dullahan, Optimizer and International Star as recent graduates, the With Anticipation Stakes has done pretty well as an indicator of future ability. Interestingly enough, while all four of these horses finished in the money in the Grade 3 race, none of them actually won.
This year’s With Anticipation, which will be Wednesday’s feature race, has drawn a field of 11 for the 8 ½-furlong event for juvenile turfers. Seven horses will be making just their second start, with the remaining four going to the post for the third time.
The top two choices on the morning line exit the same 8½-furlong maiden special weight run at Saratoga on Aug. 5. Trumpi (7/2) won that race going gate to wire, while Seabhac (4-1) fashioned a big rally but came up a halflength short. Both horses were making their career debut. Trumpi, a son of Majestic Warrior, is a Peter Vegso homebred trained by Bill Mott. Seabhac, a Scat Daddy Colt, competes for Donegal Racing and is conditioned by Todd Pletcher, who will be looking for his sixth win (and third in a row) in the With Anticipation.
Third choice goes to Machtree (9/2), who won his debut (also at 8 ½ furlongs) here on Aug. 12 by a half-length. The son of Kitten’s Joy, a $450k yearling buy last September at Keeneland, is out of the Mark Casse barn.
Earth, another Pletcher trainee, is pegged at 6-1. The Orb colt was a narrow winner of his five-furlong debut at Gulfstream back in June, but finished a well-beaten third in a subsequent stakes try in the Tyro at Monmouth. Also listed at 6-1 is Untamed Domain, an Animal Kingdom colt who required two starts to break his maiden, getting the job done here July 22 at the With Anticipation’s distance.
The remainder of the field consists of Evaluator (8-1), Catholic Boy (15-1), Irish Territory (15-1), Fort Wise Treaty (20-1), Morrison (20-1) and Nauti Buoy (20-1).