By Your Side on target for G1 Hopeful on Closing Day
After making a successful stakes debut at Saratoga at the start of the summer meet, Anderson Stables’ By Your Side will look to end it on a similar high in targeting the Grade 1, $350,000 Runhappy Hopeful on Closing Day, September 2, trainer Eddie Kenneally said.
After winning his first start on June 14 at Churchill Downs at 5 ½ furlongs, the Constitution colt improved to 2-for-2 when he bested a five-horse field in the Grade 3 Sanford at six furlongs on a fast Spa main track on July 13.
By Your Side will now look to add “Grade 1-winner” to his resume in the Hopeful, a prestigious race for 2-year-olds that counts legendary horses as its winners since the first running in 1903, including Peter Pan (1906), Man o’ War (1919), Native Dancer (1952), Nashua (1954), Buckpasser (1965), Secretariat (1972), Gulch (1986) and Afleet Alex (2004).
“It’s a prestigious race and a lot of good horses have won it,” Kenneally said. “We’re hoping that our horse will improve from race-to-race. He appears to be doing great.”
Contested at seven-furlongs, the Hopeful will mark a return to Saratoga for By Your Side, who has stayed here since earning a 74 Beyer Speed Figure following his Sanford victory in which he bested Tomato Bill by three lengths.
He has registered a pair of four-furlong breezes on the main track since that effort, including a work in 49.44 seconds on Sunday.
“He’s had two good works here at Saratoga since the Sanford,” Kenneally said. “Everything is how it should be.”
Competing in a prestigious race was the initial goal when By Your Side was purchased for $240,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Kenneally said he was targeting the Hopeful early on, but the initial results would dictate the plans. So far, the bay colt has proven he deserves the opportunity to move up.
“You have a tentative plan mapped out in your head and if the horse cooperates, great. If not, you go to Plan B,” he said. “You always have a plan, but it doesn’t
Kenneally will also have another juvenile looking to make an impression in Joseph Sutton’s Kentucky homebred Noose, who won his debut on June 28 at Churchill by five lengths and is entered as part of an eight-horse field in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite.
Contested at 6 ½ furlongs, the Saratoga Special will see Noose break from post 1 with jockey Corey Lanerie back in the irons.
“He had a really good breeze on Friday and worked super to set himself up perfectly for this race on Saturday,” Kenneally said. “Obviously, this is a tougher group of horses we’re going to be running against, but I think he’s an improving horse. He’s already run at six furlongs and won. This being 6 ½ isn’t a huge leap forward. The question is, has he improved enough?
“He’s settled in lovely. We’re real positive. He’s doing great,” he added. “He did all of his training at Churchill for his first start and then he ran there and won, so we figured we’d just continue with that. I’m sure he’ll take to this track just fine, also.” always materialize.”