Season gets underway at Saratoga track
Sanford Stakes, Diana Handicap among highlights on today’s card
>> There have been plenty of changes to the Saratoga stakes schedule in recent years, with races shifted around on the calendar and others pulled from the Belmont spring and fall meets. The Schuylerville and Sanford, however — Saratoga’s traditional first round of graded races for 2-year-olds — have retained their positions in the opening days of the meet.
The Schuylerville was won Friday by Sweet Loretta. The Sanford, which will be run for the 104th time, shares Saturday’s marquee with the Diana Handicap, the first of 16 Grade 1s to be run on the flat at Saratoga this summer.
The Sanford has a respected place in history. Its second running, in 1914, was won by Regret, who the following year became the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby. Six years later, in 1920, Upset, well, upset Man o’ War in what turned out to be the only defeat of the great horse’s career. In the 1970s, the Sanford was won by Triple Crown heroes Secretariat and Affirmed.
In recent years, though, the Sanford has had little connection with the rest of the racing calendar. When Sunny Ridge won the Withers Stakes this past January, it marked the first time since 2009 that a horse who had run in the Sanford (Sunny Ridge finished seventh in last summer’s edition) went on to win a graded race at three.
This year’s Sanford, the third race on Saturday’s card, drew just five entrants. All five are coming off fairly impressive wins, and on paper there doesn’t appear to be a lot separating them. Random Walk, a 5 ¾-length winner at Belmont in his debut, is the morning-line choice at 7-5. The Rick Violette trainee is a son of Super Saver, who in his initial crop of 2-year-olds in 2014 sired the winners of the Saratoga Special (I Spent It) and Hopeful (Competitive Edge).
Bitumen, the only starter to have won at the Sanford’s six-furlong distance, is next at 8-5.
Todd Pletcher sends out Bronson (5-1), a son of Medaglia d’Oro who broke his maiden at Monmouth on June 18. Pletcher, whose 14 juvenile
wins at Saratoga last summer were nine more than anyone else, will be looking for his sixth victory in the race. Zartera (9-2) and Bay Numbers (10-1) complete the field.
Diana a bettor’s delight
This year’s Diana Handicap may lack star power — Miss Temple City is the only U.S. Grade 1 winner in the 10-horse field — but it shapes up as a terrific betting race. Most horses are coming off strong efforts, and none can be dismissed out of hand.
Miss Temple City kicked off 2016 by beating males in the Grade 1 Makers 46 Mile. She followed that with an honest fourth in a Group 2 race at Royal Ascot. Miss Temple City is 3-1 on the morning line, but has yet to win in three starts at the nine-furlong
distance.
The French-bred Wekeela is next at 7-2. The 4-year-old Hurricane Run filly, runner-up in a Group 1 at Longchamp last year, exits runner-up tries in her first two U.S. starts, both Grade 1s. Chilean Group 1 winner Dacita (5-1) is coming off a win in the 1 ¼-mile New York Stakes at Belmont.
Sam puts Derby behind
When last seen, My Man Sam was finishing a troubled 11th behind Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby. The Trappe Shot colt had been given a measure of respect at 19-1 at Churchill after running a game second in the Blue Grass. He returns to action in Saturday’s ninth race, an opening-level allowance at nine furlongs. The Chad Brown runner has put together a series of solid works at Belmont and Saratoga in preparation for the $85,000 race, which has drawn a field of six.
My Man Sam’s opponents include Tale of Verve, whose lone moment in the sun occurred when he ran a distant second to American Pharoah in last year’s Preakness as a 28-1 longshot. Since then the maiden winner has finished up the track in seven straight races, including the Belmont and Travers. The son of Tale of Ekati will be making his second start of the year and is 12-1 on the morning line.
Chrome returns to track
While Songbird’s appearance in Sunday’s Coaching Club American Oaks is the main event of Saratoga’s opening weekend, there is an even bigger race taking place Saturday at Del Mar: the return of California Chrome in the San Diego Handicap.
The 5-year-old horse, the richest North American thoroughbred in history, will be making his first start since his dominating win in the Dubai
World Cup four months ago. The Cal-bred signaled his readiness with a bullet work Monday, the fastest of 85 breezing five furlongs.
California Chrome will have Dortmund to catch. The formidable front-runner, a winner of 8 of 10 career starts, was last seen taking the Native Diver last November. A third starter, Hard Aces, is also no slouch. Recent efforts for the 6-year-old include a victory in last year’s Gold Cup at Santa Anita and seconds in this year’s Santa Anita Handicap and Californian.
Shadey close to $1M
Slim Shadey has piled up $971,626 in earnings the hard way, mostly competing in allowances, claiming races and minor stakes. The 8-year-old gelding, who won a trio of Grade 2s in California earlier in his career, will be making his 59th start in Sunday’s seventh race.
If he wins the 1 1/16-mile optional claimer on turf, he will become racing’s latest millionaire.