Uncle Benny starts comeback

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The return to the races of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Uncle Benny highlights the inaugural $100,000 Mahony Stakes, one of two stakes on Wednesday’s 10-race Saratoga card.

The race honors the Mahony family, which helped construct the modern parimutuel wagering system over 100 years ago. Pat Mahony, who retired from his position as mutuel manager for the New York Racing Association in January 2016, followed in the footsteps of his father, Riggs, and grandfather Jerome in the parimutuel business.

So perhaps it is only fitting that on Wednesday, NYRA ushers in a new era in regard to its pick-six wager. The Empire 6, a 20-cent minimum bet, replaces the traditional $2 pick six. The Empire 6 wager requires a bettor to have the only correct winning ticket to collect the whole pool. Otherwise, 75 percent of the pool is paid out to those with the most winners and 25 percent is carried over to the next day.

The Mahony, for 3-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, is the second leg of the Empire 6 and came up a pretty salty race, with nine entered for the grass and one for the main track.

Rain is in the forecast for Wednesday, which could impact the race, though the turf courses have firmed up and played extremely fast.

Uncle Benny, a son of Declaration of War trained by Jason Servis, won his maiden on dirt last Aug. 24 at Monmouth, then took the Futurity, run for the first time on turf, last October. In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at a mile, Uncle Benny came with a strong late run, but was beaten a halflength by Call of Duty. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., on Uncle Benny, claimed foul but it was disallowed.

Uncle Benny hasn’t raced yet this year owning to inflammation of the bones, a condition known as bone oedema. Servis said Uncle Benny was doing Aquatred therapy in Kentucky and has been in training for a couple of months.

“He looks great,” Servis said. “It’s only 5 1/2 [furlongs]. I’m just trying to get him going.”

Trainer Linda Rice seems to have the race covered, turf or dirt. She plans to run Elektronic if the race stays on the turf. Mount Travers would definitely run if the race is rained off to the main track and is possible to run on turf.

Elektronic, a New York-bred son of City Zip, rallied from last over yielding turf in the Quick Call to be second to Listing, finishing a neck in front of Neverland Rock, who is also in this field.

“He got bumped away from there and was pretty far back. Obviously I think it affected him,” trainer Linda Rice said. “Hopefully, he’ll get away good this time.”

Mount Travers is a twotime winner on a wet track and finished third in the Bridgetown Stakes at Aqueduct over yielding ground.

Neverland Rock had the lead in midstretch of the Quick Call, so at least he showed he could handle turf with give in the ground, if that is the case on Wednesday.

Archidust, trained by Jorge Navarro, has won both of his starts at 5 1/2 furlongs, including an allowance on dirt and the My Frenchman Stakes on turf last out.

The Black Album shortens up after winning the Charlie Barley at one mile. Dunph also shortens up after running third in the one-mile Mystic Lake Derby at Canterbury.