Speed Up, Mo Plex Among NY Showcase Day Highlights
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Riders Dylan Davis and Jose Ortiz each won a pair of awards at the New York Showcase Day show on August 25 at Saratoga Race TrackThe 11-race New York-based special with six prizes worth a total of $1.25 million also saw trainer Jorge Abreu win three races, including one of the highlight events.
“This is a great program for New York breeders and horse owners. It’s a very rewarding program,” Ortiz said. “They’ve invested a lot of money in New York-bred horses at NYRA, which is important for the program to continue to grow. I think the program is in a great place right now. It’s great — you see a lot of horses today.”
Ortiz led the race to victory by taking the opening win alongside Kaleem Shah Accelerate who remained undefeated with an impressive start-to-finish score in his debut for the $200,000 Seeking the Ante, a six-furlong sprint for young mares, to start the race.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Mitole The fly wobbled at the start but quickly recovered to set distances of :22.69, :46.07 and :58.29 on the fast main track. In control throughout the race, Accelerating broke away with a four-length lead in a final time of 1:11.31. Carmen’s Candy Jar complete exacta by 1 1/4 length The center of success with Golden Trail complete order of completion.
Video: Search Ante S. (BT)
Davis, a native of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., won 29 races at the meet, including seven race wins. He continued his hot summer by coaching Christophe Clement. Pandagate from last to first in the $250,000 Albany race, a nine-furlong test for sophomores.
Pandagate wins at Albany at Saratoga Race Course.
“I love him so much,” Davis said of Pandagate’s recent run. “I started him from the start and Clement and the team have done a great job with him. He’s taken me all over the world. He doesn’t owe us anything. He’s a really, really great horse. He’s got a big stride and he’s been very competitive in the New York series here.”
Campaigned by Adelphi Racing Club, Madaket Stables, Corms Racing Stable and On The Rise Again Stable, the grey horse Arrogate once again won Dr. Sullivan in an exact copy from last month’s New York Derby at Finger Lakes.
Aggelos the Great led a pack of five horses through splits of :24.25, :48.39 and 1:13.19 while being tracked by Saint BD as Pandagate tracked from the back of the pack with Doc Sullivan just ahead of him in fourth. Davis signaled his handler to run wide through the final bend as Hall of Famer Javier Castellano made a ground-saving approach to Doc Sullivan. Pandagate commanded down the lane with Doc Sullivan off the rail in pursuit but to no avail as Pandagate scored by a length in a final time of 1:51.11. The gap was 5 1/4 lengths Freedom Center in third place with Aggelos the Great and BD Saints completing the rankings.
Video: Albany S. (BT)
West Point
Albany’s score comes one race after Davis led Reeves Thoroughbred Racing Dakota Gold to an exciting victory by knocking out the favorite after a period of time. The Spirit of St Louis at the West Point $200,000 Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf handicap race for horses 3 years old and up.
Dakota Gold beats Spirit of St Louis at West Point at Saratoga Race Course
Trained by multi-award winning Danny Gargan Freud The 5-year-old won his first time since Hudson Valley last July at Belmont Parkand avenged his fourth place finish in the event last year when victory went to returning rival and flag bearer Reeves City Man .
Expertly steered by Davis, Dakota Gold emerged from the inside and settled into a five-minute lead. Jerry the Restrained suddenly broke away from the outside and shot forward to mark splits of :23.43 and :48.30 on a solid track with It’s all coming soon in second place with City Man and Spirit of St Louis in equal positions just behind.
Manny Franco, aboard Spirit of St Louis, shook the reins as he approached the bend and his horse responded strongly, taking up ground with every stride to compete with three other horses at the front of the lane as Itsallcomintogetha tried to push his head forward.
Spirit of St Louis took control in pole position eight from a determined Itsallcomintogetha, but Dakota Gold was released mid-race and proved to have the upper hand, promptly winning by a narrow margin in a final time of 1:41.24.
City Man ran well to take third place by a horse length with Jerry the Nipper completing the superfecta. Itsallcomintogetha faded to complete the finishing order.
Video: West Point H. Presented by Trustco Bank (BT)
Indian Fleet
Lael’s Stables Landed led every step of the way to double the stakes for the $200,000 Fleet Indian for a second-year mare running nine furlongs on the main track.
Trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by John Velazquez, daughter of Omaha Beach emerged well from 2nd place to take early command and clocked :24.75, :50.46 and 1:14.69 with Dolomite Landed maintained her advantage until the final turn with Dolomite pestering her on the outside, but Landed fought back hard to beat the challenge and scored by 2 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:51.99.
Dolomite holds second place ahead of three-length race My Girl Shea D with Call her Bluff , Caldwell loves gold , Sweet Brown Sugar And Maggy’s Palace complete order of completion.
Bred by Final Furlong Racing Stable and Maspeth Stable, Landed is a half-sister to many ranked racehorses. Valentine’s Day Price sixth in command at Yaddo.
Video: Indian S. Fleet (BT)
Funny side
R and H Stable’s Rising Star What is MoPlex? still undefeated with a hard-fought victory over Upcoming in the $200,000 Funny Cide, a six-furlong sprint race for teenagers.
Connections for Mo Plex Celebrates Win at Funny Cide at Saratoga Race Course
Trained by Jeremiah Englehart and ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Complexity colt broke from the outside position of 7 and tracked from the outside of the pacesetter In the Chase through splits of :22.43 and :45.89. In The Chase held a precarious lead late in the turn when I am Bago threatened on the track with Soontobeking passing to split In The Chase and Mo Plex for the lead. But with encouragement from leading rider Spa, Mo Plex found another gear to accelerate and won narrowly in a final time of 1:11.72. The gap was 2 1/2 lengths Printing ink in third place with In The Chase, Diesel Mi Bago and Smiley cheese round up order complete.
Bred by Everything’s Cricket Racing, the $45,000 Ocala Breeders-in-training 2-year-old won by 10 lengths in his June 20 debut against other horses bred in the state. Belmont at Big A before gaining a one-length lead in the six-furlong Sanford (G3) here on July 13.
Video: Indian S. Fleet (BT)
Yaddo Disability
The stakes action ended with a surprise win by Jose Ortiz over Chris Larsen Moonage’s Dreamy Day in the $200,000 Yaddo Handicap for fillies and mares 3 years old and up, run 1 1/16 miles on Mellon turf. It was the third win on the track for trainer Jorge Abreu, who earned a secondary win in the 3rd race with Silver Satin and in the 7th race with Busy morning .
The Candy Trip The four-year-old was aided by an honest pace set by stablemate Venti Valentine, who was brought from seventh place into control in the first leg and ran :23.82, :48.22 and 1:12.42 on a firm track with Moonage Daydream close behind in second.
Favorite after time Silver pan made a three-way move at the start of the straight, but spun his wheels as Moonage Daydream took control from his fading stablemate and had enough in reserve to withstand the late attack of The Marvelous Maude won by 1 1/4 horse lengths in a final time of 1:42.81.
The wonderful Maude won the place of honor by a neck. What does love look like? who has the better nose Stonewall Star . Silver Pan, Venti Valentine, Lisa’s Vision And Color rotation Complete order completed.
Video: Yaddo H. (BT)
This press release has been edited for content and style by the BloodHorse team.