Improbable secures third Grade 1 in Whitney
A stumble by Tom’s d’Etat (USA) (Smart Strike {USA}) made Improbable’s (USA) (City Zip {USA}) job all the easier in Saturday’s G1 Whitney S. at Saratoga.
Showing the front running style that is his custom in the 1800 metre “Win and You’re In” race for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Improbable was happy to let the longshot Mr. Buff (USA) (Friend Or Foe {USA}) set the pace as he raced close behind. Attended closely by By My Standards (USA) (Goldencents {USA}), Improbable easily galloped by Mr. Buff in the far turn to come into the stretch the leader.
Holding a few lengths in hand, Improbable was encouraged to keep running by Irad Ortiz Jr. in the final 400 metres as his brother Jose tried to chase the chestnut down with a rebounding By My Standards. Improbable was given a hand ride in the final 100 metres as he coasted to a 2l victory over By My Standards.
Tom’s d’Etat, who nosedived at the start put in a top effort to finish third and give WinStar Farm a first-third finish of sorts with the operation owning the winner with China Horse Club and SF Racing and announced to be standing the third-place finisher at the conclusion of his career.
"The Whitney is a race that everybody wants to win and WinStar has yet to win one, so it was a great win for us, SF, China Horse Club and the whole team,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar Farm’s CEO. “To do it with this horse, who has been so good for three years, he's danced every dance. He's given us a lot of pleasure. He was the favourite in the Kentucky Derby and he won a Grade 1 as a 2-year-old. We talked about whether we should run in the Pacific Classic or the Whitney, but the Whitney is such a prestigious race and Tom's d'Etat was the leader of the division at the time and I felt like he deserved to run against him and Code of Honor, too. Even though it was a small field, it was a spectacular field. He did it the right way and completely dominated, which was great.”
The first foal out of four-time winner Rare Event (USA) (A.P. Indy {USA}), he is also one of two winners from three to race with his 2-year-old half-brother Snake Doctor (USA) (Oxbow {USA}) only making one start.
A US$110,000 weanling turned US$200,000 yearling, Improbable’s Listed winning second dam Our Rite Of Spring (USA) (Stravinsky {USA}) is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and successful sire Hard Spun (USA).
Collusion Illusion secures Breeders’ Cup berth in Bing Crosby
Collusion Illusion (USA) (Twirling Candy {USA}) took his record to five victories in six starts on Saturday with a victory in the G1 Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar.
All but undefeated, with his only “loss” coming in a race where he was pulled up, Collusion Illusion went off as the favourite in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint “Win and You’re In” race.
Breaking from a wide barrier in the 1200 metre race, Collusion Illusion dropped back behind a five-horse duel for the lead with only Lexitonian (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) beat. The multi-horse duel in front sizzled around the track at a crazed pace as four horses continued to fight for the lead around the far turn.
As most of the field started to tire, Collusion Illusion switched to the rail to fly past the pair of leaders that hadn’t tired. While Collusion Illusion made his run on the rail, Lexitonian flew up the outside, making up the almost 20l he had given up for most of the race.
The pair hit the line together with Collusion Illusion just getting his nose on the wire first. The pair were only 1.25l ahead of third-place finisher Law Abidin Citizen (USA) (Twirling Candy {USA}) who had his neck in front of Wildman Jack (USA) (Goldencents {USA}) at the conclusion of their own duel.
The fourth Grade 1 winner by his sire, Collusion Illusion is the first foal out of his dam Natalie Grace (USA) (First Dude {USA}). That unraced mare is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Bahamian Squall (USA) (Gone West {USA}) among five stakes horses with one of her stakes-winning half-sister producing three more stakes horses.
The Bing Crosby was Collusion Illusion’s three stakes victory with the colt winning the G2 Best Pal S. on this course last year in his second start as a 2-year-old.
Vexatious upsets Midnight Bisou in Personal Ensign
Vexatious (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}) had to survive an objection from the jockey of second-placed Midnight Bisou (USA) (Midnight Lute {USA}) but after a brief pause, trainer Jack Sisterson was able to celebrate his first career Grade 1 win in the G1 Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga.
A “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, the 1800 metre race saw Vexatious racing a close second behind Motion Emotion (USA) (Take Charge Indy {USA}) early on with champion Midnight Bisou tracking them closely. By the time they entered the far turn, Vexatious was ready to challenge the leader and quickly went head-to-head with Motion Emotion with Midnight Bisou making a big move to their outside.
Vexatious put Motion Emotion away with 300 metres left to run but Midnight Bisou soon engaged her in a duel. Vexatious never let that rival have the lead, drifting closer to Midnight Bisou with less than 200 metres to go but never touching her as she beat her by a neck.
A short objection followed due to the drifting but stewards made no changes and Vexatious secured her own maiden Grade 1 victory with the pair 6.25l ahead of third-placed Point Of Honor (USA) (Curlin {USA}) .
Watch: Personal Ensign S.
"We were worried about coming back in three weeks,” said Sisterson. “We put this race in her hands and let her tell us she was ready to come back, and three weeks later she told us that she was ready to run. Physically, she looked great and worked well last week. She's answered every question."
The victory was also Sisterson’s first in Saratoga, with the trainer taking out his license two years ago after spending years as an assistant for Doug O’Neill in California.
“I want to say thank you to Calumet Farm, and my employees for getting her in the best shape possible,” he said. “We started off the year in allowance races and allowed her to improve, and she deserves it. It's a whole team effort and I have a lot of people to thank. It's a great win whether at Belterra or Saratoga. It's our first win at Saratoga, so it's cool that it's a Grade 1 with the history behind this race.”
One of five winners from nine to race out of Grade 1 winner Dream Of Summer (USA) (Siberian Summer {USA}), the 6-year-old owned by Calumet Farm is a full sister to Grade 1 winner Creative Cause (USA) and multiple graded stakes winner and classic placed Destin (USA) with a half-sister also producing two stakes-placed runners.
Dream Of Summer has an unnamed 2-year-old three-quarter sister to Vexatious by Not This Time (USA) and foaled an Uncle Mo (USA) filly this term before going back to Triple Crown winner Justify (USA).
Echo Town breaks stakes maiden in H. Allen Jerkens
Second in his graded stakes debut last out in a Grade 1, Echo Town (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) went one better in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens S. presented by Runhappy Saturday at Saratoga.
Racing over 1400 metres, Echo Town raced in a big pack behind the leading No Parole (USA) (Violence {USA}) with most of the field only 4l behind the leader. No Parole was pressured throughout by Mischevious Alex (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) with Tap It To Win (USA) (Tapit {USA}) joining them around the turn as they broke away from the rest of the field.
Coming into the straight, No Parole had a desperate lead with multiple horses working up a challenge. As No Parole faded Echo Town burst through the field to take the lead and left no doubt that he was the best of the 3-year-old colts with 3.5l over Tap It To Win, who beat Shoplifted (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) for that position by 0.5l.
"I thought 22 and 3 were soft for this group. I thought Echo Town ran the race of his life and Shoplifted, who was second in the Hopeful last year here obviously likes this track,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains the first and third-place finishers. "It was great to see [Echo Town] put it all together when it matters so much on this stage. He ran solidly here. He ran really well into the Woody Stephens, but I thought the timing of this race was better. He's run hard all year. He's run consistently all year. Now, he will be noticed."
The 18th Grade 1 winner and 113th stakes winner for WinStar Farm stalwart Speightstown, the colt was purchased for US$100,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale by racing owner L and N Racing.
The colt is the second graded winner for his Grade 3-winning dam Letgomyecho (USA) (Menifee {USA}) after Grade 3 winner J Boys Echo (USA) (Mineshaft {USA}). The pair are two of eight winners with half-brother Unbridled Outlaw (USA) (Unbridled’s Song {USA}) Grade 3 placed, a 4-year-old half-brother Listed placed and an unraced half-sister producing two stakes-placed horses.
Letgomyecho joins her dam as being successful producers with Echo Echo Echo (USA) (Eastern Echo {USA}) producing four stakes horses and the dams of six others.
Letgomyecho has an unnamed 2-year-old Candy Ride (USA) colt who sold for US$150,000 last year, a yearling three-quarters sister to that colt by Gun Runner (USA), and she foaled an American Pharoah (USA) filly in 2020.
Thousand Words earns Derby points in Shared Belief
Believed to be one of the top Kentucky Derby prospects early in the year, Thousand Words (USA) (Pioneerof The Nile {USA}) has benefited from the delayed Derby to round back into form this summer. The colt fully announced his return on Saturday evening with a win in the Shared Belief S. at Del Mar to earn 50 points toward the Churchill Downs race.
Veering in a step when breaking from the gate in the 1700 metre race didn’t hurt Thousand Words, who immediately went to the lead. He was joined in the first turn by race favourite Honor A. P. (USA) (Honor Code {USA}), who ran along his hip until Cezanne (USA) (Curlin {USA}) joined them and Honor A.P. dropped into third.
It looked like Thousand Words was already beaten around the far turn as the other two caught up to him. Jockey Abel Cedillo started using his stick on the colt from there and Thousand Words found a second wind as they hit the top of the stretch.
Honor A. P. dropped back with 300 metres left to run as Cezanne pushed along his Bob Baffert stablemate for the lead and Thousand Words responded by pulling away in the closing stages. Honor A. P. made a late run but it wasn’t enough to get any closer than 0.75l to the winner with Kiss Today Goodbye (USA) (Cairo Prince {USA}) 0.5l behind him in third.
“I told Abel to jump him out of there and I thought he and Cezanne would be 1-2,” Baffert said. “Turning for home I could tell that Honor A.P. wasn’t running like he usually does. Cezanne got really tired, but Thousand Words, I could tell when we got down here that he was a different horse from Los Alamitos and the real Thousand Words showed up today. His whole mind changed. His colour has changed. He had soured out on me, but we got him going the right way. I think he earned his way to the Derby.”
A three-time stakes winner Thousand Words is the third foal out of multiple graded stakes-winner Pomeroys Pistol (USA) (Pomeroy {USA}) and is by far the most expensive foal out of the mare, bringing US$1 million from the Albaugh Family and Spendthrift as a yearling.
The best runner under her first three dams, Pomeroys Pistol is a half-sister to two stakes-placed horses and a granddaughter of four-time Listed winner Swearingen (USA) (Deposit Ticket {USA}).
