Our Country, Tuggle Seek Better Trips in Pilgrim Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Our Country breaks his maiden at Saratoga Race Course
Of the nine 2-year-olds in the $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park, the ones who figure to enjoy an improved trip in the Sept. 28 test are Our Country and Tuggle. Yet that's not saying much, considering their misadventures the last time they entered the starting gate.
Our Country, a son of Constitution , was a well-supported 6-5 favorite Aug. 28 in the With Anticipation Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course after breaking his maiden by 5 3/4 lengths on turf at the Spa earlier that month for trainer George Weaver.
But once the starting gate opened, all that optimism went down the drain.
Our Country stumbled badly at the break, forcing jockey Manny Franco to take a hold of him. He then became rank while the bridle became entangled in his mouth, and, as the Equibase chart put it, he "appeared uncontrollable rushing up to the others."
Later, he surged past Tuggle to move through a small hole, which left Tuggle, the 3-1 second choice, in a bind and forced jockey Jose Ortiz to steady, keeping horse and rider in a troublesome spot for about a sixteenth of a mile.
After all that, Our Country wound up fourth, only beaten 2 3/4 lengths by the victorious Fighting Seabee, while Tuggle was sixth and last, six lengths behind.
For Weaver, the With Anticipation was a "perfect storm" of foul-ups for Randy Hill and Gatsas Stables' $70,000 buy from the Eddie Woods consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
"The bridle got caught in his mouth and it caused him to break in, and then he stumbled. He got upset about it for a bit, and then it was a slow pace and they backed up in front of him. It was a perfect storm," Weaver said. "He's had a couple of nice works since the debacle last time, and if he can avoid the equipment malfunction and stay out trouble in the first part, I think he's capable of better. We're looking for some redemption."
With better racing luck Saturday, Weaver believes the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) could be in the cards for Our Country, who was bred by WinStar Farm.
"He's a real good-looking horse. He's growing and filling out. He has a lot of talent, and I think he's coming along nicely," he said. "He's developed nicely, and I just wish I can draw a line through that last race and move on to the Breeders' Cup."
Our Country is out of the Tiznow mare Light and Variable. His half sister by Outwork went for $500,000 in August at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale.
Tuggle, a son of five-time grade 1 turf winner Point of Entry trained by Jeremiah Englehart and owned by the August Dawn Farm of Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells, made his turf and two-turn debut in the With Anticipation after finishing third in the 6 1/2-furlong Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) in his previous start.
"I'm drawing a line through that last race," Englehart said. "I'm trying to keep everything the same going into this race and try to learn something about him. I was a little leery about how fast he might go early on last time coming out of sprint races. I just want to learn something and let him go out and run his race this time."
Though he was successful on dirt in his first two starts, including a June 21 maiden win, Tuggle was slated to start his career on turf before the race was moved to the main track. Tuggle is out of the Awesome Again mare Satisfaction. His second dam, Dancinginmydreams, dropped Dancing Forever, a grade 1 winner on turf.
"We always felt he would lean towards turf, but a lot of these Point of Entry horses have been able to do whatever you ask of them," Englehart said.
Tuggle—named for the late John Tuggle, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer while playing for Parcells on the New York Giants—was bred in Kentucky by R. Keith Long.
Our Country, 4-1 on the morning line, landed post 6 in the 1 1/16-mile Pilgrim and will be ridden by Franco. Tuggle (8-1) will break from the rail under Jose Lezcano.
Among the other main players in the field are debut winners Structor, a son of Palace Malice owned by Jeff Drown and Don Rachel and trained by Chad Brown, and No Word, a Silent Name colt trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Wertheimer and Frere. They are listed as the 5-2 and 3-1 choices, respectively.
Tobey Morton's Famished will make his turf debut in the Pilgrim after an Aug. 31 main-track maiden win at Saratoga. In preparation for the Pilgrim, trainer John Kimmel has been working the son of Uncle Mo with his stakes-winning 2-year-old turf filly Crystalle. They both breezed four furlongs in :50.55 (Sept. 22) and :48 (Sept. 15) on turf in the past two weeks.
"He's worked extremely well on the grass course, and this might be an easier avenue to get to the Breeders' Cup than on the dirt," Kimmel said.
The field also features Kent Spellman and Madaket Stables' Andesite, a son of The Factor who was third in the With Anticipation for trainer Brad Cox; LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable's No Lime; Patricia Generazio's New York-bred Maxwell Esquire; and Dare To Dream Stable's The Gray Blur.
Belmont Park, Saturday, September 28, 2019, Race 9Entries: Pilgrim S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Tuggle (KY)
Jose Lezcano
120
Jeremiah C. Englehart
8/1
2
2No Word (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
Todd A. Pletcher
3/1
3
3Andesite (KY)
Javier Castellano
120
Brad H. Cox
10/1
4
4No Lime (NY)
Junior Alvarado
120
William I. Mott
30/1
5
5Maxwell Esquire (NY)
Dylan Davis
120
Christophe Clement
8/1
6
6Our Country (KY)
Manuel Franco
120
George Weaver
4/1
7
7Structor (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
120
Chad C. Brown
5/2
8
8Famished (ON)
Joel Rosario
120
John C. Kimmel
6/1
9
9The Gray Blur (KY)
Kendrick Carmouche
120
Christopher Davis
20/1
