Stakes Winner Vanzzy a Lukewarm Favorite in Saranac

Vanzzy will make another attempt at the graded level Aug. 29 in the $100,000 Saranac Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-olds going one mile on the grass at Saratoga Race Course.

The Verrazano colt trained by Michael Pino for owner Daniel Ryan is coming off a win over fellow Saranac entrant Bye Bye Melvin in the July 26 Jersey Derby on turf at Monmouth Park. His victory in the 1 1/16-mile test was his fourth overall and third stakes win.

Vanzzy broke his maiden in his second start last year at the Saranac distance. He then placed second in the Parx Juvenile Stakes before posting a half-length win in the 1 1/16-mile Display Stakes at Woodbine to end the year on a high note. Looking to possibly make the Derby trail, he was entered in the Feb. 1 Withers Stakes (G3) on dirt at Aqueduct Racetrack for his season debut but was pulled up near the finish line.

Since that incident in which he walked off the track, he won the Rushaway Stakes on the all-weather surface at Turfway Park next out and followed that effort at Belmont Park with a fourth in the Pennine Ridge Stakes (G2T) going a mile on turf. He placed third in the 1 1/8-mile Kent Stakes (G3T) July 4 at Delaware Park one start before the Jersey Derby.

"His last race was his best, and he's just getting better," Pino said. "I think he fits. It looked like he had a good finish (in the Jersey Derby). Where he sits early on depends on how the race goes. He can do either, but I would rather sit a little off (the pace)."

Pino added blinkers going into the Display.

"Early on, he was looking around a little bit, so we were just trying to help him focus, and it looked like it helped him," Pino said.

Vanzzy drew the rail and is the lukewarm morning-line favorite at odds of 7-2. He will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

Trainer Graham Motion will send out longshots with Bye Bye Melvin and Jersey Derby third-place finisher Irish Mias for another crack at Vanzzy.

Bye Bye Melvin is a half brother to multiple graded winner Mean Mary, who was second in Sunday's Diana Stakes (G1T) at the Spa. The siblings are out of grade 1 winner Karlovy Vary.

"Originally, I was going to go to Colonial Downs with this horse, but when the meet got canceled, this spot seemed logical," Motion said. "This is a better distance for him."

Motion will add blinkers to Bye Bye Melvin.

"He worked really well with them last week, so we're adding them," Motion said.

The son of Uncle Mo  drew post 2 and will be ridden by John Velazquez. New Jersey-bred Irish Mias will break from post 7 in the expected 10-horse field under Manny Franco.

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle L'Imperator for his North American debut under Javier Castellano.

Owned by Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Robert LaPenta, the French-bred son of Holy Roman Emperor arrives at the Saranac off three consecutive wins in his native country, the most recent of which was an easy three-length win going 1 1/4 miles at Toulouse.

L'Imperator has been training on the Oklahoma training turf since July and recently worked five furlongs in 1:01.03 on the grass. He will break from post 4.

Should the rain move in, trainer Todd Pletcher has a promising main-track-only entrant in Charles Fipke's homebred Ima Pharoah, an American Pharoah  half brother to grade 1 winner and sire Mor Spirit .