State of Rest Upsets Saratoga Derby
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Janet Garaguso
State of Rest wins the Saratoga Derby Invitational at Saratoga Race Course
Plan A or Plan B, going fast or slow, favorite or long shot, Irish horses continue to have their way with the rich New York turf stakes.
It was Plan B for State of Rest in the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1T) Aug. 7. The Starspangledbanner colt overcame a tardy break and closed into a quick early pace to get the winner's share of the $1 million purse by one length over Soldier Rising . Du Jour edged the favorite, Bolshoi Ballet for third.
The outcome was a reversal of the finish of the July 10 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1T). In that race, the early pace was sluggish but Bolshoi Ballet and jockey Ryan Moore were able to work a script that got the job done from off the pace.
As he was at Belmont Park, Bolshoi Ballet was favorite in the Saratoga Race Course heat while State of Rest was a 21-1 longshot.
State of Rest was shuffled back to mid-pace in his U.S. debut, but Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez got him settled and saved ground down the backstretch while Bolshoi Ballet and Cellist contested the lead through early fractions of :21.96 and :47.54.
As they hit the stretch and the leaders hit the wall, Velazquez had State of Rest out toward the center of the track while Soldier Rising and Irad Ortiz Jr. were making a quick move up the rail. After racing together briefly, State of Rest edged clear, finishing the 1 3/16 miles on firm turf in 1:53.35.
"I was supposed to be close to the pace but he didn't break," Velazquez said. "So I went to Plan B.
"I saved all the ground and gave him some confidence and hoped that when I got him out, he'd respond. He did."
State of Rest is trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien, son of ace Irish trainer and Bolshoi Ballet's conditioner Aidan O'Brien and himself a grade 1-winning jockey. State of Rest's résumé coming to New York could be described charitably as modest. He had but a single win, that in his initial start at Fairyhouse in Ireland. In his only previous top-level start, he finished fifth, beaten nearly nine lengths, in the Vertem Futurity Trophy (G1) in his final start as a 2-year-old.
"It's a pleasure to be here and to have a horse that runs well here," O'Brien said.
State of Rest, out of the Quiet American mare Repose, was bred in in Ireland by Tinnakill Bloodstock and is owned by Teme Valley. He has earned $592,668 from a 2-1-2 record in eight starts. O'Brien and Aidan O'Ryan purchased him for $80,543 from Whatton Manor Stud's consignment to the 2019 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. He was initially bought for $60,424 by Diamond Bloodstock from Tinnakill House's consignment to the 2018 Tattersalls December Foal Sale.
Repose's last reported foal is a yearling Dandy Man filly.
Soldier Rising was making his first U.S. start for new owners and new trainer Christophe Clement. He won half his four starts in France, none of them at the group level.
Bolshoi Ballet, a Galileo colt, continued an up-and-down career that has seen him win half of eight starts with the Belmont Derby his only score at the top level. He finished seventh in the Cazoo Derby (G1) at Epsom.
Trainer Kenny McPeek, needing a prep race for the Aug. 28 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) on the Saratoga dirt, sent King Fury out for his first spin on the grass. He beat one rival in the 11-horse field.