Bankit Lands Evan Shipman as NY-Breds Shine at Spa

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Bankit , expertly handled by Joel Rosario, arrived in the final stride Aug. 12 to collar defending race champ Sea Foam  $125,000 Evan Shipman Handicap at Saratoga Race Course.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen applauded the New York-bred program from which Bankit has now amassed five state-bred stakes wins and more than $1.1 million in career earnings, including Friday's one-mile test out of the Wilson Chute for New York-breds 3-years-old and up.

"It's a great financial opportunity," Asmussen said. "You see a horse like Bankit that has made over a million dollars and most of it has been in New York-bred races with a few wins and several placings. It's good for him to get in the winner's circle, but it's made that amount of money possible for this horse."

Sea Foam was guided to victory by Rosario in this event last year when run at nine furlongs, but was piloted Friday by Kendrick Carmouche, who hustled the Michelle Giangiulio-trainee to the front through an opening quarter mile in :24.55 over a fast main track.

Bankit, carrying a field-high 124 pounds, saved ground in fourth position from his inside post, splitting Therisastormbrewin  and Brooklyn Strong  down the backstretch after the half-mile elapsed in :48.02 with Sea Foam and Market Alert  battling into and through the turn.

Sea Foam put away Market Alert at the head of the lane as Rosario offered right-handed encouragement to Bankit, who responded to draw level outside the pacesetter. The two rivals fought head and head through the final sixteenth, with Bankit prevailing by a nose in a final time of 1:39.24 and returning $6 on a $2 win ticket. It was 3 1/2 lengths back to Brooklyn Strong  in third.

Bankit, a 6-year-old Central Banker   bay, returned from a more than four-month layoff after an off-the-board effort in the March 26 Godolphin Mile (G2) at Meydan.

Asmussen was full of praise for his runner's determined effort off a layoff that was extended when the Commentator Stakes did not fill in May at Belmont Park.

"He gutted it out today. The race didn't fill for him last time and he ended up having a trapped epiglottis and had that cured," Asmussen said. "(He had) a couple breezes back and he's all class. I can't say how proud we are of him. Sea Foam has always run extremely well here at Saratoga and it was nice to come out on the right end of that."

Last year, Bankit bested fellow state-breds in the Commentator and defeated open company in the John B. Campbell Stakes at Laurel Park. Bred by Hidden Brook Farm and Blue Devil Racing out of the Colonel John mare Sister in Arms, he improved his earnings to $1,149,655 and his record to 7-10-5 from 34 starts. He was a $260,000 purchase by Winchell Thoroughbreds from SGV Thoroughbreds' consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in 2018. He graduated the Hidden Brook consignment in 2017, when SGV picked him from the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of Preferred New York-Bred Yearlings.

Bank On Anna Takes Union Avenue

WellSpring Stables' Bank On Anna  scored the first stakes win of her career Friday in the $125,000 Union Avenue Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for state-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Last seen finishing a troubled fifth in a first-level allowance against open company July 23 at the Spa, the Phil Serpe-trained Bank On Anna returned to state-bred company with authority as she scored the 2 3/4-length victory under Jose Lezcano in her third stakes outing. 

Away cleanly from post 4, Bank On Anna settled comfortably behind pacesetting favorite Mashnee Girl , who led the field of seven through an opening quarter-mile in :22.94. Mashnee Girl continued a steady tempo down the backstretch, marking off a half-mile in :46.35 as Bank On Anna remained in second with Snicket  and Eloquent Speaker  on even terms for third.

Second choice Secret Love , under a ride from the rear of the field after stumbling badly at the start, began to pick off rivals with Eloquent Speaker being asked for more to the outside in the turn, but Bank On Anna overtook the lead from the tiring front-runner to come away with the advantage with a right-handed tap of the crop from Lezcano at the eighth pole. Snicket charged down the center of the racetrack to make up ground late with Secret Love chasing to her outside, but Bank On Anna was much the best and stopped the clock in a final time of 1:12.32. She returned $7.60 for a $2 win wager while Snicket and Secret Love completed the trifecta.

The Central Banker filly got a much cleaner trip this time compared to her last outing, where she was compromised at the start and was in tight along the inside, something Serpe said explained the fifth-place finish.

"She's just a solid horse. Without making up excuses, she had a rough trip last time out," Serpe said. "Broke kind of flat-footed and got squeezed in on the rail and just lost all chance after that. She's been really training well up to this race, so we're really happy."

Serpe, whose top New York-bred performers include multiple graded stakes-placed millionaire Weekend Hideaway and stakes winners Lady Joan and Goodbye Brockley, said that Dr. Robert Vukovich's WellSpring Stables adds to a long list of accomplished owners he has trained horses for.

"We've had so many nice New York-breds because of Flying Z Stable, Mr. and Mrs. Broman, and now Dr. V. and his wife Laura," said Serpe. "These races are great. The New York-bred program is just a really good program for people. For a lot of money or not so much money, you can get in on some really solid horses and you've got to really like the programs they have here because there are stakes races at every meet—Saratoga, Aqueduct, and Belmont—and it's just a good program."

Bred by Lou Corrente out of the Posse mare Young Anna Lee and purchased privately by her connections, Bank On Anna increased her earnings to $256,200 with a 4-1-1 record from eight starts.

Wudda U Think Now Lands John Morrissey

The Elkstone Group's Wudda U Think Now  found another gear down the lane to reel in Saint Selby  and capture Friday's $125,000 John Morrissey Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for New York-breds 3-years-old and up. 

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez and piloted by Trevor McCarthy, the 5-year-old Fast Anna  gelding avenged an off-the-board effort as the favorite in last year's edition with an impressive stretch run, rallying inside the final eighth to post a 1 1/2-length score over a fast-closing Reggae Music Man .

Saint Selby marked off splits of :22.51 and :45.72 over the fast main track with Wudda U Think Now tracking second in front of even-money favorite Ny Traffic . 

The slow-starting Reggae Music Man rallied into contention through the turn as Saint Selby appeared to put away the pressing Wudda U Think Now. But McCarthy kept to task aboard Wudda U Think Now, who kicked into gear to outfinish the rail rush of My Boy Tate  and reel in Saint Selby, stopping the clock in a final time of 1:11.65. Reggae Music Man arrived in time to complete the exacta by a head over Saint Selby. Listentoyourheart  was scratched. 

Wudda U Think Now has won 3-of-4 starts this campaign, including a score in the Hollie Hughes against fellow state-breds in February at Aqueduct Racetrack. Bred in the Empire State by Mina Equivest out of the Unbridled Jet mare Unbridled Grace and purchased by The Elkstone Group for $60,000 from Summerfield's consignment to the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of Preferred New York-Bred Yearlings, he improved his record to 7-4-1 from 16 starts, with earnings of $429,750. He returned $15.40 for a $2 win ticket.

Rodriguez said a healthy Wudda U Think Now was more important than the addition of blinkers for today's test. 

"I know he's been breaking a little slow, but I think he was breaking slow because he was dealing with a quarter crack for almost four months right after the (Hollie Hughes)," Rodriguez said. "I couldn't get him right—I patched him, took the patch off—all the credit goes to Stuart Grant. He's very patient. Owners that are patient like that make our life easy." 

The victory also ended an 0-for-44 stretch at the Spa summer meet for Rodriguez. 

"It's amazing. I'm going to sleep good," said Rodriguez, with a laugh.

Video: Evan Shipman H. (BT)

Video: Union Avenue H. (BT)

Video: John Morrissey H. (BT)