Ferocious Takes Next Step in Hopeful at Saratoga

A trio of pricey 2-year-olds, two of them with impressive wins already at this meeting, will go for graded stakes glory in the $300,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1) Sept. 2 at Saratoga Race Course.

Leading by both price and odds, favored Ferocious  (8-5) will break from post 2 following his 7 3/4-length maiden win at Saratoga Aug. 3. A $1.3 million purchase at this year's Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, the son of Flatter is slated to be ridden by Javier Castellano, who was aboard for the colt's debut. Castellano was off his mounts Aug. 31 following a riding accident on the prior day's card.

Descended from three generations of Juddmonte homebreds, Ferocious is trained by Gustavo Delgado and was bred by Gentry Stable.

"You don't often get that kind of Juddmonte pedigree at a 2-year-old sale," said Ramiro Restrepo following Ferocious' maiden win. Restrepo's Marquee Bloodstock owns the dark bay/brown colt in partnership with JR Ranch, High Step Racing, and OGMA Investments. "He looks like good Flatter colts, like Flat Out and Upstart, and we bought him out of the same consignment, Sequel, that we bought Mage from. His work at the sale was extraordinary."

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas brings a $900,000 maiden to the Hopeful, looking for his ninth win in the traditional closing day stakes. His first win came in 1990 with Deposit Ticket, the most recent in 2017 with Sporting Chance . 

Innovator  (Authentic  ) was bred by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds and purchased by BC Stables at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. After a seventh-place finish by 14 1/4 lengths in his debut at Churchill Downs June 20, Innovator (15-1) has turned in two runner-up performances, both at Saratoga. The dark bay/brown colt will break from post 3 under Manuel Franco. 

Flanagan Racing went to $725,000 for morning-line second choice Chancer McPatrick  (5-2), a winner at Saratoga July 27 for trainer Chad Brown. Chancer McPatrick is by first-crop sire McKinzie   and was bred by Rigney Racing. Bloodstock agents Nick Sallusto and John Kimmel selected the colt from the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

"John and I continue to see a lot of positive things from the McKinzies at the sales," said Sallusto. "He's a horse that really interests us." 

Maiden winner Tough Catch  (8-1) also represents a first-crop sire in Complexity  , the leading freshman sire through Aug. 30. Bred by Martin Keogh, Justin Wojczynski, and Gemma Wojczynski, the gray/roan colt broke his maiden on debut at Saratoga July 13, defeating Innovator by three-quarters of a length. The Dallas Stewart trainee will be ridden by Luis Saez from post 4.

Rounding out the Hopeful field in post position order are Mr. Mendelslew  (50-1, post 1); Smoken Wicked  (15-1, post 5); Studlydoright  (12-1, post 6); Mentee  (5-1, post 7); and Incentive Pay  (8-1, post 9).

The Hopeful is the 10th of 12 races on Saratoga's closing day card with a scheduled post time of 5:43 p.m. ET.