Texas Red, Madefromlucky Shine on Saturday

Texas Red held off Frosted to win the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. (Photo by Adam Coglianese/NYRA)
On a busy weekend in the 3-year-old division, highlighted by Sunday’s $1.75-million William Hill Haskell Invitational Stakes, 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red and Triple Crown veteran Madefromlucky kick-started the weekend with a pair of impressive performances.
Texas Red made just his third start of the year in the $570,000 Jim Dandy Stakes after missing the Triple Crown trail because of an injury, and the chestnut colt by Afleet Alex returned to elite form.
Taken out of his game — he has primarily closed from well of the pace throughout his career — Texas Red tracked pacesetter Japan under Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux in a four-horse field and then took charge in the stretch. He was tested late by fast-closing Grade 1 winner Frosted, but battled bravely to prevail by a half-length in the Grade 2 race.
“He just galloped along to the quarter pole,” said Desormeaux. “I had so much left that I got to the front quicker than I thought I would. He kind of idled on the lead a little bit that last three-sixteenths of a mile but when challenged, he had tons left. The most encouraging thing about the entire ride was the energy left galloping out. I think I'm sucking more wind than he is from the race.”
Texas Red completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.77 to improve to three wins, three seconds and one third in eight races.
Trained by Keith Desormeaux for a partnership, Texas Red won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by 6 ½ lengths in 2014 and was a finalist for the Eclipse Award as outstanding 2-year-old male. That award was won by American Pharoah, who defeated Texas Red last year in the FrontRunner Stakes and has gone on to become a superstar. The first U.S. Triple Crown winner in 37 years, American Pharoah will contest the Haskell Invitational Stakes on Sunday with TV coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET on NBC.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
MADEFROMLUCKY TAKES WEST VIRGINIA DERBY

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At Mountaineer Park earlier Saturday, Madefromlucky kicked away in the stretch to a 1 ½-length win in the $750,000, Grade 2 West Virginia Derby.
Trained by Todd Pletcher for owners Cheyenne Stables and Mac Nichol, Madefromlucky rebounded from a sixth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes and improved to three wins from six starts this season.
Madefromlucky won the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes in May at Belmont Park and in March finished second to American Pharoah in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Joe Bravo put him in the clear on the backstretch of the West Virginia Derby and used his mount’s high cruising speed to gain a good position. He surged past runner-up Souper Colossal in early stretch and won comfortably in 1:51.40 for 1 1/8 miles.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
WEST VIRGINIA STRETCH

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