Weaver Pair Governor Sam, Ortley Avenue Back for Mahony

George Weaver-trained stablemates Governor Sam  and Ortley Avenue , the 1-2 finishers of last month's Quick Call Stakes (G3T), return for the $175,000 Mahony Stakes (G3T) Aug. 10 at Saratoga Race Course.

Governor Sam, the more seasoned of the pair, defeated Ortley Avenue by an emphatic 3 1/2 lengths in the Quick Call, posting the fourth black-type score of his career for Bregman Family Racing and Swinbank Stables. In the Quick Call, which snapped a three-race losing streak for the son of Improbable, the typically front-running colt won coming from just off the pace under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Ortiz retains the mount on Governor Sam Sunday. The pair will break from the outer 9 post as the 122-pound high weight in the 5 1/2-furlong grass test. 

"(Governor Sam is) doing fantastic," Weaver said. "We'll let Irad ride the horse how he wants. Hopefully, if he duplicates that performance, he'll do good in there. His breezes have been good and he continues to maintain good form. He's doing good and we are expecting him to run well." 

Irish-bred Ortley Avenue was runner-up at odds of 15-1 in the Quick Call after setting the early pace in only his third career start. 

"He's going to get another crack at 'Sam,'" Weaver said of Ortley Avenue. "I think he probably likes to run away from there (the gate). Whether that puts him back on the lead or not, we'll see."

The Mahony marks the first race in nearly five months for Soldi Sable and Qatar Racing's Gabaldon , who makes his first start as a gelding for trainer Jose D'Angelo. As a 2-year-old last year, the Florida-bred son of Gone Astray  captured the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes en route to a gallant second-place finish overseas in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot.

"He's a special horse for me," D'Angelo said. "We ran him at Ascot last year and almost got the victory over there. It was a nice moment. We gave time off for him and he improved and grew. I'm sure he's going to be tough here."

Gabaldon was third in Gulfstream Park's Texas Glitter Stakes in March in his lone start of 2025. 

Jose Ortiz has the call on the gelding, taking over from regular rider Emisael Jaramillo. 

Also joining the field of 3-year-olds on Sunday is the Wesley Ward-trained filly Saturday Flirt . Like Gabaldon, the daughter of Mendelssohn   also competed at last year's Royal Ascot meeting but could fare no better than 10th when racing against males in the Norfolk Stakes (G2). Given a freshening, Saturday Flirt returned with vigor as a 3-year-old this year, capturing an allowance contest at Keeneland off the bench before landing her first stakes win in the Soaring Softly Stakes June 8 at the Spa. In receipt of a weight allowance for facing the opposite sex, she'll tote 115 pounds.