Belmont Derby Rematch Looms in Saratoga Derby

If the Saratoga Derby Stakes (G1T) mirrors the Belmont Derby (G1T), get ready for a sensational stretch battle.

The top three finishers in the July 4 turf stakes will be back on the turf Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course for a rematch in the $750,000 Saratoga Derby for 3-year-olds.

The trio of Title Role , West End Kid , and Remember Mamba  staged a thriller last month at the Spa when Title Role grabbed a short lead in midstretch and then fended off a determined West End Kid by a nose with Remember Mamba, the 3-2 favorite, rallying from sixth to finish another neck back in third.

After battling over 1 1/8 miles in the Belmont Derby, they will travel 1 3/16 miles in Saturday's longer turf race.

Title Role, owned by Will Stroud and trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, made his American debut in the Belmont Derby and confirmed his solid overseas form that included a win in the German Two Thousand Guineas (G2) in his previous start.

"His form is obviously very good and he's such a great mover," Stroud said about the Too Darn Hot  colt. "The Crisfords were always very high on him. We always knew racing in America would suit him very well with how well he races around the turns, as opposed to the longer straights in Europe. He just really covers the ground so well around the turns and appreciates the ground here."

Mo Speed Racing's West End Kid was a hard-luck runner-up in the Belmont Derby as prior to the race a saddling mishap aggravated the colt. Then he stayed on his left lead throughout the stretch run and just missed in a tight photo.

"His chest is in front of the other horse, his jockey is in front of the other jockey, and it's just a matter of one head going down and one coming up," trainer Will Walden said about the son of Twirling Candy  's narrow loss. "In our minds, he's already a grade 1 winner. He just doesn't technically have it."

West End Kid brought a three-race winning streak into the July 4 race, including a victory in the Pennine Ridge Stakes (G3T).

He races with blinkers off in the Saratoga Derby.

C R K Stable's Remember Mama enters with three wins in five career starts. The son of Kitten's Joy, trained by Cherie DeVaux, was second in the American Turf Stakes (G1T) and won the Transylvania Stakes (G3T) prior to his third-place finish at the Spa.

Godolphin's homebred Pacific Avenue  was entered in the Belmont Derby, but the son of Dubawi  trained by Charlie Appleby will not run because of a foreleg injury.

The field also includes West Paces Racing, Rainbow's End Racing Stable, and Michael Lyden's Glavine , who scratched out of the Aug. 7 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) over a mile. The Tom Morley trainee finished third by three-quarters of a length in the July 3 Saranac Stakes to Saratoga Derby entrant Heeere's Johnny , who closed from last to win the 1 1/16-mile race.