Mind Your Biscuits Takes Amsterdam

Mind Your Biscuits powered through on the rail in his graded stakes debut July 30, overtaking Maniacal in the stretch for a 1 3/4-length victory in the $200,000 Amsterdam (gr. II) for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course. 

Under jockey Joel Rosario, the Posse   colt hit the wire in 1:15.25 over 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track.



Trained by Robert Falcone Jr., the chestnut colt won his second consecutive race after beating allowance company on July 4 at Belmont Park.

The Amsterdam marked the first graded stakes win for the 22-year-old Falcone, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. in his third year of training.

"(This win) wasn't really a surprise. We always knew he was a good horse," said Falcone, who trains Mind Your Biscuits for J. Stables, M. Scott Summers, Hope Summers and Daniel Summers. "I think the blinkers on really turned the corner. It really was the finishing touches for him. He matured a lot too since he has been in my barn. Every race he would run, he would come back and mature more.

"This (win) means a lot," added Falcone, who has 15 horses in training. "I'm just happy to be here; it's the greatest horses, the best trainers and the best jockeys, is just great. But to win on a day like this is really something."

Mind Your Biscuits, the field's lone New York-bred, went off as the 3-1 second choice and stayed well off the pace as Maniacal, owned and trained by Wesley Ward, set fractions of :22.36, :45.41 and 1:09.19. 

Moving up on the turn, Rosario took advantage of an opening along the rail to cut the corner heading into the stretch, taking aim on the pacesetter and gaining the lead inside the eighth pole.

"For a second I thought the horse in front wanted to stay there, but I took the chance to get inside and it worked," said Rosario, who picked up his first graded stakes win of the meet. "He is very nice horse and I'm very happy with him today." 

Mind Your Biscuits paid $8.30 on a $2 win wager and improved his career earnings to $285,366. He improved to 3-3-2 in nine career starts.

Maniacal, the 2-1 favorite, was 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Its All Relevant in third. Uncle Vinny, Counterforce, King Kranz, and Quijote completed the order of finish. Ready Dancer was scratched. 

Jumping Jack Racing bred Mind Your Biscuits in New York out of the Toccet mare Jazzmane.