Favorite Tale, Choctaw Chuck Top Quick Call
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Stakes winners Favorite Tale and Choctaw Chuck are the 121-pound co-highweights among seven 3-year-olds entered for the $100,000 Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The July 24 feature at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Mellon Turf Course is the ninth race on the 10-race card with an approximate post time of 4:42 p.m. (EDT).
A synthetic track specialist, Choctaw Chuck comes into the Quick Call off an 8 1/2-length romp in allowance company over the Tapeta main track at Presque Isle Downs. Three races back, the gelded son of Bwana Charlie, trained by Kevin Rice for Clyde Rice, won the Tom Ridge Stakes at the Pennsylvania track by running the six furlongs in 1:09.46. Choctaw Chuck, who will be ridden by Taylor Rice, has won three of seven starts and earned $104,300. All three victories have come from five synthetic track starts.
Favorite Tale, supplemented to the Quick Call by owner PJG Stable and trainer Guadalupe Preciado, comes into the turf sprint off a game second in the Oh Say Stakes at Delaware Park July 5.
The Pennsylvania-bred gelded son of Tale of the Cat led throughout under 122 pounds in the Oh Say before being caught late by grade III winner Coup de Grace. Favorite Tale, winner of the Gold Fever Stakes at Belmont Park before finishing last of 13 in the Woody Stephens (gr. II), will be ridden by Rosie Napravnik as he seeks his fifth win in his eighth career outing.
Also supplemented to the race is Let's Go Stable's Harpoon, a Tapit colt who was nominated to this year's Triple Crown series. The Todd Pletcher trainee began the season with a second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) before finishing fifth and ninth, respectively, in the Gotham (gr. III) and Wood Memorial (gr. I).
A $500,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase, Harpoon was seventh in his turf debut at Belmont after a freshening and most recently was an up-close third in an allowance/optional claimer on grass at Belmont. He will have the services of Javier Castellano in the Quick Call.
[raceEntries date="7/24/2014" country="USA" trackid="Sar" racenumber="9"]