Balanced Field Set for Hall of Fame Stakes
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Yoshida looks to rebound from his defeat as the favorite in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes
On the day a new set of Racing Hall of Fame inductees are installed, a few connections look to add to their resumes in the $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) going 1 1/16 miles at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 4.
Team D, Head of Plains Partners, and ERJ Racing's Big Handsome will step up to graded company for the first time in the field of 10 following his second-place finish to fellow entrant Bricks and Mortar in the July 4 Manila Stakes at Belmont Park. The Street Boss colt ran a wide, troubled trip that day after rattling off three consecutive wins ending with the Paradise Creek. Big Handsome will get added ground, but should be able to handle it, according to trainer Anthony Dutrow.
"He had a lot of turf in his pedigree and he finished second (on the dirt) at Belmont as a baby and came back and finished third as a baby," Dutrow said. "But we weren't seeing what we knew he was capable of. He showed so much more in the mornings than we were seeing in his races, so we put him on the turf and he's been very good. He's gone from six (furlongs) to seven to a mile. He's tackling two turns for the first time but we feel very good about him."
Big Handsome will start from post 2, and will have the services of 2017 Hall of Fame inductee Javier Castellano.
Yoshida, owned by WinStar Farms, China Horse Club, SF Racing Group, and Head of Plains Partners, may get a bit of class relief and a better pace scenario after being victimized by a slow pace set by Oscar Performance in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T). The colt by Heart's Cry made only his fourth start after breaking his maiden and returning to win the James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Yoshida, who finished fifth in the Belmont Derby as the 3-1 favorite, has been training well, according to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, and this spot looked like the right one.
"He's good. He breezed in :49, work was good, and he cooled out well," Mott said.
Allen Stable's Secretary At War, third in the Manila at Belmont, will look to extend his speed over the tighter Saratoga turf for trainer Jimmy Jerkens.
"He's doing good, training good," Jerkens said. "I didn't look at the race. I don't worry about the competition. It's not like I don't worry, but there's not much you can do about it. (I) just get them as good as I can."
Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence's colt Bricks and Mortar looks to be perfect through four starts after tallying three wins with his last in a late rush in the $100,000 Manila. The son of Giant's Causeway will step up and face the toughest competition thus far, but has been working well toward this race for trainer Chad Brown.
National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2T)
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 04, 2017, Race 9
- 1 1/16m
- Turf
- $200,000
- 3 yo
- 5:40 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Bricks and Mortar (KY) |
Joel Rosario | 121 | Chad C. Brown | 5/2 |
| 2 | 2Big Handsome (KY) | Javier Castellano | 119 | Anthony W. Dutrow | 3/1 |
| 3 | 3Caviar Czar (IRE) | Rider TBA | 118 | Todd A. Pletcher | 2/1 |
| 4 | 4Yoshida (JPN) | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 121 | William I. Mott | 7/2 |
| 5 | 5Snap Decision (KY) | Jose L. Ortiz | 117 | Claude R. McGaughey III | 5/1 |
| 6 | 6Makarios (KY) |
Luis Saez | 117 | Nicholas P. Zito | 20/1 |
| 7 | 7Bonus Points (MD) | Kendrick Carmouche | 115 | Todd A. Pletcher | 20/1 |
| 8 | 8Parlor (KY) |
Julien R. Leparoux | 119 | Eddie Kenneally | 15/1 |
| 9 | 9Secretary At War (KY) | John R. Velazquez | 121 | James A. Jerkens | 8/1 |
| 10 | 10Arklow (KY) |
Florent Geroux | 123 | Brad H. Cox | 10/1 |