Asmussen Pair Look to Take Next Step in Sanford Stakes
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Photo: Coady Photography
Bano Solo breaks his maiden June 23 at Churchill Downs
Among the things horsemen enjoy most about having 2-year-old runners are the hopes they buoy with the glimpses of talent they flash and the pleasant surprises they provide when they start picking up the game quicker than expected.
In their respective maiden outings, Bano Solo and stablemate Whiskey Echo did all of the above for their connections, recording handy wins that justified a step up next time out. And when the pair breezed in company during a recent workout designed to solidify their next target, the Steve Asmussen trainees could barely be separated as they finished.
Having already made solid impressions individually and together, the duo will give their connections a first serious read on where they stand as part of a seven-horse field slated for the $150,000 Sanford Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course July 21.
Both Bano Solo and Whiskey Echo are owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing—a pairing that enjoyed success at the Spa last year when their colt Copper Bullet took the Saratoga Special Stakes Presented by Coors Light (G2). Displaying similar precocity, Bano Solo and Whiskey Echo have taken slightly different paths en route to arriving at their common point in development.
Purchased for $400,000 out of the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-year-olds in Training Sale, Bano Solo was expected to have quick success. The son of Goldencents fulfilled that expectation when he won in gate-to-wire fashion by three lengths first time out June 23 at Churchill Downs. Whiskey Echo, by contrast, was a $225,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase who was thought to be a little further behind heading into his debut—a notion that merited revisiting after the son of Tiznow posted a frontrunning win June 10 by 3 3/4 lengths at Belmont Park.
"Bano, he came out of the 2-year-old sales and was fast, and he never got slower," said David Fiske, manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds. "We had a lot of confidence in him, and we expected him to do what he did at Churchill. We expected him to run well, so he was not a surprise.
"Whiskey Echo, we bought as a yearling and … we sent him to Belmont because we just had too many 2-year-olds down here. And, honestly, he was kind of further down the depth chart than some of the other guys, and his performance, at least for me, was kind of a surprise. I think Steve thought he would run well, but any time you cross the Hudson, it gets tough. Plus, we thought we had some other guys that were better, so he was a pleasant surprise."
Among those the Asmussen pair will face in the six-furlong Sanford is the Mark Casse-trained, John Oxley-owned StrikeSilver, a son of Violence who broke his maiden at first asking when he won by a neck going five furlongs June 14 at Churchill Downs. Casse also had Dream Maker—a full brother to grade 1 winner Dream Dancing—among the Sanford entries but scratched the son of Tapit to point to the Aug. 12 Saratoga Special presented by Coors Light (G2) instead.
Todd Pletcher, who has won the Sanford six times, is also double-fisting it with his chances in this year's race. The seven-time Eclipse Award winner brings Calumet Farm's homebred Lexitonian in off a maiden win at Belmont June 27 and also has Starlight Racing's Sombeyay, a first-out winner at Gulfstream Park April 27 who ran second June 8 in the listed Tremont Stakes.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, July 21, 2018, Race 9Entries: Sanford S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Sombeyay (KY)
Javier Castellano
120
Todd A. Pletcher
2/1
2
2Lexitonian (KY)
John R. Velazquez
120
Todd A. Pletcher
3/1
3
3Knicks Go (MD)
Luis Saez
120
Ben Colebrook
10/1
4
4Whiskey Echo (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
120
Steven M. Asmussen
8/1
98
5Dream Maker (KY)
SCRATCHED
0
UNKNOWN
-
5
6Chase Greatness (MD)
Robby Albarado
120
Horacio DePaz
8/1
6
7Bano Solo (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
120
Steven M. Asmussen
6/1
7
8Strike Silver (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
120
Mark E. Casse
3/1
