Engage Seeks Second Grade 3 Win in Amsterdam
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Engage (outside) wins the Gold Fever Stakes at Belmont Park
Denied first-place honors last out in the Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G2), Woodford Racing's Engage will step down in class to the $200,000 Amsterdam Stakes (G3) July 28 at Saratoga Race Course.
When Engage surprised the crowd with a four-wide rally to win the Futurity Stakes (G3) at 2, the son of Into Mischief established himself as one of the most adroit sprinters in the Chad Brown barn. Kick-starting his season with a second-place run behind National Flag in the April 7 Bay Shore Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack, Engage followed up with a win in the Gold Fever Stakes next out by a nose. Stepping up in class for the first time in the seven-furlong Woody Stephens, the bay colt managed to get up from sixth to take runner-up honors.
Now back at Saratoga for the first time since breaking his maiden, Engage is primed for his next shot at the winner's circle.
"He's doing really well coming into this race," Brown said. "I thought he ran a great race in the Bay Shore. He got a beautiful trip, it's just that the eventual winner got by him in the lane and went a little bit better. I was impressed with the winner, but our horse ran his race. He's been coming along well throughout the year, and this looks like a good distance for him."
The first of four stakes slated for Saturday's card highlighted by the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), the 6 1/2-furlong Amsterdam has drawn a field of seven sophomores, including fellow Woody Stephens runners Promises Fulfilled, World of Trouble, and Strike Power.
After finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), Robert Baron's Promises Fulfilled cut back in distance for the Woody Stephens and seemed to find his stride, finishing third. The winner of the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) will break from post 2 under jockey Luis Saez.
World of Trouble, the fourth-place finisher in the Woody Stephens, also returns to challenge, as well as eighth-place runner Strike Power, who has not had a winning trip since the Feb. 3 Swale Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
"He's doing everything right," said trainer Mark Hennig. "He worked super here. I wanted to sharpen him a bit, so I worked him out of the gate."
Barry Lee, Old Time Revival, and Soutache round out the field.
Entries: Amsterdam S. (G3)
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, July 28, 2018, Race 7
- Grade III
- 6 1/2f
- Dirt
- $200,000
- 3 yo
- 4:25 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Barry Lee (KY) |
Joel Rosario | 116 | Horacio DePaz | 10/1 |
| 2 | 2Promises Fulfilled (KY) |
Luis Saez | 124 | Dale L. Romans | 7/2 |
| 3 | 3Engage (KY) |
Jose L. Ortiz | 122 | Chad C. Brown | 8/5 |
| 4 | 4Old Time Revival (FL) | Rosario Montanez | 116 | Kenneth Decker | 15/1 |
| 5 | 5Strike Power (KY) |
John R. Velazquez | 124 | Mark A. Hennig | 5/1 |
| 6 | 6World of Trouble (FL) | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 122 | Jason Servis | 5/2 |
| 7 | 7Soutache (FL) | Eric Cancel | 122 | Ralph E. Nicks | 12/1 |