Shancelot Stays Undefeated in Amsterdam Romp
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Shancelot wins the Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
What was advertised as a competitive race with 12 entries turned into a one-horse show July 28 at Saratoga Race Course.
Ivan Rodriguez, Albert Crawford, and Michelle Crawford's Shancelot grabbed the lead from the outside post in the $200,000 Amsterdam Stakes (G2) and sped to a 12 1/2-length romp in the 6 1/2-furlong event for 3-year-olds.
"Wow," said trainer Jorge Navarro. "To say what I said a month ago, that this is the best horse I've ever trained—you know, Private Zone was good. Sharp Azteca was good. X Y Jet is still good. Going into the race, I knew he was running against some good horses. I thought, 'Am I going to be wrong?' I guess not.
"The jockey (Emisael Jaramillo) jumped off and said, 'Jorge, this was just a workout.' He said, 'I had so much in the bottom.' I've never seen anything like it in my life."
The Amsterdam victory left Shancelot 3-for-3 after making his career debut Feb. 16 at Gulfstream Park. The Shanghai Bobby colt won at seven furlongs by a neck first time out, then scored by 6 1/4 lengths going six furlongs in a June 23 optional claiming race at Monmouth Park. All three victories have been gate-to-wire.
Navarro said if Shancelot comes out of the Amsterdam in good order, the plan is to return in the Aug. 24 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Presented by Runhappy (G1).
Off as the 6-5 favorite Sunday, Shancelot took the lead over Classy John as Lemniscate, Wendell Fong, and Honest Mischief jockeyed for position off the pace. Shancelot set opening fractions of :21.79 and :43.94, and none could catch the speedy frontrunner. The dark bay/brown colt sailed through six furlongs in 1:07.63 before hitting the wire in 1:14.01 on a fast main track.
"He was excellent today. He did it easy," Jaramillo said. "He was moving fast, but he did it like it was normal. That's him. He's that talented. This is probably the best horse I've ever ridden in my life next to X Y Jet."
Nitrous, a neck behind the winner in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) last out, rallied under Ricardo Santana Jr. for second over Honest Mischief in third.
"He's a horse who is doing better and better," Santana said of Nitrous. "The winner was a freak, that's all I can say. To go :43 and 1:07 and close at 1:14, that's something else. We were really happy with how Nitrous ran. We're just waiting to see what he does next."
Super Comet, a John Oxley homebred who won his first two starts heading into the Amsterdam, fell to his nose at the break and got up to finish fourth. The Big S, Bourbon Calling, Achilles Warrior, Lemniscate, Garter and Tie, Wendell Fong, and Strike Silver completed the order of finish.
Strike Silver was pulled up after the finish line and vanned off. Classy John was eased in the stretch and pulled up just before the wire.
The Amsterdam was restored to grade 2 status in 2019. The local H. Allen Jerkens prep ran as a grade 3 last year when Promises Fulfilled scored en route to taking the Jerkens.
Shancelot was bred in Kentucky by Charles Muth and Patrick Murphy. Kings Equine purchased him for $50,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency's consignment to The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in 2017. Kings Equine then consigned the colt to the 2018 Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where Juan Pacanins, agent, bought him for $245,000. The colt has $164,300 in earnings.
Shancelot is out of the stakes-winning Is It True mare True Kiss, who is also the dam of grade 2-placed One True Kiss and grade 3-placed Tiz Kissable. True Kiss last foaled a Carpe Diem colt April 23. The mare is a half sister to Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G1) winner Silver Max , and her female family extends to Girvin , the 2017 betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) winner who stood his first season at Ocala Stud this year, and Yes It's True, winner of the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes (G1) and late Three Chimneys Farm stallion.