Mike Smith finds a path on the rail and rides Jostle to victory in the Alabama Stakes for three-year-old fillies, City Zip easily wins the Saratoga Special Stakes, Raging Fever remains unbeaten in the Adirondack Stakes, and Dream Supreme takes the Ballerina Handicap

Forty-one-year-old Philadelphia Park trainer John Servis remembers the first time he saddled a horse at Saratoga Race Course, a mare named Aunt Sigourney, and the promise he made to himself afterward.

Alabama S. (G1)
Saratoga Race Course, August 19, $750,000, 11/4 miles, fast, 2:04.72
1-JOSTLE, f. 3, Brocco-Moon Drone, by Drone.
2-Secret Status, f. 3, A.P. Indy-Private Status, by Alydar.
3-Spain, f. 3, Thunder Gulch-Drina, by Regal and Royal.

"It was 1992, a $75,000 claimer on the grass," Servis said. "She was in front 70 yards before the wire, and I'm screaming, 'Where's the wire?' Because all I wanted to do was say 'I won a race at Saratoga.' "She got beat and I was thinking, 'Well, I'm not coming back to Saratoga, like Woody Stephens said, with an empty wagon. Next time I come, I'm going to have something to run.' "

On August 19, he did. Okay, Servis ran a couple of horses at Saratoga in between, but he never won a race there until Fox Hill Farms' Jostle humbled seven rival three-year-old fillies in the 120th running of the $750,000 Alabama Stakes (G1) on August 19.

The daughter of Brocco, benefiting from a beautiful stalking trip under Mike Smith, validated her upset of Secret Status in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) with a 3 3/4-length victory before a crowd of 35,226. Secret Status, the 0.90-to-1 favorite under Pat Day, finished second, a length in front of Spain with 47.50-to-1 longshot Critical Eye another head back in fourth. Classy Cara, Resort, Sincerely, and Secret Status's entrymate Valleydar completed the order of finish.

Jostle's seventh victory in 12 career starts completed her ascension to the top of her division. After running second by a length to March Magic in the Comely Stakes (G3) on a sloppy track at Aqueduct on April 21, Jostle won the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) by 2 1/2 lengths at Pimlico, ran second to Secret Status by 2 1/4 lengths in the Mother Goose Stakes (G1), and then beat her by 3 1/4 lengths in the CCA Oaks.

"As far as three-year-old fillies go, I don't know what else you could ask of her," Servis said. "She just keeps getting better."
Bettors before the Alabama still needed proof. Despite her victory over Secret Status in her last start at odds of 2.85-to-1, Jostle opened up at 8-to-1, spent a lot of time at 5-to-1, and finally was bet down to 3.75-to-1. Asked if he was surprised, Servis said, "Yeah, I was. My oldest son Blaine even mentioned to me, 'Dad, they're not respecting her very much.' I said, 'That's good.'

"I'm a little superstitious. You start getting too much press, and everybody raves about what a great horse she is, and the pressure is really on. It was better for me because there was no pressure.

"A lot of people thought I was crazy for bringing her up here a day before the race and not training her over the track. But I know how she trains in Philadelphia. She's happy there and she loves to ship. I just thought this is the way to go."

The connections of stretch-running Secret Status thought their best way to avoid a repeat of the CCA Oaks-when Jostle set a dawdling pace on the front end-was to enter a rabbit, Valleydar. But Jostle had only raced on the lead twice in her career. "I like her better running at horses," Jostle's jockey, Smith, said. And so they had no problem letting Valleydar assume the lead. Breaking from the outside post in the field of eight, Smith positioned Jostle in a stalking position, alternating third and fourth with two horses inside of him, Spain and, surprisingly, Secret Status.

"They were walking," Day said. "I mean, where are you supposed to be? There was no pace in the race. This filly jumped right into the race."
The fractions were indeed pedestrian: a quarter in :24.10, a half in :48.75, and six furlongs in 1:13.22. "It was just like I pictured it in my mind," Smith said. "I waited as long as I could. I had a handful of horse heading for home." Jostle moved for the lead three wide on the turn, took command quickly, and spurted clear. "I knew if anybody beat us, they would have to fly through the lane," Smith said.

He said his only anxious moment was when Jostle made the front and briefly gawked around. She got the 11Ú4 miles in 2:04.72, the slowest winning time since Shuvee in 1969 (2:06 2/5).

After the race, the first thing Secret Status's trainer, Neil Howard, did was congratulate Servis. Asked about his filly's performance, Howard said, "I thought she ran okay. Jostle is a nice filly. There's no two ways about it." Servis said he was unsure of Jostle's next start but is sure she will not be overlooked any more. "Maybe now she'll get the respect she deserves," he said. "Maybe they will make her three-year-old champion."

Dream Supreme takes the Ballerina

Seven years after her dam, Spinning Round, won the same stakes for the same owner, Kinsman Stable's three-year-old filly Dream Supreme powered to a 21Ú4-length victory over older fillies and mares in a controversial 22nd running of the $250,000 Ballerina Handicap (G1) on August 20. Country Hideaway finished second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Bourbon Belle.

Ballerina H. (G1)
Saratoga Race Course, August 20, $250,000, 7 furlongs, fast, 1:22.97
1-DREAM SUPREME, f. 3, Seeking the Gold-Spinning Round, by Dixieland Band.
2-Country Hideaway, f. 4, Seeking the Gold-Our Country Place, by Pleasant Colony.
3-Bourbon Belle, m. 5, Storm Boot-Timeless Girl, by Whitesburg.

Honest Lady, the 1.05-to-1 favorite under Jerry Bailey, finished 1 1/4 lengths farther back in fourth after getting slammed into the rail as she was rallying on the inside at the eighth pole.

The result before an announced crowd of 63,764 was not made official until the stewards ruled that Dream Supreme and her rider, Pat Day, had not caused tiring front-runner Cash Run to smack into Honest Lady.

Cash Run's trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, who has lost 22 straight races here and is 1-for-34 for the meet, was infuriated and lodged a claim of foul on the winner himself, an unusual action by a trainer.

But the head-on shot revealed that while Cash Run, who tired to finish sixth, might have shied from Dream Supreme, Cash Run interfered with Honest Lady on her own as Dream Supreme was going past.

"Cash Run was the filly that caused the trouble, not us," Day said. Meanwhile, Dream Supreme has won five of seven lifetime starts and recorded back-to-back Grade 1 stakes victories here following her win in the Test Stakes (G1) on July 29. Much closer to the early pace than usual, Dream Supreme spurted between Cash Run and Bourbon Belle in midstretch to take command and completed the seven furlongs in 1:22.97 on a fast track.

"The filly ran a huge race today," her trainer, Bill Mott, said. "She broke cleanly today, and when Pat punched the button there was a lot of horse there." Bailey thought he had a lot of horse, too. "I had a clear shot on the fence and it closed up in a second," Bailey said. "I had no choice but to check out."

City Zip zips them again

Any time you spend $9,000 to purchase a yearling and he earns more than $200,000 in the next 18 months, you are living right. So when trainer Linda Rice decided to change her plans and send City Zip into the 98th running of the $150,000 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) on August 16, just add it to the list.

Saratoga Special S. (G2)
Saratoga Race Course, August 16, $150,000, 61/2 furlongs, fast, 1:16.88
1-CITY ZIP, c. 2, Carson City-Baby Zip, by Relaunch.
2-Scorpion, c. 2, Seattle Slew-Petiteness, by Chief's Crown.
3-Standard Speed, c. 2, Senor Speedy-Kelly's Standard, by American Standard.

City Zip disposed of Scorpion quite professionally to win the Saratoga Special by 2 1/4 lengths to add to a resume that already includes victories in the Tremont (G3) and Sanford (G2) Stakes.

City Zip can complete a sweep of Saratoga's three two-year-old stakes with a victory in the $200,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1) at seven furlongs on September 2. Or he could wait until September 17 and go in the $200,000, eight-furlong Futurity Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.

"If the horse is right, it's going to be hard to pass the Hopeful, being a Grade 1 stakes and a very prestigious race," Rice said.
Prior to the Saratoga Special, Lakland LLC purchased an interest in City Zip from co-owners Carl Bowling and Charles Thompson. The Lakland partnership includes Brenda and Lewis Lakin and successful Florida-based pinhooker Becky Thomas.

Raging Fever remains unbeaten

Splashing through the sloppy Saratoga stretch virtually alone, Edward Evans's undefeated two-year-old filly Raging Fever made it 3-for-3 with a 9 1/4-length victory under Bailey in the 85th running of the $150,000 Adirondack Stakes (G2) on August 14.

Adirondack S. (G2)
Saratoga Race Course, August 14, $150,000, 61/2 furlongs, sloppy, 1:17.47
1-RAGING FEVER, f. 2, Storm Cat-Pennant Fever, by Seattle Slew.
2-Two Item Limit, f. 2, Twining-Spa Warning, by Caveat.
3-Secret Lover, f. 2, Friendly Lover-Far Away Kisses, by Farma Way.

Sent off as the 0.95-to-1 favorite, the daughter of Storm Cat trained by Mark Hennig got 61Ú2 furlongs in 1:17.47. "She was much the best here," Bailey said.

SPA SMORGASBORD-Windbound Farms' Truebreadpudding won her second consecutive $86,775 Yaddo Handicap for New York-bred fillies and mares on August 18.