NEWS
Heritage of Gold stays perfect
Posted: Saturday, August 05, 2000
Dream Supreme rallies to win the Test Stakes, Gold Mover remains undefeated in the opening day Schuylerville Stakes, City Zip captures the Sanford Stakes for two-year-olds, Hap triumphs in the Bernard Baruch Handicap on turf, Heritage of Gold takes the Go For Wand Handicap for older fillies and mares
Nobody knows better than John T. Ward Jr., the trainer of 1999 champion mare Beautiful Pleasure, the value of winning stakes races at Saratoga Race Course.
Go For Wand H. (G1)
Saratoga Race Course, July 30, $250,000, 11/8 miles, sloppy, 1:49.84
1-HERITAGE OF GOLD, m. 5, Gold Legend-Lyphard Gal, by Lyphard.
2-Beautiful Pleasure, m. 5, Maudlin-Beautiful Bid, by Baldski.
3-Roza Robata, m. 5, Fire Maker-May Day Ninety, by Alydar.
"If you want to repeat as champion, or if you want to become a champion, you have to perform at Saratoga," Ward said three days before the 47th running of the $250,000 Go For Wand Stakes (G1) on July 30.
A year ago, Beautiful Pleasure lost the Go For Wand by a half-length to defending Eclipse Award champion Banshee Breeze, then bounced back to beat her in the Personal Ensign Handicap (G1) 20 days later on a sloppy track at Saratoga. Beautiful Pleasure then added the Beldame Stakes (G1) and Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) to her resume, and was named champion.
This year's Go For Wand signaled another rite of passage. Jack Garey's Heritage of Gold, who came close to being scratched when the track turned up sloppy, tracked Beautiful Pleasure for close to eight furlongs, then exploded past her in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by a length, scoring a courageous fifth straight victory this year under jockey Shane Sellers.
"Mr. Garey told me if the track was sloppy, we'd scratch," winning trainer Tom Amoss said. "But there's something about Saratoga. If he had been home in Austin (Texas), I'm sure we wouldn't have run. But he was here. After the fourth race, we made our decision."
Considering that their five-year-old Gold Legend mare had never raced on a wet dirt track in 22 career starts and that Beautiful Pleasure was 3-for-4 on such surfaces, it was a brave decision to validate Heritage of Gold's April 9 victory over Beautiful Pleasure in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park after running behind her twice last year in the Go For Wand Stakes and Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Beautiful Pleasure was the overwhelming 0.35-to-1 favorite in the field of five under Jorge Chavez. Heritage of Gold was the 2.95-to-1 second choice of an announced crowd of 58,583 on beer stein give-away day.
Heritage of Gold made Beautiful Pleasure work a little to get an early lead, but Beautiful Pleasure appeared to be cruising on the backstretch as she opened a gaping lead of seven lengths.
"It's five lengths, then seven lengths, and all of a sudden you're wondering, 'Is the race over?' " Amoss said.
It was anything but over as Heritage of Gold, who carried 123 pounds, two less than Beautiful Pleasure, whittled away at the gap separating them. Heritage of Gold drew even near the eighth pole and wore Beautiful Pleasure down in the final sixteenth. Roza Robata finished another six lengths back in third, with Up We Go and Under the Rug completing the order of finish.
Heritage of Gold got the nine furlongs in 1:49.84 while recording the second Grade 1 win of a career that began in 1998 at Lone Star Park, far away from the glamour of Saratoga. She now sports a career record of 15 wins in 23 starts for earnings of $1,871,387.
"It was fair and square," Ward said. "We didn't have any excuse."
Mott takes two
When Kinsman Stable's Dream Supreme rallied under Pat Day to win the 75th running of the $250,000 Test Stakes (G1) July 29, she did more than put a smile on the face of her absentee owner, George Steinbrenner. She also gave trainer Bill Mott quite a 47th birthday present: his second graded stakes win at Saratoga in 24 hours. The day before, he saddled Hap to win the $150,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2).
Test S. (G1)
Saratoga Race Course, July 29, $250,000, 7 furlongs, fast, 1:22.66
1-DREAM SUPREME, f. 3, Seeking the Gold-Spinning Round, by Dixieland Band.
2-Big Bambu, f. 3, Salt Lake-Meadowlake Mist, by Meadowlake.
3-Finder's Fee, f. 3, Storm Cat-Fantastic Find, by Mr. Prospector.
"It's hard enough to win one minor stakes at Saratoga, and I don't know if there is such a thing as a minor stakes at Saratoga," Mott said.
The seven-furlong Test is anything but minor, and the 75th edition attracted 11 three-year-old fillies, including Chilukki, last year's champion two-year-old filly, who had seven wins and two seconds in ten prior career starts.
Sent off the 1.75-to-1 favorite under Shane Sellers, Chilukki stumbled badly breaking from the rail, rushed up to third and flattened out, finishing sixth, 63Ú4 lengths behind Dream Supreme. "The start didn't hurt her that much," said Sellers, who subbed for Corey Nakatani. "She ran like a 50-to-1 longshot. I just had no horse."
Day did, although Dream Supreme, sent off at 7.40-to-1, had her own eventful beginning. "She stumbled the first jump and grabbed the quarter on the inside of her right front," Day said. "But she got her feet back under her quickly."
Day settled Dream Supreme in ninth as 28.50-to-1 longshot Big Bambu slugged it out on the front end with I'm Brassy and Dat You Miz Blue through a quarter in :21.81 and a half in :44.08.
Big Bambu put I'm Brassy away in midstretch, but Day had dead aim. He took Dream Supreme outside two tiring horses, then back inside, and she charged past Big Bambu at the sixteenth pole. Finder's Fee rallied for third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Big Bambu and three-quarters of a length ahead of Dat You Miz Blue.
In winning her fourth race in just six starts for her third different trainer, Dream Supreme got the seven furlongs in 1:22.66. Trained by Linda Rice last year, the daughter of Seeking the Gold out of Spinning Round, by Dixieland Band, made a sensational debut at Saratoga, rallying from seventh to win by a length in 1:03.45, tying the track record for 51Ú2 furlongs. She tacked on a one-length allowance win at Belmont Park and another win at Pimlico Race Course, but then she developed problems.
Steinbrenner initially sent the filly to John Tammaro this year, then to Mott, who got her four weeks before her three-year-old debut, which she won by 9 1/2 lengths at Pimlico. She then finished fourth in both the Acorn (G1) and Prioress (G2) Stakes.
"She's not a good gate horse, and she reared a little," Mott said. "I really think she had legitimate excuses in both and deserved another chance."
With Steinbrenner, chances can be at a premium. "He called yesterday," said Mott, who had previously trained Acceptable and Concerto for the New York Yankees' owner. "We were kind of on the hot seat today. He's very excited about this filly."
Now Mott is, too. "I thought her best race was yet to come, and I'm glad she chose today," he said. Dream Supreme's next start is undecided, although the $250,000 Ballerina Stakes (G1) against older fillies and mares on August 20 is a possibility.
Hap takes Bernard Baruch
Just nine days after Allen Paulson succumbed to cancer, his estate's Hap, racing in the familiar white, red, and blue silks of Paulson's widow, Madeleine, stamped himself as next in the line of Paulson grass stars trained by Mott in winning the $150,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2) on July 28.
Bernard Baruch H. (G2)
Saratoga Race Course, July 28, $150,000, 11/8 miles, turf, firm, 1:45.82
1-HAP, c. 4, Theatrical (Ire)-Committed, by Hagley.
2-Inexplicable, h. 5, Miswaki-Mythomania, by Nureyev.
3-Draw Shot, g. 7, Cormorant-My Dearest Love, by T. V. Commercial.
With factory-like efficiency, Mott has delivered one grass stakes winner after another for the Paulsons, including champions Estrapade, Theatrical (Ire), and Fraise. Last year's star Yagli retired this year, and Hap has taken his place.
The lightly raced four-year-old son of Theatrical enjoyed a typically flawless grass ride by Jerry Bailey from the nine post in the bulky field of 13 to win the 42nd running of the Bernard Baruch by 1 1/4 lengths over Inexplicable in 1:45.82. The final time was less than a half-second off the record set by Tentam and equaled by Waya (Fr) of 1:45.40 for the 1 1/8 miles on the main turf course. Draw finished third, a half-length behind Inexplicable, while Val's Prince, making his first start since running 11th in the last year's Breeders' Cup Turf (G1), was tenth.
In scoring his first stakes victory in his second attempt, Hap stretched his winning streak to three this year and improved his grass record to five wins in eight starts. "He actually is developing pretty nicely," Mott said. "He's never blown any fields away, but when you push the button, he goes pretty good."
Having Bailey aboard does not hurt. "He gets to the right spot a lot of times," Mott said.
Bailey sure does, especially at Saratoga, where he is pursuing his second straight riding title and sixth in seven years. Bailey got Hap away third, backed off a suicidal speed duel between Gone Fishin and Musical Ghost, and pounced on the tiring leaders at the top of the stretch. Mott said he was unsure of Hap's next start.
City Zip zips past Yonaguska
What better setting than the Sanford Stakes (G2) at Saratoga to see a $9,000 sale yearling run down a $1.95-million two-year-old? City Zip's upset of previously unbeaten Yonaguska in the 87th running of the $108,700 Sanford on July 27 is not likely to have the impact of Upset's victory over Man o' War 81 years earlier, but it certainly fuels the notion that good looks are not everything.
Sanford S. (G2)
Saratoga Race Course, July 27, $108,700, 6 furlongs, fast, 1:10.69
1-CITY ZIP, c. 2, Carson City-Baby Zip, by Relaunch.
2-Yonaguska, c. 2, Cherokee Run-Marital Spook, by Silver Ghost.
3-Scorpion, c. 2, Seattle Slew-Petiteness, by Chief's Crown.
"He's got imperfections," said Rice, who trains City Zip for Charles Thompson and Carl Bowling. "He's crooked and easy to criticize. I could run you a list my arm long. But he's a great racehorse."
City Zip was phenomenal in the Sanford, disputing a wicked first quarter in :21.03, dropping back to third as Yonaguska shot to the lead, and then blowing past the favorite at the eighth pole for a 3 1/2-length victory under Jose Santos in 1:10.69 for the six furlongs. In avenging a third-place finish to Yonaguska in the Flash Stakes, City Zip won his second straight stakes following a 2 3/4-length win in the Tremont Stakes (G3). Not bad for a horse purchased for $9,000 last year at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. Thirteen months later, City Zip was entered in an Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. two-year-olds in training sale. When he failed to meet his reserve, he was bought back for $80,000, $126,305 less than he has already earned in six starts.
Three of a kind
Owner-breeder Edward P. Evans and trainer Mark Hennig have three undefeated, stakes-winning two-year-old fillies, and they entered two of them in the 83rd running of the $108,200 Schuylerville Stakes (G2) on July 26, the opening day of Saratoga's 132nd season. When With Ability, who is 2-for-2, was scratched because of a cough, that left Gold Mover to represent the stable.
Schuylerville S. (G2)
Saratoga Race Course, July 26, $108,200, 6 furlongs, fast, 1:10.33
1-GOLD MOVER, f. 2, Gold Fever-Intentional Move, by Tentam.
2-Seeking It All, f. 2, A.P. Indy-Seeking Regina, by Seeking the Gold.
3-Miss Doolittle, f. 2, Storm Cat-Eliza, by Mt. Livermore.
Gold Mover, by Gold Fever out of Intentional Move, by Tentam, briefly surrendered the lead to Miss Doolittle at the top of the stretch, then spurted clear. Gold Mover had enough left to hold off fast-closing Seeking It All by a neck at the wire. The victory improved her record to 4-for-4, including three stakes wins. Stablemate Raging Fever, Evans's third juvenile filly star, will put her 2-for-2 record on the line in the $150,000 Adirondack Stakes (G2) on August 14.
Bill Heller is a New York correspondent of Thoroughbred Times.
