NEWS
Saratoga Sinner springs surprise in Holy Bull
Posted: Saturday, January 31, 2009 4:24 PM
SARATOGA SINNER
Adam Coglianese photo
by Ron Parker
Lally Stable’s Saratoga Sinner earned his first career stakes win on Saturday and stamped himself as a contender in the three-year-old division with a game victory in the $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Saratoga Sinner entered off a maiden special weight victory at Gulfstream on January 7 at the Holy Bull distance of 1 1/8 miles. The Harlan’s Holiday colt tracked pacesetter Bear’s Rocket from second into the stretch and steadily wore down that foe for a three-quarter-length victory under jockey Julien Leparoux.
“We started good, broke good,” Leparoux said. “I just tried to stay with Kent [Desormeaux on Bear’s Rocket] the whole time and not lose [touch of him].”
Saratoga Sinner completed the distance in 1:51.45 on a track rated as fast.
Bear’s Rocket, longest price in the ten-horse field at odds of 33.90-to-1, gamely held on to finish second. He was three lengths clear of Kentucky Cup Juvenile Stakes (G3) winner West Side Bernie, the third-place finisher who was sent off as the 5-to-2 second wagering choice.
Beethoven was fourth and 9-to-5 favorite Danger to Society was never a factor and finished seventh.
Saratoga Sinner raced twice as a two-year-old, finishing fifth in a seven-furlong race at Keeneland Race Course on October 17 and third in a one-mile race at Churchill Downs on November 19 for trainer Eddie Kenneally.
“After he broke his maiden in his last race, Julien [Leparoux] came back and said he’s even better than he showed,” Kenneally said. “He ran a little green that day. So we decided that we would go ahead and step him up to this race rather than run back in an allowance race.”
Kenneally said the colt will be pointed to the $750,000 Florida Derby (G1), which would be Saratoga Sinner’s third start at Gulfstream at 1 1/8 miles, on March 28.
“I don’t know if he’ll run again before then, but he won’t go back to a one-turn race again,” Kenneally said.
Bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, Saratoga Sinner is the first stakes winner out of the winning Slew City Slew mare Naughty Linda. He has earned $116,495 with two wins in four starts.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Ron Parker is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
