ITM Players' Newsletter - Travers Recap
+ Weekend Eye Catchers
Players’ Podcast: A Travers for the Ages
PTF and JK are back with their analysis of all six Grade 1s at Saratoga, including the absolute throwdown in the Travers between Thorpedo Anna and Fierceness
The summer rolls along with Nick Tammaro’s Saratoga Notebook and Frank Scatoni’s “Frankly Speaking” Del Mar Diary. Subscribe to ITM Plus for exclusive picks, written analysis, and shows from your favorite ITM contributors.
Thursday @ 4:55 PM Eastern
It's Opening Day at Kentucky Downs and we'll be doing live racing coverage with tips and analysis as part of HorsePlayers Happy Hour. We'll also have racing from Saratoga and Del Mar.
We will also look back at the plethora of Grade 1 stakes from last weekend including all the Breeders' Cup Win-and-You're-In action.
PTF from In the Money Media hosts with JK of Fox Sports and special guests including last week's winner (and former Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge Champ) Matt Miller, Del Mar expert Frank Scatoni, and many more.
The $20 contest starts with the first Del Mar race at 5 ET, five minutes after the stream begins.
HorsePlayers Happy Hour is an interconnected series of contests with $20,000 added to the pool where you only have to play one week to possibly win part of that extra money. It's also a feeder for the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge with two extra ways to win into that prestigious contest. Best of all, the house cut goes to equine aftercare.
To sign up to play, go to inthemoneypodcast.com/HHH
Weekend Eye Catchers - August 23-25, 2024
By Will Humphrey ©
I hope that you all had an enjoyable and successful weekend of wagering. With a view to the future, here are a few horses that you can take away from the weekend and use in your upcoming wagers.
Saturday, Saratoga, Race 7: SOVEREIGNTY (4th)
The mandatory $0.50 Pk5 sequence at Saratoga on Saturday started out with a deep 6f MSW for two-year-olds, where the Todd Pletcher trained 2/1 favorite, TIP TOP THOMAS, came away with the win, following a hard-fought stretch duel with ROOKIE CARD. Both look promising types with big futures, however, the fourth-place finisher, SOVEREIGNTY, could be the horse to take out of the race.
Unloved at the betting windows and sent off at generous odds of 11/1, Bill Mott’s trainee broke cleanly but lacked any early speed from the outside gate, resulting in him racing last of ten after the first 1/4 mile. Still double-digit lengths behind the leaders turning for home, SOVEREIGNTY began making eye-catching headway under Junior Alvarado, who swung the colt seven wide into the stretch. He then efficiently changed leads and powered home in the centre of the track, gobbling up the ground to make up 7 1/4 lengths on the leaders inside the final two furlongs. SOVEREIGNTY couldn’t quite get to the top three finishers (who ran 1-2-3 throughout), but he hit the line hard to finish 3 1/4 lengths back in 4th, before galloping out powerfully in front of the field.
Despite the off-the-board result, there was plenty to like about this debut effort from SOVEREIGNTY, who appeared learning on the job well and shaped as if he could develop into a nice horse when stretched out in distance - a move which his pedigree would support.
Owned and bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s powerful Godolphin operation, SOVEREIGNTY is by leading sire INTO MISCHIEF, out of the un-raced BERNARDINI mare, CROWNED, who herself is a half-sister to stakes placed router, WHENTHEDAWNBREAKS, and a daughter of three-time GS winning router, MUSHKA, who took the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) in 2009.
Visually, SOVEREIGNTY looked a big, powerful colt and with plenty of staying talent in the pedigree and top-class connections behind him, the potential is there for him to step forward from this promising debut effort and break his maiden next time, likely over a longer trip.
Saturday, Saratoga, Race 8: RHETORICAL (3rd)
Although RHETORICAL failed to justify his 3/5 favoritism in race eight at the Spa on Saturday, in defeat, he solidified the fact that he possesses a wealth of talent.
Following a five-length demolition job on debut that earned him a Beyer of 77, Will Walden’s trainee was hammered at the betting windows for the NY bred restricted Alw 95000N1X turf allowance going 1 1/16 miles. As was the case on debut, RHETORICAL broke poorly from gate five under Irad Ortiz and found himself trailing the field as they raced around the first turn, where he was rank and violently tossed his head under firm handling from Irad. With still over ten lengths to make up as the leaders passed through the first 1/2 mile in a modest 48.75 and approached the end of the back stretch, RHETORICAL began to glide past rivals under minimal urging from Irad, who in fear of hindering their forward momentum, opted to give away valuable ground by swinging him five wide around the bend and into the stretch. Upon straightening, RHETORICAL proceeded to make rapid headway in the centre of the track and flew past the horses to draw almost level with the front two, however, the wide trip and vast amount of ground that he had already made up resulted in the fuel gage hitting red with 50yds to go. RHETORICAL couldn’t quite get up and eventually crossed the wire 3/4 lengths behind the winner in 3rd, earning an 81 Beyer.
Regardless of the fact that he was beaten at a short price, RHETORICAL ran a massive race here in what was only his second career start, and when you consider that the top two finishers had already made a combined 14 starts between them, it becomes even more impressive that he was able to go so close from the position that he was in. On pure ability, it would be a shock if he didn’t turn out to be the best horse to come out of the race.
He remains inexperienced enough that he can continue to mature and iron out his faults relating to how he breaks and settles in the early stages of his races, and when he does put it all together, he could be a real talent in NY bred restricted races. As a $320,000 half-brother to four-time stakes winner and G2 placed performer, STERLING SILVER, he’s supposed to be good at this game, and with the promise of more to come, he looks a horse to follow.
Saturday, Ellis Park, Race 7: COCKTAILSNKRINGLE (2nd)
Away from the bright lights of Saratoga on Saturday, there were some informative two-year-old MSW being run down at Ellis Park, where COCKTAILSNKRINGLE caught the eye on debut.
Sent off at odds of 7/2 in race seven, Ian Wilkes’ trainee broke a touch slowly under jockey Chris Landeros and had to be asked to face the kickback along the inside rail early on, resulting in him racing around four lengths off the pace in mid-pack. Having gotten to grips with the task at hand, COCKTAILSNKRINGLE jumped onto the bridle at the 3/8 pole and began making smooth progress, passing horses with ease on the turn for home. At the 1/4 pole, Landeros had his hands full of horse but was facing a solid wall of four horses, forcing him to remain motionless with track announcer Tony Calo, describing the pair as “all dressed up, with nowhere to go”. They managed to barge their way into the clear just before the 1/8 pole and made a strong late bid for glory but couldn’t quite run down the eventual winner, having to settle for the runner-up spot.
It’s worth mentioning that over the last five years, Ian Wilkes is only 5 for 160 (3%) with first out two-year-olds, and of those five winners, four went onto become stakes horses, including 2024 Glitter Woman Stakes winner and Kentucky Oaks (G1) contender, INTO CHAMPAGNE. That’s good company for COCKTAILSNKRINGLE to be keeping, because the power with which he traveled into the stretch and the closing kick which saw him get to within a length and a half of the winner, firmly suggests that with a better trip, he too would have broken his maiden on debut.
Despite the fact that he was beaten, this was an eye-catching debut performance from COCKTAILSNKRINGLE and based on the fact that he is a half-brother to three-time stakes winner, CLOSETHEGAMESUGAR, who recently chased home THE CHOSEN VRON in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, he could turn out to be alright.
Saturday, Del Mar, Race 8: PARTY ON GIRL (2nd)
Race eight at Del Mar on Saturday, a 5f OC 40k/N1X turf allowance, provided one of the closest finishes of the weekend, as JUST NAILS held off PARTY ON GIRL by a literal whisker. Take nothing away from the winner, but with a view to the future, PARTY ON GIRL looks the horse to take out of the race.
The well-bred Irish daughter of AWTAAD started her career with two wins from three starts in England, before she was privately purchased by D J Stable LLC and joined Chad Brown’s barn in 2022. Having not quite cut the Chad Brown mustard around two turns, Brittany Russell took over the training of PARTY ON GIRL, where straight away she was cut back to 5 1/2f for what proved to be her only start for the trainer. PARTY ON GIRL ran better than it would appear on paper in that spot, closing strongly into slow fractions behind Cal Lynch’s promising sprinter, PROVE MY LOVE.
Having subsequently been sold for $75,000 at the F-Tipton July (h-i-t) Sale, PARTY ON GIRL was making only her second sprint start on Saturday and first start in California for her new trainer, Phil D’Amato.
Sent to post as the 5/1 third choice in the wagering under Juan Hernandez, PARTY ON GIRL broke alertly and traveled very powerfully around three lengths off the pace in mid-pack. Hernandez did a good job at settling her and then allowed her to make smooth headway along the inside rail rounding the bend, where upon straightening, she picked up stylishly to split rivals and hit the wire in lockstep with JUST NAILS. One more jump, and PARTY ON GIRL would have had her photo taken, but agonizingly for her supporters, the photo didn’t fall her way.
There was plenty to like about PART ON GIRL’s performance on Saturday, in which, she beat a decent field (five of her eight rivals had completed in stakes races) and ran a career best Beyer of 83, proving that sprinting really is her ball game. She closed well on a turf course that has been favoring speed all meet (the first and third place finishers on Saturday ran 1-2 for most of the way), and with a view to the future, shaped as if she will relish Santa Anita’s 6f/6.5f turf sprints.
As a former Chad Brown trainee, someone clearly saw potential in this filly at one stage of her career, and over these shorter distances, she might just be realizing it now. Considering that this race was run over a distance that appeared shorter than ideal and marked her first start in California (meaning that she had had to ship across the country and get comfortable in her new surroundings leading up to the the race), one would hope that she can step forward again next time.
Although she may be no more than an allowance filly, PARTY ON GIRL looks set to have a profitable fall back at The Great Race Place and is definitely one to keep on side.
Others To Mention…
Elsewhere on Saturday, there were a couple of impressive winners who also deserve a mention.
Starting at Ellis Park with EAST AVENUE, this two-year-old son of MEDAGLIA D’ORO couldn’t have been any more dominant on debut, as he blitzed his nine rivals by no less than 8 lengths.
Owned and bred by Godolphin and trained by Brendan Walsh, EAST AVENUE is the first foal out of DANCE MUSIC, who herself is a daughter of G1 winner, DANCE CARD, making her a half sister to two-time GSW ENDORSED, as well as two-time Eclipse Award winning champion, CODY’S WISH.
EAST AVENUE earned an impressive debut Beyer of 85 for this effort, looking every part a stakes horse in the making and becoming a new ‘TDN Rising Star’. He has the pedigree and connections to justifiably suggest that the sky is the limit for him, and he looks a seriously exciting prospect to follow.
Meanwhile, over at Colonial, Graham Motion’s British bred filly, NO SHOW SAMMY JO, continued her upward trajectory with a facile victory, entitling her to try stakes company next.
A 150,000 GNS purchase from the 2021 Tattersalls October Book 1 Yearling Sale in England, NO SHOW SAMMY JO broke her maiden impressively in start number two at Belmont last June, before returning off of a 330-day layoff to beat future stake placed performers LADY BETH and VINO ROUGE at the Spa, May 19.
Following the scratch of her two main rivals, Motion’s trainee was hammered down to odds of 1/5 on Saturday, so admittedly she didn’t have a lot to beat. However, the power and ease with which she stalked fractions of 23.94, 48.27, before she bounded away in the stretch to score by 5 1/2 lengths, was extremely impressive. She was all alone late on and looked to only be in second gear, but still improved her Beyer for the third consecutive time to 89. She took her career record to 3-0-0 from four starts and there appears to be plenty more to come, so following this effort, one would imagine that she will be pointed towards a stake race next time. If you haven’t done so already, make a note of NO SHOW SAMMY JO’s name, because we could be hearing a lot more about her.
Last but not least, we have a contribution from ITM President, PTF, who suggests that we should all keep our eyes peeled for the Carla Gaines trained, AFTERNOON NAP, who finished 4th in race three at Del Mar on Sunday.
Following a set of swift morning drill, this Cal bred filly took plenty of money for her debut and was sent to post as the 3/1 third choice under Antonio Fresu. Having broken tardily from gate three, AFTERNOON NAP was facing an uphill battle in trying to run down largely more experienced rivals over a speed favoring 5f. However, she recovered well and traveled sweetly for Fresu in mid-pack, before striding out nicely in the stretch to snatch the 4th spot. With this run now under her belt, AFTERNOON NAP should be sharper in all regards next time and looks likely to find the winner’s circle before long. Certainly a filly to keep your eyes peeled for. Thanks, PTF!