Diego Velazquez, Legend of Time lead Saratoga Derby

Diego Velazquez and Legend of Time lead an intriguing cast of well-matched sophomores in Saturday’s sixth running of the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational over 1 3/16 miles on the Mellon turf at Saratoga.

For the second consecutive year, through a partnership between the New York Racing Association and Moonee Valley Racing Club, the $600,000 affair’s winner will receive an automatic berth into the prestigious US$3.26 million Cox Plate (G1), set to take place Oct. 26.

The last four winners of the Saratoga Derby have gone on to win a total of 10 subsequent Group 1 or Grade 1 races. The most prolific among those was State Of Rest, trained by Aidan O’Brien’s son Joseph, in 2021. The son of Starspangledbanner captured the Cox Plate, Prix Ganay and Royal Ascot’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

The powerful Ballydoyle-based yard of Aidan O’Brien will take another crack at the Saratoga Derby after finishing seventh with Mohawk in 2019, fourth with Bolshoi Ballet in 2021 and fifth with Stone Age in 2022. This time, the conditioner of 400 Group 1 and Grade 1 races brings blue-blooded Diego Velazquez, who breaks from post no. 4 under Ryan Moore. He comes fresh off a dismantling of older foes in the Meld (G3) over 1 1/8 miles of Leopardstown’s left-handed course on July 18.

A Group 2 winner at two, the Frankel-sired half-brother to multiple Group 1-winner Broome and three-time Group 1-placed Point Lonsdale was also a respectable 4 3/4-length eighth of 14 in June’s Prix du Jockey Club (G1) over 1 5/16 miles at Chantilly. In fact, aside from his confidence-building, seven-length Meld mockery, Diego Velazquez holds enviable class lines, having clashed with some of the very best of his generation in Europe.

“Diego is in good form since Leopardstown,” O’Brien said. “We think the track, trip and ground should be fine for him. We are happy with him and are hopeful he should run a very good race.”  

Legend of Time hopes to give Charlie Appleby’s Greentree-based U.S. operation its fourth American and third NYRA Grade 1 win of the year when he breaks from post no. 3 under William Buick. He is owned by Godolphin.

The 3-2 beaten favorite in the Belmont Derby (G1), he was trapped inside and found too much to overcome when able to extricate in mid-stretch. A five-time winner from eight starts, including Belmont at the Big A’s Pennine Ridge (G2) on May 25, the son of global luminary Sea The Stars and Spa stakes winner Kissable has trained forwardly since. Going into the weekend, Appleby has 25 North American Grade 1 victories, including this race with Nations Pride in 2022.

“He’s in great nick since his last run,” Appleby said. “Unfortunately, in the Belmont Derby, it was a tactical race off the draw and was going to be tricky, and that’s how it panned out, needless to say. He came out of the race well and we head there as a live contender, again.”  

Another well-bred progeny of the great Frankel will go to post Royal Majesty, who breaks from post no. 7 with Junior Alvarado. Trained by Bill Mott, Royal Majesty was a 1 3/4-length fourth in the Belmont Derby.

A powerful winner of a nine-furlong Keeneland turf allowance in April, the son of Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) and Lake Placid (G2) winner Crown Queen was third in the Pennine Ridge prior to his Belmont Derby effort and seeks his third win in what will be his seventh start.

White Palomino, who is indeed brown in color, has done little wrong in four starts that include a third and first in maiden company followed by prominent runner-up efforts, defeated a head, in both the aforementioned Pennine Ridge and Belmont Derby.

“He's coming into it good. He looks great,” said four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown. “It's back a little tight - he ran a tough race there last time and got beat a head. My only concern would be the short rest.”

Improving his speed figures with each passing race, the son of late 2004 champion turf horse and dual champion sire Kitten’s Joy will break from the outermost post 8 under Flavien Prat.

Brown seeks his third win in the race, following Domestic Spending (2020) and Program Trading (2023).

A barn with its fair share of turf Grade 1s is that of Christophe Clement, who brings a pair of chances into the contest while seeking his 274th North American graded stakes victory.

Carson’s Run starts from post no. 6 with Dylan Davis riding. He won the Summer (G1) at Woodbine as a juvenile. He makes his third run of the season and first in graded company on Saturday. After an even fifth in Aqueduct’s Woodhaven in late April, he returned to winning ways in Monmouth Park’s 1 1/16-mile Tale of the Cat on June 23.

“Carson's Run should relish the extra distance,” Clement said. “We would not mind if it rained a bit as well looking at the forecast. It is very exciting to be a Grade 1 winner at 2 and rounding back into form at this age now, hopefully he is peaking at the right moment.”

Deterministic, ridden by Joel Rosario from post no. 5, is a graded winner on dirt. He makes his second start on the green after a game second in his turf bow in Belmont at the Big A’s Grade 3 Manila. A dual winner from five starts, the son of Liam’s Map has been well-regarded since his $625,000 Keeneland September 2022 final bid.

“Deterministic is training very well. He had a great work the other day on the turf with Joel Rosario,” Clement said. “We are very much looking forward to stretching him out to this distance. We are excited for the ownership, they are a great group of owners, hopefully we will give them a good race. All signs are very positive at home.”

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will saddle graded stakes-placed Cugino, breaking from post no. 2 under Irad Ortiz Jr.

The Twirling Candy bay sports a ledger of 6: 2-3-0 for purse earnings of $364,100 that includes a nose defeat to Neat in the Transylvania (G3) in April at Keeneland and a 4 1/4-length score last out in the Listed Audubon over 1 1/8 miles of firm turf on June 1 at Churchill.

Cugino is out of the multiple stakes-winning Kitten’s Joy mare Adorable Miss, who is a full-sister to graded stakes-winner Noble Beauty.

Rounding out a talented field is Keeneland allowance winner Izzy d’Oro, who breaks from the rail with jockey Javier Castellano. He arrives off a fourth-place finish in the aforementioned Tale of the Cat.

Trained and co-owned by Blake Kelly, the Get Stormy chestnut, out of the stakes-placed Horse Chestnut mare Cologne, is a half-brother to dual Grade 2-winner Dragon Bay.