Horses to Watch: 7 entered for Saratoga’s opening week
In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.
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Seven starts, seven victories. Just how good is Bleecker Street? Well, she was good enough to overcome a snail-like pace and win the New York (G1) at Belmont Park last month, sprinting her final quarter-mile in an otherworldly 21.70 seconds per Trakus to win the 1 1/4-mile prize by half a length.
Bleecker Street will have every chance to keep her momentum going in Saturday’s eighth race at Saratoga, the Diana (G1) (post time 5:03 p.m. EDT). She’s facing a tough field (all five of her rivals are graded-stakes winners), but Bleecker Street’s sensational turn of foot should be sufficient to give trainer Chad Brown his seventh career win in the Diana.
A half-brother to early-maturing Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Pappacap, Boppy O showed promise in his debut at Gulfstream Park two months ago, rallying from midfield to win a five-furlong dash by 1 1/2 lengths.
Boppy O isn’t the fastest horse on paper in Saturday’s 10th race at Saratoga, the Sanford (G3) (post time 6:13 p.m. EDT), but he’s trained up a storm since his debut and has upside for improvement. Don’t count this well-bred Mark Casse trainee out of win contention.
A beautifully bred son of champion juvenile Good Magic out of the Grade 1-placed mare Connie and Michael, Curly Jack was tons the best in his debut dashing 5 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs last month, leading all the way to trounce his rivals by four lengths with a promising 86 Brisnet Speed rating.
Curly Jack is facing tougher competition (and a larger field) in the Sanford, but the Tom Amoss trainee fits well on paper and looms as a logical contender under jockey Tyler Gaffalione, fresh off dominating the jockey standings at the Churchill Downs spring meet.
The possible favorite for the Sanford is Forte, a Todd Pletcher trainee who looked like a star when smashing his debut at Belmont Park. Favored at odds of 1-5 to win a five-furlong maiden special weight, Forte tracked the early pace before seizing command to win eased-up by 7 3/4 lengths.
Pletcher has won the Sanford eight times (including two of the last three editions), and jockey Irad Ortiz is a four-time Sanford winner victorious in the last two renewals. If Forte runs back to his debut, which produced a promising 89 Brisnet Speed rating, he can win the Sanford and bring his record to 2-for-2.
It’s hard to believe Reinvestment Risk has never won a stakes. The Chad Brown trainee has finished second in a quartet of Grade 1 prizes, including the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga two years ago and the Grade 1 Churchill Downs 2 1/2 months ago.
Reinvestment Risk figures to pick up a confidence-boosting victory in Saturday’s seventh race at Saratoga, a $62,500 allowance optional claimer (post time 4:29 p.m. EDT). The seven-furlong distance looks perfect for Reinvestment Risk, considering three of his Grade 1 placings have come over this trip. Dropping in class might be all he needs to visit the winner’s circle.
One of Bleecker Street’s most formidable rivals in the Diana is her own stablemate Rougir, winner of the Prix de l’Opera Longines (G1) racing 1 1/4 miles in France last year. Rougir kicked off 2022 on a high note, dominating the Beaugay (G3) at Belmont by three lengths, but she struggled against the slow pace in the New York last month and came home fifth behind Bleecker Street.
On the bright side, Rougir was only beaten two lengths in the New York, and hot jockey Flavien Prat retains the mount for the Diana. An exacta finish is definitely within reach, even if turning the tables on Bleecker Street proves tricky.
Never out of the exacta in seven starts, 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Twilight Gleaming looms as the filly to beat in Friday’s eighth race at Saratoga, the Coronation Cup (post time 5:05 p.m. EDT).
Sprinting on turf is Twilight Gleaming’s best ballgame, so the conditions of the Coronation Cup – 5 1/2 furlongs on grass – should be just about perfect. Twilight Gleaming showcased continued fine form by battling to a gritty victory in the Mamzelle over the Churchill Downs turf course two months again, and she’s regaining the services of Irad Ortiz (who rode her in the Breeders’ Cup), so all signs suggest a sharp effort is in the offing.
Which horses do you have your eyes on?