Saratoga: Bring Theband Home tries to make the grade in Troy

Florida-bred Bring Theband Home enters from a career-best effort in the Harvey Pack when returning to that course and distance in Sunday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Troy, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up at Saratoga.

Trained by U.S. and Canada Hall of Famer Mark Casse for owner-breeder Live Oak Plantation, the 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding captured the July 4 Harvey Pack from gate-to-wire by 4 1/4 lengths in a final time of 59.90 seconds, just one-tenth off the track and North America record of 59.80 seconds set by Cogburn in last year’s Jaipur (G1).

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The performance, with returning hall of famer Javier Castellano up, earned a career and field-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. 

“He’s doing good,” said Casse. “I kind of don’t know where that last performance came from, but I’ll take it. He always trains like, and we always thought he was, a special horse. He’s disappointed me on a few occasions, but his last race was phenomenal.” 

Bring Theband Home, who drew post 3 with rider Javier Castellano, captured his first stakes victory in the Harvey Pack among a 12: 5-3-1 record and improved to 3-for-3 at Saratoga, taking an optional claimer over the same course and distance last August and a dirt maiden second-out in July 2022.

“He does like Saratoga,” Casse said. “In my opinion, that has something to do with the weather. I think he likes it cooler. We didn’t feel like he did nearly as well in South Florida. Can you blame him? We all love Saratoga.” 

Bring Theband Home is out of the Street Cry mare Tizatude, a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Paynter, sire of 2021 horse of the year Knicks Go. His second dam, Tizso, is a full-sister to hall of famer Tiznow.

Another contender with strong recent form is TEC Racing’s Let My People Go, who starts from post 5 with jockey Jose Ortiz. He enters from a 2 3/4-length victory at the distance on June 27 at Churchill Downs. Making his fourth start for trainer Joe Sharp, the 6-year-old Pioneerof the Nile gelding earned a 95 Beyer, marking his first 90-plus Beyer since winning the Karl Boyes for trainer Victoria Oliver last July over synthetic at Presque Isle Downs. 

Among his 31 starts for Oliver, Let My People Go earned a career-best 101 Beyer for a one-length second in theKentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint in August 2023 at Ellis Park. A return to that form would make him dangerous in the Troy as he makes his first start at Saratoga. 

“He’s doing really well,” Sharp said. “We’re obviously taking a step up, but with the way he ran last time, I think he deserves a chance. He got a good number the other day, and would be right there with that effort at Churchill. I think he’s rounding back into form. We have a lot of confidence in him physically right now.”

Let My People Go traveled 1 1/2 lengths back in third position early in his last effort before launching a powerful bid under returning rider Jose Ortiz. Three starts back, he set the pace before finishing fifth in an optional claimer in March on the Tapeta at Turfway Park. 

“I think he runs better with some targets,” said Sharp, who previously won this event with Shore Runner in 2015 and Fast Boat in 2021. “We learned something from that race at Turfway: I think he likes to be in the mix, but not the target.” 

Charles T. Matses’ Grade 1-placed Kentucky homebred Alogon, who drew post 4 with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., will provide strong opposition for trainer Ned Allard. The 6-year-old California Chrome gelding was third in two efforts this year, including the six-furlong Elusive Quality in May at Belmont at the Big A ahead of the 5 1/2-furlong Jaipur (G1) on June 8 here. 

In the Jaipur, Alogon stalked wide in the turn and the victorious mare Ag Bullet got the jump on him en route to her 2 3/4-length victory. Alogon was headed out of place-honors by the Casse-trained My Boy Prince. 

Alogon holds a 21: 6-2-6 record with three stakes scores, dead-heating with Works for Me in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in November to cap his past campaign, and also winning last year’s Parx Dash and the 2023 Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park. He is out of the Scat Daddy mare Scamper, a half-sister to graded-stakes winner Favorable Outcome and graded stakes-placed Beguine.

New York-bred Senbei, who will be ridden by Manny Franco from post 6, dug in on the lead to win the state-bred six-furlong Ashley T. Cole on June 28 at Belmont at the Big A. Trained by Miguel Clement for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski, the 6-year-old Candy Ride gelding improved from a fifth in the Elusive Quality to secure his first win since the Belmont Turf Sprint (G3) in October at Belmont at the Big A. 

Senbei was the 2021 New York champion 2-year-old male after a trio of state-bred dirt sprint stakes wins. He also annexed the Gold Fever as a sophomore.

“I’m bullish with him,” said Clement. “He’s consistent. We must have messed up his four-year-old season because he won stakes races at two, three, five and six. Blame us, not the horse (laughs). He’s amazingly consistent, and he’s improving as he gets older, which is nice.”

Senbei, bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski out of the winning Western Cat mare Sweet Aloha, is a half-brother to multiple stakes-winners Filibustin and Indy’s Lady. 

Our Shot starts from post 7 under jockey Joel Rosario. He looks for his first win in his fifth start since winning the 5 1/2-furlong Woodford (G2) in October at Keeneland. That grade-making victory earned a 100 Beyer, matching his career-best from one start before when a head runner-up to Big Invasion in last year’s Harvey Pack. 

The Kantharos gelding, owned by Gatsas Stables, Steven Schoenfeld and trainer John Terranova, has been off-the-board in all four efforts as a 6-year-old. He most recently finished sixth in the Harvey Pack, defeated seven lengths by Bring Theband Home. Terranova has enjoyed graded success at the meet with sophomore filly Italian Soiree, also sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, in the Coronation Cup (G3) on July 11 at odds of 14-1. 

The Troy is slated as race 8 at 5:10 p.m. EDT on Sunday’s 10-race card.