Saratoga: Randomized starts fast, leads all the way in Alabama

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Intent on getting the lead in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday, jockey Joel Rosario got Randomized to break quickly from post position No. 8 and was immediately out front where she stayed for every step of the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 race.

Randomized gave trainer Chad Brown his second victory in the $600,000 race to go with 2019 winner Dunbar Road.

Randomized, who was the 7-1 fifth betting choice, was making only the fifth start of her career. She broke her maiden in her first start of 2023 at Aqueduct in March, when she was a front-end winner by more than five lengths in a race that earned a speed figure that was the highest for any horse in the Alabama field. In the Acorn (G1) Randomized was unable to get to the lead and finished a distant sixth. She rebounded in the restricted Wilton Stakes at Saratoga during opening week of the meeting with a gate-to-wire victory that was give an even higher speed figure than her maiden score.

It was a last minute decision by Brown and Klaravich Stables owner Seth Klarman to enter Randomized in the Alabama.

“I've got to give owner Seth Klarman a lot of credit here,” Brown explained. “He kept looking at the race and looking at how fast the horse was and said, 'You should really consider this race.' I was really just going to rest her for the Cotillion at a mile and a sixteenth. As it got closer and I reported she was breezing well, I said, ‘Let's at least enter and look at the pace scenario.’ We talked about it the other day and he said, ‘If you're willing to do it, I have a good feeling about this.’ He was right.”

As Randomized went to the lead she was closest to the rail and Defining Purpose was in a stalking position to her outside. The 9-5 favorite Wet Paint sat in comfortable position in fourth saving ground on the inside. The leading pair stayed in that position for the first mile as Wet Paint improved to third with fractions of 23.45 and 47.86 seconds, 1:12.33, and 1:37.17.

“I don't think this filly appreciated the dirt in her face in the Acorn the more I observed her train,” Brown added. “So, I gave instructions that I learned from my good friend Bob Baffert - I want clean silks when you come back. I've heard him say that next to me a few times. I don't really train that way, but it worked well today."

The main track at Saratoga was rated fast even with rainy weather for the past several days. However, this week there was a racing surface that favored horses on the lead making it hard to make up ground down the stretch. The only horse gaining was Wet Paint as she continued along the rail to get second-place as Randomized extended her lead to win by four lengths in a final time of 2:03.07.

"She was moving so well, nice and easy all around, she's just a nice filly, but a mile and a quarter is a long ways, so you have to have something always for the end,” Rosario said of the trip. “It looked like she did it really easy. I asked her turning for home and it looked like she would just keep running, so that was a really good performance.”

Randomized returned $16.20, $6.20 and $4.80 as Wet Paint’s finish produced $3.70 and $2.80 for place and show with a $2 exacta that paid $33.80. Defining Purpose held on for third another 1 1/2 lengths back and completed a $2 trifecta of $223.

Brad Cox was gracious in defeat as he commented about Wet Paint’s finish in a year where she has been one of the leading fillies in the 3-year-old filly division.

“I was proud of our filly’s effort,” Cox said. “She was maybe a little bit closer than I expected, but you know, given the trip – I loved the trip. I love where Flavien put her. I thought she responded when he asked her. She finished up well, second best today no excuses that I can see.”

When Brown was asked about a possible next race for Randomized he said, "I'm just going to enjoy this win. We didn’t really look beyond it when we committed to give this a try. We took everything else off the table. The Cotillion (on Sept. 23 at Parx Racing) is still in play, it's quite a ways away still. It's not that I wouldn't go there, but not a bad idea to think about Keeneland (the Spinster on Oct.8) either."