Spa roundup: Book’em Danno, Nitrogen, A. P. Kid are winners

Book’em Danno showed strong closing ability to register a pair of stakes wins as a sophomore and utilized a similar tactic Saturday to notch his first stakes score as a 4-year-old, running down Mullikin in deep stretch with a strong outside move to capture the Grade 3, $400,000 True North Stakes for 4-year-olds and up sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on Belmont Stakes day at Saratoga.

Derek Ryan-trained Book’em Danno, owned by Atlantic Six Racing, ran a competitive fourth in the tightly contested Churchill Downs (G1) in May last out. He continued a run of success at the Spa that includes a victory in last year’s Woody Stephens (G1).

He earned a victory for the second consecutive Belmont Stakes racing festival with jockey Paco Lopez keeping him off Concrete Glory’s early speed in leading the seven-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.21 seconds and the half in 44.72 seconds over the sloppy and sealed main track.

WinStar Farm’s Mullikin, winner of the Forego (G1) in his last Saratoga start in August, was urged up by rider Flavien Prat to take command entering the stretch. When straightened for home, Lopez set down Book’em Danno and gave strong right-handed encouragement with plenty of daylight to the outside. The duo linked up in a thrilling final furlong duel with Book’em Danno pulling ahead near the wire to register the victory by 1 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:14.64.

Mullikin, a multiple graded-stakes winner for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of Crazy Mason for runner-up honors. Nutella Fella was a nose better than mutuel favorite Nakatomi, who tossed his head at the start and spotted the field five lengths. Surveillance and Concrete Glory completed the order of finish. Full Moon Madness was scratched.

Book’em Danno extended his career record to 14: 8-3-1 and increased his his career bankroll to $1.36 million. The Bucchero gelding, bred in New Jersey by Gregory J. Kilka and Bright View Farm, returned $6.60 on a $2 win bet.

“He’s had some bad luck in his races where he got beat a head and a neck, but I really wasn’t afraid of anybody today,” Ryan said. “The six (furlongs) is a little short for him. Six-and-a-half, seven is his trip. Paco gave him a great ride. He loves to be on the outside. I’ve been preaching that for the last year, and I finally got someone who will do it for me. So, I was very happy. I said sit third, but make sure you’re on the outside.

“He’ll run on anything. Good horses, they said they’ll run on a tin roof. He’s just a good horse.”

Book’em Danno earned a career-best 104 Beyer from Daily Racing Form in August at Saratoga via a third-place finish in the seven-furlong H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1), defeated by 1 1/4 lengths by Domestic Product. On Saturday, Book’em Danno garnered a winner’s circle trip on one of racing’s most prestigious days.

“It was a great, great effort.,” Ryan said. “He (Lopez) rode him perfect, just like I wanted, sit on the outside, sit off the pace, and turning for home go get ‘em. I couldn’t have gotten a better ride, and Paco’s riding like a demon right now. It’s unbelievable, as good as he’s riding. He came up (to Monmouth Park) one Sunday, took the day off and came up and worked (Book’em Danno). He rode his sister, and he worked him as a 2-year-old but he’s been out of town. He’s been driving me crazy to ride this horse ever since. It’s working out.”

Ryan said he was unsure of the next target yet but was appreciative of what Book’em Danno has done for his career.

“I would be retired and be in Saudi Arabia if it wasn’t for this horse,” Ryan said. “I was ready to take a job out there. But then he came along, and it all worked out.”

Mullikin, 1 of 4 Saratoga Grade 1-winning entrants, has finished on the board in seven of his last eight starts including second in the Cigar Mile (G2) at Aqueduct to cap his 4-year-old year one start after running third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“I had a good trip today, just second best,” Prat said.

Crazy Mason, ridden by Manny Franco for trainer Greg Sacco, again earned black type after winning the Carter (G2) last out in April at the Big A.

Nitrogen dominates main-track Wonder Again

Nitrogen made light work of the $300,000 Wonder Again for 3-year-old fillies traveling one mile out of the Wilson chute at Saratoga as she won her fifth consecutive stakes race and fourth straight graded stakes to remain undefeated in 2025 and become a new millionaire.

The 12th running of the Wonder Again was scheduled for the turf course at 1 1/16 miles, but heavy rain that inundated the region caused the race to be moved to the sloppy and sealed main track and shortened by a half-furlong. With the switches, the field of eight scratched down to three, and the race will be reduced from Grade 2 to no higher than a Grade 3.

Casse said he and owner-breeder Len Green and Jon Green debated whether to run their star filly on the off track. 

“We hemmed and hawed and hemmed and hawed and (owner D. J. Stable) kind of pushed me, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s do it.’ When you have owners like (Leonard and Jon Green), you don’t have to worry about getting ran over the coals if you make a move, and that’s everything. And we have a wonderful group of owners that let us do what we do. We know that if it isn’t right, because a lot of times it isn’t right, that we’re going to be OK," Casse said. 

Even so, Casse admitted to a case of the pre-race jitters and even a bit of second guessing. 

“I have been on the phone over 50 times and about 25 were for (Nitrogen). We were discussing should we scratch, what would we do, how would it set up? We finally said, well, we’re just going to have to (do it). So let’s give it a try, let’s find out now, so we did it and it worked out. One of the decisions made was we want her in this pattern, and I talk about it all the time. I’ve got her in a pattern, and I didn’t want to lose that," he said. 

“I consumed a lot of ginger today. I don’t usually get too worried about things but when you have a horse like her and she’s established herself as the best 3-year-old turf filly in North America, you don’t want to hurt her (reputation)," Casse said. "Luckily, we have a great team and we keep lots and lots of records. I went back and watched her work on December 19 (at Palm Meadows) with Dream On and she worked five-eighths on the dirt in a minute and change and galloped out in (1:13) and I’m like, yeah, maybe we’ll run her." 

The connections won't have to worry about a race for her being rained off the turf in the future.

“Maybe I should have run her on the dirt a little sooner. She ran a mile in (1:36.16) and probably could have run in (1:34), so she was pretty impressive. I know it was a small field and I know they were turf horses but, still, she was pretty impressive," Casse said. “I won’t have as many ginger lozenges, I can tell you. I was opening myself up for some scrutiny from so many smart people that had things to say. The crazy thing is, I told Jon Green this morning (that) she is better today than I’ve ever seen her in her life. That was another thing that made them say, ‘Let’s run.’ ”

With the victory, Ortiz won for the third time in the 12 runnings of the Wonder Again. His previous wins came aboard Cambier Parc in 2019 and Sweet Melania in 2020. He said that he never received instructions from Casse.

"She broke good. I sat right behind my stablemate and I was ready to go. I mean, I was on the best horse, no question about it," Ortiz said. "I tapped her on the shoulder just to keep her attention. Usually when she makes the lead, she kind of switches leads and hangs around. Today, she didn't, so I caught her attention, made sure she was there, and she was traveling great every step of the way." 

Nitrogen paid $2.80 for a $2 win bet. There was no place, show, exacta, trifecta or superfecta wagering on the race due to the scratches of Al Jafara, Virgin Colada, Opulent Restraint, Love You Anyway, and Laurelin. 

Nitrogen is a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro out of the Uncle Mo mare Tiffany Case. With the winner's share of the $300,000 purse, she increased her bankroll to $1,146,604 via an 8: 5-1-2 record. She remains unblemished in her sophomore campaign with the quintet of straight wins.

A. P. Kid makes late rally to win Pennine Ridge

A. P. Kid’s first foray into stakes company featured a surface change and a step up in company. Neither was an impediment to the lightly raced son of Honor A. P. who seemed to get stronger as the race went along, drawing away from talented New York-bred Mi Bago in the stretch en route to a 6 1/4-length score in the $300,000 Pennine Ridge for 3-year-olds.

Originally slated for 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf, the 12th edition of the Pennine Ridge was moved to one mile on the dirt from the Wilson chute following heavy rain. Four scratches followed the race being taken off the turf with Tom’s Magic joining the top-three morning-line choices Zulu Kingdom, Flying Mohawk and States’ Rights in forgoing the Pennine Ridge that was contested on a muddy and sealed main track.

A. P. Kid, led by the Hall of Fame tandem of trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez, raced in second as Mi Bago led the field of six through the opening quarter-mile in 23.64 seconds and the half in 46.92 seconds.

At the top of the stretch A. P. Kid showed an ability to close on dirt, easily overtaking Mi Bago from the outside and finishing strong to the wire with a 1:36.83 final time.

Mi Bago, a four-time stakes winner on turf for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and the 6-5 favorite, finished 3 1/2 lengths clear of Golden Channel for runner-up honors. Noble Confessor, Bulldoze and Thirteen Colonies completed the order of finish.

A. P. Kid, who struggled running sixth in his debut in February at Gulfstream Park going one mile on the main track, posted a maiden-breaking, 2 1/2-length score in March at Gulfstream when switched to turf. The Kentucky bred was elevated to stakes company for the prestigious Belmont Stakes racing festival and has become a dual-surface winner after adapting to changing circumstances.

“He’s a colt we’ve always thought a lot of,” Pletcher said. “He just recently disappointed us in his debut, so we switched to the grass, and it worked out, but he had been training so well on the dirt that we decided to give him another try. We were a little unsure of the sloppy conditions, but we certainly felt like we needed to take a chance. I’m not sure where to (go) after this. We’ll see how he comes out of it and come up with a game plan.”

Off at 3-1, A. P. Kid returned $8.80 for a successful $2 win bet.

Bred by Parks Investment Group, he massively increased his career earnings with the victory, bringing his bankroll to $207,700.

“Broke really well. I knew the one speed in the race,” Velazquez said. “Then I sat perfectly where I wanted to be out in the clear. He responded to everything I wanted to do. It is so nice when everything works out the way that it worked out with this horse today.”

Jerry Crawford of owner Donegal Racing said the fact A. P. Kid had competed on both turf and dirt helped his charge’s adaptability.

“He had been on the turf once and he had been on the dirt once,” Crawford said. “His dirt race was abysmal, and his turf race was elegant, so naturally we wanted to bring him back on the turf. Watching him today, how do you say what he is other than pretty damn good?”

Gary Barber’s Mi Bago, bred in New York by Highclere, finished first or second in four of his last six starts.

“It was a good trip,” Mi Bago’s rider Irad Ortiz Jr. said. “Trust me, I think it was the surface, maybe. The surface with the race on dirt. I think he is better on the turf. I tried to save him. I tried to save him for his run. The surface. His run on the dirt was not the same kick."

The race will be dropped from a Grade 3 to nothing higher than listed because of its move off the turf.