Tap to It Possible for Spinaway
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Whisper Hill Farm's Tap to It gave trainer Ralph Nicks a nice going-away present with her eye-catching debut victory in Sunday's sixth race, a six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies on the main track.
It was the first win of the meet for Nicks, who left following training hours Monday for a week stay at his Gulfstream Park base.
"She's shown herself to be very talented, and then she showed she's special by overcoming all that adversity yesterday," Nicks said. "Sometimes, it could be two or three races before they go through what she went through."
Favored from post 2 under Joel Rosario, Tap to It broke awkwardly and had to steady for several strides trailing long shot Etsu, then got shuffled back when Etsu dropped out of contention. After taking some dirt, she was angled out approaching the stretch and came flying home strongly to take the lead in the final sixteenth and win by two lengths.
"She's pretty smart," Nicks said. "I just think she's a pretty nice horse. It's pretty plain."
A daughter of Grade 1 winner Tapit whose dam, Leave Me Alone, won the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga in 2005, Tap to It ran six furlongs in 1:10.93. Nicks said the Grade 1, $350,000 Spinaway at seven furlongs September 6 is among the races he's considering.
"It's possible. It's on the radar," he said. "I don't know what we're going to do. We're going to let her tell us."
* * *
Trainer Marcus Vitali celebrated his 55th birthday a day early when Joe Bianco Sr.'s 3-year-old filly Mom'z Laugh was a one-length winner of a six-furlong claiming event at Saratoga August 6.
It was the first career victory at Saratoga for Vitali, a Rhode Island native who made a name for himself on the New England circuit as a prominent trainer at Suffolk Downs. He spends much of the year in south Florida running at Gulfstream Park and Gulfstream Park West.
According to Equibase, Vitali has made 11 starts at Saratoga including his first, Isitdustybackthere, on August 26, 2004. He had two starters in 2007 and one in 2010 before finishing fourth with Lochte and sixth with Tom Kitten last summer. In five starts this year, Vitali finished second with Pushme Pullyou and Neoclassic prior to Mom'z Laugh's breakthrough victory.
"It means a lot to me," Vitali said. "I figured I'd take a shot, and I think it was the right spot for her. I threw out the grass race last time; it didn't mean much. She had huge numbers coming into the race, so I thought she'd fit. I hope to run her back one more time before the meet ends."
Vitali would also like to find spots at the Spa for Grade 1 winner Lochte, multiple graded stakes winner Valid, and dual stakes winner Bluegrass Singer, all of whom are stabled in Saratoga for the summer. They each had three-furlong works on the main track August 14, with Bluegrass Singer and Valid timed together in a bullet 35.65 seconds, while Lochte went in 37.11, eighth-best of 22 horses.
Lochte and Valid both ran August 2 at Monmouth Park; Lochte was fourth in the Grade 3 Oceanport and Valid finished second in defense of his 2014 win in the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup. Bluegrass Singer was fifth in the Grade 2 Amsterdam the previous day at Saratoga.
"I brought them back up here and they'll train up here. I'm hoping the racing secretary puts up a race that suits them," Vitali said. "If that's the case, you know me, I'm going to run them. I'm always ready."
Lochte won the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap and was second in the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile last year, and this year captured the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes. Valid's lone victory this year came in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper February 7at Gulfstream, and Bluegrass Singer won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes and Parx Derby in 2015. All three horses are owned by Carolyn Vogel's Crossed Sabres Farm.
Pushme Pullyou is entered in Thursday's opener, while Vitali also has The Players Group's 6-year-old New York-bred gelding Readthebyline, fifth in Saratoga's John Morrissey Stakes July 30, entered in Thursday's sixth. Both are 1 1/8-mile claiming events.
"We head back to Florida at the end of August. That's been our protocol and it's been working the last four or five years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said. "I'd like to run them all here. We've even got the pony, Tom Kitten, and if something comes up here, listen, we'd try him, too. I've got great owners and great opportunities."
* * *
Coming into this year's Saratoga meet, trainer Christophe Clement knew he had at least one star in his stable in 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist. What has exceeded his expectations through the first four weeks of the meet, however, has been a number of stellar performances from his barn including Hard Not to Like and the debut of New York-bred Too Discreet.
Looking toward the second half of the meet, Clement commented Monday morning on where his breakthrough performers may end up next, as well as plans for established multiple graded stakes winners Lubash and Discreet Marq.
The 6-year-old Hard Not to Like, who picked up her first Grade 1 win of the year in the Gamely on May 25 at Santa Anita, followed that performance with a victory in the Grade 1 Diana on July 25. According to Clement, she will make her next start back in California or the Ballston Spa on August 29.
"We're still considering our options," said Clement. "She's up for the Rodeo Drive in California, but I'm not sure. She's also eligible for the Ballston Spa, so I have to think about it some more."
Too Discreet, a half-brother to multiple stakes-winning mare Discreet Marq, will be pointed toward the $100,000 Schenectady, coming off his 2 ½-length winning debut on August 2.
"At the moment the plan is to run Too Discreet in a stakes race next out," said Clement. "He came out of his maiden debut in good shape. Everything's good and the choices for us are limited, so that's the plan."
Tonalist, who finished third in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 8, and came out of the race in good order according to his trainer, will now have the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 2 at Belmont Park as his next long term goal. The 4-year-old son of Tapit, however, is still under consideration for the Grade 1 Woodward on September 5.
"The goal is the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but we'll keep training him up to the Woodward in case we change our mind. He's doing very well," said Clement.
Lastly, Clement hinted where multiple graded stakes winners Discreet Marq and Lubash may find their next targets at the Spa.
"Discreet Marq will either go in the Ballston Spa [on August 29] or Yaddo [onAugust 28]. Lubash most likely to the West Point [on August 28]," he said.
Source: NYRA Communications
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