The Sanford (Grade 3)- $150.000 Purse
SAR- For Two Year Olds
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
July 13, 2019
Two year old racing on HRP is always hotly contested, regardless of what level of track you are running at, but a race like the Sanford at beautiful Saratoga Race Course is especially coveted. I took a look at last year’s field and wondered, where are they now?
Ran in 2019 TC race- Scarlet Ninja (ran 10th in 2018 Sanford)
Has won multiple graded stakes- ZERO
Has won a graded stake at 3 (other then the Sanford for last years winner)- ZERO
Has won an ungraded stake at 3 (but none graded)- 1 (Gobekli Tepe, 2018 winner)
Has run in stakes at 3, but no wins in one – 6 (Ask The Experts, Diddy Doodat, Storming, Clutch, Seaside Ghost, Demolition Man)
Never ran in a stake again- 3 (Coaltown, Born Hero, Hollywood Fairy Tale)
Deactivated – 1 (Cryptomining)
So, having looked at the above, yes, the Sanford is a fun race to run, but it really doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Let’s meet our field, and see if there is a Scarlet Ninja, who ran third in BEL, in this field. If you don’t win, don’t fret, Cryptomining, the deactivated horse, was faster then Scarlet Ninja that day.
#1- He Steals Two (Estero Farms, ridden by J Talamo)- The colt by Forty Two has a sprinter conformation, though looks to overcome a short femur. His dam, She Steals, was a free track claimer for most of her career, but did win at a good clip, going 9-for-16, and has been relatively productive getting winners on the track.
#2- Socrates (Mb Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- Looks to become one of the next great foals by Commanding, and is a similar 1-for-2 in his career. He is out of Poison, who is a Snake foal, and managed $78.800 in career earnings. Socrates has a balanced conformation and may be a common sight in FL bred stakes as the year rolls on.
#3- Mini Me (Aer Stables, ridden by C J Lanerie)- The gelding has similar works then those around him, and is also 1-for-2 thus far. He is by Sinissippi Commander, a Commanding foal, and his dam, Sneaky Lil Cobra, is a graded stake winner. Mini Me’s not the best looking horse in the field, but that won’t stop him here.
#4- Online (Our Athletes, ridden by F Geroux)- Another runner in the field at that 1-for-2 clip, told you that would be a common theme. Being outworked a bit by those around him, but nothing that can’t be made up in the race. He’s by the not as well known, Growl, and out of Express Line. Both parents were unproductive on the track.
#5- Defiant (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- The first of our runners in this field that have already made three starts. He has managed a win in just one of them. He’s by the budding sire, Local Hero, part of the Niagra line that is one to watch. His dam, Total Chaos, was graded stakes-placed herself.
#6- High One (Gdp Inc, ridden by R Bejarano)- The only horse in the field with just one race to his credit, winning on debut at PRX in April. He turned in some excellent works at PRX over the last three weeks, so on that note, he should be considered to have an excellent shot in here. He is by High Pride, a former Pacific Classic winner and BC Classic runner (and part of the Chai Latte line), and out of Rev One, who was not nearly as productive on the track.
#7- Czechoslovakia (Blushing Meadows, ridden by F Pennington)- Another member of the 1-for-2 club in this field. F Pennington makes a rare appearance at SAR. Wait, this is HRP, not rare at all. This gelding is by Doctor Nemesis, part of the Sneaky Little Pirate line, and out of Overapprehensiveness. Neither parent did much of anything on the track.
#8- One Piece At A Time (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- The Cherokee Sunset filly is a perfect two for two in her career, and because of that she is going to take on the boys this week. Interesting to be doing that at this young stage in her career, but it does get her a three pound weight allowance. Beat the boys at CD in an allowance.
#9- Sail Away (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- He is also two-for-two in his career, and while be looking for his second stake win, after capturing the $150.000 Tremont at BEL last month. Works are very impressive on this Decima colt. His dam is Snake Marjen, who is naturally part of the Snakie line. Plenty of reason to like what this one might do in his career, but it’s still too early for that, as we saw in the introduction to this article.
#10- Crimson Sun (Allinthegate, ridden by M Franco)- Start number four is coming up for this one after running third in the Tremont, beaten by Sail Away by about a length. He is by Lightyear, who had an unspectacular career. His dam, Red Kitten appeared in a couple NM-bred stakes at the end of her career, but didn’t do much in them.
#11- Peachtree- Scratched
#12- Dream Engine (Joshua Stables, ridden by M E Smith)- Getting the far outside post for the race is this Always Dreaming gelding, who is part of our 1-for-2 club in his career thus far. His win came in a PRX allowance, and he recently turned in an impressive work at MTH in preparation for the race. Always Dreaming is part of the Commanding line while the dam, Great Stride, is part of the Engine Failure.
Prediction- This race can go any which way. So I randomly picked four numbers by using a random number generator on excel. Let’s see how this works. 7-2-10-3
— NS
Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES
