The Whitney (BC) (Grade 1)- $1,000.000 Purse
SAR- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
August 6, 2022
There were not many people that picked Charleys Latte in the Pick ‘Em. After all, the horse has not given us much reason to look his way recently, going winless since June 2021, in that year’s Foster. That was also the last time that he hit the board, as well. John Henry would end up selling the horse for $550.000 in April, and the one-time BC Classic champion did not do much in his first two starts. But in his last race, returning to the Foster, he was at least competitive again, and ran fourth. Now, today in the Whitney, he would finally return to the winner’s circle. Was this a last stand for a great horse of the game? Or will Charleys Latte now begin a run of strong performances to lead into his next BC Classic appearance, which he earned an automatic bid in after this win? Time will tell, but for now his current trainer, which is Fractious, will enjoy the big win. For Fractious, it is his first win in the Whitney, and that is also true for jockey L Saez. Congratulations to them! The time of the win 1:47.73, a little slower than recent years but all that was needed. Let’s take a look!
(½ Mile- :47.34)- Three horses battle for the early lead out of the starting gate and into the clubhouse turn. Eventually prevailing in this battle is Crack Dab, trained by Gdp Inc., but he will not be able to get all the way to the rail as the two to his inside are still within a length moving into the backstretch. Mintmach is right there for Nakamura Stables, and the 23/1 longshot does get to be the one on the rail. Running between horses, we have Sunderland Til I Die, for TwinTowersRacing. After about a length and a half, we have a group of four that are lined up all alongside one another. Our eventual winner, Charleys Latte, holds the third lane here for Fractious, and he has a head in front of the other three. Maxmillion Farm’s Combat Wombat runs fifth on the rail. The two entries from Mb Stables are the other two horses here, with Tempestuous running between horses and Quality Art four wide. Next up is Thundering Speed, but the Jokerjoes entry did not initially break there, instead starting near the back and making a push to his present spot within the turn. Sports Page (John Henry) and Buck (Big Jd Racing) are nearby, and it’s several lengths back to Saturday Khartoum (Rousee), Sexy Back (Night Rider Stables), and Stolen (D J C Racing Stables).
(3/4 Mile- 1:10.85)- Crack Dab continues to hold on to the lead as the backstretch trip finishes and they move into the turn. There is only one horse to his inside now as while Mintmach is able to keep pace, and runs within a half length, Sunderland Til I Die has a hard time keeping up and loses some ground. Charleys Latte has now cleared the others that he was running with, and is setting his sights on the ones in front of him, starting with Sunderland Til I Die as he moves to the outside of that one. Combat Wombat, Tempestuous and Quality Art all run in the middle of the field and things were certainly not over yet for any of them. Sports Page, Thundering Speed, and Buck were all still lined up but had not looked to make a move yet. The others, you had to wonder what they were waiting for at this point.
(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- We move into the stretch, and it’s now Mintmach in the lead by almost half a length over Crack Dab. Sunderland Til I Die remained within a length, but in the driver’s seat right now was Charleys Latte. The 2020 BC Classic champion handled the turn very well, and he was in the money lane at this point, moving into the third position and having nothing in front of them that would be able to get in his way. He only had a length to make up, so it was looking very doable at this point. Combat Wombat was also running well, holding the rail and certainly looked to be a strong threat with only about two lengths to make up. Still in the middle of the back we had Tempestuous and Quality Art with the latter possibly looking to make a move along the outside. Not seeing much going on further back.
(Finish- 1:47.73)- Mintmach finds another gear at the top of the stretch, and with this push, he was looking pretty good. He was putting distance on Crack Dab and making it look like the others would run out of time. However, as we approached the wire, he would not have an answer for the charge of Charleys Latte. L Saez did all he could in the outside lane, making gradual progress, but getting closer, he found a little more, and with that he is able to get Charleys Latte back in the winners circle for what must of seemed like an eternity. Mintmach is second in a photo, and a half length ahead of third place Sports Page, who only very late in the game began to make a move. Combat Wombat seemed like he would be destined for more than fourth, but fourth is what he must be satisfied with. Credit Buck and Quality Art with a fifth place dead heat, each barely ahead of Crack Dab. Rounding things out, it’s Stolen, Sunderland Til I Die, Tempestuous, Sexy Back, Thundering Speed, and Saturday Khartoum.
About The Winner- Charleys Latte, trained by Fractious and ridden to victory by L Saez, is a five year old horse by Pinnacle West and is out of Sweet Mama. He was bred by Two Hearts One Love in California as a third quarter two year old and acquired by Fractious, via John Henry, for $550.000 in private sales this April. The win is his seventh in 27 starts, and his sixth stake win, all of which are graded. His career earnings are now $5,709.000.
Track: Fast
Time: :471 1:104 1:35 1:473
$2 Mutuel Prices:
$1 Exacta: 9 – 4 Paid 3,530.90
$1 Trifecta: 9 – 4 – 1 Paid 1,615.90
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
