The 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) winner Newspaperofrecord is the most famous product of Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables purchases at Tattersalls, but the owner now has another. His 3-year-old Domestic Spending edged Gufo in the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes Aug. 15.
Much closer to the pace than he had been in three previous starts, the Kingman gelding stalked the leaders in third for much of the 1 3/16-mile turf race before inching away in the stretch under Irad Ortiz Jr. He took command from pacesetting Get Smokin inside the eighth pole, and though he swapped leads in the final eighth and wandered about the turf course, he had enough to outlast a rally by Gufo by a head.
No Word closed up the inside to be third, just in front of slow-starting Colonel Liam in fourth. Favored Decorated Invader weakened to be a close fifth after racing eagerly early.
The winner finished in 1:52.52 on firm turf at Saratoga Race Course following moderate fractions of :47.76, 1:12.18, and 1:35.54 carved out by Get Smokin. Domestic Spending paid $16.40 to win.
"We were looking to be a little more forwardly placed," Ortiz said. "He broke more sharp than we thought and were very close to the pace, so I tried to relax my horse and he relaxed very well. I could feel (the pressure) a little bit in the stretch, but he responded really well, so I knew I had horse. He always finishes strong, so I kept riding. We got the jump and he held them until the end."
Kent Stakes (G3T) winner Gufo lost for the first time in four starts this year, drifting inwardly late under urging from jockey John Velazquez.
"I tried to bide my time, and when I went to tip out, he came running and then I hit him right-handed and he ducked in," Velazquez said. "It stopped his momentum, and that cost me the race."
The Saratoga Derby was the first stakes win for Domestic Spending, who took a maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs in his debut Feb. 12 and an allowance race June 7 at Belmont Park. He then ran a closing third behind Decorated Invader and Get Smokin in the July 28 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga. He raced in the middle or rear half of the pack early in those races.
"He was a little closer to the pace this time, which is what we wanted to do last time, and it just didn't work out," winning trainer Chad Brown said. "Irad and I were in the paddock talking about how much the horse has matured. He was real quirky when he was younger. We had to geld him just to get him to train willingly. Every month that's gone by this year, I've seen him really mature. In the paddock, I was confident that he would run a big race because he's never acted better or more confident. I was real proud of the horse."
Domestic Spending was acquired by her owner for 300,000 guineas (US$412,320) at Tattersalls' October Yearling Sale in 2018 from the Highclere Stud consignment. A year earlier, Newspaperofrecord, also trained by Brown, was bought at the same sale.
Bred in Britain by Rabbah Bloodstock, Domestic Spending is the lone foal out of the stakes-winning Street Cry mare Urban Castle, who died in 2017. His second dam, Cloud Castle (by In the Wings), was a group 3 winner who twice placed in group 1 company. She produced 11 winners.
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