The two big questions hanging over the 118th running of the $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds Aug. 10 at Saratoga Race Course are track condition and pace scenario.
Though the forecast as of midday Aug. 8 called for clearing skies and some sun Saturday afternoon, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is expected to get doused with rain Aug. 9 and into the early morning hours Saturday.
And with more than half of the field having demonstrated an affinity for setting the pace, the 6 1/2-furlong Special may set up for a juvenile who likes to do his running late.
The morning-line favorite at 5-2 odds is Wesley Ward's Touchy (Nyquist ), a maiden that made his debut in the listed Tremont Stakes in early June during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. A Three Chimneys Farm homebred, Touchy led the field until being overtaken late, settling for second. The bay colt will break from post 5 under Joel Rosario and will race with blinkers off.
Equally comfortable on the front end is Godolphin homebred First Resort (Uncle Mo), a first-out winner by a 3 1/2-length margin in July over a muddy Ellis Park track. The 7-2 second choice will be ridden by Flavien Prat from post 4.
CJ Thoroughbreds, St. Elia Stables, and West Point Thoroughbreds paid $435,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale for Keep It Easy (Hard Spun ), bred in Kentucky by Mrs. and Mrs. William L. Pape. The dark bay/brown colt comes to the Special off a win going six furlongs in fast time at Churchill Downs in late June in his second outing.
"I think this is a good spot. He is a good horse," said trainer Dale Romans. "Physically, he is a big, strong, pretty horse. He was a pretty horse at the yearling sale when we bought him. He just continues to get better. He is a good workhorse and a good horse all around."
Keep It Easy will break from post 9 under Junior Alvarado.
"I think we're in a good spot," said Romans. "There's plenty of other speed in the race, and we've got plenty of room to clear if he goes to the front. He's a good horse, and he can do whatever he wants. If they outfoot him, he can sit off them right outside."
Harrell Ventures' Showcase (post 2, Irad Ortiz Jr., 6-1) broke his maiden on debut in early July in a dominating 7 1/2-length win after stalking the pace at Aqueduct Racetrack. A half brother to the multiple stakes-placed Bourbon Bash ($511,294), Showcase is out of the graded stakes-placed stakes winner Violence mare Buy Sell Hold. The son of Uncle Mo was bred by WinStar Farm and sold for $300,000 as a yearling.
In addition to First Resort, Smoken Wicked (post 1, Tyler Gaffalione, 9-2), Global Legend (post 3, Dylan Davis, 12-1), and Ace It (post 6, Luis Saez, 30-1) all have wet-track experience.
With a post time of 4:29 p.m. ET, the Saratoga Special was carded as race 8. FOX will televise racing from 3-6 p.m. Saturday.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 10, 2024, Race 8Entries: Saratoga Special S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Smoken Wicked (LA) Tyler Gaffalione 120 Dallas Stewart 9/2 2 2Showcase (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Todd A. Pletcher 6/1 3 3Global Legend (FL) Dylan Davis 120 Mark E. Casse 12/1 4 4First Resort (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Eoin G. Harty 7/2 5 5Touchy (KY) Joel Rosario 118 Wesley A. Ward 5/2 6 6Ace It (KY) Luis Saez 120 James K. Chapman 30/1 7 7Noble Force (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 120 Jorge Delgado 15/1 8 8Good Directions (KY) Manuel Franco 120 Kevin Rice 15/1 9 9Keep It Easy (KY) Junior Alvarado 120 Dale L. Romans 4/1
