New York-bred The Big Torpedo will look to sink five open-company rivals Aug. 30 in the $175,000 Saranac Stakes (G3T), a 1 1/16-mile race on grass at Saratoga Race Course.
An open-lengths winner of two consecutive stakes for horses sired by New York stallions, the 3-year-old son of Big Brown tests graded company for the first time. In his only other appearance in an open stakes race, he ran second in the Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in April for trainer Tom Morley and owners Thomas Albrecht, Vincent Fusaro, and James Klein. Regular rider Eric Cancel returns in the irons.
"It's going to be a big step up in class," Morley said. "He's been running against Stallion Series horses his last two starts, but Eric has every confidence in this horse."
The chestnut has never raced as far as 1 1/16 miles, having made all eight starts from six furlongs to a mile. He carries 122 pounds, spotting weight to all of his rivals. The race has one main-track-only entrant.
Trainer Brad Cox will send out a pair of runners in Qatar Racing's West Hollywood, an allowance optional claiming winner at Saratoga last month, and Flurry Racing Stables' Take Me To Church, who adds blinkers for his first start in the United States after winning three of eight races in Ireland.
Entries: Saranac S. (G3T)
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 30, 2024, Race 6
- Grade IIIT
- 1 1/16m
- Turf
- $175,000
- 3 yo
- 3:20 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1West Hollywood (KY) | Flavien Prat | 118 | Brad H. Cox | 2/1 |
| 2 | 2Villain (KY) | Junior Alvarado | 118 | Lindsay Schultz | 6/1 |
| 3 | 3Take Me To Church (IRE) | Javier Castellano | 118 | Brad H. Cox | 7/2 |
| 4 | 4Yo Daddy (KY) | Dylan Davis | 118 | Linda Rice | 8/1 |
| 5 | 5The Big Torpedo (NY) | Eric Cancel | 122 | Thomas Morley | 5/2 |
| 6 | 6The Process (KY) | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 118 | Cherie DeVaux | 9/2 |
| 7 | 7Proprietary Trade (KY) | Rider TBA | 119 | Michael J. Maker | 5/2 |
