Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga on Saturday, July 26

Posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Saturday’s 24th running of the $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G2) at Saratoga Race Course will offer a chance for several talented sprinters to rebound from adversity.

Online Horse BettingAs part of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” series, the winner of the six-furlong Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap will be one of the Breeders’ Cup horses and will automatically secure a place in the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint to be held on October 25 at Santa Anita Park.

Saratoga’s Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap field of horses with jockeys and weight:

  1. Thor’s Echo under jockey Corey Nakatani carries 118 lbs.
  2. First Defence under jockey Javier Castellano, 116 lbs.
  3. Black Seventeen under jockey Aaron Gryder, 116 lbs.
  4. Sammarco under jockey Channing Hill, 112 lbs.
  5. Abraaj under jockey Alan Garcia, 115 lbs.
  6. Bustin Stones under jockey Edgar Prado, 118 lbs.
  7. E Z Warrior under jockey Kent Desormeaux, 115 lbs.

Bustin Stones, co-top weight carrying 118 pounds, is one of the horses looking to mount a comeback. After successfully rebounding from knee surgery last year as a three-year-old, the undefeated (6 for 6) chestnut son of City Zip was forced back on the bench.

Following a front-running win under jockey Edgar Prado in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct on April 5th, race horse trainer Bruce Levine and owner Roddy Valente planned to run Bustin Stones in the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap (G1), the “Met Mile”, at Belmont Park on May 26, but the New York home-bred came down with a fever and was ruled out of the horse race.

While the setback was unfortunate, race horse trainer Bruce Levine feels Bustin Stones has bounced back fully and is ready for a top effort.

“Naturally, we’re looking for him to win to start off the rest of the year,” Bruce Levine said. “He is strong and fresh, and will probably show more speed.”

Of the pressure to stay undefeated, Bruce Levine said, “After you lose once, it takes a lot of pressure off. Being undefeated adds pressure, but what are you going to do? You’ve got to run. There looks like there is going to be a lot of speed in the race, so there should be a lot of ding-dong up front. But this horse has never been behind another horse. They’re going to have to worry about him.”

Two California-based horses also look to regain their prominence atop the sprint division in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap.

The most accomplished runner in the field is the Doug O’Neill-trained Thor’s Echo (also carrying 118 pounds), although in his last three starts he has failed to show the talent that propelled him to back-to-back Grade 1 victories in 2006 in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs and the Frank J. DeFrancis Dash at Laurel Park on his way to an Eclipse Award for top sprinter.

After his championship season, Thor’s Echo was purchased by Sheikh Rashid al Maktoum’s Zabeel Racing International and transferred to Dubai to be trained by Seemar Satish. Thor’s Echo made two unsuccessful starts for Satish in Dubai, including a sixth-place finish in the Dubai Golden (G1) Shaheen at Nad Al Sheba, before being transferred back to race horse trainer Doug O’Neill.

Thor’s Echo has made one start since, in the True North Handicap (G2) on Belmont Stakes Day. He pressed a pace of :22 and :44 4/5 set by Man of Danger and faded to fourth behind division leader Benny the Bull.

Despite the defeat, Doug O’Neill was happy with his horse’s effort.

“I thought he ran dynamite last time coming off that very long lay-off,” said the 40-year-old race horse trainer Doug O’Neill. “If he improves a little bit off of that, I think he’ll have a good shot. He still has that same competitive spirit. He’s a little taller and a little thicker — more mature [than he was in 2006]. He’s a very special horse and we hope he shows it on Saturday.”

Doug O’Neill also explained the decision to ship Thor’s Echo back to New York.

“We thought that since he’s proven on dirt we would keep him in dirt preps so he could have some momentum going in to the Breeders’ Cup. Southern California’s three tracks — Del Mar, Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita — all have synthetic racing surfaces.

Black Seventeen may not be as well known as some other contenders in the horse race, but if he returns to or improves on his 2007 form that could change. Last year as a three-year-old, Black Seventeen flourished as a sprinter after his eight-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) convinced his connections to abandon their Kentucky Derby hopes.

Race horse trainer Brian Koriner cut the Florida-bred son of Is It True back to six furlongs and the colt rewarded him with three decisive victories, capped off by a one-length win in the Carry Back (G2) at Calder Race Course last July.

Black Seventeen was subsequently taken out of training because of ankle problems, and did not return until last month in a listed stakes race at Golden Gate Fields. He finished second in that race with jockey Aaron Gryder aboard, who will ship in for the Vanderbilt.

The Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap is the 8th of 11 horse races in Saratoga’s July 26 card. Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap post time is 4:43 pm Eastern.

Horse racing news edited from www.nyra.com.

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