Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Commentator Wins Whitney Handicap at Saratoga July 26
Posted on Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Commentator, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, lead all the way to win the 81st running of the $750,000 Whitney Handicap (G1), the Opening Weekend feature at Saratoga Race Course, by 4 3/4-lengths.
The Whitney Handicap is part of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win & You’re In” series which means its winner, Commentator, will automatically become one of the Breeders’s Cup horses allowed to race in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 25 at Santa Anita.
Racing 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.23, Commentator paid $10.80, $6.20 and $4.30. Second place Student Council, under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, returned $7.60 and $4.70. Grasshopper with jockey Robby Albarado is back in third showing $4.80.
Commentator’s jockey, John Velazquez, won 3 races on the afternoon, and now leads Saratoga’s jockey colony with 6 wins.
Even though Commentator, a gelded, New York-bred son of Distorted Humor, had won 3 of 5 career Saratoga starts entering Saturday, he seemed up against it. He had drawn the rail, and it seemed almost certain that there would be enough speed to occupy him early.
But rain before the race was to his liking and, under jockey John Velazquez, Commentator broke sharply, got position just off the rail and settled him into a comfortable rhythm that produced fractions of 24.16, 47.73, 1:11.80 and 1:37.02. Solar Flare, the Argentina-bred who went off as the post-time favorite, chased the winner early, but gave way in the stretch to finish seventh.
“There is not much to say,” said Solar Flare’s trainer, Larry Jones. “He made a good run at Commentator going around the turn, leveled off and had enough. Right now, everything looks fine, but we’ll get a better look at him once we get back to the barn.”
Student Council made a five-wide rally to get second, but even race horse trainer Steve Asmussen could do not much more than admire Commentator.
“We ran a very good race,” Steve Asmussen said. “Commentator, as usual at Saratoga, was very effective. Everybody made a run at him, but when he cut the corner, he was just gone.”
“This is a 7-year-old gelding winning this kind of race against this kind of field; there were 11 horses in this field,” Nick Zito said. “This was no easy race and he was carrying the top weight (120 pounds). It was a tremendous effort. This is a special win for me. This has to be up there with the greatest of them all. I am thankful to have a horse of this caliber.”
Notional came in 4th in Saratoga’s Whitney Handicap followed by Rising Moon, Merchant Marine, Solar Flare (ARG), A. P. Arrow, Timber Reserve, Tasteyville and Cowtown Cat
Horse racing news edited from www.nyra.com.
Horse racing tags: A. P. Arrow, Commentator, Cowtown Cat, Grasshopper, Merchant Marine, Notional, Rising Moon, Solar Flare, Student Council, Tasteyville, Timber Reserve
"Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Commentator Wins Whitney Handicap at Saratoga July 26" was posted on Saturday, July 26th, 2008 at 9:03 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Results & Payouts, Saratoga, Stakes Races, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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