IT’S September and we don’t know who the best three-year-old colt in Europe is yet - was it Bow Echo or could it yet be Item, Constitution River, Benvenuto Cellini or even Maltese Cross?
Across the Atlantic, it’s a similar situation. Last Saturday night at Saratoga the Travers Stakes brought together the winners of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont (Golden Tempo), the Preakness (Napoleon Solo), the Haskell (Baby Vino) and the Derby runner-up Renegade, who was strongly fancied to finally stamp his authority on the division.
The 10-runner field also contained some late-developing three-year-olds and among them was the 10/1 winner Leading Change. Trained by Brad Cox for Wathnan Racing, Leading Change is by Gun Runner and was having just his third racetrack start in the Travers.
Bred by WinStar, he is a half-brother to Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil and was an $800,000 Keeneland Sales yearling but did not race at two. Leading Change only made his debut in June in a Churchill maiden, winning easily, before landing the Grade 3 Indiana Derby at odds-on in July, earning a high Beyer Speed Figure.
The Travers was also his first time to try 10 furlongs and, under jockey-of-the-moment Manny Franco, Leading Change proved up to the task.
Quick from stalls, the winner settled into second spot behind Napoleon Solo. Sea Strike - another late bloomer, this one trained by Chad Brown - was also close up. As usual, Golden Tempo was towards the rear and even further back was his old rival Renegade, who had problems at the start.
Napoleon Solo didn’t go too hard up front and was able to dig in when they turned for home. Sea Strike briefly challenged and Leading Change looked booked for a place at best as Golden Tempo caught the eye running on strongly. However, none could get past John Velazquez on Napoleon Solo until the final strides when a rallying Leading Change found a little extra for Franco and stuck his head in front to win by half a length.
Golden Tempo, coming back from a 10-week break, was almost two lengths back in third. Renegade never figured.
“We’ve always thought he was a big-time talent,” said Cox, who had previously won the Travers with Essential Quality in 2021. “He showed it before today in his first two starts and he was able to get it done today. I said coming into it that he’s light on seasoning, but we were hoping he could make up for it with talent, and he was able to do it.”
Cox also trains Belmont Stakes runner-up Commandment for Wathnan but said he has always believed that Leading Change was his best three-year-old, ranking him ahead of his Grade 1 Blue Grass winner Further Ado as well.
Manny Franco celebrated wildly as he crossed the wire. This big win followed hot on the heels of his Grade 1 wins aboard My Gun’s Loaded in the Alabama and Survie in the Christophe Clement Turf.
Cox added there are no immediate plans for Leading Change and did not even commit the colt to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, mentioning Dubai as a possible early target in 2027.
Chad Summers, trainer of Napoleon Solo, felt his horse may not have fully stayed 10 furlongs and will consider both the Classic and Dirt Mile for his charge.
Cherie DeVaux, trainer of the popular Golden Tempo, said her star pupil was hindered by a lack of pace. The Classic is his next start.
TRAINER Chad Brown and jockey Flavien Prat teamed up to win two Grade 1 races on last Saturday’s Saratoga card with fillies, and they also won a Grade 2 with another filly, recently imported from France.
Ways And Means, owned by Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, continued her tremendous form at the track with a five-and-a-half-length romp in the Ballerina, a seven-furlong sprint on the dirt. Earning a high Beyer Speed Figure of 104 here, she is now likely to go for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in October at Keeneland after which she is likely to be offered at public auction.
A five-year-old by Practical Joke (also trained by Chad Brown), Ways And Means has been gradually getting back to her best form this season.
Last Saturday she was settled in fourth spot until starting a move at the far turn. As they entered the home straight Ways And Means was upsides her old rival R Disaster and it was clear there was only going to be one winner.
Prat later reported: “It set up good for me. I was traveling well behind the pace, and when I got to the turn I didn’t want to move too soon, but she naturally came with me and was wanting to go, so I kind of let her creep up to the pace. After that when we turned from home, she responded.”
Brown commented: “I think from here onto the Breeders’ Cup, I wouldn’t plan on running her [again beforehand]. She runs so well fresh.”
Brown has won the Filly and Mare Sprint on three occasions, with Wavell Avenue in 2015 at Keeneland and twice with Goodnight Olive [2022, Keeneland; 2023, Santa Anita].
Best looking filly
“I think she’s as good as them,” he said. “She’s the best looking filly that’s ever come into my barn. She’s got to come with one more big one in the Breeders’ Cup.”
Connections will also be looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup with Fully Subscribed, who scored by almost 10 lengths in the nine-furlong Personal Ensign for fillies and mares on dirt and earned her place in the Grade 1 Distaff. The odds-on favourite breezed away from her old rival Scottish Lassie to win her first Grade 1. A four-year-old by Tiz The Law, Fully Subscribed is now to set to clash with divisional leader Nitrogen at Keeneland in October.
“She’s always trained super, like a Grade 1 quality filly,” said Brown. “[She] came up a little bit short to start the season, but she’s kept improving slowly and steadily, and she’s a high-quality race mare. I’m so happy. Heck of a crowd here today at Saratoga. She got to show her stuff and show what she can really do.”
Brown indicated Fully Subscribed could start next in either the Grade 2 Beldame at the newly renovated Belmont Park on September 25th or head to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Spinster on October 4th.
French import
French import Naomis made a winning North American debut for Brown and Prat in the Grade 2 Lake Placid, a one-mile turf race for fillies.
The three-year-old City Light filly was homebred by trainer Henri Pantall and sold privately by him to new connections before her narrow success in the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly in May.
It was an impressive last-to-first performance off a slow pace and now connections are targeting the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 10th at Keeneland.
“I knew there was going to be a lack of pace, but I thought she was good enough to overcome that,” Prat said. “When we turned for home, she took a bad step. She slipped and I thought it was going to cost me, but she recovered quickly and showed she was talented. Even with the slow pace, I thought she was good enough to overcome that, and she proved it.”
NOT only has trainer Cherie de Vaux got Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Golden Tempo in her barn, she also has another star three-year-old in Englishman, who won a second Saratoga Grade 1 last Saturday when blitzing the field in the seven-furlong H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on dirt.
A $400,000 colt by Maxfield, Englishman only raced once at two, winning a Churchill maiden, and burst on to the big race scene on Kentucky Derby day when chasing home Crude Velocity in a Grade 2 mile event. Englishman totally reversed that form when setting a Saratoga track record in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens in June, and he looked just as good last Saturday, firing out of the gates under Jose Ortiz and winning unchallenged by almost four lengths.
“He breaks so fast and clears the field, and it’s hard for anyone to get up there and challenge him,” said de Vaux.
Ortiz added: “You always worry if they are going to break clean and don’t stumble. He broke clean, and I was able to hold early on. I was able to just cruise around there. I was very happy with where I was. Beautiful. It was amazing. For him to put together two [big] performances back-to-back here at Saratoga is very remarkable. I think he’s very, very, very good.”
A day later de Vaux said Englishman would probably be seen next in the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint on October 31st. While he may start a hot favourite there, the recent record of Allen Jerkens winners at the Breeders’ Cup is very poor.