SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Bring Theband Home took advantage of a speed favoring turf course and a lack of any other real pace in the race to register a near record setting, gate to wire, 4 1/4-length victory over the 5-2 favorite Works for Me in the $150,000 Harvey Pack Stakes, the finale of a special 11-race holiday program Friday at Saratoga.
With jockey Javier Castellano back aboard for the first time since the pair combined to win a second-level allowance/optional-claiming race here last summer, Bring Theband Home broke alertly and wasted little time sprinting to command in the run down the backstretch of the 5 1/2-furlong Harvey Pack. Turning for home, Bring Theband Home began to edge away from his early pursuers, gradually extending his advantage through the final furlong while stopping the clock in 59.90 seconds. A final clocking that was just one-tenth of a second off the course record.
Works For Me rallied mildly along the inside to best the pace-pressing Outlaw Kid to finish second while never threatening the winner.
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Bring Theband Home is trained by Mark Casse for owner-breeder Live Oak Plantation. The win was the fifth in 12 tries for the 5-year-old son of Into Mischief and his second in as many starts over the local course. He paid $9.30 and earned a career-high 109 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I didn’t even give any instructions, Javier knows him well,” Casse said. “It’s amazing. He loves this place. That was impressive. One tenth off the track record. Early on, I thought this was a really, really good horse. Like a Breeders’ Cup horse and he kind of let me down. But he’s had some little issues. Today, we saw what I’d expected from him for a long time. Now we’ve just got to keep him this way.”
Casse said the Grade 2 Troy Stakes here on Aug. 3 would likely be next on Bring Theband Home’s itinerary.
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