SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Mark Casse had a plan of letting Ewing settle early and come with a run late in Saturday’s Grade 2, $186,000 Saratoga Special. Ewing utilized a different gameplan to secure the victory.
Ewing, after breaking inward and last in the four-horse field, quickly recovered and took Jose Ortiz to the front where he stayed throughout, winning the Saratoga Special by one length over 2-5 favorite Obliteration. It was 12 lengths back to Camigol in third and three more back to Thunder Chuck in fourth.
Comport scratched to run in the Ellis Park Juvenile next weekend. Dazzle d’Oro, who also had been entered, suffered a fatal injury in a workout here on Monday.
Obliteration, coming off a 10 1/2-length front-running score in the Grade 3 Sanford on July 5, broke on top under Flavien Prat in the Saratoga Special. But Prat didn’t send Obliteration and let Ewing run up inside of him to take the lead.
Ewing had a 1 1/2-length advantage after a quarter in 22.26 seconds and it was a half-length after a half-mile in 45.41 seconds. Turning for home, Ewing had more in the tank than did Obliteration and despite drifting out a couple of paths late, proved best.
Ewing, a son of Knicks Go owned by D J Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and Kenneth Freirich, covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.03 (71 Beyer Speed Figure) and returned $5.40 as the second choice.
“We didn’t warm him up so he would get away slow so he could settle,” Casse said. “Jose said he settled for three strides. He’s fast.
“I always tell [the riders] when the gate opens, its up to you, you decide,” Casse added. “He broke and he said he took off; he wasn’t going to fight him.”
Ortiz said though Obliteration broke better than his horse, Prat didn’t guide him over to the inside so Ortiz let Ewing take him to the lead.
“I kind of missed the break a little, went in, but then he developed quickly, the second, third and fourth jump he was very fast,” Ortiz said. “Flavien broke really good, but he didn’t try to come over so I guess his plan was to let me go and just sit off and put pressure on me the whole way. I felt like they’re two nice horses, I took the lead, I didn’t rush up or anything to get there and my horse stayed there.”
Prat said he was content to let Obliteration stalk the pace, but said his horse tried to get out on the far turn.
“I broke better than him and I made my run, it sems like he wanted the lead, I was happy where I was,” Prat said. “But as soon as I get to the turn, he drift out and I couldn’t get him into a straight path.”
Jose Ortiz was named on Dazzle d’Oro and Irad Ortiz Jr. was named on Ewing when entries were made Sunday. On Monday, Dazzle d’Oro suffered a fatal injury during a workout. Jose Ortiz, who was aboard for Ewing’s 12-length maiden win on July 5, got the mount back.
“The main thing was that Casse let it happen,” Jose Ortiz said. “I appreciate Casse and the ownership to put me on the horse and I appreciate Irad – that was a classy move, he didn’t have to do that. I wasn’t going to ask for it.”
Casse said he is unlikely to run Ewing back in the Grade 1 Hopeful here on Sept. 1, instead he’s likely to send him to the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 13.
“He’s had every right to get beat today,” Casse said. “I wheeled him back. He’s an extremely talented horse.”
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