SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Gratefully will put her undefeated record on the line against the toughest group she’s met to date when she steps up in class in Thursday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Intercontinental Stakes at Saratoga.
Gratefully, a daughter of Laoban, has won all five of her career starts, including three on turf. She has mostly won racing on the lead, including a head victory in the Wishing Well Stakes at Santa Anita in February. However, trainer Robert Falcone Jr. believes “one of her better races” came in an allowance race when Gratefully had a target.
“She’s naturally fast, she’ll break and be close regardless,” Falcone said. “I thought she would be better with a target. The one time she sat behind horses she ran by them.”
Gratefully drew post 7 in this 10-horse field, with most of the speed inside of her and jockey John Velazquez.
Gratefully was scheduled to make her graded stakes debut in the Grade 2 Giant’s Causeway on April 12 at Keeneland but came up with a foot issue the morning of the race. She was back on the work tab by early May and fired a bullet half-mile workout in 46.60 seconds on Thursday over the Oklahoma training track.
“The last work was a little bit quick, but I wanted to make sure we weren’t behind the eight-ball compared to the other horses who ran at Keeneland, especially Saffie’s horse,” Falcone said.
Falcone was referring to In Our Time, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., who won the Giant’s Causeway by 1 3/4 lengths. That was In Our Time’s second win at 5 1/2 furlongs, her first coming at Saratoga in a starter/optional claimer in the summer of 2024.
In the Giant’s Causeway, In Our Time showed her customary speed out of the gate but then settled behind horses when two others went for the lead. In Our Time came through a large opening on the rail to win comfortably under Flavien Prat.
“I thought it was big that she showed that element, was able to sit,” Joseph said. “Flavien broke, came across to get to the rail, and gave her a heady ride. To see her sit off horses and quicken, that was the first time she really did that.”
The New York-bred Shoot It True went 2 for 2 in 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints last summer at Saratoga, albeit against lighter company. She has two seconds in open-company races, including the Grade 2 Unbridled Sidney on May 1 at Churchill.
Trainer Wesley Ward said circumstances dictated difficult trips in those two races for Shoot It True. In an allowance, Ward said he told jockey Joel Rosario to take back, which is what he did after she broke on top. In the Unbridled Sidney, Ward said he told Rosario to send out of the gate, but the filly broke poorly.
“She hopped out of there, so Joel did what he does best, sit patiently on the inside and make a run and my great buddy Brian Lynch [with Moon Spun] got off to easy lead and off she went,” Ward said.
Ward said he was thinking of waiting to run Shoot It True in the John Hettinger Stakes for New York-breds on June 28 at Aqueduct but loved the way the filly worked over the weekend at Keeneland.
“Son of a gun did she work good,” Ward said. “So, instead of going in a race where I’d be heavily favored at the end of Aqueduct, after this work I’m going to take everybody on.”
Juan Hernandez will be in from California to ride.
Love Cervere comes into the Intercontinental off a late-running victory in the License Fee Stakes at Aqueduct. That race was run at six furlongs; this one is a sixteenth of a mile shorter.
“Five and a half is obviously a bit of a disadvantage,” trainer Miguel Clement said. “I expect her to come flying late with a great finish. The only question is, will she get up in time at the wire or just miss?”
Trainer Mark Casse has the same concerns with Time to Dazzle and Creed’s Gold, both late-running sprinters who seem more effective at six furlongs.
Ready to Jam, previously trained by Casse, will make her first start for Brad Cox. She was purchased for $500,000 out of the Keeneland sale last November by a group headed by Qatar Racing.
Twirling Queen won the Coronation Cup going 5 1/2 furlongs here as a 3-year-old in 2024. She enters the Intercontinental off a front-running scored in the Captiva Island Stakes over Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta track in March.
Roja will likely use her speed to attain position from her far outside draw in this 10-horse field. Roja is trained by Graham Motion, who cuts Italian Soiree back to a sprint after a last-place finish in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile. Italian Soiree won the Coronation Cup in 2205 when in the barn of John Terranova.
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