SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mother Nature may be Rhetorical’s biggest rival Sunday when the lightly raced 4-year-old gelding attempts to make his stakes debut in the $150,000 West Point Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga.
The West Point is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon Turf course, but there is a 40 percent chance of rain Sunday. Oddly, the West Point drew just six runners for turf, but seven for the main track.
Rhetorical, a 4-year-old gelding by Not This Time, has won three of four starts. He is 2 for 2 this year, winning a New York-bred allowance by five lengths at Aqueduct in May and an open company second-level allowance by 2 1/2 lengths here on July 19. Rhetorical basically skipped two conditions to run in that race, scratching out of a first-level statebred allowance when that race came off the turf and forgoing a first-level open allowance at 1 1/8 miles. The West Point may be an easier spot than the allowance Rhetorical just won.
“Drew outside, which is good for him being last in the gate, he can break sharp. From there Irad [Ortiz Jr.] can dictate what he’s going to do into the first turn,” trainer Will Walden said. “He’s breezing consistent and good. He comes out of his races pretty exhausted because he puts a lot into them even though he wins relatively easy. He’s a high energy and these races take a lot out of him emotionally if you equate it to a human. We space his races out well and he’s coming into this high energy and ready to rock.”
Clear Conscience defeated Rhetorical last year in a statebred first-level allowance race. Clear Conscience was making his 10th career start, Rhetorical his second, and he was a handful prior to that race. Rhetorical beat Clear Conscience by 8 3/4 lengths on July 19.
Prior to that, Clear Conscience won the Kingston Stakes here while Itsallcomintogetha, who is also in this race, finished third.
Trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci entered one for the turf and three for the main track. He is hoping the West Point stays on the grass so he can run Conman, a horse he claimed for $45,000 out of a winning effort on Aug. 10. Conman is 2 for 3 over Saratoga’s turf course, and has enough speed to be on or just off the pace.
“I claimed him for this race,” Kantarmaci said. “I called the owner [John Witte] and said the New York-bred race that’s coming up is going to have a short field. This guy respects my decision. I said we need to claim this horse. . . . I’m really excited about him if they are on the turf.”
On dirt, Kantarmaci entered the trio of Dr. Kraft, Cut the Cord, and Leftembehind. All three would be running back on short rest, most notably Dr. Kraft who won an allowance race at Parx on Tuesday.
Cut the Cord and Leftembehind were both recent claims.
Speaking of Cut the Cord, Kantarmaci said, “I tried to claim him two times, got outshook, and finally got him. In my eyes, this horse is not a claiming horse. He can compete in New York-bred races so let me take a shot. I entered all three, but I do not know what we’re going to do.”
If on dirt, the West Point would be run at one mile out of the Wilson Chute. Bank Frenzy won the Evan Shipman Stakes out of the Wilson Chute in the mud last year. From Nov. 23 through April 6, Bank Frenzy won four consecutive one-mile races, three of which were stakes.
Bank Frenzy is coming out of a fifth-place finish in the John Morrissey Stakes, a seven-furlong race in which Bank Frenzy broke from the rail and had a difficult inside trip.
“It’s hard for that horse to break from the one-hole because every time he breaks slow and then to chase that pace is hard, but he didn’t embarrass himself,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said.
Drake’s Passage, Locke and Key, and Sheriff Bianco are also entered for only the main track.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.