SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Rob Atras got a call from trainer Mark Glatt this spring to discuss the 3-year-old Train the Trainer, who had recently been second to Goal Oriented in a Santa Anita maiden race that turned out to be key. The gelding's ownership, Alipony Racing and the Saints or Sinners stable, was interested in sending the New York-bred to a New York-based trainer to take advantage of competing on that lucrative circuit.
After getting his new charge, Atras made another call to Glatt.
“I called him and I’m like, ‘Geez, look at this one,’” Atras recalled. “He’s big, strong, good bone on him, big, tall. Just the way he carries himself, a lot of presence. Right away, I was like, ‘Oh, I love this horse.’”
The initial impression was correct. Train the Trainer broke his maiden by five lengths against statebreds last month, and on Wednesday, he led throughout the $200,000 Mike Lee Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds at Saratoga, winning by 2 3/4 lengths with Irad Ortiz Jr. hand-riding through the final yards.
“Everything you see now is what started in California,” said Atras, who was quick to credit Glatt. “They had put all the base work into him.”
Train the Trainer ($5.90) bounced away alertly to the lead, with favored Prince Valiant, who had won three straight, tracking to keep him honest through an opening quarter in 23.09 seconds on the fast main track. Stakes winner Soontobeking, who had one horse beaten in the opening quarter, made steady progress inland and was third through the half in 46.30. But it was Train the Trainer continuing to lead.
“I saw 23, 46, and that’s pretty quick, but it looked like he was doing it easy, so that’s nice to see,” Atras said.
Through the lane, Train the Trainer continued to run on strongly. The real battle was only for second, with Soontobeking edging a fighting Prince Valiant by a head. The time for the seven furlongs was 1:23.92.
Atras said he was not immediately sure what would be next for the lightly raced Train the Trainer.
“I just got lucky,” he said. “He’s a nice horse, and he’s just getting better. I’m lucky to have him.”
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