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Sovereignty put himself back at the center of New York’s late-summer racing picture with a 4 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course.
The win was a welcome turnaround for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott after Sovereignty opened the season winless in two starts. Mott described the result as a relief and said the horse came out of the race well after earning a 112 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He’s doing good today and getting lots of attention,” Mott said, adding that the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18 at the new Belmont Park is the next intended target.
Whitney result reshapes the older-horse division
Sovereignty’s career record now stands at 12-7-3-1 with more than $6.8 million in earnings. The Whitney drew reported attendance of 40,422 at Saratoga.
Nitrogen finished second and is expected to point next to the Grade 1 Spinster on Oct. 4 at Keeneland. Trainer Mark Casse said the bigger objective remains the Breeders’ Cup.
White Abarrio, meanwhile, faded to last in the Whitney. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said the horse came out of the race in good order, but a retirement decision had not been made as of the update, with connections planning to take a few days before deciding.
More Saratoga winners map out next starts
The Saratoga report also outlined next-race plans for several other graded stakes runners.
Deterministic, coming off a Grade 1 Fourstardave victory in 1:35.07 with a career-best 104 Beyer, is under strong consideration for the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on Sept. 12, according to Miguel Clement.
Explora, a five-length winner of the Grade 1 Test, earned a career-best 97 Beyer after stopping the clock in 1:22.42. Bob Baffert said the filly has benefited from cutting back in distance.
Chad Brown said debut winner Gaudreau is unlikely to return in the Hopeful because the race comes up too quickly, making the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 3 at Belmont Park the more likely goal.
For New York racing fans, the next dates to watch are the DraftKings Travers on Aug. 29 and the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18, where Sovereignty is expected to try to build on his Whitney performance.
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Source: As reported by news.google.com.
