Janet Garaguso Photo

Arthur’s Ride leads each step of the way to G1 glory in $1 million Whitney

by Mary Eddy

Glassman Racing’s 4-year-old colt Arthur’s Ride brought the least experience to his stakes debut in a loaded field of 10 for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Whitney, but proved his raw ability was more than enough to successfully carry him wire-to-wire in the prestigious nine-furlong test for older horses at Saratoga Race Course.

In victory against a field that included eight graded stakes-winners, the strapping son of Tapit was awarded an automatic berth into the 10-furlong Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar as part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.

Few of racing’s top events are missing from the Hall of Fame ledger produced by trainer Bill Mott, and that list now grows even shorter as Arthur’s Ride delivered the veteran conditioner his first win in this event.

“It is a very important race. It is a Grade 1 and probably one of the top two or three races that they run in Saratoga - it is really nice. I am really glad for the Glassmans,” said Mott. “I must say everybody has done a great job with this horse. He was on a long layup last year. Barry Eisaman had him at his farm and he did a tremendous job getting him back to us in good shape. I guess there was a time when they are on the farm laid up, you never know if you're going to see them again. I got to say, Barry did a good job with him.”

Along with the significance for Mott, the victory was equally meaningful for owner Karl Glassman, who named the talented colt after his father shortly before he passed away.

Glassman said he knew his father was looking on as Arthur’s Ride romped under the Spa spires.

“This horse is named after my dad. He passed a year and a half ago and he knew before he passed away that I named the horse after him and he said, ‘you didn’t have to do that.’ I said, ‘Dad, I really did. You had a great ride.’ And he looked at me and said, ‘I have.’ He was 91 and had a great life,” Glassman recalled.

“To share that with my sister and my siblings, to watch it and my dad watching it [from above] – it doesn’t get better than that,” Glassman added. “To be part of Bill Mott winning his first Whitney – my goodness, we’ll wake up but I don’t know when. I almost hope we don’t!”

Arthur’s Ride entered off a brilliant 10-furlong optional claiming win on June 7 here, posting a 12 3/4-length victory in pacesetting fashion that garnered a lofty 111 Beyer Speed Figure. The tactics remained the same Saturday despite a turnback in distance, as regular pilot Junior Alvarado brought his charge to the front and never looked back.

The productive pair exited post 9-of-10 sharply and were accompanied by the Jose Ortiz-piloted Skippylongstocking, who tracked just behind in second as Arthur’s Ride marked the opening quarter-mile in 23.26 seconds over the muddy and sealed footing.

Arthur’s Ride had raced once over off going when a dismal ninth in a one-mile allowance tilt in May at Churchill Downs, but Mott said today’s sealed conditions were much more to his pupil’s liking.

“The track - I wasn't concerned about it at all by the time we got to race time,” said Mott. “I watched the races earlier in the day. It was sealed, it was tight and nothing like the racetrack he ran on at Churchill. I wish they had this racetrack at Churchill.”

Post-time favorite and last-out Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap-winner National Treasure couldn’t make the lead as expected and took advantage of inside position from post 3 to track in third down the backstretch. First Mission and Charge It went head-to-head for fourth position, with a gap back to Post Time as Arthur’s Ride coasted along the wet going and slowed the tempo down marginally to mark the half-mile in 46.63.

“I thought National Treasure would be on the lead, I thought we would be in a stalking position. I thought maybe the Mission horse [First Mission] would be second or maybe even Skippy would be second, but you know Junior kind of had it in his mind he was going to let him run out of there and he thought he would probably be laying second,” Mott said. “You just try to look at the race beforehand and see where you might be, but he broke well and he got there. Junior said going down the backside he thought he was [going] in 48 instead of 46 and change. I thought when he had it down the backside, I thought, man how good is this. It looked like he was just galloping.”

Ortiz waited for the right moment to pounce on Arthur’s Ride, and asked multiple graded stakes-winner Skippylongstocking for his best after three-quarters in 1:10.28 as Flavien Prat called upon National Treasure on the inside. Their efforts would prove futile as Arthur’s Ride was still well clear from his all-out rivals in the turn, and found another gear when Alvarado shook the reins at the top of the stretch to put away the two early pursuers.

Graded stakes-winner Crupi, on the cutback from a marathon distance, commenced a strong, wide bid from last early under Irad Ortiz, Jr. and made up substantial ground on the outside of the rallying Post Time, but neither could do enough late to reel in a runaway Arthur’s Ride, who glided through the wire 2 1/4 lengths in front in a final time of 1:48.54.

Crupi landed a neck in front of multiple graded stakes-winner Post Time while Disarm put in a late run to round out the superfecta. Skippylongstocking, National Treasure, First Mission, Bright Future, Warrior Johny and Charge It completed the order of finish.

Il Miracolo and Tumbarumba were scratched.

The win was the second in the Whitney for Alvarado, who also guided Moreno to victory in 2014. The journeyman said his mount was never in doubt.

“He just broke, he broke very sharp, put him on the lead and he took it from there,” Alvarado said. “He was traveling very beautiful the whole way. When I hit the quarter-pole, his ears were still pricked in the air and I was like, 'Oh boy, I think I have plenty of horse left,' and right when I asked him, he just took off for me and ran a beautiful race.”

Following the race, Alvarado was unseated by a spirited Arthur’s Ride, but said he and his horse were no worse for wear.

“I don't know what he was looking at. I know he was looking at something, trying to get a hold but then he did kind of spook a little bit quicker than I thought and kind of drop me, but I never let him go,” Alvarado said. “I was hanging on still with this one. Things will happen sometimes, he was fine after that though."

Arthur’s Ride adds to previous wins in his aforementioned romp here, as well as a 1 1/2-length graduation at Gulfstream Park in his lone start last year and another eye-catching optional-claiming coup by 7 1/2 lengths in March over the same surface.

Glassman said Arthur’s Ride will now likely turn his attention to a stretch-out back to 10 furlongs in the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 1 here, which is also part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.

“I called Bill after he won the allowance as well as he did and asked, ‘what’s next?’ And he said, ‘we’re going to the Jockey Club Gold Cup – it’s the right distance, I feel good about it, but I’m going to run him in a prep.’ I said, ‘what’s the prep?’ and he jokingly said the Whitney,” Glassman said, with a laugh.

Bred in Florida by Helen Barbazon, Joseph Barbazon and Tapit Syndicate, Arthur’s Ride was a $250,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and joins Frosted [2016] as sons of Tapit to win the Whitney. Out of the 2009 Canadian Champion Grass Mare Points of Grace, Arthur’s Ride banked $550,000 in victory while improving his lifetime record to 7-4-2-0. He returned $15.80 on a $2 win ticket.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Crupi, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, won the 10-furlong Grade 2 Suburban on June 8 here ahead of a runner-up finish to Next in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 2 Brooklyn on July 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Ortiz, Jr. said the son of Curlin was admirable in defeat.

“He doesn't have that kind of speed, so he fell back a little bit, but he came running," Ortiz, Jr. said.

As for the Hall of Famer Bob Baffert-trained beaten favorite National Treasure, Prat said the three-time Grade 1-winning son of Quality Road likely did not appreciate the off track.

“He broke well. I thought I was going to be in a good spot, I just couldn't make the lead but after that I was pleased going into the first turn,” said Prat. “The winner took the lead and never looked back. He didn't feel very good on it [wet track]. He was traveling, switching leads and he was not as quick today. I would imagine it was the track."

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card, featuring the Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack in Race 9 and the Listed $150,000 Birdstone in Race 2. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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