One of the many staples of Saratoga can be found in one of the green barns off the main track’s outside rail of the Saratoga Race Course. A barn toward the middle of the group to be specific, Barn 31, has housed runners trained by a member of the Martin family for the better part of more than four decades. (Originally published in Aug. 4 issue of The Saratoga Special)
Carlos Martin occupies the spot now, the same barn his father Jose trained eventual champion 3-year-old filly Wayward Lass and Marlboro Cup winner Noble Nashua out of in the summer of 1981. Champion sprinter Groovy spent some time there, too, along with Bold Wench, Lakeville Miss and others.
Come Dancing flies the flag these days for the family. A homebred for Blue Devil Racing, the 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon won the Grade 3 Distaff at Aqueduct and Grade 2 Ruffian before a second to Midnight Bisou in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on Belmont Stakes Day. She’s the big horse, literally, of the barn.
“Look at this, the first time in history we had to cut the partition out in the some 40 years my family’s been in this barn,” Carlos Martin said last week, pointing to the cut-out portion of the filly’s stall. “We had to get the carpenter out here so she didn’t hit her head. She’s the queen. She’s got special rubber all around her stall, too. She knows she’s special. No doubt.”
Come Dancing remains on course for the Grade 1 Ballerina late in the meet and Martin hopes to run several of the 16-member string which ranges from unraced 2-year-olds to recent claims to hard-knocking allowance runners before heading back downstate in September. He walked down the shedrow with The Special’s Tom Law after training Thursday to discuss the group.
Unnamed 2017 Bellamy Road-Cure For Sale: New York-bred colt with pending name Bellarmine Hall checked out the scene from the end stall closest to the road. “He worked pretty good at a sale, :21 and 3 and we got him for $52,000. He just got to Belmont a little while ago and now up here. I’m taking my time since it looks like he’s going through a little growth spurt. He’s going to be OK. He’s just putting his body together.”
Langdarma: Martin claimed 7-year-old Candy Ride gelding for $50,000 on behalf of Mark and Lori Collinsworth Feb. 22 at Aqueduct. Five-time winner and $286,186-earner ran once off the claim, fourth in a starter allowance March 9. “Hard-knocking claiming horse. He had some hard races and we’re giving him a little time off. Hopefully we’ll bring him back by the end of the meet. Nice old horse. He’s for new people. They’ve been in the business before but want to do more, be in New York and get better horses.”
Shanny Go Nanny: Collinsworth Thoroughbreds bought 2-year-old filly by Street Sense for $55,000 at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. The half-sister to 2014 Illinois Derby winner Dynamic Impact has breezed four times. “Rajiv Maragh worked her the other day, she went in :48.88 on the main track. She’s another one that looks like the sale might have taken a bit out of her so I backed off a month and now we’re finally moving forward. She broke out of the gate the other day with Bellarmine Hall like a rocket. Next week we’ll get her OK’d. Rajiv thinks she’ll be OK.”
Forest Spirit: Homebred for Blue Devil Racing Stable, 2-year-old New York-bred colt by Freud out of the Orientate mare Mononoke. “He’s for good clients I’ve had for years. Also a horse that looks like he’ll need a little time to mentally come around. We had the dam, she was a hard-knocking runner by Orientate. He’s a little ways away. I’ve just been galloping him since I got him from Ocala Stud a couple months ago. I like the horse. He just needs the light bulb to switch on.”
Persian Queen: Martin and Collinsworth Thoroughbreds claimed 2-year-old Union Rags filly for $50,000 out of winning debut July 25 from Rudy Rodriguez and Zayat Stables. She originally cost $125,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. “Rudy knows what he’s doing and put her in the right spot and I’m glad we have her. She has some talent. Hopefully she’ll stretch out. Her dam sold for $450,000 as a yearling so she’s got some pedigree. She was game the first time when she won. For $50,000 sometimes you get lucky. We might take a look at a stakes for 2-year-old fillies, it’s like a non-winners of one, the Bolton Landing Aug. 14. It’s on the grass. The clocker report said she had a good work on the grass with a group of five. I didn’t even know they could do that at the Oklahoma. If we could get her stakes-placed with that pedigree maybe she’d be worth some money.”
Orpheus: Martin smooches to the 8-year-old Forestry gelding facing the back of his stall. The 13-time winner of $179,670 is entered for Collinsworth Racing for a $12,500 tag in today’s second. “Old-timer I claimed for $8,000 over the winter. He’s a barn favorite, a hard-knocking horse. He ran second here with Rajiv, second day of the meet, just missed. Hopefully we can get a win for the Collinsworths. We’ve run him five times and he hasn’t missed a check. Old horse and he always tries.”
Stonefactor: Sugar Maple Farm and Lewis Rapaport’s 4-year-old filly by The Factor joined the barn in the winter. She hasn’t raced since an 11th in the Pan Zareta Stakes Jan. 5 at Fair Grounds. “Michael Dilger had her last year, she won a couple races on the circuit. She’s a pretty quick New York-bred. She tries. They had her at the Fair Grounds in some tough spots. Those guys are clients from New York who have had some good horses over the years. We had her ready to run a few weeks ago, got rained out and had to wait. There’s a New York-bred allowance race Aug. 11. Kendrick Carmouche has ridden her pretty much her whole career so he’s going to ride again. She’s coming along real well. She’s got a lot of speed, which you need for that 5 1/2 on the grass.”
Noble Jewel: Blue Devil Racing’s homebred 3-year-old by Noble Mission out of the stakes-winning Broken Vow mare Rogue’s Jewel. She broke her maiden first out and finished eighth in allowance here the first Friday of the meet. “I trained the dam. She broke her maiden in her debut the day before the Belmont, she ran great. We got rained off here the second day of the meet, took a chance and ran her on the dirt. Joel (Rosario) said she was just spinning her wheels out there. She’s back in for the grass. That’s what she wants. Hopefully she’ll do some good things in the future.”
Mo Fun: Maryland-bred Uncle Mo gelding finished fourth in his debut going 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass here July 27. Martin claimed him off Bill Lawrence and Jorge Abreu for $40,000. “He kind of got bumped around from an outside post, ran evenly. He had some good works on the dirt, so I’m thinking I might train him on the Oklahoma and maybe get him on the dirt by the end of the meet. Matt Schera, a client that has been with us on and off over the years, is back and will hopefully get some more horses with us here and back at Belmont. This is the first one we’ve got back in a while. Jose Ortiz’s agent called me the other day and said he’d really want to ride him back.”
Morning Breez: A $65,000 buy at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, 4-year-old gelding by Morning Line is 3-7-6 in 23 starts with $326,393 in earnings. He finished fourth in an open allowance behind Chateau going 6 furlongs on the main track July 27. “The other day that was a pretty tough race. We’ll get him in a better spot. He’s always run competitively. I don’t think he’s missed a check the last two years. I tried to fool around with the blinkers last time. I don’t know if he liked them, had never worn them before. Irad Ortiz rode him the other day and wants to ride him back. Hopefully we’ll get him with his New York-bred friends. He was running with some tough open horses. He earns his keep. He’s a nice boy.”
Come Dancing: “The queen of the barn. She’s been a godsend for us. She’s been something special. We had her as a 2-year-old, she got hurt, the owner was patient, put some screws in a pastern. On and off, we’ve finally got a sustained campaign with her, three races in a row. Bruce Jackson in Fair Hill did a great job with her after her last race and we got her back in the barn since around July 10. She’s had a super nice relationship with Javier Castellano, her new pilot, and we’re excited about the Ballerina. Travers Day, cutting back to seven-eighths. Hopefully we’ll be ready to rock and roll. She really loves it here. She’s a sweetheart but knows when you get the saddle on. She’s had the same pony guy, Juan “Bam Bam,” and needs some TLC getting on the track every day. They get along well. She has her quirks. Once she gets in a gallop rhythm she’s so smooth. When she works she doesn’t look like it, just looks like she’s galloping in slow motion. She’s a big, beautiful mare.”
